Mass Fraction Research Articles

Effects of Microplastics, Fertilization and Pesticides on Alien and Native Plants.

Plastic mulches, fertilizers and pesticides have been extensively employed in agriculture to increase crop yields, though it has also led to the inadvertent accumulation of them over time. These accumulations have the potential to disrupt the soil ecological process and subsequently impact the plant community composition. Alien plants always benefit from environmental variability, thus whether the accumulation of fertilizer, plastic, and pesticide in soil promotes the dominance of alien plants in an invaded community. Here, five aliens and co-occurring natives were selected as study materials, and a full factorial experiment was conducted to answer this question. Our study found that microplastics promote the biomass production of native plants at higher nutrient availability while having marginal influence on growth of alien plants. Alien plants exhibited a lower root mass fraction (RMF) with increased nutrient availability and a higher specific leaf area (SLA) in response to the addition of nutrients and microplastics. Pesticide residues in the soil also significantly decreased the root mass fraction of three species, but there was no significant difference between the effects on alien and native species. Overall, our results revealed that alien species adjusted their functional traits more quickly, but native species gained more growth advantages in response to fertilization and microplastics.

Advancing the development of supersonic natural gas liquefaction through understanding heavy hydrocarbon crystallization mechanism

During supersonic natural gas liquefaction, the solidification of heavy hydrocarbon molecules can be used to improve the efficiency of the liquefaction. This study investigates the supersonic crystallization of n-hexane using an experimental system designed by ourself for precise measurement of liquid heavy hydrocarbon vaporization. The results demonstrate that n-hexane gas condenses rapidly 1.5 cm downstream of the nozzle throat, releasing significant latent heat. The subsequent crystallization of these droplets transitions the substance fully from liquid to solid, and the latent heat released during crystallization is much lower than that during condensation. Under different conditions, we found that higher partial pressures intensify n-hexane crystallization, accelerating liquid phase growth despite slower solid phase mass increase. Furthermore, larger nozzle expansion ratios shorten the time and space distribution of the liquid phase mass fraction. Molecular dynamics simulations reveal n-hexane’s melting and surface crystallization temperatures to be approximately 160 ± 1 K and 158 ± 1 K, respectively, with a supercooling degree of 2 K, explaining the observed crystallization behavior in supercooled droplets.

Kinetic Characterization of Pt/Al2O3 Catalyst for Hydrogen Production via Methanol Aqueous-Phase Reforming

Compared to steam reforming, methanol aqueous-phase reforming (APR) converts methanol to hydrogen and carbon dioxide at lower temperatures, but also displays lower conversion rates. Herein, methanol APR is studied over the active Pt/Al2O3 catalyst under different operating conditions. Studies were conducted at different temperatures, pressures, methanol mass fractions, and residence times. APR performance was evaluated in terms of methanol conversion, hydrogen production rate, hydrogen selectivity, and by-product formation. The results revealed that an increase in operating pressure and methanol mass fraction had an adverse effect on the APR performance. Conversely, it was found that hydrogen selectivity was unaffected by the operating pressure and residence time for the methanol feed mass fraction of 5%. For the methanol feed mass fraction of 55%, hydrogen selectivity was improved by operating pressure and residence time. The alumina support phase change to boehmite as well as sintering and leaching of the catalytic particles were observed during catalyst stability experiments. Additionally, a comparison between methanol steam reforming (MSR) and APR was also performed.

Accelerated cardiac cine with spatio-coil regularized deep learning reconstruction.

To develop an iterative deep learning (DL) reconstruction with spatio-coil regularization and multichannel k-space data consistency for accelerated cine imaging. This study proposes a Spatio-Coil Regularized DL (SCR-DL) approach for iterative deep learning reconstruction incorporating multicoil information in data consistency and regularizer. SCR-DL uses shift-invariant convolutional kernels to interpolate missing k-space lines and reconstruct individual coil images, followed by a regularizer that operates simultaneously across spatial and coil dimensions using learned image priors. At 8-fold acceleration, SCR-DL was compared with Generalized Autocalibrating Partially Parallel Acquisition (GRAPPA), sensitivity encoding (SENSE)-based DL and spatio-temporal regularized (STR)-DL reconstruction. In the retrospective undersampled cine, images were quantitatively evaluated using normalized mean square error (NMSE) and structural similarity index measure (SSIM). Additionally, agreement for left-ventricular ejection fraction and left-ventricular mass were assessed using prospectively accelerated cine images at 2-fold and 8-fold accelerations. The SCR-DL algorithm successfully reconstructed highly accelerated cine images. SCR-DL had significant improvements in NMSE (0.03 ± 0.02) and SSIM (91.4% ± 2.7%) compared with GRAPPA (NMSE: 0.09 ± 0.04, SSIM: 69.9% ± 11.1%; p < 0.001), SENSE-DL (NMSE: 0.07 ± 0.04, SSIM: 86.9% ± 3.2%; p < 0.001), and STR-DL (NMSE: 0.04 ± 0.03, SSIM: 90.0% ± 2.5%; p < 0.001) with retrospective undersampled cine. Despite the 3-fold reduction in scan time, there was no difference between left-ventricular ejection fraction (59.8 ± 4.5 vs. 60.8 ± 4.8, p = 0.46) or left-ventricular mass (73.6 ± 19.4 g vs. 73.2 ± 19.7 g, p = 0.95) between R = 2 and R = 8 prospectively accelerated cine images. SCR-DL enabled highly accelerated cardiac cine imaging, significantly reducing breath-hold time. Compared with GRAPPA or SENSE-DL, images reconstructed with SCR-DL showed superior NMSE and SSIM.

Predicting hygroscopic growth of organosulfur aerosol particles using COSMOtherm

Abstract. Organosulfur (OS) compounds are important sulfur species in atmospheric aerosol particles, due to the reduction of global inorganic sulfur emissions. Understanding the physicochemical properties, such as hygroscopicity, of OS compounds is important for predicting future aerosol–cloud–climate interactions. However, their hygroscopicity is not yet well understood due to the scarcity of authentic standards. In this work, we investigated a group of OS compounds with short carbon chains (C1–C5) and oxygen-containing functional groups in the form of sodium, potassium, or ammonium salts and their mixtures with ammonium sulfate. The hygroscopic growth factors (HGFs) of these OS compounds have been experimentally studied. Here, the HGFs were calculated from mass fraction of water that was computed using the conductor-like screening model for real solvents (COSMO-RS). A good agreement was found between the model-estimated and experimental HGFs for the studied OS compounds. This quantum-chemistry-based approach for HGF estimation will open up the possibility of investigating the hygroscopicity of other OS compounds present in the atmosphere.

Compensation of isotope ratio mismatch in double isotope dilution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ID-ICP/MS)

Abstract Exact-matching double isotope dilution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ID-ICP/MS) is widely used to characterize reference materials (RMs) in elemental analysis. In this technique, achieving exactly matching isotope ratios for the sample and calibration blends is regarded as an important prerequisite for obtaining accurate measurement results. However, meeting this condition requires multiple time-consuming iterative measurements. In the current study, an alternative approach that can avoid lengthy iterative procedures while maintaining the accuracy of the ID-ICP/MS results was successfully investigated. We examined the effects of an extensively wide range of inexact-matching isotope ratios (approximately 75 %–130 %) in double ID-ICP/MS for elements with a wide mass range. Our experimental study, using gravimetrically prepared samples of Ca, Cd, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mg, Ni, Pb, and Zn, demonstrated that, despite deliberately introducing mismatching of isotope ratios, the accuracy of the ID-ICP/MS results remained consistent with relative measurement bias of typically less than 0.5 %. The absence of a systematic bias due to deviations in the sample blend isotope ratios from the target ratios of the calibration blends revealed that the variability due to an isotope ratio mismatch was sufficiently compensated for. Furthermore, the expanded measurement uncertainties were sufficiently small with negligible variations observed across the different matching ratios. Typically, they were less than 1 %, except for Fe, Hg, Pb, and Zn which were less than 2 %. This assertion is also supported by theoretically calculated error magnification factors. Consequently, it is feasible to directly utilize the marginally estimated mass fraction of the analyte of interest without extensive iterative measurements. The findings of this study provide robust data for ID-ICP/MS, allowing to circumvent lengthy iterative procedures while maintaining the accuracy and precision of the measurement results, particularly in the characterization of reference materials for elemental analysis.

Numerical and Design Study of Beehive in Building for Thermal Storage During Hours of Absence of Solar Radiation

This study investigates the numerical and design performance of Phase Change Materials (PCMs) embedded in a beehive structure within building envelopes for thermal energy storage during periods without solar radiation. Using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations in ANSYS Fluent, the study examines how the PCM system stabilizes indoor temperatures and improves energy efficiency. The research focuses on three months: January, November, and December, in Baghdad, Iraq, where diurnal solar radiation variations and temperature patterns are prevalent. Results reveal that the PCM-enhanced structure effectively absorbs heat during peak solar radiation hours, with solar radiation peaking at 574 W/m² in January, 596 W/m² in November, and 557 W/m² in December. The heat storage and release ability of the PCM keep up the interior temperature at its maximum of 309.96K and 310.04 K in Jan and Nov and 309.23 K in Dec with slightly less drop in the evening. The heat transfer coefficient was maximum in November 11.37 W/m²·K, while the PCM mass fractions showed significant phase change and the maximum value 0.425 in November. The thermal efficiency of the system was highest in November at 68.23% and also fluctuates slightly in the other remaining months. This study suggests that PCM systems, especially with the beehive structure, additionally improve isothermal stability and energy densities of the buildings in the changing climate, which is cost-effective and a more environmentally friendly strategy for regulating heating and cooling requirements.

EFFECT OF ULTRASOUND ON THE EXTRACTION OF HYDROXYCINNAMIC ACIDS FROM DANDELION ROOTS

Introduction. Ultrasonic extraction is widely used to accelerate the extraction of biologically active substances (BAS). Given the presence of free and bound moisture in medicinal plant raw materials (MPRM), it is rational to assume a positive effect of ultrasound on the MPRM itself in order to increase the yield of BAS. The aim of the work is to study the effect of ultrasonic pre-treatment of dandelion roots on the yield of hydroxycinnamic acids (HCA) from them and to substantiate the feasibility of pre-treatment this MPRM to obtain tinctures. Material and methods. The object of the study was dandelion roots. The mass fraction and composition of HCA were determined by the spectro-photometric method according to the reaction with Arnov's reagent and by high-performance liquid chromatography using standard samples, respec-tively. Results. Preliminary ultrasound exposure of dandelion roots significantly increases the yield of HCA. The maximum content was determined when MPRM with a layer thickness of 2-4 cm and a particle size of 500 μm or less were exposed to ultrasound for 45 min with a frequency of 31 kHz. The highest amount of HCA in tinctures was determined when they were obtained by fourteen-day maceration and subsequent ultrasound extraction for 15 min using 50% ethanol in a volume of 50 ml per 1 g of MPRM with a particle size of 500 μm or less. Defatting, ultrasonic, thermal pre-treatment and their combination enrich dandelion tinctures with HCA; the greatest enrichment of tinctures with this group of BAS was observed with ultrasonic treatment and thermal treatment followed by defatting. Conclusions. The parameters of preliminary ultrasonic pre-treatment and technological parameters for obtaining tinctures of dandelion roots were ex-perimentally determined. It is recommended to use preliminary pre-treatment of raw materials as one of the stages of the technology for obtaining tinctures, ensuring an increase in the yield of HCA.

Integral LOCA experiments to study FFRD behavior of high burnup nuclear fuels

This paper introduces the Integral Loss Of Coolant (LOCA) facility (i-LOCA) established at Seoul National University. The facility was designed to investigate the integral fuel behavior of Light Water Reactors during LOCA, encompassing aspects such as cladding oxidation, ballooning and burst, reflood quenching, secondary hydriding, and fuel pellet dispersal. Integral LOCA experiments were carried out using three types of surrogate ZrO2 pellets, representing various segment burnups: cylindrical pellets with no fuel fragmentation (<55 GWd/MTU), mixed fragments of different sizes simulating ∼68 GWd/MTU (D = 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, and 5.0 mm with the same mass fraction), and small single powdered fragments simulating ultra-high burnup fuel (D = 0.5 mm, ∼94 GWd/MTU). Zr-Nb-Sn, Zr-1.1Nb, and Cr-coated (15 μm, Arc Ion Plating) Zr-1.1Nb ATF cladding were employed, with rod internal pressures ranging from 1 MPa to 7 MPa. The burst size and hoop strain exhibited significant variations depending on the type of surrogate pellets used, with larger burst sizes and hoop strains observed for smaller average diameters of surrogate pellets due to the effect of azimuthal and axial temperature distribution. Fuel dispersal was influenced by rod internal pressure, burst size, and the size of pellet fragments. Only pellet fragments smaller than the burst hole width underwent dispersal upon fuel burst, while larger fragments blocked the dispersal of smaller fragments. The rapidly escalating average dispersal fraction of single powder compared to mixed powder indicated a threshold burnup for fuel dispersal between 69–94 GWd/MTU. Cladding inner oxidation length was influenced by burst hole size and remaining fuel pellets. The results of inner oxidation confirmed the validity of the U.S. NRC’s assumption regarding the length of inner wall oxidation. The tested 15 μm Cr-coated cladding tubes, produced using the arc ion plating method, exhibited no significant differences in burst geometry, fuel dispersal, inner oxidation, and secondary hydriding when compared to the uncoated reference cladding.

Effect of Zn on Microstructure and Wear Resistance of Sn-Based Babbitt Alloy

Tin-based Babbitt alloys are a widely used bearing bushing material which have good comprehensive properties. However, problems such as high-temperature softening and insufficient bearing capacity occur during their use, so the optimization of tin-based Babbitt alloys has become a research hotspot. In this paper, ZChSnSb11-6 alloy was mainly prepared by the gravity casting method, and different amounts of Zn were added to the alloy (the mass fraction values were 0 wt.%, 0.05 wt.%, 0.1 wt.%, 0.15 wt.%, and 0.2 wt.%, respectively). Through the hardness test, the tensile test, the friction and wear test, and the microstructure observation of the prepared alloy, the influence of Zn on the organization and properties of the ZChSnSb11-6 alloy was analyzed. The results show that the size of the SnSb hard phase changed with the increasing content of Zn. The size of the hard phase of the SnSb tended to increase first and then decrease, and the number of phase particles increased first and then decreased, resulting in changes in performance. Through comparison, it was learned that the addition of Zn can effectively improve the hardness, tensile strength, yield strength, and wear resistance of the alloy, but the elongation rate was reduced. When the Zn content was 0.1 wt.%, the hardness value of the alloy reached the maximum value, 25.82 HB, which increased by 7.3% when compared with the sample without Zn. The hardness of the Zn, 0.15 wt.%, is close to that of the Zn, 0.1 wt.%. Compared to the sample without Zn, the tensile strength and elongation of the alloy were maximized at a Zn content of 0.15 wt.%. Compared to the sample without the Zn, the tensile strength was increased by 21.29%, and the elongation rate was increased by 46%. An analysis showed that the alloy has good comprehensive mechanical properties when the Zn content is 0.15 wt.%.

Design a double-layer nozzle device that generates a multi-beam atmospheric plasma jet to achieve large-area processing

A double-layer (DL) nozzle device mounted on a dielectric tube for expanding the range of atmospheric pressure plasma jet is designed. Using the hierarchical structure of the nozzle, multiple discrete currents are obtained to form multiple discharge channels. The results show that the discrete flow can be divided into three categories: upper jet, middle jet and lower jet. For media tubes that are not equipped with the nozzle, the range of active substances of the DL nozzle device can be expanded to 5 times, the area can reach 1017 mm2, and the treatment of Escherichia coli (E. coli) for 120 s can achieve 100 % inactivation. A numerical model is established to analyze the distribution of the air flow field and helium mass fraction of the DL nozzle device. The DL nozzle device was used to treat deionized water (DIW), and plasma activated water (PAW) with better physical and chemical properties was obtained. In particular, the PH value was reduced from 7.39 before treatment to 4.16 after 180 s treatment. The concentration of H2O2 increased significantly from 23.5 to 64.56 μM in 90 s.

Investigation on CO2 capture performance of low-viscosity diamine non-aqueous absorbents with N-methyldiethanolamine regulation

In recent years, non-aqueous absorbents have attracted increasing attention due to their ability of significantly reducing sensible and latent heats in regeneration processes compared to conventional organic amine aqueous solution. But high viscosity of non-aqueous absorbents after CO2 absorption saturation became an obstacle to their industrial application. Here, a novel low-viscosity diamine non-aqueous absorbent for high-efficiency CO2 capture was proposed, in which N-methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) with steric hindrance effect was introduced as a regulator and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as a cosolvent. The effects of MDEA on CO2 capture performance of various non-aqueous absorbents and its regulation mechanism on CO2 absorbent viscosity were investigated systematically. Experimental results showed that when 25 wt% 2-(2-aminoethylamino)ethanol (AEEA) was screened as main CO2 absorption component, AEEA/MDEA/DMSO non-aqueous absorbent exhibited a high CO2 absorption capacity of 2.55 mol/kg and a fast CO2 absorption rate. Based on further mass fraction optimisation, it was found that the lowest viscosity of non-aqueous absorbents after CO2 absorption was 13.12 mPa s and the highest CO2 regeneration reached 93.5 % with AEEA and MDEA were 17.5 wt% and 12.5 wt%, respectively. 13C NMR tests showed that two characteristic peaks of carboxylated carbon appeared in CO2 products, which indicated that both amino groups on AEEA molecule were involved in CO2 absorption reaction. DFT calculations indicated that hydrogen bonding strength between MDEA and CO2 products was relatively lower than that of AEEA and CO2 products, which favored reducing absorbent saturation viscosity significantly. Thermodynamic analysis revealed that total regeneration energy consumption for 17.5 wt% AEEA/12.5 wt% MDEA/70 wt% DMSO non-aqueous absorbent was 1.72 GJ/t CO2, which was 53 % lower than that of MEA aqueous solution.

Cooling Performance of a Nano Phase Change Material Emulsions-Based Liquid Cooling Battery Thermal Management System for High-Capacity Square Lithium-Ion Batteries

This study investigated the application of nanophase change material emulsions (NPCMEs) for thermal management in high-capacity ternary lithium-ion batteries. We formulated an NPCME of n-octadecane (n-OD) and n-eicosane (n-E) with a mass fraction of 10%, whose phase change temperatures are 25.5 °C and 32.5 °C, respectively, with specific heat capacities 2.1 and 2.4 times greater than water. Experiments were conducted to evaluate the thermal control performance and latent heat utilization efficiency of these NPCMEs. The NPCMEs with an n-OD mass fraction of 10% (NPCME-n-OD), particularly reduced the battery pack’s maximum temperature and temperature difference to 41.6 °C and 3.72 °C under a 2 C discharge rate, lower than the water-cooled group by 1.3 °C and 0.3 °C. This suggests that nano emulsions with phase change temperatures close to ambient temperatures exhibit superior cooling performance. Increased flow rates from 50 mL/min to 75 mL/min significantly lowered temperatures, resulting in temperature reductions of 2.73 °C for the NPCME-n-OD group and 3.37 °C for the NPCME-n-E group. However, the latent heat utilization efficiency of the nano emulsions decreased, leading to increased system energy consumption. Also, it was found that the inlet temperature of the NPCMEs was very important for good thermal management. The right inlet temperatures make it easier to use phase change latent heat, while excessively high temperatures may make thermal management less effective.

TOI-5005 b: A super-Neptune in the savanna near the ridge

The Neptunian desert and savanna have recently been found to be separated by a ridge, an overdensity of planets in the period range of simeq 3--5 days. These features are thought to be shaped by dynamical and atmospheric processes. However, their roles are not yet well understood. Our aim was to confirm and characterize the super-Neptune TESS candidate TOI-5005.01, which orbits a moderately bright (V = 11.8) solar-type star (G2 V) with an orbital period of 6.3 days. With these properties, TOI-5005.01 is located in the Neptunian savanna near the ridge. We used Bayesian inference to analyse 38 HARPS radial velocity measurements, three sectors of TESS photometry, and two PEST and TRAPPIST-South transits. We tested a set of models involving eccentric and circular orbits, long-term drifts, and Gaussian processes to account for correlated stellar and instrumental noise. We computed the Bayesian evidence to find the model that best represents our dataset and infer the orbital and physical properties of the system. We confirm TOI-5005 b to be a transiting super-Neptune with a radius of $R_ p oplus $ ($R_ p J $) and a mass of $M_ p oplus $ ($M_ p J $), which corresponds to a mean density of $ p g \ $. Our internal structure modelling indicates that the core mass fraction (CMF = $0.74^ $) and envelope metal mass fraction ($Z_ env $) of TOI-5005 b are degenerate, but the overall metal mass fraction is well constrained to a value slightly lower than that of Neptune and Uranus ($Z_ planet $). The $Z_ planet $/$Z_ star $ ratio is consistent with the well-known mass-metallicity relation, which suggests that TOI-5005 b was formed via core accretion. We also estimated the present-day atmospheric mass-loss rate of TOI-5005 b, but found contrasting predictions depending on the choice of photoevaporation model ($0.013 oplus $ Gyr$^ $ vs $0.17 oplus $ Gyr$^ $). At a population level, we find statistical evidence ($p$-value = $0.0092^ $) that planets in the savanna such as TOI-5005 b tend to show lower densities than planets in the ridge, with a dividing line around 1 $ g \ $, which supports the hypothesis of different evolutionary pathways populating the two regimes. TOI-5005 b is located in a region of the period-radius space that is key to studying the transition between the Neptunian ridge and the savanna. It orbits the brightest star of all such planets known today, which makes it a target of interest for atmospheric and orbital architecture observations that will bring a clearer picture of its overall evolution.

Evolution of solid residue composition during inert and oxidative biomass torrefaction

Biomass torrefaction is a thermochemical pretreatment that can be used to improve biomass properties, contributing to the energy densification of biomass or increasing its grindability, burning and gasification characteristics, porous structure, etc. While it is typically carried out under inert conditions, oxygen-lean torrefaction of biomass can reduce the process cost and complexity. This work proposes a novel extended 2-step kinetics mechanism capable of accurately predicting the evolution of the chemical composition of torrefied biomass. The model parameters are obtained from data collected from an extensive experimental campaign in which the chemical composition of torrefied biomass was measured at different temperatures, residence times, and oxygen fractions. The carbon mass fraction of the torrefied products was found to increase by up to 50 % under severe inert torrefaction conditions, i.e., high temperatures and long residence times, whereas the hydrogen fraction decreased. In the presence of oxygen during torrefaction, the carbon and hydrogen contents in the solid residue decrease compared with those produced under inert torrefaction. The extended 2-step model can also be used to determine the high heating value and energy densification of the torrefied biomass, with the latter ranging from 1 to 1.4 for the operating conditions tested.

Zinc determination in common beans by pXRF: An easy and versatile calibration strategy applied to biofortification studies

Zinc deficiency is observed in millions of individuals, especially in underdeveloped countries. Therefore, agronomical strategies have been implemented to mitigate this public health issue, mainly by the biofortification of staple food crops, e.g., common beans, one of the most consumed leguminous grains worldwide. Accurate Zn determination by an analytical method is one of the most relevant steps in these initiatives. This study evaluated three calibration methods for Zn determination by portable X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry (pXRF) in pelletized common bean samples. A Ti/Al primary filter and a 10-second irradiation time were selected as optimized operating conditions. The sample with the highest Zn content was submitted to acid extraction with diluted HCl and HNO3 to obtain synthetic blanks. Increasing amounts of the original sample were mixed with the obtained blanks to prepare the calibration curves standards. An additional calibration model with plant-based CRMs was also evaluated. Zinc mass fractions calculated using the calibration model of HCl-extracted and mixed samples showed statistical agreement with the reference data as demonstrated by the Student t-test at a 95 % confidence level. The linear correlation factor (r) was greater than 0.99, with a detection limit as low as 2.23 mg kg−1. The obtained calibration model also exhibited high prediction capability, as revealed by the low RMSEP (Root Mean Square Error of Prediction), i.e., 2.16 mg kg−1. We concluded that pXRF is an attractive and cost-effective method for direct, quick, and environmentally friendly Zn determination in common beans.

Water as Dual-Function Plasticizer and Cosolvent in Gel Electrolytes for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.

This study presents a novel approach to developing eco-friendly dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) using natural and renewable materials for gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs), reducing reliance on unsustainable solvents. Water is added to polar aprotic solvents, specifically ethylene carbonate/propylene carbonate (EC/PC), across various mass fractions (0:100 to 100:0). An amphiphilic hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) natural polymer is employed to formulate GPEs within this water-EC/PC cosolvent system, achieving successful gelation up to 50:50 mass fractions. Incorporating water reduced the gel strength and viscosity of the GPEs. Water acted as a plasticizer, enhancing the polymer chains mobility, and creating a more flexible and permeable structure. This increased ion diffusion coefficients and ion mobility, resulting in a maximum ionic conductivity of 18.17 mS cm-1. The highest efficiency achieved in DSSCs using these GPEs is 5.81%, with elevated short-circuit current density and reduced recombination losses. However, some compositions experienced syneresis, affecting their stability. The GPE with a 40:60 mass fraction exhibited superior long-term stability because it is free from syneresis, though it achieved a lower efficiency (4.83%), making it the best-performing sample. This work demonstrates the feasibility and benefits of using gel polymer electrolytes in an aqueous system, improving DSSC efficiency and sustainability.

Veterinary and sanitary assessment of milk quality in black-and-white cows fed with extruded compound feeds in North Kazakhstan

Background: Today, one of the most effective ways to increase the digestibility of nutrients is extrusion processing. Raw materials are exposed to high temperatures and pressure, which leads to qualitative and nutritional transformations. The study aims to identify the effect of extruded compound feeds on cow productivity and the qualitative composition of milk.Methods: Based on the chemical analysis of milk, the following indicators were studied: fat mass fraction, protein mass fraction, casein, lactose, dry matter, skimmed milk residue, urea, density, titrated acidity, active acidity, and somatic cells. An organoleptic evaluation of milk was carried out according to the following indicators: color, smell, taste, appearance, and consistency. Once a month, a control milking was carried out to account for productivity.Results: The EG's raw milk had higher casein and lactose content compared to the CG, with EG II showing the highest levels. Additionally, milk from the EG contained more solids, indicating better nutritional and technological properties, with solid content being 3.8-5.7% higher than in the CG.Conclusion: Based on the obtained results, it was found that milk productivity had increased by 10-20%, the fat mass fraction by 7-10%, the protein mass fraction by 5.1-6.5%, the amount of dry matter by 3.8-5.7%, and lactose by 1.1-4.3%.Keywords: Extruded Compound Feeds; Milk Productivity; Black-And-White Breed; Fat; Protein

Melt-extruded formulations of fenofibrate with various grades of hydrogenated phospholipid exhibit promising in-vitro biopharmaceutical behavior

In the current study, it was demonstrated that three commercially available grades of hydrogenated phospholipids (HPL) differing in their content of phosphatidylcholine may be used as components for hot melt-extruded binary (HPL as sole excipient) or ternary (in combination with copovidone) solid dispersions of fenofibrate (FEN) at mass fractions between 0.5 and 20% (ternary) or 80% (binary). X-ray powder diffraction indicated complete conversion of crystalline fenofibrate into the amorphous state by hot melt extrusion for all ternary blends. In contrast, both the binary blends (HPL- and copovidone-based) contained minor remaining crystallites. Irrespectively, all solid dispersions induced during dissolution studies a supersaturated state of FEN, where the ternary ASDs showed enhanced and more complete release of FEN as compared to the binary blends and, even more pronounced, in comparison to the marketed micronized and nano-milled formulations. In terms of the cumulated amount permeated, there were marginal differences between the various formulations when combined dissolution/permeation was done using FeSSIF as donor medium; with FaSSIF as donor medium, the binary HPL-ASD containing the grade with the highest phosphatidylcholine fraction performed best in terms of permeation, even significantly better than the marketed nano-crystal formulation. Otherwise, no significant differences were seen between the various grades of HPL when FEN dissolution and permeation were analyzed for ternary solid dispersions. In conclusion, the in-vitro biopharmaceutical behaviour of hydrogenated phospholipid-containing blends manufactured by hot melt extrusion appears promising. They can be a viable formulation option for poorly water-soluble and lipophilic drug compounds like FEN.

Environmentally Friendly, Dual-Responsive Actuator Based on Nafion, Carboxylated Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes, and Polyethylene.

As a type of smart material, flexible stimulus-responsive actuators have become a hot research topic nowadays. However, flexible actuators responding to a single stimulus source are susceptible to external perturbations, which may lead to an unstable function or even failure. Therefore, in this paper, we proposed a bilayer actuator that can be driven by both humidity and light by combining the humidity-sensitive Nafion, carboxylated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (cMWCNT) with excellent photothermal conversion properties, and commercial polyethylene (PE) tape with good humidity insensitivity and thermal expansion. First, the cMWCNT-Nafion film was prepared by a solution casting method and bonded together with PE tape to obtain a bilayer actuator. Then, the effects of the cMWCNT mass fraction and film thickness on the humidity and light response performance of the bilayer actuator were investigated. The optimal ratios of raw materials were obtained for different stimulation sources, respectively. Furthermore, the performance of the bilayer actuator with the optimal ratios was tested; it was verified that the proposed dual-responsive actuator can realize different degrees of bending deformation under different relative humidity (RH) and ultraviolet (UV) light intensity with good stability. Finally, the application potential in multiple scenarios was further verified by applying the prepared cMWCNT-Nafion/PE bilayer actuator to a smart window, crawling robot, and flexible gripper. This paper will provide a meaningful reference for the development and performance optimization of high-performance dual-responsive actuators.