Textured Samples Research Articles

Effect of pre-harvest sanitizer treatments on Listeria survival, sensory quality and bacterial community dynamics on leafy green vegetables grown under commercial conditions

Leafy green vegetables (LGVs) have large surface areas and can be colonized by various microorganisms including pathogens. In this study, we investigated the effect of pre-harvest sanitizer treatments on the survival of inoculated proxy pathogen Listeria innocua ATCC 33090 and the natural microbial community of mizuna, rocket (arugula), red chard and spinach grown under commercial conditions. Electrolyzed water (e-water), peracetic acid (PAA), and 1-bromo-3-chloro-5-dimethylhydantoin (BCDMH) were tested against water controls. We also observed the subsequent sensorial changes of harvested, bagged LGV leaves over a period of 12 days within chill storage alongside the growth, diversity and structure of bacterial populations determined using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and total viable counts (TVC). Treatment with PAA resulted in the highest reductions of L. innocua (2.4–5.5 log units) compared to the other treatments (0.25–2.5 log units). On day 0 (24 h after sanitizer application), the TVC on sanitizer treated LGVs were significantly reduced compared to water controls, except for rocket. During storage at 4.5 (±0.5)°C sanitisers only hindered microbial growth on LGVs initially and did not influence final bacterial population levels, growth rates or changes in LGV sample colour, decay, odour and texture compared to water controls. Shelf-life was not extended nor was it reduced. The community structure on LGV types differed though a core set of bacterial amplicon sequence variants (ASV) were present across all samples. No significant differences were observed in bacterial diversity between sanitizer treatments, however sanitizer treated LGV samples had initially reduced diversity compared to water treated samples. The bacterial compositions observed at the end point of storage considerably differed from what was observed at initial point owing to the increase in abundance of specific bacterial taxa, mainly Pseudomonas spp., the abundance and growth responses differing between LGV types studied. This study provides a better understanding on the microbiology and sensory impact of pre-harvest applied sanitiser treatments on different LGVs destined for commercial food use.

Effect of acid erosion on the tribological performance of surface texture prepared with laser processing

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to further improve the performance of surface texture, the chemical polishing method was introduced and the effect of it on the surface morphology and tribological properties of the surface texture was investigated.Design/methodology/approachThe surface texture was processed on the surface of 304 stainless steel with laser technology in air medium. Hydrochloric acid solution (pH 2.4 ± 0.05) was selected and used to soak the prepared texture samples for 12 h. The surface morphology and elemental content of the samples were measured with the white light interferometry, SEM and EDS. To obtain the effect of acid corrosion on the tribological properties of textured surfaces, the samples were tested under dry friction and oil lubrication conditions.FindingsThe detailed study shows that the melt and burr of surface texture produced with laser processing was reduced due to the corrosion effect of hydrochloric acid. Therefore, the better interfacial tribological properties was obtained due to the improvement of surface-textured morphology.Originality/valueThe main contribution of this work is to provide a new reference for improving surface texture quality. It also lays a foundation for improving the tribological properties of the textured interface.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-04-2023-0094/

Combination of radio frequency heating and antibacterial agents for microorganism control in the production of packaged tofu

The microorganism control in packaged tofu by radio frequency (RF) heating combined with antimicrobial agents was investigated. The inactivation of vegetative cells and spores by RF heating alone or in combination with antimicrobial agents was evaluated. Results showed that vegetative cells of typical food microorganisms, such as E.coli,S.aureus, and Bacillussubtilis, were completely inactivated by RF heating at 80 °C for 20 min, while no significant reduction in the population of spores was observed. Additionally, the growth of Bacillus spores was effectively inhibited by 0.312 mg/g of nisin. The total viable count (TVC) in RF-treated packaged tofu was below 2 log CFU/g during the storage at 4 or 37 °C for 10 days in the presence of nisin. Furthermore, the quality analysis indicated that the pH, texture, color, and volatile profile of samples were well maintained, which contributed to the favorable sensory acceptance of the consumers. These results suggested that effective microorganism control in packaged tofu was achieved by combining RF heating and nisin. The developed method was recommended to prevent spoilage of packaged tofu and extend its shelf-life.

Effects of sample mass and suspension salinity on particle size distribution in predominantly medium to heavy textured soils using the hydrometer method

AbstractBackgroundParticle size distribution (PSD) is a fundamental soil measurement that is crucial for agriculture, engineering, hydrological, and environmental applications as well as in basic research such as in developing water release curves in flow and transport modeling. The accurate determination of PSD, particularly clay content, is especially critical in ascertaining the magnitude and rates of many physical, chemical, and hydrological processes in soils. The accuracy of the hydrometer method for PSD, which relies on the settling velocity of soil particles in a soil suspension, could be affected by the density of the suspension, which in turn, depends on the initial sample mass, texture, and mineralogy of the soil.AimsWe hypothesized that (1) initial mass determines the concentration and the physical interaction of particles in a soil suspension and affects particle settlement, recovery, and the accuracy of the hydrometer method, and (2) the widely used initial air‐dry mass of 50 g underestimates the clay percentage of medium to heavy textured tropical soils. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of mass and KCl on clay recovery in tropical soils with varying texture and mineralogy using the hydrometer method.MethodsThe experiment comprised seven soils, four soil masses (10, 20, 30, 50 g), and two KCl treatments in a 7 × 4 × 2 factorial design replicated three times.ResultsResults showed a general trend of increasing estimates of clay % as the soil mass decreased from 50 to 10 g and the KCl concentration increased from 0 to 0.0025 M. This implies that using an initial sample mass of 50 g in sedimentation methods, underestimates, and 10 g overestimates the clay % in predominantly medium to heavy textured tropical soils. Interestingly, there was a drastic change in texture for most of the soils as the sample mass decreased to 10 g.ConclusionsWe conclude that the initial air‐dry mass affects the clay recovery of medium to heavy textured humid tropical soils. Results suggest that the ideal initial mass for these soils lies between 20 and 30 g. Furthermore, the mechanistic pathway that drives the observed decrease in clay recovery as soil sample mass increase could be due to the flocculating tendency of KCl.

Production of the probiotic dessert containing sprouted quinoa milk and evaluation of physicochemical and microbial properties during storage.

One of the challenges of the food industry is detecting the potential of novel non-dairy food matrices to deliver probiotic bacteria to humans as cholesterol-free products, suitable for people with lactose intolerance and sensitivity to dairy proteins. In this study, the possibility of adding sprouted quinoa milk (SQM) at 0%, 50%, and 100% levels in probiotic non-dairy dessert containing native Lactobacillus plantarum isolated from camel milk was investigated. Physicochemical, functional, microbiological, color, texture, and organoleptic characteristics of probiotic dessert samples were evaluated during 1, 7, and 14 days of storage at 4°C. According to the results, fat, protein, carbohydrates, and ash increased significantly during germination (p < .05). With boosting the SQM levels in the probiotic desserts, the number of soluble solids increased, and the syneresis decreased significantly (p < .05). The simultaneous increase in SQM levels and time caused an increase in acidity and decreased the moisture content of the samples. As the storage time increased, the intensity of the syneresis also decreased. The brightness index in all samples containing SQM was lower than in the control sample. During storage, the viable cell number of Lactobacillus plantarum in all samples decreased significantly. However, they were above the minimum required for FDA recommendation (6 log CFU g-1), varying from 4.6 × 108 CFU/mL to 4.3 × 107 CFU/mL for 50% SQM treatment. It was concluded that probiotic desserts containing SQM up to 50% could be properly presented in the market as gluten-free and functional food products.

Potential role of cell wall pectin polysaccharides, water state, and cellular structure on twice “increase–decrease” texture changes during kohlrabi pickling process

Pickled kohlrabi is a traditional and favored vegetable product in China. During pickling, the hardness, springiness, and chewiness of kohlrabi all experienced a typical change with twice “increase-decrease” trend. However, little is known about its mechanism. In this study, in situ analysis including immunofluorescence, low field nuclear magnetic, and transmission electron microscopy were used to explore the effects of cell wall pectin, water state, and cellular structure on kohlrabi texture changes during pickling. Results revealed that at the early stage, due to the rapid loss of water after three times salting, the cells shrank and the interstitial space reduced, resulting in the first increase on kohlrabi texture. Subsequently, the dehydration-rehydration caused by the first brine processing resulted in the first decrease on kohlrabi texture. Then under the action of PME enzyme, more low-esterified pectin was produced, and chelate-soluble pectin with more branched structure was further formed, leading to another elevation of the sample texture. As the pickling continued, under the combined action of PG and PME, the molecular weight of pectin was decreased and the rigidity of the cell tissue was destroyed, caused kohlrabi texture continued to decline. These researches could provide important information and guidance for better maintaining the texture of pickled vegetables during processing.

Impact of an Aluminization Process on the Microstructure and Texture of Samples of Haynes 282 Nickel Alloy Produced Using the Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) Technique.

In this study, we examined the effects of an aluminization process on the microstructure and texture of Haynes 282 nickel samples fabricated using the direct metal laser sintering technique. The aluminization process involved the use of chemical vapor deposition with AlCl3 vapors in a hydrogen atmosphere at a temperature of 1040 °C for 8 h. Following the 3D printing and aluminization steps, we analyzed the microstructure of the Haynes 282 nickel alloy samples using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Additionally, we investigated the texture using X-ray diffractometry. A texture analysis revealed that after the process of direct laser sintering of metals, the texture of the Haynes 282 nickel alloy samples developed a texture typical of cast materials. Then, in the aluminization process, the texture was transformed-from foundry-type components to a texture characteristic of recrystallization.

Effect of Fe doped and capping agent – Structural, optical, luminescence, and antibacterial activity of ZnO nanoparticles

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) are indispensable materials for spectral and optical phenomena, prepared by a chemical precipitation method. We studied their properties resulting from different dopants in the nanoscale. The samples' structure, texture, energy band, and photoluminescence were examined using XRD, TEM, FTIR, PL, and UV–VIS spectroscopy. XRD shows the single hexagonal Wurtzite with crystallite sizes from 10.1 to 17.8 nm and the spherical shape particles. The octahedral sites at 470–489 cm−1 and the tetrahedral sites at 616 cm−1 were observed in the FTIR studies. PL showed a wider bandgap, better UV emission, and decreased defect density of the Fe doped than that of the pristine one. Fe-doped ZnO NPs are more active than pristine ZnO NPs for their quenching or absorbing properties, indicating their antibiotic properties.

Effect of α-Tocopherol, Storage Temperature and Storage Time on Quality Characteristics and Oxidative Stability of Chicken Kavurma, traditional Turkish cooked meat product

During storage of meat products, 4°C storage temperature is recommended however temperature in retails could rise to 15°C and maintaining quality of products becomes a challenge at higher temperatures. Thus, the aim of present study was determining the effects of antioxidant usage and storage temperature on some quality characteristics and lipid oxidation stability of chicken kavurma during 4-month storage at 4°C and 10°C. For this purpose, two different kavurma sample (C: without antioxidant, A:with 300 ppm α-tocopherol) were stored at 4°C and 10°C. Chemical composition, salt, texture profile analysis, color and lipid oxidation (peroxide values and TBARS values) of samples were monitored. Using α-tocopherol in formulation did not affect the chemical composition and texture of samples, all parameters were found within standards. Storage time has significant influence on pH, color and lipid oxidation of samples. Using α-tocopherol and higher storage temperature resulted higher peroxide values. During 4-month storage, lipid oxidation results significantly increased, the lowest TBARS value was found in 4A sample. Storage temperature affected only a* values while antioxidant usage affected only b* values of samples. As a result, using 300 ppm α-tocopherol can help maintaining quality and oxidative stability of chicken kavurma sold in retails.

The improvement on mechanical anisotropy of AZ31 magnesium alloy sheets by multi cross-rolling process

The rolled AZ31 Mg alloy sheets were manufactured by unidirectional rolling and cross-rolling with two passes and five passes in this study. The improvement of multi cross-rolling on the anisotropy of mechanical properties, microstructure and texture of AZ31 Mg alloys was investigated by tensile fracture experiments, optical microscopy (OM) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). The results indicate that the samples after rolling which were rotated by 90° showed weaker anisotropy than the samples rolled by 0° path. The ultimate tensile strength of the samples after 0° direction rolling increased from 236 MPa to 338 MPa on the transverse direction (TD) compared to as-rolled samples. The ultimate tensile strength of unidirectional rolling samples with two and five passes paralleled to TD is increased by 7% and 14% than that of cross-rolling samples. The enhanced mechanical properties are attributed to fine-grained strengthening, twin strengthening and dislocation strengthening. The {10−12} extension twin, {10−11} contraction twin and {10−12}-{10−11} double twin were investigated in the microstructure of samples by multi cross-rolling. All the samples showed the basal texture on the {0001} < 11–20 > . The basal texture of cross-rolling samples was apparently weakened for comparison to unidirectional rolling samples and the basal texture of five-pass cross-rolling samples was weaker than that of two passes. The improvement of anisotropy after cross-rolling can be attributed to grain refinement, the activation of non-basal slip and the weakening of basal texture.

Physical properties of the soil around the Lanka, Mirzamurad and Babatpur, Varanasi

The analysis of soil samples taken from the areas around the Lanka, Mirzamurad and Babatpur, Varanasi for evaluating its physical properties were carried out in the Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry Laboratory at the Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi during 2015. The bulk density, particle density, water holding capacity%, porosity%, particle distribution% and texture of these soil samples was determined by using standard methods. These soil samples were collected from Vaishnov nagar, Susuwahi, Newada, Gandh, Nasirpur, Agriculture farm, Sankat mochan colony, Naria, Sear govardhan and Karadhi locations of Lanka, Nayapur, Todarpur, Rupapur, Sheorampur, Tribhuvanpur, Bharkala, Dewapur khurd, Ram rathauna, Kasara and Pratappur locations of Mirzamurad and Chherapur, Narayandaspur, Dallipur, Tadi, Fattepur, Kathraon, Rajapur, Nindeva, belwa and khemapur locations of Babatpur, Varanasi. The result showing that bulk density (1.33) was recorded more in Pratappur location of Mirzamurad, particle density (2.60) in Vaishnov nagar location of Lanka, water holding capacity% (63.82) in Todarpur location of Mirzamurad, porosity% (54.49) in Belwa location of Babatpur, under particle distribution sand % (44.56) in Chherapur location of Babatpur, silt % (34 and 34) in Dewapur khurd and Ram rathauna location of Mirzamurad and clay% (35.44) were recorded more than other locations of Lanka, Mirzamurad and Babatpur of Varanasi.

Tailoring microstructure via heat treatment to improve the corrosion resistance of directed energy deposited nickel-aluminum bronze alloy

The microstructure and corrosion resistance of nickel-aluminum bronze (NAB) alloy prepared by directed energy deposition (DED) and various heat treatments after DED were investigated. The results show that the microstructure of as-built NAB alloy consists of the α-phase matrix and various κ-phases (κⅡ∼κⅣ). The coarse κⅡ-κⅢ phases and needle-like κⅤ phase are observed in the annealed samples. In comparison, only the α-phase matrix, high-temperature residual β′-phase and a small amount of κⅡ-phase are found in quenched samples. When the quenched sample is aged, the unstable martensite β′-phase transforms into the globular discontinuous κⅢ phase. The annealing treatment induces a strengthened (111) texture, while quenched and aged samples exhibit minimal anisotropy. The corrosion morphology observation releases the obvious cracks presented in the passive film of the annealed sample, and each phase is severely corroded, while the microstructures of other samples are well preserved. Mitigating micro-galvanic effects and preventing corrosion crack formation in quenched samples has been attributed to the reduction of κ-phases. The corrosion resistance of the as-built NAB alloy is greatly improved via a quenching process at 900 °C.

Quality assessment and consumer acceptability of custard enriched with lima bean and ripe plantain flours

This study was designed to evaluate the nutrient composition and sensory properties of custard enriched with lima bean and plantain flours. The lima bean and plantain flours were separately prepared from lima bean seeds and ripe plantain fruits and used at varying replacement levels (5-25% and 5-25%) for cornstarch in the production of custard formulations with the custard produced from 100% cornstarch used as control. The custard samples produced were evaluated for nutrient composition and sensory properties using standard methods. The moisture, crude protein, fat, ash and crude fibre contents of the samples increased significantly (p&lt;0.05) with increase in the addition of lima bean and plantain flours from 9.19-9.91%, 9.18-19.42%, 2.10-3.23%, 3.38-3.67% and 3.38-4.90%, respectively, while the carbohydrate and energy contents decreased from 72.98-58.90% and 347.44-342.27 KJ/100g, respectively. The control sample (custard made with 100% cornstarch) had the highest carbohydrate (72.98%) and energy (347.44 KJ/100g) contents, respectively. The mineral content of the samples showed that the calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, iron and sodium contents of the custard samples ranged from 113.34-126.02 mg/100g, 48.48-69.30 mg/100g, 76.35-94.79 mg/100g, 36.10-67.30 mg/100g, 2.29-3.77 mg/100g, and 31.77-41.68 mg/100g, respectively. The vitamin content of the custard samples also showed similar increases in niacin (4.34-4.63 mg/100g), thiamine (3.03-3.33 mg/100g), riboflavin (6.35-9.27 mg/100g), vitamin A (8.10-10.17mg) and vitamin C. (3.74-4.77 mg/100g), respectively as the levels of addition of lima bean and plantain flours increased in the formulations. The colour, taste, flavour and texture of the control sample were the most acceptable to the panelists compared to the samples enriched with lima bean and plantain flours at different graded levels. The study, therefore, showed that the nutrient contents of the custard formulations could be enhanced by enriching cornstarch with lima bean and plantain flours at varying proportions, thus extending the use of these locally available novel flours in the preparation of nutrient dense custard samples.

The innovative approach to the assessment of differences in image textures between windfall apple samples dried using non-thermal and thermal techniques without and with ultrasound pretreatment

This study was aimed at comparing the differences in image textures of windfall apple samples dried using different non-thermal and thermal techniques without and with ultrasound pretreatment. Six classes of sliced windfall apple samples, such as freeze-dried (control), freeze-dried (ultrasound pretreatment), greenhouse-dried (control), greenhouse-dried (ultrasound pretreatment), open-sun-dried (control), and open-sun-dried (ultrasound pretreatment) were obtained. The models to distinguish apple samples were developed based on selected image textures using machine learning algorithms. In the first step of the analysis, all six classes were distinguished. Then, apple samples were classified in pairs without and with ultrasound pretreatment to determine the effect of pretreatment on apple structure. Additionally, models were built to distinguish three control samples from each other as well as separately to classify three samples with ultrasound pretreatment. In the case of the classification of all six apple samples, an overall accuracy reached 80.83% for a model built using a Logistic Model Tree algorithm from the group of Trees and there were no mixing cases between freeze-dried without and with ultrasound pretreatment and samples dried using other techniques. Samples freeze-dried without and with ultrasound pretreatment were distinguished from each other with an accuracy reaching 95% (Random Forest from Trees). Greenhouse-dried (control) and greenhouse-dried with ultrasound pretreatment apple samples were classified with an accuracy of up to 93.5% (Bayes Net from Bayes). Whereas an accuracy reached 95% (Bayes Net) for the classification of open-sun-dried (control) vs. open-sun-dried with ultrasound pretreatment apples. Apple samples dried using freeze drying, greenhouse drying and open-sun drying without pretreatment were distinguished with an overall accuracy of up to 83.67% (Random Forest), and samples dried by freeze drying, greenhouse drying and open-sun drying with ultrasound pretreatment – with an accuracy of up to 93.67% (Bayes Net). The developed models may be used in practice to distinguish apple samples dried using different techniques and samples dried with and without pretreatment.

Multiobjective optimization of tribological characteristics of 3D printed texture surfaces for ABS and PLA Polymers

In this paper, the 3D-printed textured samples are fabricated using fused deposition modelling (FDM) process for two different polymers such as ABS and PLA. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the influence of printing parameters on the tribological characteristics of 3D-printed textured samples. Here, the four major FDM printing parameters such as layer thickness (LT), nozzle temperature (NT), line width (LW) and printing speed (PS) are considered for the study. Whereas, the tribological characteristics of 3D-printed textured sample such as wear rate and friction coefficient are considered as output responses. The present experimental study is carried out based on the response surface methodology to evaluate the effect of these FDM printing parameters on the tribological characteristics of textured samples. These experimental results show that the line width is the most significant printing parameter followed by layer thickness. Whereas, the printing speed is the third most significant printing parameter. Furthermore, the optimized value of printing parameters for ABS and PLA are evaluated by using grey relational analysis. For the ABS polymer, the optimal value of printing parameters as layer thickness = 0.1 mm, nozzle temperature = 230°C, line width = 0.28 mm and printing speed = 75 mm/s. Whereas, for the PLA, the optimal value of printing parameters are: layer thickness = 0.14 mm, nozzle temperature = 220°C, line width = 0.31 mm, and printing speed = 50 mm/s. In addition, However, the wear rate first decreases with the layer thickness and nozzle temperature and then increases. The wear rate linearly increases with the printing speed.

The relevance of the number of categories in the hedonic scale to the Ghanaian consumer in acceptance testing

The 9-point hedonic scale is the most widely used scale for consumer acceptance testing globally. The scale has nine categories with verbal anchors which are converted to a numerical scale with numbers assigned at equal intervals so that the psychological distance between successive scale points is equal. The verbal cues and number of categories assigned to them may not be relevant for Ghanaian consumers based on cultural differences. Using bread as an example, we used a 3 × 4 factorial design for bread types and scaling categories, to determine the number of categories in a hedonic scale that would be appropriate for Ghanaian consumers to use in a consumer acceptance test. Three commonly consumed breads in Ghana, tea bread, butter bread, and sugar bread were used. The number of categories in the scales we tested were the traditional 9-point, and three truncations of it; 7-point, 5-point, and 3- point scales. Each scale had verbal cues and numbers based on the traditional 9-point scale. Assessors rated their degree of overall liking followed by the degree of liking for appearance, flavor and texture of each bread sample. They further ranked the breads for preference. Simple t-tests, Analysis of variance and ranked order analyses were used to determine differences in liking scores for the breads across the different scales used. Regardless of the number of categories in the scales used, the order for product liking and preference rank order were the same; sugar bread &amp;gt; butter bread &amp;gt; tea bread. Attentiveness to the task of scoring the degree of liking was an important factor that impacted how the different scale lengths were used. When assessors are attentive to changes in scale length, they adjust their scores to fit the scale length and thus the number of categories in the scale length does not affect the acceptance score. The choice of scale length to use should be considered carefully in a consumer acceptance test.

Biotribology in the Cognitive Domain: Investigation of the Neural Response to a Textured Tactile Stimulus using Event-Related Potentials (ERP)

Tactile communication tools such as tactile graphics and braille used by the blind and visually impaired (BVI) rely on the sense of touch to convey information. Limitations in the skin's perceptive resolution and inefficiencies in the representation of tactile information within a modest amount of page space pose challenges in representing scientific information such as those commonly encountered in the STEM fields. To overcome such limitations, the tribological factors affecting perception and the subsequent quantification of perception using a reliable metric unaffected by subjectivity are essential. In this study, direct observation of the neural activity in response to a tactile stimulus using event-related potentials (ERP) is presented, and its viability to consistently quantify the neural activity and locate the cortical regions involved in tactile stimulus processing has been investigated. A control sample with no textures and a textured sample that presents a change from smooth to rough textures were used as stimuli. The ERP data were collected using a 64-electrode electroencephalography (EEG) system. A squared difference approach was used to measure the differences in the electric potential amplitude caused by the control sample and the textured sample. The primary somatosensory cortex (SI) and posterior parietal cortex (PPC) of the brain showed persistent activity, suggesting that these areas were frequently involved in processing the tactile stimulus used in this study. Surprising results were observed when the temporal cortex and inferior parietal cortex (IPC) that have not been previously shown to be involved in processing tactile stimulations also showed persistent activity. However, their proximity to the primary somatosensory cortex and posterior parietal cortex suggests that areas adjacent to these cortices might also be involved in tactile stimulus processing. Overall, the analysis results showed that ERP could be used as a quantitative and objective tool in studying the cognitive response to tactile stimuli.

An improved deep learning approach for localization and recognition of plant leaf diseases

A nation's economic progress is significantly influenced by its percentage of crop yields. However, the major barrier to the quantity and quality of yield is crop disease. For quick and reliable recognition of various plant illnesses, it is mandatory to design a computer-aided system. Timely and accurate recognition of numerous crop leaf infections is a complicated job because of the presence of vast sample distortions like the prevalence of clutter, blur, texture, and luminance changes in samples. Moreover, the extreme resemblance between the normal and infected parts of visual samples also extends the difficulty of the identification procedure. Further, the massive differences in the size, structure, and orientation of crop leaves and infected areas also hinder the accurate recognition of various crop diseases. To deal with the listed issues, we have proposed an improved and effective deep-learning strategy namely the PlantRefineDet. Our approach comprises three steps. First, the sample annotations are created for defining the target object. Next, an improved RefineDet approach is presented that employs the ResNet-50 as its base network for extracting a set of deep features. Lastly, the one-step detector RefineDet is utilized to localize and classify numerous crop disorders. The PlantRefineDet approach improves the plant disease localization and categorization results because of its improved feature calculation ability which facilitates the reemployment of features from the previous layers and increases the recall power of the system. Also, the PlantRefineDet approach adopts an additional phase to eliminate the irrelevant anchors and better adjust the bounding box orientation to exactly locate the infected regions of plant leaves which result to improve the recognition performance of the introduced model. We have confirmed the effectiveness of our approach through extensive evaluation on a challenging PlantVillage data sample and obtained a remarkable accuracy of 99.994%.

Modeling Anisotropic Transport in Polycrystalline Battery Materials

Hierarchical structures of many agglomerated primary crystals are often employed as cathode materials, especially for layered-oxide compounds. The anisotropic nature of these materials results in a strong correlation between particle morphology and ion transport. In this work, we present a multiphase-field framework that is able to account for strongly anisotropic diffusion in polycrystalline materials. Various secondary particle structures with random grain orientation as well as strongly textured samples are investigated. The observed ion distributions match well with the experimental observations. Furthermore, we show how these simulations can be used to mimic potentiostatic intermittent titration technique (PITT) measurements and compute effective diffusion coefficients for secondary particles. The results unravel the intrinsic relation between particle microstructure and the apparent diffusivity. Consequently, the modeling framework can be employed to guide the microstructure design of secondary battery particles. Furthermore, the phase-field method closes the gap between computation of diffusivities on the atomistic scale and the effective properties of secondary particles, which are a necessary input for Newman-type cell models.

Extracting quartz deformation fabrics from polymineralic rocks

Quartz dynamic recrystallization fabrics are the record of deformation temperatures, strain rates, and fluids, and can be qualitatively and quantitatively evaluated using optical microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). Characterization of quartz deformation fabrics have been largely guided by textures in homogenous monomineralic samples. However, in nature such lithological homogeneity is uncommon, and mica and feldspar that interrupt the interconnectedness of quartz inhibit the exchange of material across quartz grain boundaries, effectively pinning these grains and preventing dislocation creep.We present two EBSD methods of extracting quartz domains within polyphase mylonites to investigate the effects of discontinuous quartz distribution and remove isolated quartz grains pinned by other phases. These samples provide textural evidence for grain boundary migration in quartz at temperatures exceeding 500 °C. Quartz domains vary in size from cm thick foliation parallel continuous ribbons, to isolated quartz grains separated by networks of mica and feldspar. We quantify contrasting textural responses to deformation between connected and isolated quartz grains using existing measures of EBSD data analysis, including M-index, grain orientation spread, kernel averaged misorientation, and grain size. We find that removing isolated quartz grains yields pole figures that are more representative of the regional deformation.