Water Content In Medium Research Articles

Design and Implementation of an IoT-Based Misting Control System for Orchid Plants in the ITERA Botanical Gardens

Orchids are one type of plant that can be cultivated in a greenhouse. The growth of orchid plants is influenced by several factors, including altitude, light intensity, envirnmental temperature, environmental humidity, and water content in the planting medium. If some of these factors do not meet the needs, then the growth of the orchid plant will be disrupted, the roots and flowers produced by the orchid will not be healthy and beautiful. The aim of this research is to create a system that is able to monitor and control the environmental conditions in the place/location where this orchid grows so that it is always in a stable condition. The technology used is misting misting based on an Android application using sensors and IoT to maintain and maintain the condition of orchid plants so that they are always in optimal condition. In the results of the tests carried out, the data obtained were good, namely that this instrument had an accuracy of 80%. The application that has been created is capable of controlling and monitoring the environmental conditions of orchids very well

Highly crystalline polyimide covalent organic framework as electrochemical sensing platform for the ultrasensitive detection of purine bases in DNA

It is of great significance to propose simple methods to detect DNA bases sensitively for biological analysis and medical diagnosis. Herein, a highly crystalline polyimide covalent organic framework (TAPM-COF) has been successfully synthesized via a solvothermal route using pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) and tris(4-aminophenyl) amine (TAPA), which possessed large specific surface area (2286 m2 g−1) and excellent thermal stability. Intriguingly, the crystallinity of the TAPM-COF improved significantly with the increase of water content in the reaction medium. To verify this phenomenon, we synthesized TPPM-COF with two pores by pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) and N,N,N′,N'-tetrakis(4-aminophenyl)-1,4-benzenediamine (TPDA), which bonding was similar to TAPM-COF. Furthermore, the prepared TAPM–COF–0.3 was used to construct a novel and independent electrochemical biosensor on glassy carbon electrode for simultaneously determination of adenine (A) and guanine (G) without other additives. However, to further improve signal of TAPM-COF in electrochemical sensing, the crystalline TAPM–COF–0.3 can be readily integrated with amino-functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (NH2-MWCNT) to form core-shell TAPM–COF–0.3@NH2-MWCNT driven by a π–π stacking interaction for more sensitive electrochemical sensing toward purine bases. In comparison to TAPM-COF/GCE, the TAPM-COF@NH2-MWCNT/GCE exhibited more favorable linear range and lower limit of detection. The work provided a new strategy for amplifying signal of COF in the field of electrochemical sensors.

Estimation of soil water and organic matter content in medium and low yield fields of Ningxia Yellow River Irrigation area based on hyperspectral information.

Accurately obtaining soil water and organic matter content is of great significance for improving soil qua-lity in croplands with medium to low yield. We explored the estimation effect of fractional order differentiation (FOD) combined with different spectral indices on soil water and organic matter content in medium and low yield croplands of Ningxia Yellow River Irrigation Area. After root mean square transformation of field measured hyperspectral reflectance, we used 0-2 FOD (with a step length of 0.25) to construct difference index (DI), ratio index (RI), product index (PI), sum index (SI), generalized difference index (GDI), and nitrogen planar domain index (NPDI) and to select the optimal spectral index based on the correlation coefficients between six spectral indices with soil water and organic matter contents. We constructed a model for estimating soil water and organic matter content based on partial least squares regression (PLSR) and support vector machine (SVM). The results showed that the correlation between soil water and organic matter content and spectral information was effectively improved after FOD transformation compared with the original spectrum, with maximum increases of 0.1785 and 0.1713, respectively. The soil water content sensitive bands were mainly in the range of 400-630 and 1350-1940 nm, while the sensitive bands of organic matter content were mainly at 460-850, 1530-1910, and 2060-2310 nm. The accuracy of SVM model was significantly higher than that of PLSR, and the soil water content estimation model based on 1.75-order NPDI-SVM reached the highest precision, with a validation determination coefficient (Rp2) of 0.970, root mean square error (RMSE) of 1.615, and relative percent deviation (RPD) of 4.211. The organic matter content estimation model based on 0.5 order DI-SVM had the best performance, with Rp2, RMSE and RPD of 0.983, 0.701 and 5.307, respectively. Our results could provide data and technological support for soil water and nutrient monitoring, quality improvement, and graphics creating in similar area with medium to low yield fields.

Photodeformable Azo Polymer Janus Particles Obtained upon Nonsolvent-Induced Phase Separation and Asynchronous Aggregation.

Photodeformable submicron Janus particles (JPs), containing an epoxy-based azo polymer (BP-AZ-CN) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), were fabricated upon nonsolvent-induced phase separation. The formation of the JPs was induced by gradually adding deionized water into a tetrahydrofuran (THF) solution of both polymers. The results show that the two polymers start to precipitate from the solution at almost the same water content and immediately separate into two phases in each particle due to the strong incompatibility between the two components. After the nucleation, the sizes of the aggregates increase with increasing water content in the following growth stage. The amount of BP-AZ-CN molecules assembling into the aggregates is controlled by the water content in the medium, while the aggregation of PMMA molecules is a slow diffusion-controlled process due to the much higher molecular weight of this polymer. With a further increase in the water content in the dispersion medium, the swollen aggregates collapse to form JPs. Interestingly, when a dispersion with a water content of 50 vol % is diluted with a THF/H2O mixture with the same water content, the shapes of the JPs are significantly modified and vitrified after removal of THF through evaporation. By increasing the dilution multiples adopted to dilute the intermediate dispersions, JPs with more asymmetric shapes are obtained due to the enhanced asynchronous aggregation. Ternary phase diagrams calculated according to the Flory-Huggins theory provide a semi-quantitative description and rationalization of the phase separation behavior related to the thermodynamic factors. The differences in the transport behavior and aggregation dynamics of the two polymers are also proven to be critical for the formation of the asymmetric structures. Upon irradiation, the BP-AZ-CN compartments of JPs exhibit remarkable elongation along the electric vibrational direction of a linearly polarized laser beam at a wavelength of 488 nm.

Emissive Platinum(II) Macrocycles as Tunable Cascade Energy Transfer Scaffolds.

Developing artificial light-harvesting scaffolds with a cascade energy transfer process is significant for better understanding of photosynthesis. Here, we report [3+3] self-assembled PtII fluorescent macrocycles (3 a and 3 b) as light-harvesting platforms with cascade energy transfer. The PtII macrocycles aggregate into nanospheres and show emission-enhancement characteristics upon increasing water content in acetone medium. These aggregates (3aa and 3ba ) serve as energy donors when mixed with the hydrophobic dye Eosin-Y (ESY). In the presence of a second dye, Nile Red (NiR), an unusual sequential two-step energy transfer takes place from the macrocycles to NiR. In this case, ESY acts as a bridge in the relay mode. Additionally, a unique strategy to control such an energy transfer process by tuning the chain length of the alkyl group attached to the periphery of the macrocycles is demonstrated.

Emissive Platinum(II) Macrocycles as Tunable Cascade Energy Transfer Scaffolds

AbstractDeveloping artificial light‐harvesting scaffolds with a cascade energy transfer process is significant for better understanding of photosynthesis. Here, we report [3+3] self‐assembled PtII fluorescent macrocycles (3 a and 3 b) as light‐harvesting platforms with cascade energy transfer. The PtII macrocycles aggregate into nanospheres and show emission‐enhancement characteristics upon increasing water content in acetone medium. These aggregates (3aa and 3ba) serve as energy donors when mixed with the hydrophobic dye Eosin‐Y (ESY). In the presence of a second dye, Nile Red (NiR), an unusual sequential two‐step energy transfer takes place from the macrocycles to NiR. In this case, ESY acts as a bridge in the relay mode. Additionally, a unique strategy to control such an energy transfer process by tuning the chain length of the alkyl group attached to the periphery of the macrocycles is demonstrated.

Digital Modeling of Heat Transfer during the Baking Process

Numerical modeling and analysis of the baking process are challenging biochemical processes occurring in bread. These changes result from mass engineering tasks, usually characterized by the complex chain of chemical, physical, and heat transfer processes impacting the baking at the same time primarily caused by a variation of two dominating factors: (i) the heat and (ii) the internal moisture content at different temperatures and during the time’s process. This study presents an analysis of the 1-D computational fluid dynamics model for simultaneous heat transfer within a cylindrical bread sample. The numerical simulations were performed using the finite difference model (FDM) and the finite element model (FEM). In the first case, the proposed numerical model considered radiation and convection during sample heating and described the sample’s simultaneous heat, water, and vapor diffusion mechanisms. The calculations indicated that the FDM was susceptible to the time step; consequently, the range of 10 s and 100 s yielded the only relevant results. In the second case, the FEM was used to describe the phenomena of transportation during baking. Results obtained by the FEM showed a large temperature gradient near the surface. The study showed the presence of some critical cases that are considered the most influential on the stages of bread production. The first critical value is the time when the baking temperature reaches 100° C. The second critical value is the time when the liquid water content in the baking medium reaches its peak. The boundary conditions were examined and illustrated by figures in the center and the surface of the bread.

Alumina Support for Cobalt Catalyst in a Methane Dry Reforming Reaction: The Role of Water Content in a Solvent Medium

This study aimed to synthesize alumina from an inorganic aluminum nitrate precursor in various binary solvent systems of ethanol and water using the sol-gel self-assembly (SSA) method, employing a triblock copolymer, pluronic P123, as the pore-directing agent. The resulting materials were implemented as a support for the cobalt (Co) catalyst in a methane dry reforming (MDR) reaction at 1073 K under 1 atm. Regardless of the water percentage used in the support synthesis, the methane dry reforming reaction over Co catalysts on alumina supports showed the negligible change in conversion during the 12 h reaction. Moreover, there was evidence of large quantities of amorphous carbon and graphitic carbon on the spent catalyst surface. However, the low oxidation temperature of these deposited carbons could help maintain the balance between the carbon formation and the carbon elimination processes on the catalyst surface during the reforming reaction, hence prolonging the lifetime of the catalyst. The high conversion of methane (CH4) from 64.6% to 82.8% and carbon dioxide (CO2) from 70.7% to 86.6% for the MDR reaction over the as-prepared alumina-supported Co catalyst demonstrated a significant improvement in catalyst production for the MDR reaction from the viewpoint of large-scale applications.

Application of the Darcy and Richards equations for modelling of water capillary rise in building materials

This paper presents the application of the Darcy and Richards equations, describing water flow and dynamic changes of the water content in porous medium, for numerical modeling of water capillary rise in the selected building materials. The numerical simulations of unsaturated and variably saturated water flow in the studied materials were performed in FEFLOW commercial computational software, by DHI-Wasy, Germany. The developed model represented a wall section constructed of aerated concrete blocks, covered by mortar prepared using blended cement with biomass ash addition. The physical and water retention characteristics of the modeled materials were based on the previously performed laboratory measurements and literature research. The assumed initial conditions reflected air dry wall with limited moisture, while the boundary conditions allowed modeling of capillary rise due to direct contact of the studied materials with water with variable pressure head. The results of numerical calculations allowed observation of the time-dependent changes in the moisture content of building materials in relation to their physical properties and variable boundary conditions.

Hydrogenolysis of aromatic ethers under lignin-first conditions

The cleavage of the etheric CO bond in diphenyl ether (DPE), phenethyl phenyl ether (PPE) and benzyl-phenyl ether (BPE) has been investigated by using Ru/C (5% wt) and Pd/C (5% wt), as heterogeneous catalysts, under reaction conditions generally adopted for the reductive catalytic fractionalization of lignocellulosic biomasses (lignin-first approach). Catalytic tests were carried out in the presence of simple C1-C3 alcoholic H-donor solvents (methanol, ethanol and 2-propanol) used as such or in mixture with water in the temperature range of 120–240 °C both in the presence or in the absence of molecular hydrogen as reducing agent. Under transfer hydrogenolysis conditions, the Ru/C catalyst was found to be the best performing system in the cleavage of the 4–O–5 etheric CO bond (95 % DPE conversion in 2-propanol at 210 °C after 3 h of reaction) with a less pronounced tendency in hydrogenating the aromatic ring. Upon increasing the water content in the reaction medium, a decrease in the cleavage of the CO bond of DPE together with a higher production of phenolics is observed as a consequence of the reductive hydrolysis reaction occurrence. The best yield in aromatic compounds (52 %) was obtained by using as solvent a water/2-propanol (75:25, v/v) mixture in absence of added molecular hydrogen, with the alcoholic fraction being the in-situ H-source. A lower tendency to undergo to hydrolysis reaction together with a higher production of aromatics is registered in the case of phenethyl phenyl ether and benzyl-phenyl ether. Results are explained in terms of the higher steric hindrance of PPE and BPE with respect to DPE and of the competitive adsorption of arenes arising from hydrogenolysis of etheric β–O–4 and α–O–4 bonds (phenol + ethyl benzene or phenol + toluene) on the Ru/C catalyst surface.

Development of biocompatible DES/NADES as co-solvents for efficient biosynthesis of chiral alcohols.

The novel deep eutectic solvents (DESs) and natural deep eutectic solvents (NADESs) were designed and synthesized by cell protective components, in which the compounds were derived from natural alternative sources. The performances of designed DESs/NADESs as co-solvent were investigated in asymmetric reduction catalyzed by microbial cells. The DESs/NADESs synthesized by three different types of hydrogen bond receptor (betaine, L-proline and L-carnitine) conferred an advantage over conventional choline chloride-based DESs/NADESs and aqueous buffer system, with regard to efficient bioproduction of (R)-1-[4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]ethanol by recombinant Escherichia coli cells. TEM images exhibited that the cell membrane integrity during exposure to the developed NADESs was better than that after treatment with choline chloride-based NADES, which accounted for enhanced catalytic efficiency. This bioprocess was also feasible at 500mL preparation scale with 92.4% yield under 400mM substrate loading. To broaden the applicability of three types of DES/NADESs that increased catalytic efficiency in the process of E. coli-mediated reduction, the production of various chiral alcohols in developed reaction media were further examined, with some positive results. It was also found that lysine-based NADES could even reverse the enantioselectivity of biocatalyst at high water content in the reaction medium. These findings may aid in the development of novel DESs/NADESs for biocatalysis.

Fermentasi Kelapa Parut Bebas Protein dengan Aspergillus niger untuk Menghasilkan Lipase

The research about the fermentation of protein-free grated coconut with Aspergillus niger to produce of crude lipase enzyme has been carried out. This study aims to determine the effect of water content on fermentation medium and the incubation time which results lipase enzyme extract with the highest activity. This study used a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) consisting of 2 factors, i.e. variations of water content in medium of 40%, 50%, 60%, and 70% and incubation times of 48, 96, 144, and 192 hours. The parameters observed were lipase enzyme activity produced in each treatment. The results showed that the highest medium water content was 70% with the lipase enzyme activity 4.33 µmol/mL.minute and the best incubation time was 96 hours with the lipase enzyme activity of 0.83 µmol/mL.minute.
 Keywords: Lipase enzyme, protein-free grated coconut, Aspergillus niger

Influence of Volumetric Water Content in a Peat-Perlite Medium on Mother Plant Growth and Daughter Plant Occurrence during ‘Seolhyang’ Strawberry Propagatio

Influence of Volumetric Water Content in a Peat-Perlite Medium on Mother Plant Growth and Daughter Plant Occurrence during ‘Seolhyang’ Strawberry Propagatio

Cleaner coloration of cotton fabric with reactive dyes using a pad-batch-steam dyeing process

Abstract To enhance dye fixation rate in pad-steam dyeing, a preliminary research was carried out to examine that the effect of the water content in water-ethanol mixed medium on reactive dyeing of cotton fabrics. The fabric temperature and dyeing properties as affected by the water content were investigated. Based on the results, a batch procedure was incorporated in the pad-steam dyeing to enhance the interactions between reactive dye and cellulosic fibers. The dyeing properties, chemicals and energy consumption of the pad-batch-steam process and conventional pad-steam process were also evaluated. The results show that reducing the water content could expedite fabric heating and improve dyeing properties significantly. The batching time of 60 min, 20 g/L of sodium carbonate and steaming time of 2.0 min were appropriate for dyeing cotton fabric with 25 g/L of C.I. Reactive Violet 5. Compared with conventional pad-steam dyeing, the color strength and dye fixation rates of dyed fabrics using pad-batch-steam dyeing process were maximum increased by 21.4% and 16.1%, respectively. The proposed dyeing process saved 13.7% dye, 33.3% sodium carbonate, 33.3% steam and 28.5% industrial electricity. The pad-batch-steam dyeing process has significant potential for enhancing dye fixation rate and reducing the dyeing effluent, which is a major step towards cleaner dyeing of cotton fabrics.

Terahertz Measurement of the Water Content Distribution in Wood Materials

Recently, THz waves have been shown to be an effective technique for investigating the water diffusion within porous media, such as biomaterial or insulation materials. This applicability is due to the sufficient resolution for such applications and the safe levels of radiation. This study aims to achieve contactless absolute water content measurements at a steady state case in semi-transparent solids (wood) using a transmittance THz wave range setup. First, a calibration method is developed to validate an analytical model based on the Beer-Lambert law, linking the absorption coefficient, the density of the solid, and its water content. Then, an estimation of the water content on a local scale in a transient-state case (drying) is performed. This study shows that THz waves are an effective contactless, safe, and low-cost technique for the measurement of water content in a porous medium, such as wood.

Effect of the content of CO2 and H2 in the feed on the conversion of CO2 in the direct synthesis of dimethyl ether over a CuO[sbnd]ZnO[sbnd]Al2O3/SAPO-18 catalyst

The behavior of a CuOZnOAl2O3/SAPO-18 (CZA/S-18) catalyst on the synthesis of dimethyl ether (DME) in a single-step has been studied, and the effect of the CO2/COX and H2/COX ratios on the conversion of CO2 and on other reaction indices as COx conversion (CO + CO2), yield and selectivity of DME, methanol and paraffins has been determined. The experiments have been carried out in a fixed bed, high pressure isothermal reactor, under the following reaction conditions: 275 °C; 30 bar; space time, 10.18 gcath/molC; CO2/COx ratio, 0–0.5; H2/COx ratio, 3 and 4. The deposition of coke on the spent catalysts has been studied by means of temperature programmed oxidation (TPO), quantifying three types of coke, considered to be located in each function of the catalyst and in the interface between both.The results show the capacity of the CZA/S-18 catalyst for the valorization of CO2, attributable to the activity of the CuOZnOAl2O3 metallic function for the r-WGS reaction. The conversion of CO2 is enhanced by increasing CO2/COX and H2/COX ratios in the feed. Moreover, the augment in the water content in the reaction medium when increasing the concentration of CO2 attenuates coke formation, particularly, of the coke fraction deposited on the acid function.

The Role of Surface Infiltration in Hydromechanical Coupling Effects in an Unsaturated Porous Medium of Semi-Infinite Extent

Rainfall infiltration into an unsaturated region of the earth’s surface is a pervasive natural phenomenon. During the rainfall-induced seepage process, the soil skeleton can deform and the permeability can change with the water content in the unsaturated porous medium. A coupled water infiltration and deformation formulation is used to examine a problem related to the mechanics of a two-dimensional region of semi-infinite extent. The van Genuchten model is used to represent the soil-water characteristic curve. The model, incorporating coupled infiltration and deformation, was developed to resolve the coupled problem in a semi-infinite domain based on numerical methods. The numerical solution is verified by the analytical solution when the coupled effects in an unsaturated medium of semi-infinite extent are considered. The computational results show that a numerical procedure can be employed to examine the semi-infinite unsaturated seepage incorporating coupled water infiltration and deformation. The analysis indicates that the coupling effect is significantly influenced by the boundary conditions of the problem and varies with the duration of water infiltration.

Numerical Solution of Solar Energy Absorbed in Porous Medium with a New Approach for Vapor Pressure Calculation and Consideration of Solute Crystallization

The goal of the study is to enhance the productivity of solar stills using an unsaturated porous medium initially saturated by salty water and using concentrating reflector. This paper concentrates only on the mathematical model for the porous medium and its solution using a finite-volume approach. The previous studies dealt with wick medium with high water content and liquid saturation in the wick medium was not determined. A physical model for the initially saturated porous medium was developed. The model takes into consideration the salt concentration in the solution, surface and internal water diffusions to humid air with vapor pressure determined from vapor mass balance. The system of transient one-dimensional differential equations was developed together with the boundaries and initial conditions. A finite-volume method was used for discretisation of the differential equations. A fully-implicit scheme was used for unsteady term discretisation while the convective terms (liquid solution, vapor and dry air) in the energy equation are handled by an upwind scheme method. The nonlinear equations are solved simultaneously by updating the coefficients matrix at one time step until the five variables converge to prescribed tolerance. Matlab was used as a programming tool. Solution of the model is obtained and discussed.

Uniform spheroidal nanoassemblies of magnetite using Tween surfactants: influence of surfactant structure on the morphology and electrochemical performance

Uniform spherical nanoassemblies of Fe3O4 prepared using tween surfactants.

Study on the Conditions of Glucoamylase Production of the <i>Rhizopus oryzae </i>by Solid State Fermentation

The conditions of glucoamylase production of theRhizopus oryzaeinLuzhou-flavorDaQu by solid state fermentation were studied. According to the Box-Benhnken design, the conditiones of glucoamylase production of theRhizopus oryzaewere optimized by solid state fermentation. The results showed the optimum conditions of glucoamylase production of theRhizopus oryzaeinLuzhou-flavorDaQu by solid state fermentation were culture temperature 29°C, the water content in culture medium 53%, culture time 164h, glucoamylase activity was 2194.44U/g.