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Machine learning enhanced aeration systems for optimizing oxygen transfer efficiency for sustainable and safe wastewater management
Abstract This study models oxygen-transfer efficiency (OTE) in circular solid-jet aerators using a laboratory dataset of 320 observations collected under controlled conditions. Experiments varied jet count (1–8), opening area (49.24–124.03 mm²), jet length (170–470 mm), and discharge (1.05–3.04 l s⁻¹); dissolved oxygen was measured, and OTE was computed and standardized to 20 °C. Five regressors—Linear Regression (LR), M5P, Random Tree (RT), Reduced Error Pruning (REP) Tree, and Random Forest (RF)—were trained with a 70/30 train–test split and evaluated using CC, RMSE, MAE, NSE, and SI. Residual histograms with kernel-density overlays and an uncertainty summary (U95, bounds) indicated compact, slightly negative-centered errors for the tree-based models and broader, heavy-tailed errors for LR; a Taylor diagram and a Spearman heatmap supported these patterns. Among all models, RF achieved the highest test performance and the lowest errors, with results statistically superior to alternatives by paired t-tests on residuals (α = 0.05); the Spearman heatmap also showed the strongest concordance between RF predictions and observations, while a leave-one-input-out sensitivity analysis identified discharge (Q) as the dominant driver. Taken together, the results identify RF as the most accurate and generalizable predictor across the tested operating envelope, providing a practical basis for the design and optimization of aeration systems in water and wastewater treatment.
Human norovirus persists longer than Escherichia coli in sandy soil, independent of plant decaying materials
Abstract Human norovirus (HuNoV) is the leading cause of foodborne illnesses in the U.S. Fresh produce, often consumed raw, can serve as a vehicle for HuNoV transmission; however, limited data exist on its persistence in agricultural environments. This study evaluated the persistence of HuNoV GII, its cultivable surrogate Tulane virus, and Escherichia coli TVS 353 in sandy Florida agricultural soil. Soil samples with or without additional cilantro leaves (to simulate decaying plant debris) were incubated at 12 °C and tested for microbial concentrations at regular intervals over 29 weeks, using RNase RT-qPCR (both viruses), TCID 50 (Tulane virus), and plate count ( E. coli ). Inactivation kinetics were fitted to log-linear and non-linear models to estimate the weeks required for the first 1-log 10 reduction ( T 1 D ). Decaying cilantro leaves did not substantially impact microbial inactivation ( p > 0.05). E. coli declined most rapidly ( T 1 D = 2.2), followed by infectious Tulane virus ( T 1 D = 5.63), Tulane virus genome copies ( T 1 D = 11.8), and HuNoV GII genome copies ( T 1 D = 28). A strong correlation of Tulane virus infectivity with HuNoV GII RNase RT-qPCR ( r = 0.82) supported its suitability as a surrogate. Under the tested conditions, HuNoV’s prolonged persistence should be accounted for in risk assessments for preharvest fresh produce production.
Impact of replacing fat with pearl millet fibers on the bioactivity and quality of beef burger
Abstract This study focused on developing a low-fat beef burger by replacing added beef fat with pearl millet bran. The control sample (T1) consisted of 85% lean meat and 15% added animal fat. Pearl millet bran (PMB) was incorporated at varying ratios: 0% (T1), 5% (T2), 10% (T3), and 15% (T4) of the total content in the beef burgers, in place of the added beef fat. Analyses using the Folin-Ciocalteu and DPPH assays showed that the addition of pearl millet bran increased both phenolic content and antioxidant activity in the burgers. Quality indices, particularly peroxide and TBARS values after 3 days of storage, were lower for T4 (1.77 meq O 2 /kg fat and 0.38 mg MDA/kg fat) compared to T1 (3.12 meq O 2 /kg fat and 0.78 mg MDA/kg fat). Additionally, PMB improved the cooking characteristics of the resultant burgers. The cooking loss decreased from 36.36% in T1 to 15.20% in T4, while the shrinkage ratio reduced from 31.10% in T1 to 13.29% in T4. The firmness of the burger samples improved with the addition of pearl millet bran. The pearl millet bran increased all color parameters. However, this did not impact negatively on the acceptance of cooked beef burgers. In terms of sensory attributes, sample T2 was significantly preferred over T1, T3, and T4. Overall, this study highlights the potential of pearl millet bran as a natural bioactive fat replacer for creating a healthier processed meat product with desirable eating characteristics.
Assessment of structural stability and power performance for a novel hybrid wind-solar-wave energy system
Smart multi-shell core composites with responsive dissolution for chemical inflow control
Green CO2-capture cluster model using bioengineering of carbonic anhydrase enzyme: QM and QM/QM′ approach
Thermal insulation and mechanical performance of sustainable rammed earth walls incorporating construction and demolition waste and calcium oxide
Abstract The construction industry must reduce its environmental footprint and use sustainable materials with low energy and carbon emissions. Conventional masonry and concrete are reliable, durable, and widely used construction materials, but they use up natural resources and produce a considerable amount of CO 2 emissions. Rammed earth (RE) is a sustainable material and an environmentally friendly construction method that is less energy intensive and exhibits good thermal performance; however, its strength is a limitation for larger structural projects. To address these challenges, this study presents an experimental evaluation of the thermo-mechanical, environmental, and economic performance of stabilized rammed earth (RE) walls incorporating construction and demolition waste (CDW) and calcium oxide (CaO) as sustainable stabilizing additives. This research aims to enhance the structural integrity, thermal insulation, and sustainability of RE systems by partially replacing natural soil with CDW (10–30%) and CaO (2–6%). Seven mix designs were designed and tested for compaction properties, unconfined compressive strength (UCS), thermal conductivity, embodied energy, CO 2 emissions, and thermal behavior under simulated hot climate conditions with varying relative humidity. The optimal mixture, CDW30–C2 (30% CDW and 2% CaO), achieved a peak UCS of 9.3 MPa at 28 days, the lowest thermal conductivity (0.88 W/m·K), moderate embodied energy (705.27 MJ/m 3 ), and reduced carbon emissions (177.73 kg/m 3 ), offering a high strength-to-impact efficiency. To validate its practical applicability, a full-scale RE wall was constructed using the CDW30–C2 mixture and subjected to thermal insulation tests in a controlled climate chamber at 40–80% relative humidity. The findings demonstrated a time lag of up to 90 min and a decrement factor of 0.85, indicating favorable thermal inertia and effective moderation of heat transfer. The synergistic effects of CDW particles enhanced mechanical interlocking and matrix densification, while CaO contributed to pozzolanic reactivity and void filling. Compared to conventional fired brick and concrete, the optimized RE mix demonstrated competitive performance with significantly lower environmental impact. These findings demonstrate the viability of CDW–CaO stabilized rammed earth as a climate-resilient, low-carbon, and resource-efficient building solution for sustainable construction.
Predictors of quality of life in professors at public higher education institutions from the RESPIRA cohort: Brazilian prospective longitudinal study
Dexamethasone dosage and course effects on respiratory outcomes in preterm twins: retrospective cohort study
NeuroFusionNet: a hybrid EEG feature fusion framework for accurate and explainable Alzheimer’s Disease detection
Air quality prediction using multi-source remote sensing data integration with hybrid deep learning framework
ASS1 facilitates T-ALL progression via the arginine-mediated mTORC1/c-Myc signaling pathway
Memantine treatment improves opioid-induced hyperalgesia symptoms: randomize clinical trial
Stability evaluation of high-bench dumps considering the effects of disordered particle arrangements
A scenario based analysis of bidirectional electric vehicle-building integration for energy optimization and carbon emission reduction
Neural evidence for a bilingual advantage in conflict monitoring among Dai bilinguals
Abstract Research on the bilingual advantage in cognitive control has yielded mixed results, particularly across diverse populations. This study examined whether Dai bilinguals in China demonstrate enhanced cognitive control compared to monolinguals. Participants completed a classic Eriksen Flanker task while both behavioral responses and EEG data were recorded. Analyses focused on reaction times, conflict effects, congruency sequence effects, and the ERP components N2 (associated with conflict monitoring) and P3 (associated with attentional allocation). Although no significant group differences emerged in behavioral performance, bilinguals showed reduced N2 and increased P3 amplitudes relative to monolinguals, indicating group differences in neural correlates of conflict monitoring. No differences were observed in conflict or congruency sequence effects between the groups. These findings suggest a bilingual experience may be associated with differences in the neural dynamics of conflict monitoring, even in the absence of behavioral differences. The effects were not lateralized. This highlights the value of combining behavioral and ERP measures to investigate bilingual cognitive processing in non-Indo-European language contexts.