Browse Articles

Quality evaluation of dried tomato fruit and optimization of drying conditions using a modified solar dryer integrated with an automatic solar collector tracker

Abstract In the current study, a modified solar dryer (SD) integrated automatic solar collector tracker (ASCT) was used for drying tomato fruit (TF) at three slice thicknesses of 4, 6, and 8 mm on both drying systems at three air speeds of 1, 1.5, and 2 m/s until reaching the equilibrium moisture content. Where the comparison study was conducted between the ASCT, and another SD integrated with a fixed solar collector (FSC). The obtained results of the current study showed that the maximum solar intensity and ambient air temperature during the test period were 900 W/m2, and 43.6 °C, respectively. As well as the highest efficiency of the PV system was 16.69% at the same time. On the other hand, the height, greatest diameter and smallest diameter of the TF used in the current study ranged between (4.6 and 5.2 cm), (3.5 and 4.2 cm), and (3.4 and 4.1 cm), respectively. As well as both the athematic and geometric diameters ranging between 3.87 and 4.47 cm and 2.26 and 2.38 cm, the sphericity values of tomatoes tend to have a round shape. In addition, the obtained results that there was no significant effect of the hot air velocities on the drying time, but the final moisture content (MC) decreased with increasing the hot air velocities. The lowest final MC was 6%, and it was recorded with a slice thickness of 4.0 mm that dried on SD integrated with ASCT. Additionally, color analysis showed that, the darkest tomato slices were dried on the SC integrated with FSC at a hot air velocity of 1.0 m/s. Meanwhile, the intensity of red and yellow colors significantly increased after drying with the SD integrated with ASDT. Furthermore, the chemical analysis of the dried tomato slices showed that the highest rehydration ratio of 4.43 kg water/kg dry matter was obtained for the dried tomato slices dried on SD integrated with ASCT at a hot air velocity of 1.5 m/s and a slice thickness of 8.0 mm. As well as the highest values of pH were monitored on the dried tomato slices on ASCT in comparison to the other tomato slices dried on FSC. Also, the highest ascorbic acid content recorded was 141 mg/100 g (d.b.) in tomato slices with an 8.0 mm thickness, dried using SD combined with FSC at an air velocity of 2 m/s. After drying, the total phenols content increased in all dried tomato samples but decreased with lower hot air velocities.

Evaluation of the trunk modules in the symmetrical and three-dimensional asymmetrical trunk positions

Perceptual experience in somatosensory temporal discrimination is indexed by a mid-latency fronto-central ERP difference

Abstract The neural correlates of conscious somatosensory perception are usually investigated using threshold detection tasks. However, it is largely unclear how other aspects of conscious somatosensory experience, such as localization, discrimination, and identification, are processed in the brain. Here, we go beyond mere stimulus detection and analyze the EEG data of 34 participants to investigate the event-related potential correlates of somatosensory experience in a temporal discrimination task. We show that the perceptual experience of feeling one vs. two pulses for identical pairs of electrical stimuli is reflected in positive fronto-central ERP activity after ~ 150 ms, even when controlling for task-relevance and post-perceptual processes such as decision-making and response preparation. This effect is a modulation of an ERP component that peaks considerably later at 170 ms and in a different sensor region than the detection-related so-called N140, which was not modulated by our task. Distributed source reconstruction of the sensor-level effect suggested the contralateral primary somatosensory cortex as its origin. We therefore propose that conscious detection and temporal discrimination are likely to both involve early sensory areas but recruit different neuronal processes. Our result adds to the growing body of research investigating the mechanisms underlying different aspects of conscious experience.

The effects of water content and fracture angle on rock creep and crack behavior under impact conditions

In silico screening and molecular dynamics analysis of natural DHPS enzyme inhibitors targeting Acinetobacter baumannii

LCZ4r package R for local climate zones and urban heat islands

Abstract The LCZ4r is a novel toolkit designed to streamline Local Climate Zones (LCZ) classification and Urban Heat Island (UHI) analysis. Built on the open-source R statistical programming platform, the LCZ4r package aims to improve the usability of the LCZ framework for climate and environment researchers. The suite of LCZ4r functions is categorized into general and local functions (https://bymaxanjos.github.io/LCZ4r/index.html). General functions enable users to quickly extract LCZ maps for any landmass of the world at different scales, without requiring extensive GIS expertise. They also generate a series of urban canopy parameter maps, such as impervious fractions, albedo, and sky view factor, and calculate LCZ-related area fractions. Local functions require measurement data to perform advanced geostatistical analysis, including time series, thermal anomalies, air temperature interpolation, and UHI intensity. By integrating LCZ data with interpolation techniques, LCZ4r enhances air temperature modeling, capturing well-defined thermal patterns, such as vegetation-dominated areas, that traditional methods often overlook. The openly available and reproducible R-based scripts ensure consistent results and broad applicability, making LCZ4r a valuable tool for researchers studying the relationship between land use-cover and urban climates.

Motion multi-object matching and position estimation based on unsynchronized image sequences

Design and TCAD analysis of few-layer graphene/ZnO nanowires heterojunction-based photodetector in UV spectral region

Abstract Graphene and zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires (NWs)-based photodetectors demonstrate excellent photodetection performance in the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum regime. This paper presents the design and analysis of a heterostructure model of p+-few-layer graphene (p+-FLG)/n–-ZnO NWs-based UV photodetector. The design utilizes the unique properties of few-layer graphene to enhance light absorption and improve photodetector performance. The analysis under both self-biasing and conductive modes of operation reveals that the integrated electric field and the photovoltaic effect at the p⁺-FLG/n⁻-ZnO NWs hetero-interface create a rectifying behavior. The photodetector achieves an external photocurrent responsivity, external quantum efficiency, detectivity, and noise equivalent power of 0.12 A/W, 44.1%, 1.9 × 109 Jones, and 5.6 × 10–14 W, respectively, under UV illumination at 350 nm, 0 V bias, and 300 K. Additionally, the photodetector exhibits ultrafast photoswitching rise and fall times of 0.26 ns and a 3-dB cut-off frequency of 1.31 GHz. The comparative analysis with existing photodetectors demonstrates that the proposed model surpasses many in sensitivity, speed, and efficiency. The enhancement of charge collection with the applied reverse-biased voltage results in a response time of 0.16 ns, a peak photocurrent responsivity of 0.2 A/W, a maximum external quantum efficiency of 61%, a peak detectivity of 2.4 × 109 Jones, and minimum noise equivalent power of 4.4 × 10–14 W at − 0.5 V. The findings inspire the development of next-generation self-driving, highly efficient, broadband photodetectors, and other economically viable and multifunctional optoelectronic devices.

Analysis of demographics and treatment outcomes for gastrointestinal leiomyosarcoma based on the SEER database

Coupling coordination and spatiotemporal dynamic evolution between culture and tourism industry in Japan

Wearable ECG patch monitoring for 72 h is comparable to conventional Holter monitoring for 24 h to detect cardiogenic vertigo

Risk factors and prediction model of metabolic disorders in adult patients with pituitary stalk interruption syndrome

De-ashed-biochar slow-release N fertilizer increased NUE in alkaline calcareous soils under wheat and maize crops

Abstract Recently biochar has widely been reported as carrier of SRFs. However, the performance of SRFs synthesized from pristine biochar is still low and could not achieve the significant benefits compared to conventional N fertilizers. To overcome this limitation and research gap, BSRFs were synthesized using modified / de-ashed biochar as N-carrier. We hypothesized that BSRFs would NUE especially in alkaline calcareous soils for whom there is no specific SRF exist previously. In this study, the efficacy of BSRF formulated with 1:1 mass ratio of de-ashed biochar and urea was compared with CU and CSRF for improving NUE under wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and maize (Zea mays L.) cropping system in two different textured soils. The results showed that compared to CU and CSRF, the addition of BSRF significantly increased the retention of soil mineral-N (NH4 +-N, NO3 −-N) which, consequently, enhanced the crops’ N-uptake up to 23.71% in wheat and 26.55% in maize. It was further observed that SOC contents were increased up to 50.79% in wheat and up to 47.61% in maize at harvest. The addition of BSRF enhanced the CEC up to 32.95% under wheat and up to 27.73% under maize, compared to CU. Eventually, BSRF significantly increased the grain yield and NUE of wheat by 12.04% and 40.44%, while the maize grain yield and NUE increased by 21.06% and 45.56%, respectively. This study concludes that BSRFs had a stronger yield-increasing effect than CU alone attributing to enhanced N retention and crop uptake in alkaline calcareous soils. It was also found that the de-ashed biochar is a strong candidate to formulate new SRFs with improved performance.

Transcriptome and metabolite conjoint analysis reveals the seed dormancy release process of perilla

SH-SSQ as a modifier for superior mechanical properties and improved plasticity of 3D printed PLA

Ruthenium(II) Polypyridyl Complexes Containing COUBPY Ligands as Potent Photosensitizers for the Efficient Phototherapy of Hypoxic Tumors

Short-term diet intervention comprising of olive oil, vitamin D, and omega-3 fatty acids alters the small non-coding RNA (sncRNA) landscape of human sperm

3D printed miniature attenuated total internal reflection assisted fluorescence microscopy

An effective MRI perfusion threshold based workflow to triage additional 18F-FET PET in posttreatment high grade glioma

MiRNA expression profiling and clinical implications in prostate cancer across various stages

Abstract This study aims to screen and identify microRNA (miRNA) expression profiles across different stages of prostate cancer (PCa) and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) using high-throughput sequencing. The study seeks to determine whether specific miRNAs show consistent differential expression across various stages of PCa, with the goal of identifying potential biomarkers relevant to disease progression. In this study, a total of 12 specimens of PCa and BPH were collected from September 2021 to June 2022 in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, 330,006, P.R. China (including 3 specimens of early localized tumor, local invasion, and distant metastasis tumor and 3 specimens of BPH). The expression profile of miRNA was screened by high-throughput sequencing technology, and the differentially expressed miRNA between each group was screened by relevant bioinformatics analysis. Further targeted miRNA site analysis GO enrichment analysis and KEGG enrichment analysis of miRNA-derived genes were performed on the above differentially expressed miRNAs. Finally, the expression of hsa-miR-6715b-3p in PCa tissues was verified using qRT-PCR assay. A total of 1526 miRNAs were identified through high-throughput sequencing. By comparing groups, 228 differentially expressed miRNAs were identified, with 100 upregulated and 128 downregulated. Additionally, 69 novel miRNAs were predicted. qRT-PCR results showed that hsa-miR-6715b-3p was highly expressed in PCa tissues compared to BPH tissues. This study presents a preliminary investigation of the miRNA expression profiles in PCa and identifies hsa-miR-6715b-3p as a promising biomarker for disease progression. Our findings validate the high expression of hsa-miR-6715b-3p in PCa tissues and highlight its potential role in critical oncogenic pathways. These results provide a theoretical foundation for further functional studies to explore its clinical utility and its role in therapy resistance and disease progression, contributing to the growing knowledge of miRNA-based biomarkers in PCa.