Earth-based facilities to generate altered gravity provide valuable tools to study crop resilience and adaptation to non-terrestrial gravity, offering a cost-effective alternative to space-based studies. While centrifuges and clinostats simulate hypergravity and microgravity, respectively, their limited scale often restricts research to small, isolated systems, such as cell cultures or petri-dish seedlings, which lack complex interactions such as those in soil-grown plants. Addressing these limitations, this study aimed to develop a 1-axis hypergravity platform with adjustable chambers designed for soil-grown Zea mays seedlings, incorporating controllable gravity, lighting, and irrigation with real-time monitoring through ThingSpeak platform. This platform allowed investigation on how hypergravity (5 g) and photosynthetic photon flux density (6.80–12.95 µmol/m2/s) impact maize growth and morphological traits, including main root length (MRL), seminal root count (SRC), dominant seminal root length (DSRL), shoot length (SL), and leaf count (LC). Results showed that 5 g conditions with higher light levels (12.95 µmol/m2/s) enhanced root elongation and stable leaf counts, while seedlings in 1 g preferred moderate light (6.80–8.16 µmol/m2/s) to avoid growth limitations. Additionally, hypergravity strongly influenced root and shoot growth, promoting root elongation essential for plant stability or anchorage and nutrient uptake. These findings highlight the importance of adjusting gravity and light exposure to optimize growth, providing a basis for future strategies in controlled agricultural systems for terrestrial and extraterrestrial applications.

The environmental impact of plastic waste underscores the need for biodegradable films as sustainable alternatives. This study investigates velvet tamarind rind as a novel cellulose source, extracted through chemical and ultrasound treatments. The isolated cellulose exhibited good characteristics, with crystallinity indices of 66% and 85.4% for chemical and ultrasound treatments, respectively. Three types of cellulose films were prepared: Cell film (without ultrasound treatment), CellS film (with ultrasound treatment), and CellSP film (with ultrasound treatment and glycerol as a plasticizer). The CellS film exhibited a higher crystallinity index (85.4%) than the Cell and CellSP films (62.7% and 51.8% respectively). The addition of glycerol in the CellSP film resulted in the highest tensile strength of 17.2 MPa and a smoother surface compared to the other films. Notably, the organoleptic profile of grapes wrapped with the CellSP films showed comparable results to those grapes wrapped using polyvinyl chloride (PVC) wrap. These findings highlight the potential of velvet tamarind rind cellulose for eco-friendly food packaging, with properties that rival and, in some cases, surpass those of earlier studied wraps. Future work could explore scaling up production and enhancing performance through additional fillers or treatments.

Meat products can deteriorate during storage posing a threat to human health due to the action of microorganisms and enzymes. Curing is widely used as a preservation method that can extend shelf life, improve product quality, and impart flavor. In industrial production, business operators seek to enhance the curing efficiency of their products, while consumers expect stable product quality. These demands have prompted the exploration of efficient solutions for curing. Ultrasound technology has attracted widespread attention as a new nonthermal food processing technology due to its potential for reducing processing time, improving meat product quality, and lowering costs. Numerous studies have shown that ultrasound treatment can effectively enhance curing efficiency and improve meat product quality through cavitation effects, mechanical effects, and thermal effects. The basic principles of ultrasound technology and the impacts and mechanisms of ultrasound-assisted curing techniques on curing efficiency and quality in meat products are discussed. This review aims to provide a valuable theoretical foundation for the application of ultrasound technology to address the health risks and costs caused by slow curing efficiency and unstable product quality.

Addressing atmospheric CO2 levels is crucial for mitigating global warming and promoting sustainable fossil fuel use. This review explores various CO2 capture strategies, including pre-combustion, post-combustion, oxy-fuel combustion, direct air capture, chemical looping, and polymeric membranes. Each strategy is critically evaluated in terms of its advantages, limitations, and overall effectiveness. Additionally, this study discusses advanced separation techniques for captured CO2, emphasizing recent innovations in membrane technology integrated with cryogenic processes. This integration has the potential to economically extract CO2 from diverse industrial processes, offering significant benefits in terms of operational cost reduction and increased efficiency. A detailed market analysis is also presented to explore feasible CO2 utilization options, highlighting potential incentives and motivations for capturing CO2. Furthermore, the technological readiness level of various capture and separation techniques is assessed, offering insights into their development and progress over time. This comprehensive analysis aims to support the advancement of effective and economically viable CO2 management solutions, contributing to a more sustainable and climate-resilient future.

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), a synthetic polymer produced by polymerizing vinyl acetate and subjecting it to alkaline hydrolysis, exhibits properties such as film formation, emulsification, and adhesion. However, pure PVA’s biocompatibility and mechanical properties are limited. Its hydrophilicity also causes it to dissolve in water and blood, rendering it less suitable for drug delivery applications. To address these limitations, PVA was crosslinked with glutaraldehyde (GA) to enhance toughness and resistance to water and blood dissolution. Additionally, carboxyl (COOH) and hydroxyl (OH) functionalized graphene were incorporated into electrospun PVA nanocomposites to further improve their mechanical properties. The results show that adding COOH- and OH-functionalized graphene in four different concentrations (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 wt.%) significantly enhanced the mechanical characteristics of PVA nanocomposites. Tensile strength and Young's modulus increased substantially, with OH-functionalized graphene increasing tensile strength and Young's modulus by 224% and 338.3%, respectively, and COOH-functionalized graphene increasing these properties by 245.6% and 371.4%. Morphological characterization using FT-IR and FESEM confirmed the successful incorporation of graphene into the PVA matrix. Biocompatibility testing through APTT and PT assays showed both nanocomposites are biocompatible, suggesting their potential for biomedical applications. The optimal filler concentration for both graphene types was 1.5 wt.%. This research demonstrates the promising potential of innovative materials for healthcare and biomedical engineering applications.

This investigation analyzes the usage of bacterial content and different lengths of banana fiber reinforced with variable percentages in cement mortar. Portland pozzolana cement (PPC) was combined with bacterial solutions (Bacillus cereus) at a concentration of 1.15×104 cells/ml to produce a mortar composite. By adding natural fibers like banana fiber to the composite components, the mechanical behavior of the bacterial mortar was enhanced. Mortar mixtures using banana fibers with different fiber concentrations (0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1%) and lengths (0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 cm) were evaluated. Compressive and flexural strength was found to be greatly affected by the addition of banana fibers to concrete, but only at lower fiber levels of up to 0.25% for all fiber lengths. At lower fiber levels of up to 0.25%, the length of the fiber had no discernible effect on compressive strength; however, at larger dosages exceeding 0.25%, shorter fibers were shown to outperform longer ones. However, the mixing of bacterial content in the mortar is not only significant to the mechanical properties but also potentially lowers the carbon emissions, making it a more sustainable option for composite preparation. The stability of bacterial-based mortar and its compatibility with natural fibers further underscores the potential for eco-friendly construction materials. By exploring the chemical and physical properties of banana fibers treated with alkali chemicals and their compatibility with bacterial cultures, this study adds depth to our understanding of these composite materials. Overall, the proposed methodology for preparing these composites holds promise for future applications in the construction industry, offering a sustainable and efficient alternative to traditional materials.

This study investigates the augmentation of the mechanical properties of Polylactic Acid (PLA) filaments by incorporating Orange Peel Powder (OPP) as an eco-friendly filler for 3D printing applications. The study delves into optimizing the printing parameters to achieve enhanced mechanical characteristics while maintaining printability. Various 3D printing process parameters were analyzed systematically to assess their impact on tensile strength, flexural strength, and impact resistance. A thorough investigation was conducted to determine the impact of layer height, infill density, and printing speed on the overall mechanical properties of the printed specimens. The findings demonstrate that adding 25% OPP significantly enhances the mechanical strength of the PLA composite without compromising printability, with optimal concentration and printing parameters identified. Thermo gravimetric study reveals that the PLA/OPP composite filament has a higher maximum thermal degradation temperature of 329 °C, compared to the PLA’s temperature of 316 °C. This research contributes to advancing the development of sustainable and mechanically robust materials for additive manufacturing, offering insights into the fabrication of PLA-based biodegradable composites tailored for specific applications in various industries.

Due to the growing environmental awareness, more attention has been drawn to finding alternative fiber sources to curb deforestation and reduce the usage of synthetic fiber. In the current work, an attempt was made to hybrid bio-composites using the blended fibers of Luffa and Jute in different ratios. Eight different needle-punched nonwoven fabric samples were prepared with the variation of fiber blend ratios. Both the fibers were pre-treated with a 3% alkali concentration to enhance the bonding property with the resin. After this process, the polymer composites were produced using epoxy resin through the compression molding technique. The investigations, such as physical, mechanical, water absorption, dynamic mechanical (DMA), and acoustic properties of the composite material were analyzed systematically. The mechanical and DMA properties were appreciable for composites with higher jute content, whereas acoustic properties were higher for composites with higher Luffa content. Based on the findings, the hybrid composites showed effective functional performance in load-bearing and acoustic applications.

Photocatalysis emerges as a promising method for treating organic dye contaminated wastewater. This process involves the use of photocatalysts through light activation, typically semiconductors such as titanium dioxide (TiO2) or polyoxometalates (POM) to generate reactive species capable of degrading organic pollutants. Several factors influence the photodegradation of ionic and cationic dyes including chemical properties, reaction mechanism and degradation efficiency. This work evaluated photodegradation performance of methyl orange (MO) and malachite green (MG) dyes using hybrid-polyoxometalate (HPOM) photocatalyst. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) identified the characteristic band at 3463.66 cm–1 (O-H) and 997.74 cm–1 (W-O). Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) revealed the presence of rod-like and granular structures in HPOM, representing silver acetate and sodium tungstate. X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed characteristic peak of Keggin structure, revealing high crystallinity of HPOM. UV-assisted photodegradation was evaluated on different parameters (initial dye concentration, photocatalyst dosage and pH), highlighting HPOM’s better affinity for degrading cationic dye. The optimum photodegradation conditions for MG and MO dyes were 20 ppm dye concentration, 100 mg photocatalyst dosage, and pH 7 and 8, respectively. The kinetic data was fitted with the Langmuir Hinshelwood kinetic model, indicating pseudo-first-order kinetics. HPOM exhibited a higher rate constant, k for MG (k = 0.0068 min–1) than MO (k = 0.0029 min–1).

The growing elderly population has led to a rise in health issues, particularly chronic diseases. Passion fruits contain numerous nutrients that may help in the treatment of chronic diseases. However, specific recommendations for daily passion fruit nutrient intake for the elderly are currently lacking in the literature. This research aimed to identify passion fruit groups and to suggest the appropriate daily passion fruit nutrient intake for elderly people using network in network (NiN) architecture. This research demonstrates that the NiN model can be effectively applied to identify passion fruit groups for the elderly. It is more efficient than other convolutional neural network (CNN) architectures. The results show that NiN can correctly identify passion fruit groups and suggest the appropriate amount of nutrient intake for the elderly, achieving + 96.76% accuracy in the training dataset and 95.89% accuracy in the validation dataset, surpassing 84.6% accuracy achieved by EaglAI. Sensitivity analysis of the NiN model using mean absolute error (MAE) for geometric transformations revealed consistent training image results and model robustness. This research benefits elderly people with chronic diseases by providing tailored recommendations for daily passion fruit intake, based on the analysis of sugar nutrients using the NiN model.