Elicitor-Induced VOC Emission by Grapevine Leaves: Characterisation in the Vineyard

The present study is aimed at determining whether leaf volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are good markers of the grapevine response to defence elicitors in the field. It was carried out in two distinct French vineyards (Burgundy and Bordeaux) over 3 years. The commercial elicitor Bastid^® (Syngenta, Saint-Sauveur, France) (COS-OGA) was first used to optimise the VOCs’ capture in the field; by bagging stems together with a stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) sensor. Three elicitors (Bastid^®, copper sulphate and methyl jasmonate) were assessed at three phenological stages of the grapevines by monitoring stilbene phytoalexins and VOCs. Stilbene production was low and variable between treatments and phenological stages. VOCs—particularly terpenes—were induced by all elicitors. However, the response profiles depended on the type of elicitor, the phenological stage and the vineyard, and no sole common VOC was found. The levels of VOC emissions discriminated between weak (Bastid^® and copper sulphate) and strong (methyl jasmonate) inducers. Ocimene isomers were constitutively present in the overall blends of the vineyards and increased by the elicitors’ treatments, whilst other VOCs were newly released throughout the growing seasons. Nonetheless, the plant development and climate factors undoubtedly influenced the release and profiles of the leaf VOCs.     

Effects of Heat Treatments on Various Characteristics of Ready-to-Eat Zucchini Purees Enriched with Anise or Fennel

Galactagogue herbs, also known as natural lactation adjuvants, are frequently used to stimulate breast milk production. Due to their antioxidant activity and phenolic content, anise (Pimpinella anisum L.) and fennel (Foeniculum vulgare L.) were chosen to increase the added value of zucchini (Cucurbita pepo L.) purees. At the same time, this work aimed to determine the influence of heat treatment on various characteristics of the final product. The phytochemical content, color parameters, and rheological and textural parameters of zucchini purees enriched with herbal aqueous extracts were determined after processing and after one week of storage (4 °C). In the case of antioxidant activity, samples registered a variation between 6.62 ± 1.71 and 38.32 ± 3.85 µM Trolox/g DW for the samples processed by steam convection. The total difference color parameter (ΔE) increased seven times after one week of storage compared to samples at T₀. Fennel and anise aqueous extracts helped improve the rheological behavior of zucchini samples both by steam and hot air convection. This study may serve as a springboard for future investigations and clinical trials into the scientific validity and safety of ready-to-eat foods with special destinations.     

All-Polymer Piezo-Composites for Scalable Energy Harvesting and Sensing Devices

Silicone elastomer composites with piezoelectric properties, conferred by incorporated polyimide copolymers, with pressure sensors similar to human skin and kinetic energy harvester capabilities, were developed as thin film (<100 micron thick) layered architecture. They are based on polymer materials which can be produced in industrial amounts and are scalable for large areas (m²). The piezoelectric properties of the tested materials were determined using a dynamic mode of piezoelectric force microscopy. These composite materials bring together polydimethylsiloxane polymers with customized poly(siloxane-imide) copolymers (2–20 wt% relative to siloxanes), with siloxane segments inserted into the structure to ensure the compatibility of the components. The morphology of the materials as free-standing films was studied by SEM and AFM, revealing separated phases for higher polyimide concentration (10, 20 wt%). The composites show dielectric behavior with a low loss (<10⁻¹) and a relative permittivity superior (3–4) to pure siloxane within a 0.1–10⁶ Hz range. The composite in the form of a thin film can generate up to 750 mV under contact with a 30 g steel ball dropped from 10 cm high. This capability to convert a pressure signal into a direct current for the tested device has potential for applications in self-powered sensors and kinetic energy-harvesting applications. Furthermore, the materials preserve the known electromechanical properties of pure polysiloxane, with lateral strain actuation values of up to 6.2% at 28.9 V/μm.     

Azodioxy compounds as precursors for C-radicals and their application in thermal styrene difunctionalization

An atom-economic thermal α,β-difunctionalization of various styrenes with readily prepared azodioxy compounds is reported. Mechanistic studies reveal that the starting azodioxy compounds can thermally be cleaved to the corresponding C-nitroso compounds, which under these thermal conditions further homolyze to generate reactive C-radicals along with the persistent NO radical. In the presence of a styrene, C-radical addition with subsequent nitrosylation followed by tautomerization is occurring, resulting in an overall styrene β-alkylation-α-oximation reaction.

An atom-economic thermal α,β-difunctionalization of various styrenes with readily prepared azodioxy compounds is reported.     

Sustainable Drying and Torrefaction Processes of Miscanthus for Use as a Pelletized Solid Biofuel and Biocarbon-Carrier for Fertilizers

Miscanthus is resistant to dry, frosty winters in Poland and most European Union countries. Miscanthus gives higher yields compared to native species. Farmers can produce Miscanthus pellets after drying it for their own heating purposes. From the third year, the most efficient plant development begins, resulting in a yield of 25–30 tons of dry matter from an area of 1 hectare. Laboratory scale tests were carried out on the processes of drying, compacting, and torrefaction of this biomass type. The analysis of the drying process was conducted at three temperature levels of the drying agent (60, 100, and 140 °C). Compaction on a hydraulic press was carried out in the pressure range characteristic of a pressure agglomeration (130.8–457.8 MPa) at different moisture contents of the raw material (0.5% and 10%). The main interest in this part was to assess the influence of drying temperature, moisture content, and compaction pressure on the specific densities (DE) and the mechanical durability of the pellets (DU). In the next step, laboratory analyses of the torrefaction process were carried out, initially using the Thermogravimetric Analysis TGA and Differential Scaning Calorimeter DSC techniques (to assess activation energy (EA)), followed by a flow reactor operating at five temperature levels (225, 250, 275, 300, and 525 °C). A SEM analysis of Miscanthus after torrefaction processes at three different temperatures was performed. Both the parameters of biochar (proximate and ultimate analysis) and the quality of the torgas (volatile organic content (VOC)) were analyzed. The results show that both drying temperature and moisture level will affect the quality of the pellets. Analysis of the torrefaction process shows clearly that the optimum process temperature would be around 300–340 °C from a mass loss ratio and economical perspective.     

The Role of Information in Managing Interactions from a Multifractal Perspective

In the framework of the multifractal hydrodynamic model, the correlations informational entropy–cross-entropy manages attractive and repulsive interactions through a multifractal specific potential. The classical dynamics associated with them imply Hubble-type effects, Galilei-type effects, and dependences of interaction constants with multifractal degrees at various scale resolutions, while the insertion of the relativistic amendments in the same dynamics imply multifractal transformations of a generalized Lorentz-type, multifractal metrics invariant to these transformations, and an estimation of the dimension of the multifractal Universe. In such a context, some correspondences with standard cosmologies are analyzed. Since the same types of interactions can also be obtained as harmonics mapping between the usual space and the hyperbolic plane, two measures with uniform and non-uniform temporal flows become functional, temporal measures analogous with Milne’s temporal measures in a more general manner. This work furthers the analysis published recently by our group in “Towards Interactions through Information in a Multifractal Paradigm”.     

Magnetic Properties of Pt-Based Nanoalloys: A Critical Review

In recent years, magnetic nanoalloys (MNAs) have attracted many attentions from all over the world, due to their potential applications in the broad fields of magneto-optics, data storage, engineering, and biology. Among these MNAs, Pt–M (M = Fe, Co, Ni) MNAs have been considered to be the most promising ones, due to their superparamagnetism and response to a magnetic field. Here, we firstly review the experimental work on the synthesis, characterization, and magnetic properties of Pt–Fe, Pt–Co, and Pt–Ni MNAs. Then, we discuss the recent theoretical work on Pt–Fe, Pt–Co, and Pt–Ni MNAs. Moreover, we also review the main applications of Pt–Fe, Pt–Co, and Pt–Ni MNAs in the fields of biology, information storage, and magnetic separation. It is found that the size, shape, and composition of Pt–Fe, Pt–Co, and Pt–Ni MNAs play a critical role on their fundamental magnetic properties from both the experimental and theoretical points of view. It is expected that this review could be a valuable resource for both experimental and theoretical researchers, who are interested in Pt-based MNAs.     

Prediction of intracellular storage polymers using quantitative image analysis in enhanced biological phosphorus removal systems

The present study focuses on predicting the concentration of intracellular storage polymers in enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) systems. For that purpose, quantitative image analysis techniques were developed for determining the intracellular concentrations of PHA (PHB and PHV) with Nile blue and glycogen with aniline blue staining. Partial least squares (PLS) were used to predict the standard analytical values of these polymers by the proposed methodology. Identification of the aerobic and anaerobic stages proved to be crucial for improving the assessment of PHA, PHB and PHV intracellular concentrations. Current Nile blue based methodology can be seen as a feasible starting point for further enhancement. Glycogen detection based on the developed aniline blue staining methodology combined with the image analysis data proved to be a promising technique, toward the elimination of the need for analytical off-line measurements.