Search

This study evaluates the efficacy of using textile waste blended with paper waste to form biodegradable seedling pots. A bio-composite blend of cotton (20% cotton, 40% newspaper, and 40% corrugated cardboard) and polycotton (20% polycotton, 40% newspaper, and 40% corrugated cardboard) with an optimum strength was formed into seedling pots. The appreciated seedling pots (untreated blends of cotton and polycotton) were compared with the commercial pots (cardboard seed starter pot and Jiffy pot) in terms of mechanical properties (tensile strength and compressive strength), biodegradability (soil burial test and anaerobic digestion), and seed germination. The untreated blends of cotton and polycotton pots demonstrated a comparable optimum strength, while the Jiffy pot and cardboard seed starter pot obtained the least tensile and compressive strengths, respectively. The anaerobic biodegradability assay suggests that the cotton blend pot, polycotton blend pot, and cardboard seed starter pot can degrade anaerobically because of high biogas and methane generation potential. A 100% seed germination was observed from the four seedling pots tested. Thus, the results demonstrate the efficacy of utilizing textile waste and paper waste to develop seedling pots with desirable strength and biodegradability compared to the commercial pots.

Paper waste in the mockups design with regular, irregular, and amorphous patterns is a critical problem in digital printing presses. Paper waste reduction directly impacts production costs, generating business and environmental benefits. This problem can be mapped to the two-dimensional irregular bin-packing problem. In this paper, an iterated local search algorithm using a novel neighborhood structure to detect overlaps between amorphous shapes is introduced. This algorithm is used to solve the paper waste problem, modeled as one 2D irregular bin-packing problem. The experimental results show that this approach works efficiently and effectively to detect and correct the overlaps between regular, irregular, and amorphous figures.

The present contribution evaluates the methods of degradation and stabilization of alum-containing paper with a focus on the alkaline environment achieved by deacidification procedures. In terms of reviewed subjects, the contribution focuses on alum-rosin sized paper, which is still used as a carrier of knowledge and information; however, it also mentions cellulose itself and other brands of paper. The contribution summarizes the results on the homogeneity of the distribution of alum and rosin in the paper mass and on the paper surface. It provides the knowledge gained in the field of alkaline hydrolysis and oxidation with special regard to transition metal species. It shows the values of alkaline reserves achieved in the main mass-deacidification processes. On the basis of the acquired knowledge, the contribution emphasizes the procedures of paper stabilization. Criteria of “increased mechanical permanence and lifetime prolongation” adopted to evaluate and compare the efficacy of individual mass-deacidification processes were applied and corresponding data are introduced. The contribution also draws attention to the existence of open issues in the area of paper degradation and stabilization.

To facilitate better interpretation of dielectric response measurements—thereby directing numerical evidence for condition assessments of oil-paper-insulated equipment in high-voltage alternating current (HVAC) transmission systems—a novel approach is presented to estimate the parameters in the extended Debye model (EDM) using wideband frequency domain spectroscopy (FDS). A syncretic algorithm that integrates a genetic algorithm (GA) and the Levenberg-Marquardt (L-M) algorithm is introduced in the present study to parameterize EDM using the FDS measurements of a real-life 126 kV oil-impregnated paper (OIP) bushing under different controlled temperatures. As for the uncertainty of the EDM structure due to variable branch quantity, Akaike’s information criterion (AIC) is employed to determine the model orders. For verification, comparative analysis of FDS reconstruction and results of FDS transformation to polarization–depolarization current (PDC)/return voltage measurement (RVM) are presented. The comparison demonstrates good agreement between the measured and reconstructed spectroscopies of complex capacitance and tan δ over the full tested frequency band (10−4 Hz–103 Hz) with goodness of fit over 0.99. Deviations between the tested and modelled PDC/RVM from FDS are then discussed. Compared with the previous studies to parameterize the model using time domain dielectric responses, the proposed method solves the problematic matching between EDM and FDS especially in a wide frequency band, and therefore assures a basis for quantitative insulation condition assessment of OIP-insulated apparatus in energy systems.

One of the main issues in a paper mill is the minimization of trim loss when cutting master reels and stocked reels into reels of smaller required widths. The losses produced in trimming at a paper mill are reprocessed by using different chemicals which contributes to significant discharge of effluent to surface water and causes environmental damage. This paper presents a real-world industrial problem of production planning and cutting optimization of reels at a paper mill and differs from other cutting stock problems by considering production and cutting of master reels of flexible widths and cutting already stocked over-produced and useable leftover reels of smaller widths. The cutting process of reels is performed with a limited number of cutting knives at the winder. The problem is formulated as a linear programming model where the generation of all feasible cutting patterns determines the columns of the constraint matrix. The model is solved optimally using simplex algorithm with the objective of trim loss minimization while satisfying a set of constraints. The solution obtained is rounded in a post-optimization procedure in order to satisfy integer constraints. When tested on data from the paper mill, the results of the proposed model showed a significant reduction in trim loss and outperformed traditional exact approaches. The cutting optimization resulted in minimum losses in paper trimming and a lesser amount of paper is reprocessed to make new reels which reduced the discharge of effluent to the environment.

Translation of the seminal 1877 paper by Ludwig Boltzmann which for the first time established the probabilistic basis of entropy. Includes a scientific commentary.

Dear Editors, [...]

In 2013, Entropy instituted the “Best Paper” award to recognize outstanding papers in the area of entropy and information studies published in Entropy [1]. We are pleased to announce the “Entropy Best Paper Award” for 2014. Nominations were selected by the Editor-in-Chief and designated Editorial Board Members from all the papers published in 2010.

The journal Entropy is initiating a “Best Paper” award to recognize outstanding papers in the area of entropy and information studies published in Entropy. We are pleased to announce the first “Entropy Best Paper Award” for 2013. Nominations were selected by the Editor-in-Chief and selected Editorial Board Members from all the papers published in 2009 and evaluated by the Entropy Best Paper Award Committee. Reviews and articles were evaluated separately. A first prize is awarded to the selected review paper, and a first and second prize is awarded to the top two selected research articles. [...]

The loss of fresh fruits after harvesting is not new since it has constantly been a challenge for humankind. The growing population in developing countries, where food shortages exist, require serious food security measures to address hunger and malnutrition. Present research focused on the development, fabrication and testing of mango pulp extractor to assist small-scale fruit farmers in the countryside with a view to minimizing fruit spoilage. The unit, whose major material was food grade stainless steel (SS-304), consists of major components such as teflon brushes mounted shaft, motor, main frame, hopper, extraction compartment, pulp outlet, fruit residue outlet, perforated sieve and bearings. After construction, the machine was tested at three feed rate (2.0, 2.5, 3.0 kg/min) and extraction speed levels (500, 900 and 1400 rpm). Each of these factors was replicated three times, which resulted into 3 × 3 × 3 factorial experimental design. The optimum operating parameters for maximum pulp yield, maximum extraction efficiency and minimum extraction losses were determined. The physicochemical analysis of the extracted pulp was also carried out. Results revealed a maximum pulp yield of 77.9%, highest extraction efficiency of 96.03% and highest extraction loss of 9.3%. The mango pulp extraction machine was found to be affordable, easy to operate and maintain. The breakeven point of the machine was found to be 40 h if the machine is operated at its peak capacity. Therefore, it is recommended for small-scale farmers and for cottage industry.

This short paper concerns the analysis of the M/M/k queueing system with customer abandonment. In this system, service managers provide a finite buffer space, which is a waiting area that prevents customers from abandoning the system. Abandonment of the system can occur from reneging (exiting from the queue while waiting), and/or balking (leaving the system without waiting). We derive an analytical expression to represent the impact of the buffer space capacity on the delay probability and the abandonment probability for a system with deferred abandonment. The result indicates the provision of the buffer space in a large system could only increase the delay probability while the abandonment probability remains unchanged. Despite the benevolent intentions of service managers, providing a buffer space may exacerbate the performance of larger systems.

Sustainability study of the standard wastewater treatment system is the pivotal procedure in the water protection field. In order to better study the sustainability of sewage treatment systems, wastewater treatment system of straw pulp papermaking (WTSPP) and wastewater treatment system of printing and dyeing and papermaking (WTPDP) have been selected to assess the sustainable level in China. Based on the hybrid neural network and emergy framework, WTSPP and WTPDP were considered and analyzed in this paper. Therein, three types of indicators were used to evaluate these two systems, including basic structure emergy indicators (BEI), functional emergy indicators (FEI), and eco-efficiency emergy indicators (EEI). Through the basic neural network model and detailed neural network model design, the iteration paths and algorithm operation diagram of WTSPP and WTPDP were designed and realized in this article. Primary contents include: (1) For WTSPP and WTPDP, nonrenewable resources emergy are both the primary contributor and account for roughly 62.5% and 53.7%, respectively. (2) As the important indicator group, the environmental loading ratio (ELR) is 176 in the WTSPP and 323 in the WTPDP, respectively. Emergy sustainability indicators (ESIs) in the WTSPP and WTPDP, are 0.015 and 0.014, respectively. (3) Depending on fluctuation degrees, WTSPP is better than WTPDP. The maximum fluctuation ranges of WTSPP and WTPDP are (3%, −27%) and (28%, 61%), respectively. (4) All neural network analysis results manifest that the emergy sustainability indicators (ESIs) of WTSPP and WTPDP are [0.0151, 0.011] and [0.0179, 0.0055] in view of a long-term predictive view, respectively.

The class of log-elliptical distributions is well used and studied in risk measurement and actuarial science. The reason is that risks are often skewed and positive when they describe pure risks, i.e., risks in which there is no possibility of profit. In practice, risk managers confront a system of mutually dependent risks, not only one risk. Thus, it is important to measure risks while capturing their dependence structure. In this short paper, we compute the multivariate risk measures, multivariate tail conditional expectation, and multivariate tail covariance measure for the family of log-elliptical distributions, which captures the dependence structure of the risks while focusing on the tail of their distributions, i.e., on extreme loss events. We then study our result and examine special cases, as well as the optimal portfolio selection using such measures. Finally, we show how the given multivariate tail moments can also be computed for log-skew elliptical models based on similar approaches given for the log-elliptical case.

Recently, various types of single valued neutrosophic (SVN) rough set models were presented based on the same inclusion relation. However, there is another SVN inclusion relation in SVN sets. In this paper, we propose a new type of SVN covering rough set model based on the new inclusion relation. Furthermore, the graph and matrix representations of the new SVN covering approximation operators are presented. Firstly, the notion of SVN β 2 -covering approximation space is proposed, which is decided by the new inclusion relation. Then, a type of SVN covering rough set model under the SVN β 2 -covering approximation space is presented. Moreover, there is a corresponding SVN relation rough set model based on a SVN relation induced by the SVN β 2 -covering, and two conditions under which the SVN β 2 -covering can induce a symmetric SVN relation are presented. Thirdly, the graph and matrix representations of the new SVN covering rough set model are investigated. Finally, we propose a novel method for decision making (DM) problems in paper defect diagnosis under the new SVN covering rough set model.

Waste resulting from edible plants is considered one of the best sources of valuable phytochemicals. A promising approach for using these appreciated wastes is extracting precious medically important constituents, for example, free quercetin. Two new cost-effective and green extraction methods are introduced in the present study: ultrasound-assisted glycerol extraction (UAGE) and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE). These extraction protocols are optimized using factorial design to define the highest yield of extraction, and HPLC-UV at 370 nm was used as a method of yield analysis. Quercetin remained stable during the whole process in both extraction protocols. A standard addition technique was performed to quantify quercetin in different extracts and eliminate the matrix effect. In UAGE and MAE, extraction yields were 16.55 ± 0.81 and 27.20 ± 1.55 mg/1g from red onion scales on a dry base, respectively. The amount of quercetin extracted using MAE was superior to UAGE in terms of time and yield. A greenness assessment of the offered studies compared to previously published relevant extraction methods was performed using the analytical eco-scale assessment method (ESA) and national environmental methods index (NEMI). MAE showed to be a greener method with a higher ESA score and a greener NEMI pictogram.

Optimization of coagulant dosage and pH to reduce the turbidity and chemical oxygen demand (COD) of synthetic dairy wastewater (SDW) was investigated using a full factorial design (FFD) and full factorial design with center point (FFDCP). Two organic coagulants, polyacrylamide (PAM) and Tanfloc were used. The optimal values of coagulant dosage and pH were determined using a multiple response optimization tool and desirability function. The results obtained revealed that the optimum condition for removing turbidity and COD were at pH 5.0 using 50 mg L−1 of coagulant. The same optimum point was obtained in both experimental designs, indicating a good agreement between them. In optimum conditions, the expected removal of turbidity was above 98% with PAM and above 95% with Tanfloc. The estimated COD removal was above 72% with PAM and above 65% with Tanfloc. The addition of center points with replicates in the factorial design allowed to obtain the estimate of the experimental error with a smaller number of runs, allowing to save time and cost of the experimental tests. Moreover, the addition of center points did not affect the estimates of the factorial effects and it was possible to verify the effect of curvature, allowing obtaining information about the factors at intermediate levels.

The management of wineries for industrial red winemaking is limited by the capacity and availability of fermentation tanks over the harvest season. The winemakers aim to optimize the wine quality, the fermentative maceration length, and the fermentation tank’s productive cycle simultaneously. Maceration in varietal wine production is carried out until a specific sugar content (digging-out point) is attained, finishing before alcoholic fermentation. Winemakers have found that by trial and error handling of the digging-out point, they can improve the winery capacity and production cost. In this work, we develop an optimal control problem for managing the digging-out point considering two objectives associated with process efficiency and costs. A good compromise between these objectives was found by applying multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) techniques and the knee point. Two control strategies were compared: free nutrition and traditional nutrition. TOPSIS and LINMAP algorithms were used to choose the most suitable strategy that coincided with the knee point. The preferred option was nitrogen addition only at the beginning of fermentation (6.6–10.6 g/hL of DAP) and a high fermentation temperature (30 °C), yielding the desired digging-out point with a small error (6–9 g/L).

This study is to investigate to what extent the performance of compression stockings with cotton components deteriorates after repeated washing processes. Four compression stockings having at least one cotton constituent yarn and two all-nylon stockings as reference samples were produced under controlled commercial conditions. After analysing the data obtained, a care labelling process for the compression socks with cotton components was developed such that they can preserve their compression properties over successive laundering treatments.

The paper aimed to investigate the losses on the manufacturing flow of an aesthetic veneer factory, in order to know their value and to take measures to limit or use them efficiently. For the analysis, the oak species (Quercus robur) was taken into account, through 25 analyzed logs. Statistical investigation has used the Minitab 18 program, for a 95% confidence interval. Minimum values of losses were obtained for the sectioning-grooming operations with 0.6% and debarking with 4.9%, and the highest values were obtained when cutting veneers with 15.9% and formatting veneers with 22.8%. Based on the losses on the manufacturing flow of 67.3%, the specific consumption index of 2.75 m3/m3 or 1.84 m3/1000 m2 of veneer was determined when the average thickness of the veneers was 0.67 mm. The paper highlights the methodology and the values resulting from the investigation of the technological losses and of the specific consumption from an aesthetic veneer factory.

Controlled release systems are increasing their presence on the market. However, their use is not generating a great impact on horticultural production, mainly due to their price, which makes crop production more expensive. This work proposes a cheaper alternative for the manufacture of these devices. Thus, an agri-food byproduct (soy protein isolate) and a thermomechanical processing were used to create devices (matrices) that can compete in price with the use of conventional fertilizers (0.50–2.00 €/kg). First, different processing methods were evaluated to obtain the matrix with the most optimal mechanical, functional (zinc and water retention/release, biodegradability) and morphological (zinc distribution) properties for the supply of zinc (micronutrient). This was achieved by incorporating an ethanol immersion step into the processing to remove the plasticizer before its use in horticulture. Finally, the efficiency of these matrices was verified in crops (lettuce and peppers), improving up to 60% the assimilation of zinc by plants that conventional fertilization achieves. In addition, these matrices allow a 33% reduction in the water used during cultivation. This work has opened a new possibility of creating more efficient devices for the incorporation of fertilizers into crops, also having an affordable price for industrial use. Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación RTI2018-097100-B-C21

Freeze-drying is one of the most expensive and most energy intensive processes applied in food technology. Therefore, there have been significant efforts to reduce the freeze-drying time and decrease its energy consumption. The aim of this work was to analyze the effect of pulsed electric field (PEF), ultrasound (US), and hybrid treatment (PEF-US) and compare them with the effect of blanching (BL) on the freeze-drying kinetics, energy consumption, greenhouse gasses emission, and physical quality of the product. The freeze-drying process was applied to red bell peppers after pretreatment operations. Results showed that application of BL, PEF, US, or PEF-US reduces freeze-drying time and decreases energy consumption. Among the tested methods, the combination of PEF performed at 1 kJ/kg and US was the most effective in reduction of greenhouse gas emission. BL samples exhibited the highest porosity, but from a statistical point of view, most of the PEF-US treated materials did not differ from it. The smallest color changes were noted for US pre-treated bell peppers (ΔE = 9.4), whereas BL, PEF, and PEF-US material was characterized by ΔE of 15.2–28.5. Performed research indicates the application of pre-treatment may improve the sustainability of freeze-drying process and quality of freeze-dried bell pepper.

The mechanical harvesting of hemp is a key step toward a profitable use of the product. Various fractions (fiber, seeds, residual biomass) may be recovered, and their correct management is fundamental for complying with the requirements of processors/end users. In the light of the renewed interest for its industrial use (panels and insulators), this work proposes the use of modified commercial machines to implement a field separation of the fibrous fraction of stand-retted hemp, a practice that would be profitable if realized with the systems adopted for textile use. The present work was conducted to test the efficiency of harvesting partially macerated plants by using a modified self-propelled forage harvester (SPFH). In Northern Italy, a hemp crop was stand-retted for four months. Then, an SPFH&mdash, with rotor knives reduced in number from 24 to 12&mdash, was used. Stand-retting made it possible to separate cortical fibers from the inner stem cylinder during harvesting, 53.3% of the material (fibers and shives) was separated automatically by the SPFH together with the chopped bast fiber, while the remaining 46.7% was separated on exiting the launch tube. More than 50% of the fibers were shorter than 5 cm in length, while almost 15% were longer than 10 cm. The SPFH had an effective operating speed of 3.48 km h&minus, 1, and no clogging occurred during the test. Therefore, the combination of stand-retting with harvesting using a modified SPFH could be helpful in obtaining an early separation of fibers from shives, thus facilitating the product treatment during its subsequent processing, e.g., by enhancing the defibration.

Oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) is a potential raw material abundantly available for bioethanol production. However, the second-generation bioethanol is still not yet economically feasible. The COVID-19 pandemic increases the demand for ethanol as the primary ingredient of hand sanitisers. This study evaluates the techno-economic feasibility of hand sanitiser production using OPEFB-based bioethanol. OPEFB was alkaline-pretreated, and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) was then performed by adding Saccharomyces cerevisiae and cellulose enzyme. The cellulose content of the OPEFB increased from 39.30% to 63.97% after pretreatment. The kinetic parameters of the OPEFB SSF at 35 &deg, C, which included a &micro, max, ks, and kd of 0.018 h&minus, 1, 0.025 g/dm3, and 0.213 h&minus, 1, respectively, were used as input in SuperPro Designer&reg, v9.0. The total capital investment (TCI) and annual operating costs (AOC) of the plant were $645,000 and $305,000, respectively, at the capacity of 2000 kg OPEFB per batch. The batch time of the modelled plant was 219 h, with a total annual production of 32,506.16 kg hand sanitiser. The minimum hand sanitiser selling price was found to be $10/L, achieving a positive net present value (NPV) of $108,000, showing that the plant is economically feasible.

This review summarises the use of the Ankom DaisyII incubator (ADII; Ankom Technology Corporation Fairport, NY, USA), as presented in studies on digestibility, and its extension to other species apart from ruminants, from its introduction until today. This technique has been modified and adapted to allow for different types of investigations to be conducted. Researchers have studied and tested different procedures, and the main sources of variation have been found to be: the inoculum source, sample size, sample preparation, and bag type. In vitro digestibility methods, applied to the ADII incubator, have been reviewed, the precision and accuracy of the method using the ADII incubator have been dealt with, and comparisons with other methods have been made. Moreover, some hypotheses on the possible evolutions of this technology in non-ruminants, including pets, have been described. To date, there are no standardised protocols for the collection, storage, and transportation of rumen fluid or faeces. There is also still a need to standardise the procedures for washing the bags after digestion. Moreover, some performance metrics of the instrument (such as the reliability of the rotation mechanism of the jars) still require improvement.

Poplar Oriented Strand Board (OSB) has been produced since 2012 in Italy, and is well-established on the market. Nonetheless, some doubts have recently emerged about the raw material supply due to the trend towards reduction in plantations. Sweet chestnut is widespread in Italy, where its woodlands cover around 800,000 ha, mainly based on coppice. Partly or entirely replacing poplar with sweet chestnut would result in a new OSB with relevant perspectives for the national forest-wood sector, also interesting other European countries where sweet chestnut is widespread. The present study investigates the properties of OSB manufactured at an industrial scale with different shares of poplar and sweet chestnut wood (respectively, 50&ndash, 50%, 40&ndash, 60%, and 100% in weight). Density, internal bond, bending strength, modulus of elasticity and swelling were tested according to EN 300. Overall, the results indicate that sweet chestnut OSB/2 (for load-bearing use in dry conditions) can be manufactured through the process currently used for manufacturing poplar OSB, a key aspect in terms of industrial feasibility. Overall, specific adjustments in the process (concerning pressures applied, gluing system and strand cutting optimization) could make the above boards compliant with the requirements of OSB/3 (for load-bearing use in humid conditions).

Spent coffee grounds (SCGs) generated in coffee processing for beverages and other products are a very significant organic residue that needs to be properly treated. Waste valorization via oil extraction has the potential to obtain compounds that can be used for producing biodiesel or other high-value products, such as polymers. This work focuses on the ultrasound-assisted extraction of SCG oil using n-hexane as a solvent. Three key process parameters are analyzed: temperature, extraction time, and liquid/solid (L/S) rate of solvent, using a central composite rotatable design (CCRD), an analysis that, to the author’s knowledge, is not yet available in the literature. The data were analyzed using the software StatSoft STATISTICA 13.1 (TIBCO Software Inc., Palo Alto, CA, USA). Results show that all parameters have a statistical influence on the process performance (p < 0.05), being the L/S ratio the most significant, followed by extraction time and temperature. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that the empirical model is a good fit to the experimental data at a 95% confidence level. For the range of conditions considered in this work, the optimal operating conditions for obtaining an oil extraction yield in the range of 12 to 13%wt are a solvent L/S ratio of around 16 mL g−1, for a temperature in the range of 50 to 60 °C, and the longest contact time, limited by the process economics and health and safety issues and also, by the n-hexane boiling temperature.

Resident combustion of solid fuel has been widely acknowledged as a high potential for pollutant reduction. However, there is a marked asymmetry between more pollutant emission and less burned volatiles of biomass and coal in the combustion process. To study the solid fuel optimum combustion form in a household stove, both the pollution reduction and energy efficient utilization of crop straws and coals were investigated. Taking the molding pressure and clay addition ratio as variable process conditions, the research of bio-coal briquette (made from the mixture of anthracite and biomass) was implemented in the range of 15~35 MP and 5~15%, respectively. Biomass and coal work complementarily for each other’s combustion property development. In particular, the pyrolysis gas produced by biomass low-temperature devolatilization is featured with low ignition point and is distributed in the bio-coal briquette. Its own combustion provides energy for anthracite particle combustion. Consequently, a positive effect was identified when bio-coal briquettes were used as residential fuel, and further improvement manifested in reducing more than 90% of particle matter (PM) and achieving about twice the thermal efficiencies (TEs) compared with the mass-weighted average values of coal briquettes and biomass briquettes. 88.8 ± 11.8%, 136.7 ± 13.7% and 81.4 ± 17.7% more TEs were provided by wheat straw–coal briquettes, rice straw–coal briquettes and maize straw–coal briquettes. 93.3 ± 3.1% (wheat straw–coal), 97.6 ± 0.2% (rice straw–coal) and 90.4 ± 2.2% (maize straw–coal) in terms of PM2.5 emission factors (EFs) was reduced. For bio-coal briquette, a 25 MPa and 10% addition were determined as the optimum molding pressure and clay addition ratio. Bio-coal briquettes with higher TEs and lower PM EFs will bring about substantial benefits for air quality promotion, human health and energy saving.

In vitro seed germination is a useful tool for developing a variety of biotechnologies, but cannabis has presented some challenges in uniformity and germination time, presumably due to the disinfection procedure. Disinfection and subsequent growth are influenced by many factors, such as media pH, temperature, as well as the types and levels of contaminants and disinfectants, which contribute independently and dynamically to system complexity and nonlinearity. Hence, artificial intelligence models are well suited to model and optimize this dynamic system. The current study was aimed to evaluate the effect of different types and concentrations of disinfectants (sodium hypochlorite, hydrogen peroxide) and immersion times on contamination frequency using the generalized regression neural network (GRNN), a powerful artificial neural network (ANN). The GRNN model had high prediction performance (R2 > 0.91) in both training and testing. Moreover, a genetic algorithm (GA) was subjected to the GRNN to find the optimal type and level of disinfectants and immersion time to determine the best methods for contamination reduction. According to the optimization process, 4.6% sodium hypochlorite along with 0.008% hydrogen peroxide for 16.81 min would result in the best outcomes. The results of a validation experiment demonstrated that this protocol resulted in 0% contamination as predicted, but germination rates were low and sporadic. However, using this sterilization protocol in combination with the scarification of in vitro cannabis seed (seed tip removal) resulted in 0% contamination and 100% seed germination within one week.

In the food sector, fermentation processes have been the object of great interest in regard to enhancing the yield, the quality, and the safety of the final product [...]

When speaking of &ldquo, minerality&rdquo, in wines, it is common to find descriptive terms in the vocabulary of wine tasters such as flint, match smoke, kerosene, rubber eraser, slate, granite, limestone, earthy, tar, charcoal, graphite, rock dust, wet stones, salty, metallic, steel, ferrous, etc. These are just a few of the descriptors that are commonly found in the tasting notes of wines that show this sensory profile. However, not all wines show this mineral trace at the aromatic and gustatory level. This study has used the statistical tool partial least squares regression (PLS) to mathematically model the attribute of &ldquo, of wine, thereby obtaining formulas where the chemical composition and sensory attributes act jointly as the predictor variables, both for white wines and red wines, so as to help understand the term and to devise a winemaking approach able to endow wines with this attribute if desired.