BioResources (E-Journal)
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Following a Self-guided Trail within an Accredited US Campus Arboretum: The Use of an AI-based App for Tree Identification and Tour Enrichment
No full textBeing in an urban or developed area can adversely affect human well-being. On the other hand, human well-being is supported by recreational activities, which are often carried out outside, particularly in natural areas. Most research on such topics has focused on non-urban/non-developed areas, for which the term ecosystem services describes the direct and indirect benefits that people may receive. In developed regions, limited access to natural features can hinder these benefits. This study explored the specific case of a tree-walking route located within a developed campus in the US. This route is noteworthy for its diverse collection of 40 distinct woody species, which contributes to the campus’s green infrastructure. Two on-site observations were carried out to visually document the trees on the route and to understanding ecological value. An AI-based mobile application, ‘Picture This’, was used to follow the route as a self-guided participant. The results indicate that it is possible to use the application as a guide with approximately 84% accuracy. Its accessibility enhances its potential as a free resource for researchers, students, and nature enthusiasts
Plant Bark and Leaves as Bio-Indicators of Heavy Metals in Environmental Pollution Monitoring
No full textEnvironmental pollution from diesel generator emissions contributes to the accumulation of heavy metals in surrounding vegetation, especially in urbanizing areas. This study assessed the bio-indicator potentials of tree bark and leaves from Terminalia catappa near diesel generator plants at Mountain Top University. The work focused on toxic metals (As, U, Ag, Pb, Cd, Se), heavy metals (Ba, Ti, V, Cu, Sn), and essential metals (Fe, K, Mg, Zn, Ca, Na, Mn). Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS) revealed elevated levels of toxic metals such as Pb, Cd, and As, particularly in bark tissues. Notably, Pb reached 6.03 mg/kg in TL1 (tree leaves at location one) and over 6 mg/kg in TB1 (tree bark from location one), Cd ranged between 1.5 and 2.2 mg/kg, Ba (75.01 mg/kg in TB1) and (68.0 mg/kg in TB2), while Ti showed (90.1 mg/kg in TL3), (82.0 mg/kg in TL1) exceeding common phytotoxic thresholds. Barium recorded the highest heavy metal concentration in TB1, followed by Ti in TL3. SEM images confirmed the presence of particulate deposition more embedded in bark than on leaves—corroborating their role in pollution capture. The data highlight bark as a robust long-term indicator of environmental contamination, while leaves serve as responsive short-term sensors
Composites of Poly(ethylene glycol) and Hydroxyapatite: Dynamic Mechanical Study of the Modulus of Elasticity under Cryogenic Conditions
No full textThe cryogenic mechanical behavior of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and hydroxyapatite (HAp) composites was studied using Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA). The HAp was synthesized from chicken eggshells via a hydrothermal process, offering a sustainable, bio-derived source of calcium phosphate. The composites were fabricated through a wet mixing technique to ensure uniform distribution of HAp within the PEG matrix. Cryogenic characterization was conducted over a temperature range of minus 100 °C to 50 °C to evaluate the viscoelastic properties of the composites under extreme conditions. The results demonstrated a significant enhancement in the storage modulus (E′), with the 30 wt% PEG-HAp composite achieving a peak value of 1.128 GPa. This improvement is attributed to the effective impregnation and interfacial interaction between the PEG and HAp phases. These findings indicate the potential applicability of PEG/HAp composites in biomedical and cryogenic environments, although further studies are necessary to explore their specific functional roles in targeted applications. The study contributes to the advancement of biocomposite materials by elucidating the effects of cryogenic conditions on mechanical performance and supports the use of sustainable raw materials in composite fabrication
Synergistic Flame Retardancy of MXene and Poly(p-Phenylene Oxide) on High-Performance Recycling Waste Rubber Modified Polystyrene Composites
No full textThe development of high-performance polystyrene composites modified with recycling waste tire rubbers composed of natural and synthetic rubber mixture is highly desirable for a sustainable society. To tackle the intrinsic fire issue of waste tire rubber and polystyrene (WTRPS) composites for its advanced applications, the synergistic effect of fire additives MXene and poly(p-phenylene oxide) PPO on the performance of WTRPS composites was investigated in this work. The limited oxygen index values of WTRPS composites with MXene and PPO loading at 15 and 40 wt% were increased to 23.0%, compared to that of WTRPS at 17.0%. Additionally, the heat release rate, total heat release, and peak of heat release rate of resulting composites showed obvious decreases, confirming their synergistic fire retardancy effects on WTRPS composites. The synergistic mechanism was based on the char effect of PPO, heat sink effect of MXene, and catalyst effect of titanium dioxide generated from MXene. The synergistic strategy in this work paves a new avenue to develop fire retarding bio-composites of wood flour reinforced polyhydroxyalkanoates along with environmentally friendly fire additives (e.g., MXene and lignin or phytic acid) for advanced applications
Extreme Gradient Boosting Model to Predict Antioxidant Activity of Extract from Ainsliaea acerifolia
No full textA machine learning (ML)-based framework was developed for predicting and optimizing the antioxidant activity of Ainsliaea acerifolia water extracts. while the response surface methodology (RSM) is deficient in modeling nonlinear interactions. In this study, three machine learning (ML) algorithms, Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGB), Random Forest (RF), and Support Vector Machine (SVM), were evaluated using extraction variables (temperature, time, and solvent-to-solid ratio) along with flavonoid and polyphenol content as input features. Among the models evaluated, the XGB model showed the most advanced antioxidant prediction capabilities, as evidenced by its R² of 0.9835 and RMSE of 2.52 on the test data set. The biological significance of the features was explored using SHAP analysis, revealing flavonoid content and extraction temperature as key contributors. A graphical user interface (GUI) was developed to facilitate real-time prediction, enhancing accessibility for researchers and industrial users. This approach improves operational efficiency by optimizing extraction conditions, predicting antioxidant activity from data including flavonoids and polyphenols, and reducing reagent usage. This study highlights the potential of ML as a sustainable alternative for natural product optimization and lays the groundwork for future research that integrates bioactivity prediction with formulation design
Sound Absorption Properties of Shredded Paper Wastes as Indoor Building Sound Absorber
No full textThe sound absorption properties of shredded paper wastes (SPW) were evaluated. Two impedance tubes (large and small) were used to measure the sound absorption coefficient of different thicknesses of SPW sound-absorber (20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 mm). As the thickness of the SPW sound-absorber increased, the optimum sound absorption coefficient was shifted to a lower frequency direction. Based on the KS F 3503 (2002) standard, the sound absorption coefficients were 0.3 M for 20 mm, 0.5 M for 40 mm and 60 mm, and 0.7 M for both 80 mm and 100 mm. The sound absorption properties of this SPW showed comparable or better performance than other eco-friendly fibrous sound absorbers. SPW has not been previously considered for recycling applications. The findings imply that SPW has good sound absorption properties and can thus be employed as a cost-effective and environmentally friendly sound-absorbing material
Furniture Product Eco-Design Based on Life Cycle Assessment
No full textThis study aimed to quantify the environmental impacts associated with furniture products’ life cycle, and to explore Life Cycle Assessment’s role in eco-design. The goal was to overcome any misconception of focusing solely on materials innovation in eco-design practice. Three furniture products made up of different materials (paper, plastic, and mixed materials) were assessed using product Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology with Simapro 9.1.1.1 software and the Ecoinvent 3.5 database. The process followed a defined scope and objectives, with inventory analysis, impact assessment, and interpretation of results. The study’s quantitative environmental data revealed that eco-design should extend beyond a focus on material renewability and recyclability, traditionally prioritized by designers. It highlighted the importance of prioritizing furniture product life extension, material reduction, and energy reduction, though with varying degrees of priorities. In addition, the data served as a basis for proposing targeted eco-design improvement strategies. The paper concluded that quantitative product environmental data obtained from the product LCA can provide a clear reference for eco-design, which is of great importance in reducing the adverse environmental impact of products
Use of Paclobutrazol and Trinexepac-ethyl on Growth, Development, and Flowering Characteristics of Safflower as an Ornamental Plant
No full textThe aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different doses and application methods of Trinexapac-ethyl (TE) and Paclobutrazol (PAC) on the growth, development, and flowering characteristics of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) plants. This study will contribute to revealing and expanding the potential of this species, which is known to have high drought, cold, and salinity tolerance, in the ornamental plants sector. In the experiment, two safflower cultivars (Olas and Dinçer), two different plant growth inhibitors (TE and PAC), two different application methods (foliar and soil), and different doses (TE: foliar- 0, 4, 6, 8, and 12 ppm; PAC: soil- 0, 25, and 50 mg/pot, foliar- 0, 50, 100, and 500 ppm) were studied. Based on the results obtained, the use of TE and PAC, which are plant growth inhibitors, is seen as a suitable alternative to use ‘Olas’ and ‘Dinçer’ cultivars of safflower plant as ornamental plants in landscape designs and to expand their use for this purpose. It was determined that PAC application at a dose of 500 ppm in the form of foliar spray was an appropriate application especially in terms of suppressing height growth, and the plants treated with TE had a wider plant width compared to those treated with PAC
Flattened Bamboo for Replacing Plastic Products – An Eco-friendly Material to Manufacture Clothes Hangers
No full textPlastic waste is increasing year by year, and its non-degradable nature is causing great damage to the environment. Bamboo is an environmentally friendly and sustainable material. Flattened bamboo green slices offer an alternative solution to plastic hangers due to their excellent bending-mechanical properties. This study elaborates a production technology for flattened bamboo green hangers (FBGH), as well as the status changes of bamboo and related quality issues during the production process. To reveal patterns of bamboo performance variation throughout the bamboo hanger processing, this study analyzes the temperature, moisture content, and thickness changes of bamboo during production. Additionally, key quality issues in the process include cracking, thickness uniformity, and paint film performance. The results indicate that the main quality issues were cracking and thickness uniformity of bamboo green slice. The splitting process significantly affected the thickness uniformity of the bamboo green slice. The cracking of flattened bamboo green slices was most occurred in the splitting, cold pressing, and drying processes. Optimizing the management of the process, improving slicing equipment, minimizing the time between slicing and cold pressing, and adjusting lacquer film process parameters can enhance bamboo processing performance
Influence of Duranta erecta Fruits Extract Prepared via Supercritical Fluid Extraction on Microbial Growth, Ultrastructure, in-vitro Wound Healing and Oxidant Stress
No full textDiverse metabolites of plants exhibit various biological activities. Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) was applied at various temperatures (40, 60, and 80 ºC) to extract Duranta erecta fruits. Maximum yield of extract (0.456 g) was obtained at 60 ºC; besides, at this temperature the release of gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, methyl gallate, rutin, naringenin, rosmarinic acid, daidzein, quercetin, and kaempferol were promoted in high concentrations of 3510, 277, 326, 571, 7460, 1060, 31000, 7770, and 103 µg/mL, respectively. Moreover, S. aureus, S. typhi, B. subtilis, E. coli, and C. albicans, were inhibited with highest inhibition zones such as 28±0.1, 27±0.2, 30±0.1, 25±0.1, and 30±0.2 mm, respectively at 60 ºC than that at other temperatures of the SFE. Low quantities of minimum inhibitory and minimum bactericidal concentrations of the extract were recorded at 60 ºC. Ultrastructural changes were observed in the exposed B. subtilis to D. erecta fruits extract at 60 and 80 ºC including irregular, and rupture of cell wall. Antioxidant potential of D. erecta fruits extract via DPPH was recorded with promising IC50 value of 9.66 µg/mL. Moreover, FRAP antioxidant activity was confirmed with 355 equivalent (AAE) µg/mg at 60 ºC. The fruits extract from D. erecta at 60 ºC of SFE conditions reflected excellent wound healing property