Accurate prediction of thermal response in biological tissue during microwave ablation (MWA) is essential to ensure treatment safety and efficacy. However, the applicability of classical local thermal non-equilibrium (LTNE) models becomes a concern in the evaporation regime. This study presents a comparative numerical investigation of the classical LTNE model and a proposed delta-modified LTNE model that explicitly accounts for attenuation of tissue-blood heat exchange through a physically motivated delta parameter derived from blood-phase water content. Simulations are performed for liver tissue with varying porosities under 50 W, 75 W, and 100 W and compared with experimental data. A modified formulation is proposed that preserves evaporation physics with reduced computational complexity. RMSE and MAPE show that, at 50 W, both models provide comparable predictions (RMSE <= 2.49 degrees C, MAPE <= 5.85%), indicating limited evaporation effects. At 75 W, RMSE and MAPE values remain comparable between the two models (RMSE <= 6.54 degrees C, MAPE <= 7.74%), representing a transitional regime in which evaporation effects begin to emerge. Under 100 W, the classical LTNE model markedly overpredicts tissue temperature near the antenna, with RMSE up to 26.37 degrees C and MAPE reaching 26.86%. In contrast, the delta-LTNE model substantially reduces prediction errors, maintaining RMSE <= 4.23 degrees C and MAPE <= 16.79% through the proposed evaporation-dependent attenuation formulation. These results indicate that the proposed delta-LTNE formulation improves temperature prediction for the investigated high-power liver MWA conditions.
A metabolomics-based framework for evaluating coriander freshness was developed using cumulative respiratory CO2 as a physiological reference. Primary metabolite profiles obtained by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) were used to develop a partial least squares regression (PLSR) model for predicting cumulative respiratory CO2 production. The model showed moderate predictive performance under leave-one-out cross-validation, with cross-validated predictive ability (Q2) of 0.717 and root mean square error of cross-validation (RMSECV) of 38.86 mmol kg-1 . Among 64 predictors, variable importance in projection (VIP) analysis identified tyramine, serine, lysine, isoleucine, and threonine as metabolites with high model importance. In an independent 10 degrees C application experiment, the model-derived cumulative CO2 increased with storage duration, whereas leaf yellowness did not change significantly, suggesting that the metabolomics-based approach may capture storage-associated physiological change that is not readily reflected by conventional visual assessment. The framework was further applied under modified-atmosphere conditions generated by two packaging configurations. The model-derived values differed substantially from the independent gas-balance estimates under the strongly hypoxic 0.08-mm LDPE condition, suggesting limited quantitative transferability under physiological conditions not represented in the training dataset. These results support metabolite-based prediction as a framework for evaluating storage-associated physiological change in coriander while highlighting the need for further validation under a wider range of postharvest conditions.
This study evaluates the seismic fragility of high-rise steel storage racks under long-distance and short-distance earthquake excitations using Incremental Dynamic Analysis (IDA). Two representative sites were selected to represent long- and short-distance earthquake scenarios. A numerical model of the high-rise rack system was developed and validated against substructure experimental results and benchmark data reported in the literature. The IDA results show that the earthquake scenario significantly influenced the seismic response of the investigated rack. Long-distance ground motions generally resulted in severe damage and collapse at lower seismic intensity levels, particularly for global deformation responses. Long-distance excitation also resulted in a more abrupt transition from severe damage to collapse, indicating a limited deformation reserve once severe damage was reached. In contrast, short-distance ground motions produced more localized damage and a more gradual progression toward collapse. In addition, serviceability assessments showed a higher susceptibility to residual misalignment under long-distance ground motions, highlighting potential risks to automated warehouse operations even at relatively low seismic intensities. Overall, the results indicate greater vulnerability of the investigated high-rise rack to long-distance ground motions in terms of global deformation, damage progression, and residual misalignment.
This study examines the sustainability of solar photovoltaic (PV) deployment in South Asia by integrating environmental, techno-economic, socio-economic, resilience, and end-of-life perspectives into a single regional review framework. It addresses five key aspects: current research trends; cradle-to-grave environmental sustainability metrics; techno-economic and socio-economic performance across rooftop and utility-scale PV; the role of PV in reducing import vulnerability; and the major barriers to large-scale adoption. For this purpose, the study applies systematic literature review, structured evidence classification, and quantitative resilience analysis. Additionally, evidence-weighted Pareto analysis was applied to prioritize deployment barriers. The findings show that existing evidence is strongest for techno-economic and environmental performance, while social justice, grid integration, and circularity remain less developed. Both rooftop and utility-scale PV systems are cost-competitive, although utility-scale systems are more sensitive to curtailment and grid readiness. The review finds that PV expansion can strengthen energy system resilience by reducing fossil fuel import exposure and can create employment, fuel savings, and circular economy value. However, large scale adoption remains constrained mainly by finance, policy instability, weak utilities, grid limitations, and land related barriers, with the leading priorities remaining stable under alternative domain-weighting assumptions. The originality of this study lies in its region-specific, multi-dimensional synthesis that links sustainability, resilience, and end-of-life governance in a policy-useful framework.
This study investigated a mechanical-press torrefaction-assisted carbonization route for producing Napier grassderived bio-coke. Napier grass was first torrefied under mechanical pressure at 280-340 degrees C and 20-70 MPa, followed by carbonization at 1000 degrees C. The effects of torrefaction temperature and pressure on the properties of the torrefied products and resulting bio-cokes were evaluated. Mechanical-press torrefaction densified the biomass and enabled the formation of consolidated bio-cokes after carbonization. Although the carbonization yield increased on a torrefied-precursor basis, severe pretreatment reduced the overall bio-coke recovery from the original biomass. On a whole-sample dry basis, the carbon contents and HHVs of the pretreated bio-cokes ranged from 69.20 to 72.65 wt% and from 25.97 to 27.30 MJ kg(-1), respectively, compared with 70.06 wt% and 26.48 MJ kg(-1) for BC-Raw NP. BC-TNP-340-45 exhibited the highest carbon content, HHV, and apparent density of 1.03 g cm(-3), whereas the highest compressive strength of 41.7 MPa was obtained for BC-TNP-320-70. Raman analysis showed a slight decrease in the ID/IG ratio from 1.158 for BC-Raw NP to 1.037 for BC-TNP-34045, indicating a modest change in carbon structure. CO2-TGA-DTG-DSC analysis showed that pretreatment shifted the principal CO2 gasification region toward higher temperatures, with Tmax increasing from 881.34 to 970.26 degrees C. A preliminary Fe2O3 reduction test provided qualitative evidence of metallic Fe formation. Overall, mechanical-press torrefaction effectively modified and densified Napier grass before carbonization, producing bio-cokes with improved mechanical integrity and higher characteristic CO2 gasification temperatures, while also upgrading fuel characteristics under selected pretreatment conditions.
