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BACKGROUND: The apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) plays an important role in the trendy market of dried snacks because of its exceptional flavor and texture. In addition to the health benefits, there is also a general disposition to consume organic and do‐it‐yourself products. RESULTS: Three different drying temperatures, 65, 75, and 85 °C, were tested using a commercial ventilated drying oven in 'Royal Gala' and 'Golden Delicious' cultivars. Physical changes, including texture, color, shrinkage ratio, and microstructure, were evaluated for the temperatures and cultivars considered. Based on the results, particularly in terms of shrinkage, hardness, and crispiness, a drying temperature of 75 °C was selected to perform texture profile analyses throughout the drying period. Storability conditions were evaluated to determine the best moment to maintain the physical properties of the dried snacks during storage. Considered the more important property related to consumer preferences, crispiness was followed with puncture tests. CONCLUSION: The storage of apple chips, dried at the various temperatures, that must be performed in 5–10 min after removing from the drying oven, was assessed over the course of a month. Both the drying process and the subsequent storage proved effective in preserving the desired texture of the apple snacks, regardless of the specific cultivar or drying temperature used. Through this study, with a refined understanding of the changes occurring during the drying process and the optimization of storage conditions, we can confidently offer consumers the best combination of crispy and healthy snacks that meet their expectations. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we investigated the MOCVD conditions to synthesize thin films with the hexagonal P63cm h-LuMnO3 phase as a potential low-band gap ferroelectric material. The main parameters investigated were the ratio of organometallic starting materials, substrate temperature, and annealing effect. Two different substrates were used in the study: fused silica (SiO2) glass and platinized silicon (Pt\Ti\SiO2\Si(100)). In order to investigate the thermodynamic stability and quality of the developed phases, a detailed analysis of the crystal structure, microstructure, morphology, and roughness of the films was performed by X-ray diffractometer, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), Raman spectroscopy, and piezoelectric force microscopy (PFM). Molar compositions in the film within 0.93 < |Lu|/|Mn| < 1.33 were found to be suitable for obtaining a single-phase h-LuMnO3. The best films were obtained by depositions at 700 °C, followed by thermal treatments at 800 °C for long periods of up to 12 h. These films exhibited a highly crystalline hexagonal single phase with a relatively narrow direct band gap, around 1.5 eV, which is within the expected values for the h-LuMnO3 system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential for bioremediation of olive mill wastewaters with different origins—olive washing (OWW) and olive oil extraction (OMW)—among four species of microalgae (Chlorella vulgaris, Auxenochlorella protothecoides, Scenedesmus obliquus, and Arthrospira maxima) was evaluated. All microalgae could grow in the wastewaters, but C. vulgaris and C. protothecoides showed the best performances. The highest biomass productivities of 165.8 mg L−1 day−1 for OMW and 107.9 mg L−1 day−1 for OWW were achieved with C. vulgaris and A. protothecoides, respectively. Moreover, with both species, COD and nitrate contents of the two wastewaters were reduced by 60 and more than 50%, respectively. However, significant removal of polyphenols was verified only in OWW (~45%). Overall, these findings demonstrate the potential of C. vulgaris and A. protothecoides species to be used in a biological olive mill wastewater treatment process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water reuse policies demand high-quality treated water, ensuring no harm to human health and ecosystems. Advanced oxidation processes seem to be one of the most appropriated technologies to achieve the goal of ensuring safe water reuse. In this work, a wireless lab-scale UV-A LED reactor powered by a resonant inductive coupling system was built, maximizing UV photon absorption. The energy inside the photoreactor was supplied through a magnetic field generated by induction coils placed on the external wall. The optimal operating parameters were found to be [TiO2] = 500 mg L−1 and [H2O2] = 100 mg L−1, attaining 50% of RB5 removal after 180 min, with EEO = 17.6 kWh m−3 order−1 and ESAE = 1.75 × 103 kWh mol−1 order−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: Orthorhombic Eu1−xYxMnO3 (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.5) thin films were successfully synthesized by spin-coating. The film phase evidences an additional contribution to lattice strain with increasing Y-content. Appreciable modification of magnetic response from bulks to films due to structural distortions. The effects on the structure and magnetic properties of Eu1−xYxMnO3 (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.5) thin films due to lattice strain were investigated and compared with those obtained in equivalent composition ceramics. The films were deposited by spin-coating chemical solution onto Pt\TiO2\SiO2\Si (100) standard substrates. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy measurements revealed that all films crystallize in orthorhombic structure with space group Pnma, observing an added contraction of the unit cell with increasing Y-substitution ou Eu, corresponding to a broadening of the Mn-O1-Mn angle and a gradual decrease in magnetic order response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The magnetocaloric effect (MCE) is a good chance to create a more efficient refrigeration technique, both in energy and environmental friendliness. On the search for materials with large MCE (mainly characterized by a great magnetic entropy variation) in a wide temperature range around room temperature, this work focuses on the widely studied Heusler alloy and the influence of bismuth alloying in the stoichiometry [Ni.sub.2]MnGa in an attempt to make the magnetic and structural transition temperatures, [T.sub.C] and [T.sub.M], come closer, and therefore create a large MCE. In addition, we discuss the influence of alloying processes on the magnetic anisotropy. Our results have in fact increased [T.sub.M] and decreased [T.sub.C], but Bi substitution in Ga site (from 0 up to 5%) has been insufficient to merge those two transitions. The maximum magnetic entropy change was found to be 3.8 J/kg.K for the pure sample (without Bi) and 2.2 J/kg.K for sample 4 (maximum Bi concentration). Index Terms--Heusler alloy, magnetocaloric effect, memory shape, [Ni.sub.2]MnGa.