Optimal conditions for beef tenderization through radiofrequency heating with cold air.

High-temperature (15-37°C) aging can shorten the tenderizing time of beef; however, the use of constant temperature heating can lead to microbial spoilage. This study tested radiofrequency (RF) tenderization (RF-T) to find the appropriate conditions for the aging-like effect of beef without microbial spoilage. After subjecting beef to 22 h RF-T with four different cooling temperatures (15, 5, -10, and -20°C), the proliferated aerobic bacteria on the surface showed a concentration of 6-6.

Cellulose graphitic carbon directed iron oxide interfaced polypyrrole electrode materials for high performance supercapacitors.

The rising demand for green and clean energy urges the enlargement of economical and proficient electrode materials for supercapacitors. Herein, we designed a novel electrode material by porous cellulose graphitic carbon (CC) derived from bio-waste cornhusk via the pyrolysis route, and α-FeO decorated nanostructure with CC (CCIO) was achieved in situ pyrolysis of corn-husk and Fe(NO)·9HO metal salt followed by a coating of polypyrrole (CCIOP). The CC, CCIO, and CCIOP nanocomposite electrodes were characterized by XRD, Raman, FTIR, FE-SEM/EDX, FE-TEM, XPS, and BET analysis.

Synergetic effects of MoC sphere/SCN nanocatalysts interface for nanomolar detection of uric acid and folic acid in presence of interferences.

Till to date, the application of sulfur-doped graphitic carbon nitride supported transition metal carbide interface for electrochemical sensor fabrication was less explored. In this work, we designed a simple synthesis of molybdenum carbide sphere embedded sulfur doped graphitic carbon nitride (MoC/SCN) catalyst for the nanomolar electrochemical sensor application. The synthesized MoC/SCN nanocatalyst was systematically characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with elemental mapping.

Supercooling as a potentially improved storage option for commercial kimchi.

The supercooling degree (SD), which refers to the difference between the ice nucleation temperature and freezing point of kimchi, varies depending on the type of kimchi, manufacturer, recipe, and manufacturing season. The aim of this study is to investigate the major influencing factors for the supercooled storage of kimchi and to analyze the possibility of supercooled storage for commercial kimchi. Pearson correlation analysis determined that, in commercial kimchi manufactured between March and July 2018, the SD of kimchi correlated to the number of aerobic bacteria (P < 0.

Electrically Adaptive and Shape-Changeable Invertible Microlens.

Existing soft actuators for adaptive microlenses suffer from high required input voltage, optical loss, liquid loss, and the need for assistant systems. In this study, we fabricate a polyvinyl chloride-based gel using a new synergistic plasticization method to achieve simultaneously a high optical transparency and an ultrasoft rubber-like elastic behavior with a large voltage-induced deformation under a weak electric field. By compressing the smooth gel between two sets of annular electrodes, a self-contained biconvex microlens is realized that is capable of considerable shape changes in the optical path.

Beyond Human Hand: Shape-Adaptive and Reversible Magnetorheological Elastomer-Based Robot Gripper Skin.

Developing a simple and universal solution for gripping fragile, multiscaled, and arbitrary-shaped objects using a robot gripper is challenging. Herein, we propose a universal, shape-adaptive/-retaining and reversible, hardness-variable gripper skin that serves as a resourceful solution for grasping such objects without damaging them. The proposed universal gripper skin based on a magnetorheological elastomer is attached to a robot gripper.

Transparent Film-Type Vibrotactile Actuator Array and Its Haptic Rendering Using Beat Phenomenon.

The most important thing in a thin and soft haptic module with an electroactive polymer actuator array is to increase its vibrotactile amplitude and to create a variety of vibrotactile sensations. In this paper, we introduce a thin film-type electroactive polymer actuator array capable of stimulating two types of human mechanoreceptors simultaneously, and we present a haptic rendering method that maximizes the actuators' vibrational force without improving the array's haptic performance. The increase in vibrational amplitude of the soft electroactive polymer actuator array is achieved by creating a beat vibration, which is an interference pattern of two vibrations with slightly different frequencies.

Non-destructive monitoring of apple ripeness using an aldehyde sensitive colorimetric sensor.

We developed an on-packaging colorimetric sensor label that can detect the aldehyde emission of apples based on Methyl Red. The sensor label was constructed using printable inks on paper medium and relied on the change in basicity caused by the nucleophilic addition reaction between aldehyde and hydroxide via the Cannizzaro reaction. The sensor can be used to detect aldehyde in solution and vapor.

Focus-tunable double convex lens based on non-ionic electroactive gel.

We propose a focus-tunable double-convex (DCX) lens based on a non-ionic PVC (nPVC) gel to be used at close conjugates. The proposed lens is composed of an nPVC gel and two plates with electrodes. Each plate has a hole whose boundary and inner part are pasted with an electrode (anode) and has another ring shaped electrode (cathode) whose center point is the same as the hole's center.

High-Performance PVC Gel for Adaptive Micro-Lenses with Variable Focal Length.

This paper presents a bio-inspired adaptive micro-lens with electrically tunable focus made of non-ionic high-molecular-weight polyvinyl chloride (PVC) gel. The optical device mimics the design of the crystalline lens and ciliary muscle of the human eye. It consists of a plano-convex PVC gel micro-lens on Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) glass, confined with an annular electrode operating as an artificial ciliary muscle.

Current topics in active and intelligent food packaging for preservation of fresh foods.

The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of current packaging systems, e.g. active packaging and intelligent packaging, for various foods.

Effect of cooling condition on chemical vapor deposition synthesis of graphene on copper catalyst.

Here, we show that chemical vapor deposition growth of graphene on copper foil is strongly affected by the cooling conditions. Variation of cooling conditions such as cooling rate and hydrocarbon concentration in the cooling step has yielded graphene islands with different sizes, density of nuclei, and growth rates. The nucleation site density on Cu substrate is greatly reduced when the fast cooling condition was applied, while continuing methane flow during the cooling step also influences the nucleation and growth rate.

Flexible electrochromic films based on CVD-graphene electrodes.

Graphene synthesized via chemical vapor deposition is a notable candidate for flexible large-area transparent electrodes due to its great physical properties and its 2D activated surface area. Electrochromic devices in optical displays, smart windows, etc are suitable applications for graphene when used as a transparent conductive electrode. In this study, various-layer graphene was synthesized via chemical vapor deposition, and inorganic WO(x) was deposited on the layers, which have advantageous columnar structures and W(6+) and W(4+) oxidation states.

Flexible glucose sensor using CVD-grown graphene-based field effect transistor.

A flexible glucose sensor using a CVD-grown graphene-based field-effect-transistor (FET) is demonstrated. The CVD-grown graphene was functionalized with linker molecules in order to immobilize the enzymes that induce the catalytic response of glucose. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) was employed as the substrate material to realize a flexible sensor.