Mould growth results from a complex interaction between environmental factors, material properties, and mould fungi characteristics. These interactions must be considered during the design, ...construction and maintenance of a building to prevent growth. Mould prediction models aim to predict whether mould will grow on a specific material in a part of building with a known, or simulated, relative humidity and temperature. They are often used in the design phase. Several models are available. There is limited research on the performance of the models in real buildings. This study aimed to evaluate six different models, using data from five building parts. The predictions on whether mould growth was expected or not were compared to actual mould growth observations on five building materials. The study was performed as a round-robin. Most models underestimated the possibility for mould when humidity and temperature varied a lot by time. The outcome also depended on the end-user, who needs to make assumptions and parameter values choices on, for example, material susceptibility for mould growth. Therefore, using the same climate data, mould growth prediction may differ depending on who makes the prediction. One model, MOGLI model, where input data comes from laboratory tests and no such assumptions must be made, predicted correct in most cases. One conclusion of the study is that when predictions are made in practice, the results must be used cautiously. More knowledge is needed to understand, and more accurately model, the relationships between the moisture and temperature variations in buildings and the risk for mould growth.
•Results from mould prediction models were compared to results from field tests.•Choices of input parameters varied among users, and this had a significant impact on results.•Dynamic mould prediction models often underestimated the possibility of mould growth.•The PJ-model was shown to give the best predictions in comparison with field results.
Polymer-processing techniques are of the utmost importance for producing polymeric parts. They must produce parts with the desired qualities, which are usually related to mechanical performance, ...dimensional conformity, and appearance. Aiming to maximize the overall efficiency of the polymer-processing techniques, advanced modeling codes along with experimental measurements are needed to simulate and optimize the processes. Thus, this reprint exploits the digital transformation of the plastics industry, both through the creation of more robust and accurate modeling tools and the development of cutting-edge experimental techniques. Furthermore, it addresses advanced topics, such as crystallization during the solidification processes, prediction of fiber orientation in the cases of short and long fiber composites, prediction of the foaming process (such as microcellular foaming), and flow instabilities by including viscoelastic constitutive equations.
Polymer-processing techniques are of the utmost importance for producing polymeric parts. They must produce parts with the desired qualities, which are usually related to mechanical performance, ...dimensional conformity, and appearance. Aiming to maximize the overall efficiency of the polymer-processing techniques, advanced modeling codes along with experimental measurements are needed to simulate and optimize the processes. Thus, this reprint exploits the digital transformation of the plastics industry, both through the creation of more robust and accurate modeling tools and the development of cutting-edge experimental techniques. Furthermore, it addresses advanced topics, such as crystallization during the solidification processes, prediction of fiber orientation in the cases of short and long fiber composites, prediction of the foaming process (such as microcellular foaming), and flow instabilities by including viscoelastic constitutive equations.
Polymer-processing techniques are of the utmost importance for producing polymeric parts. They must produce parts with the desired qualities, which are usually related to mechanical performance, ...dimensional conformity, and appearance. Aiming to maximize the overall efficiency of the polymer-processing techniques, advanced modeling codes along with experimental measurements are needed to simulate and optimize the processes. Thus, this reprint exploits the digital transformation of the plastics industry, both through the creation of more robust and accurate modeling tools and the development of cutting-edge experimental techniques. Furthermore, it addresses advanced topics, such as crystallization during the solidification processes, prediction of fiber orientation in the cases of short and long fiber composites, prediction of the foaming process (such as microcellular foaming), and flow instabilities by including viscoelastic constitutive equations.
Polymer-processing techniques are of the utmost importance for producing polymeric parts. They must produce parts with the desired qualities, which are usually related to mechanical performance, ...dimensional conformity, and appearance. Aiming to maximize the overall efficiency of the polymer-processing techniques, advanced modeling codes along with experimental measurements are needed to simulate and optimize the processes. Thus, this reprint exploits the digital transformation of the plastics industry, both through the creation of more robust and accurate modeling tools and the development of cutting-edge experimental techniques. Furthermore, it addresses advanced topics, such as crystallization during the solidification processes, prediction of fiber orientation in the cases of short and long fiber composites, prediction of the foaming process (such as microcellular foaming), and flow instabilities by including viscoelastic constitutive equations.
Citrus is one of the most economically important horticultural crops in the world. Citrus are vulnerable to the postharvest decay caused by Penicillium digitatum and P. italicum, which are both wound ...pathogens. To date, several non-chemical postharvest treatments have been investigated for the control of both pathogens, trying to provide an alternative solution to the synthetic fungicides (imazalil, thiabendazole, pyrimethanil, and fludioxonil), which are mainly employed and may have harmful effects on human health and environment.
The current study emphasizes the non-chemical postharvest treatments, such as irradiations, biocontrol agents, natural compounds, hot water treatment (HWT), and salts, on the prevention of decay caused by P. digitatum and P. italicum, also known as green and blue molds, respectively. The mode of action of each technique is presented and comprehensively discussed.
In vivo and in vitro experiments in a laboratory scale have shown that the control of green and blue molds can be accomplished by the application of non-chemical treatments. The mechanisms of action of the non-chemical techniques have not been clearly elucidated. Several studies have mentioned that the application of non-chemical treatments results in the synthesis of secondary metabolites with antifungal activities (i.e. polyphenols, phytoalexins) in fruit surface. Moreover, non-chemical treatments may exert direct effects on fungal growth, such as disruption of cell walls, inhibition of metabolic respiration, and disruption of energy production related enzymes.
•Non-chemical treatments for green and blue mold control.•Essential oils can control the germination of blue and green molds.•Irradiations may effectively control the decay caused by Penicillium spp.•Yeasts and bacteria can been used as biocontrol agents against green and blue molds.
Mold growth in residential and commercial buildings poses a serious problem to various communities. There are several facets of the problem, the most prominent of which are chronic public health ...risks, business losses, and monetary and labor resources needed for mold containment and mitigation. In addition, there may be severe renovation work needed if the problem is left unattended. This paper describes a probabilistic framework for mold growth risk assessment on various construction materials and shows its application across a variety of climate conditions. Mold growth is contingent upon three ingredients: temperature, moisture, and nutrients. A specific construction material of interest represents the latter, while the other two are modeled through Monte-Carlo simulations. Mold growth is characterized by the mold growth index, which is tracked over ten years, with hourly time resolution. Analysis of the temperature and relative humidity empirical data revealed that these quantities are statistically dependent. Accounting for these interdependencies is crucial for realistic simulations of temperature and humidity and were numerically reproduced in the developed method. The developed framework allowed for realistic assessment of mold growth risk. It was applied across 60 US metropolitan areas in different climatological zones to quantify mold growth risk. The proposed framework allows for quantitative risk assessment of mold growth in different climatological conditions. Such a capability is needed for decision makers for timely mold mitigation, preventing health hazards, and avoiding large financial losses for emergency mold remediation and building repair.
•Probabilistic mold growth risk assessment.•One-hour resolution for 10 years in the future using 30-year long historical data.•60 metropolitan areas spanning all climatological regions in the US.•Simulation of temperature and humidity preserve natural auto- and cross-covariance.•Relative regional risk analysis for different surfaces.
•Melatonin treatment (MT) inhibited gray mold caused by Botrytis cinerea in tomato.•MT induced signaling molecules involved in the disease resistance in tomato.•MT activated phenylpropanoid pathway ...involved in the disease resistance in tomato.
Melatonin, an indolic compound, is a ubiquitous molecule with pleiotropic roles in plant. The effects of melatonin treatment on the development of gray mold, disease resistance signals and phenylpropanoid pathway in cherry tomato were investigated after the mature-green fruit were dipped in 0.1 mM melatonin for 60 min and subsequently stored at 22 ± 1 °C. The results showed that melatonin did not have antifungal activity against Botrytis cinerea in vitro, but significantly inhibited gray mold development caused by B. cinerea in tomato. The melatonin treatment induced a reactive oxygen species (ROS) burst, increased endogenous melatonin and salicylic acid (SA), and enhanced activities of chitinase (CHI) and β-1,3-glucanase (GLU) in tomato. Moreover, the treatment regulated the phenylpropanoid pathway by increasing activities of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), 4-coumarate-coenzyme A ligase (4CL), and peroxidase (POD) accompanied by higher contents of total phenols, flavonoids and lignin in tomato. It was suggested that melatonin treatment would induce signaling molecules via the phenylpropanoid pathway that might contribute to enhancing resistance in tomato against fungi such as B. cinerea during postharvest storage.
The grey mould Botrytis cinerea causes disease in more than 1000 plant species, including important crops. The interaction between Botrytis and its (potential) hosts is determined by quantitative ...susceptibility and virulence traits in both interacting partners, resulting in a greyscale of disease outcomes. Fungal infection was long thought to rely mainly on its capacity to kill the host plant and degrade plant tissue. Recent research has revealed that Botrytis exploits two crucial biological processes in host plants for its own success. We highlight recent findings that illustrate that the interactions between Botrytis and its host plants are subtle and we discuss the molecular and cellular mechanisms controlling the many shades of grey during these interactions.
Balances between autophagic and apoptotic programmed cell death pathways in plants are important for their interaction with necrotrophic fungi.
Botrytis has a short biotrophic phase in which autophagy is suppressed before the induction of apoptotic cell death that marks the onset of necrotic disease development.
During infection Botrytis produces small RNAs (sRNAs) that can be translocated into the host plant and downregulate transcripts of defence genes to mediate disease development. The sRNA repertoires of fungus and plant act as indiscriminate ‘cluster bombs’.
The timing of production, concentration, and silencing potential of sRNAs are determinants of success in the early interaction.
Normally aggressive strains of Botrytis are capable of asymptomatic colonisation of plants.
•Optimized air cooling reduces flow by 46% without losing efficiency.•Mold design modifications cut porosity and enhance wheel strength.•Combined CFD and experimental methods refine cooling ...channels.•Simulation-driven adjustments optimize solidification patterns.•Holistic approach advances aluminum wheel production efficiency.
Automotive wheels made from aluminum alloys are generally manufactured using the Low-Pressure Die Casting (LPDC) method. The molten aluminum is pressurized and filled into the cavities between the molds, and it is cooled using cooling channels in the LPDC. While the cooling fluid can be either air or water in industrial applications, only air cooling is utilized within the scope of this study. The primary expenditures of the process are attributed to the cycle time and the consumption of compressed air. In industrial settings, the primary coolant supply, emanating from either one or two inlet sources, is systematically channeled through a series of nozzles. These nozzles are strategically designed to impinge air onto specific areas of the mold pockets, ensuring efficient cooling.
This research focuses on enhancing the cooling channels and mold pocket regions in LPDC through a combination of experiments and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) integrated with Conjugate Heat Transfer (CHT) analyses. The study involves designing cooling channels to achieve a uniform mass flow distribution at the nozzle outlets, and optimizing the mold pocket regions. This optimization resulted in a 46% reduction in compressed air flow while maintaining comparable levels of heat transfer in the optimized mold pocket design. Moreover, flow rate non-uniformity at nozzle outlets was reduced from 11.5% to 2.0% to achieve uniform cooling and temperature distribution across the wheel spokes. An experimental setup with a cooling pipe network allowed simultaneous flow rate measurements from 20 outlets using flow rate sensors.
The improved cooling channel and mold pocket design were adapted to the LPDC, and 20 aluminum alloy wheels were successfully cast with a 46% lower mass flow rate. All these wheels were tested in accordance with the relevant test specifications and the results obtained were assessed as compliant according to certain limits.
