Research Articles

In the contemporary era of quality and personalization, this article explores how soft sofa fabrics enhance users’ emotional experience and convey perceptual images. Users’ visual-tactile perception data on 10 common soft sofa fabrics were gathered by questionnaire surveys, utilizing the Kansei engineering approach, and the visual-tactile evaluation theory. With SPSS software, the data were processed and examined in-depth using a variety of techniques, including cluster analysis and factor analysis. The experiment screened fabric samples and emotional vocabularies via the KJ method and expert evaluation, and questionnaires were designed and implemented based on the semantic differential method and Likert scale. Fabrics were categorized into four groups based on cluster analysis, which are suitable for users pursuing different home environments. The two primary factors that comprise the fundamental aspects of the perceptual image of soft sofa fabrics were found to be the texture, quality experience factor, and the typical emotional reaction factor, which were extracted by factor analysis. Both theory and practice were considered, enriching the theoretical framework of emotional imagery and user emotion research while offering valuable practical guidance for the design, production, and marketing of soft sofas.

To improve the use experience of airport chairs, this study adopted morphological analysis to conduct systematic deconstruction, analysis, and statistics on the modeling features of existing airport chairs. The KJ method was used to determine the design requirements of airport chairs. The study combined the Kano model to classify the functional attributes and prioritize the requirements, and it merged the module and demand analysis to build a Function-Behavior-Structure mapping model. In this way, passengers’ demand for airport chairs can be clearly defined, and airport chair configuration planning can be carried out according to the difference in preferences. Further, different module combination schemes can be formed to improve the functional allocation efficiency of airport chairs, optimize the overall service quality of airports, and provide some basis and reference for the future design of airport chairs.

Fibers collected from the husk of areca nut trees were chopped to a length of 30 mm and were either used as such or subjected to alkaline treatment by immersion in a 5% sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution. The untreated and treated fibers were investigated using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) before the fabrication of composites using an epoxy matrix. Different amounts of fibers were introduced in the matrix, fabricating the composite by compression molding. The composites were subjected to tensile, flexural, and Charpy impact and Shore D hardness testing, which all demonstrated the considerable advantage obtained with the growing quantity of fibers, especially when employing treated fibers, except in the case of hardness, where limited advantages were encountered. Wear tests were carried out on treated fiber composites and the surface morphology of the worn-out samples was studied, which also demonstrated the improvement in fiber-matrix bonding obtained with the growing amount of fibers. The main limitation of the fibers was their low elongation even after treatment. The fibers hardly reached 4%, which might represent a quite normal value for this kind of fibers, possibly due to with tendency to fibrillation. This would somehow compare these composites with others with similar amounts and lengths of natural fibers.

Graphene was mixed with varnishes at different ratios and applied by spraying method on different cross-sections of various wood materials, and their wear and adhesion performances were determined. Graphene (0.25%, 0.50%, 1%); varnishes (water-based and polyurethane varnish) and wood materials (beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky), chestnut (Castanea sativa Miller), yellow pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), and spruce (Picea orientalis (L.) Link.)) were used. Adhesion and abrasion tests were performed. A total of 480 test specimens were prepared, 5 specimens for each wood type, cross-sectional direction, graphene ratio, and varnish type for adhesion and abrasion tests. The adhesion of the samples was determined by ASTM D 4541-09E1 pull-off test and abrasion resistance was determined in accordance with ASTM 4060-10. The data obtained were statistically analyzed and the significance values within and between groups were determined. As a result, abrasion resistance and adhesion increased in graphene 2 (0.50%) in both varnish types.

The disposable cup market has long relied on paperboard with a fossil-based polymer coating as a replacement for 100% plastic cups. Paperboards with biobased or biodegradable polymer coatings are aimed at reducing the fossil resource consumption of the packaging sector. However, as their properties are inherently different from traditional, fossil-based materials, they can face runnability issues. In order to establish a connection between certain material properties and runnability issues, four coated paperboard materials with differing surface and strength properties were converted into 250 mL/8 oz disposable drinking cups. The materials included two single-side extrusion-coated paperboards and two two-sided dispersion-coated paperboards. The cups were manufactured in two separate runs with minor machine adjustments to affect the resulting cup geometry. A comparison of the manufactured cups and material properties revealed the materials’ coefficient of friction to be the major cause of runnability issues or defects. Other suspected properties affecting the performance of cup materials included bending stiffness and compression strength.

To determine the appropriate stiffness coefficient k values for rubber belts used in dynamic testing of the elastic modulus and shear modulus of timber and solid wood composite materials, this study employed three different thicknesses of rubber belts. Dynamic tests were conducted on straw boards, Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL), and Spruce-Pine-Fir (SPF) materials, and the results were validated and analyzed using static four-point bending tests. The conclusions drawn from this research indicate that the range of stiffness coefficient k values for the rubber belts obtained through dynamic testing fell between 0.05 and 0.28 N/m. The correctness of the dynamic testing method was verified through static four-point bending tests. The error levels for elastic modulus E and shear modulus G of the same type of board measured using the three different rubber belts were below 9.5% and 9.8%, respectively.

Chestnut is an essential food source in many countries. Nutritional quality and potential health benefits of Anatolian chestnut trees (Castanea sativa Mill.) have led to increased concern and interest in chestnut production. However, knowledge of the factors that influence the chemical content of chestnut fruits still needs to be improved. Thus, the chemical compositions were evaluated for Anatolian chestnut fruits collected at 14 different locations in northern Türkiye, which is one of the biggest chestnut producers in the world. The effects of latitude, longitude, altitude, aspect, mean annual temperature (°C) (TMA), and mean annual precipitation (mm) (PMA) of the study locations on the chemical compositions of chestnut fruits were monitored. The effects of these parameters on several chestnut characteristics were examined using a mixed-effects multiple regression model. Latitude, longitude, TMA, and PMA were correlated with the mean concentrations of sucrose, free amino acid, glycine betaine, nitrogen (N) (%), and total carbon (C) (%) of the chestnut samples. The moisture content of the fruits was affected by longitude. The antioxidant and mineral content of the chestnut samples also varied by location. These findings may be helpful in site selection, production, and conservation of chestnut cultivars.

The objective of this study was to determine suitable tree species to monitor and reduce Sn concentrations in the environment of Düzce province in Türkiye. A further goal was to test the hypothesis that, possibly due to air transport, the uptake of Sn in tree rings would show a significant and consistent dependency on compass direction. The timber samples were from the trunks of Tilia tomentosa (linden), Robinia pseudoacacia (black locust), Cedrus atlantica (cedar), Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas fir), and Fraxinus excelsior (European ash), which are commonly used in landscaping in Düzce province. Levels of Sn concentrations in annual rings were determined. Cedrus atlantica and F. excelsior were found to be suitable biomonitors that can be used to monitor changes in annual amounts of Sn contamination. Among the studied tree species, R. pseudoacacia had the highest average values and C. atlantica had the second-highest levels of Sn uptake. However, no consistent dependency on compass direction was found. It follows that rather than depending on the direction of prevailing winds, the uptake of metals to the xylem of trees must be due to direction-independent processes, such as transport via roots and xylem or absorption into leaves and subsequent transport via the phloem.

Macroalgae (Ulva fasciata, Gracilaria corticata, and Sargassum wightii) were collected from the marine environment and used as the substrate for lactic acid production. These macroalgae were pretreated with hydrochloric acid (0.2 to 0.4 N) for various times (20 to 60 min). Additionally, the algal hydrolysate was incubated with cellulase for 24 h at 30 ± 1 °C to achieve enzymatic saccharification. Proximate analysis of these macroalgae was performed, and the yield was high in G. corticata. The G. corticata hydrolysate was composed of 10.01 ± 0.12% ash content, 1.25 ± 0.2% total fat, 10.2 ± 0.1% crude protein, 9.2 ± 0.2% moisture content, and a higher level of total carbohydrate (69.33 ± 1.5%) than the other two macroalgae. In G. corticata, the enzymatic treatment showed the maximum reducing sugar (33.5 ± 2.3%) relative to the other macroalgal hydrolysates and was considered for optimization of lactic acid production. Lactobacillus acidophilus (MTCC447) utilized pretreated G. corticata hydrolysate (enriched with 5% yeast extract), and maximum lactic acid yield was achieved after 72 h, 30 °C incubation temperature, and 6% inoculum (1×10⁸ CFU/mL) in static culture condition. Batch fermentation was performed in the 1-L bioreactor at room temperature (30 °C) for 96 h. Lactic acid production was maximum within 72 h and the pH value was depleted. The present finding indicates that G. corticata could be used as a substrate for lactic acid production.

Zoysia japonica Steud. (zoysia grass), with its high drought, shade, and salt tolerance, it is an excellent choice for green areas. However, in regions with subtropical climates, it goes into winter dormancy with a loss of green color and functionality, which is a main barrier to its widespread use. The application of silicon and nitrogen in fall was hypothesized to enhance winter color retention of Z. japonica. This study assessed the impact of fall (late-season) nitrogen (0, 2.5, or 5.0 g/m² ammonium sulfate) and foliar silicon (0, 3, or 6 mL/L potassium silicate) applications on the winter color retention of Z. japonica grown in the field. The experiment was conducted over two consecutive growing seasons in Antalya, Türkiye. Turfgrass quality, color, chlorophyll content, shoot density, and winter dormancy were all improved by late-season nitrogen application. Overall, two sequential nitrogen applications at 5 g/m² in fall provided 65% to 100% green coverage with acceptable turfgrass quality during fall and winter, indicating the possibility of maintaining the year-round green color of Z. japonica in subtropical climates. However, the silicon treatment did not affect the winter color retention of Z. japonica. The apparent lack of a beneficial response of Z. japonica to the silicon application might be due to the dose, application methods, and silicon source.