Despite the significant progress in anticancer drug development over recent years, there is a vital need for newer agents with unique, but still effective, mechanisms of action in order to treat the disease, particularly the highly aggressive and drug-resistant types. Alkylating agents, in particular nitrogen-based alkylators, are commonly used to treat hematological and solid malignancies; they exert their antineoplastic effects at all phases of the cell cycle and prevent reproduction of tumor cells. Certain alkylating agents have been designed to be more lipophilic, enabling the compound to penetrate the cell and enhance its alkylating activity against tumors. This review details the evolution of currently available alkylating agents and their profiles, with a focus on nitrogen-based alkylating agents, as important anticancer therapy strategies.

Lipophilicity is one of the most important parameters determining the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic properties, as well as the toxicity of many compounds. The subject of the research was to determine the lipophilicity of betulin-1,4-quinone hybrids using thin layer chromatography in reverse phase system and computer programs to calculate its theoretical models. The correlation between the experimental and theoretical values of lipophilicity was analyzed. Lipinski’s and Veber’s rules, as well as penetration through the blood−brain barrier were also determined using computer programs. For all of the analyzed values, a similarity analysis was performed. The dendrograms for the experimental and theoretical lipophilicity show that there is a correlation between them. However, the dendrograms for the experimental lipophilicity and pharmacokinetic parameters indicate that there is no correlation between the structure and the pharmacological properties. Hybrids exhibit a high biological... [more]

A critical review on the synthesis, characterization, and modeling of polymer grafting is presented. Although the motivation stemmed from grafting synthetic polymers onto lignocellulosic biopolymers, a comprehensive overview is also provided on the chemical grafting, characterization, and processing of grafted materials of different types, including synthetic backbones. Although polymer grafting has been studied for many decades—and so has the modeling of polymer branching and crosslinking for that matter, thereby reaching a good level of understanding in order to describe existing branching/crosslinking systems—polymer grafting has remained behind in modeling efforts. Areas of opportunity for further study are suggested within this review.

Aerobic granular sludge (AGS) with oversized diameter commonly affects its stability and pollutant removal. In order to effectively restrict the particle size of AGS, a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) with a spiny aeration device was put forward. A conventional SBR (R1) and an SBR (R2) with the spiny aeration device treating tannery wastewater were compared in the laboratory. The result indicates that the size of the granular sludge from R2 was smaller than that from R1 with sludge granulation. The spines and air bubbles could effectively restrict the particle size of AGS by collision and abrasion. Nevertheless, there was no significant change in mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) and the sludge volume index (SVI) in either bioreactors. The removal (%) of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N) in these two bioreactors did not differ from each other greatly. The analysis of biological composition displays that the proportion of Proteobacteria decreased slightly in R... [more]

In this study, a wavy microchannel heat sink with grooves using water as the working fluid is proposed for application to cooling microprocessors. The geometry of the heat sink was optimized to improve heat transfer and pressure loss simultaneously. To achieve optimization goals, the average friction factor and thermal resistance were used as the objective functions. Three dimensionless parameters were selected as design variables: the distance between staggered grooves, groove width, and groove depth. A modified Latin hypercube sampling (LHS) method that combines the advantages of conventional LHS and a three-level full factorial method is also proposed. Response surface approximation was used to construct surrogate models, and Pareto-optimal solutions were obtained with a multi-objective genetic algorithm. The modified LHS was proven to have better performance than the conventional LHS and full factorial methods in the present optimization problem. A representative optimal design sho... [more]

A great emphasis is placed on searching for efficient sources to produce renewable fuels due to the actual trends in avoiding the use of fossil resources to mitigate the environment’s deterioration. Thus, the use of waste from the food or wood industry for the production of biofuels is widely researched and may contribute to sustainable general development. Rendered fat and Fischer-Tropsch waxes are high-energy materials which could be used for the pyrolysis reaction. Therefore, in this study, the effect of reaction parameters and feedstock composition on the distribution of the pyrolysis products has been examined. The experiments were carried out in a nitrogen atmosphere in a multi-shot pyrolizer instrument equipped with GC-FID. First, the influence of the temperature was examined at 785, 800, and 815 °C. The highest yield to olefins was observed at 815 °C. The effect of triglycerides and paraffins contents (0−100% with 10% ramp) in the feedstock on the product composition was invest... [more]

var. capitata L. (white cabbage) is a valuable vegetable with diverse nutraceutical benefit. Present study aimed to investigate the preventive effects of B. oleracea extract (BOE) standardized by vitamin U on indomethacin (IND)-induced acute gastric injury in Sprague-Dawley rats. Pre-administration of three different doses of BOE (12.5−50 mg/kg) for 14 days significantly decreased visible ulcerative lesions in the gastric tissue. In addition, BOE alleviated IND-mediated increase in histological score with inhibiting invaded percentage of lesion and restoring mucosa thickness in peri-ulcerative region. BOE increased the gastric tissue bound to Alcian blue and inhibited the decrease in hexose, sialic acid, and collagen levels by IND, suggesting that BOE protects the gastric tissue through preserving mucus and mucosal integrity. Moreover, BOE pre-administration blocked the reduction of prostaglandin E2 and down-regulated histamine and mRNA expression related to secret gastric acid. Furthe... [more]

The current research investigated the potential environmental risk of the polycyclic musk compounds, Galaxolide® (HHCB) and Tonalide® (AHTN), in the marine environments. These substances are lipophilic, bioaccumulated, and potentially biomagnified in aquatic organisms. To understand the toxicity of HHCB and AHTN, acute toxicity tests were performed by exposing marine microalgae (Phaeodactylum tricornutum, Tretraselmis chuii, and Isochrysis galbana), crustaceans (Artemia franciscana), echinoderms (Paracentrotus lividus), bivalves (Mytilus galloprovincialis), fish (Sparus aurata), and a candidate freshwater microalga (Raphidocelis subcapitata) to environmentally relevant concentrations (0.005−5 µg/L) following standardized protocols (US EPA, Environment Canada and OECD). P. tricornutum and I. galbana were sensitive to both substances and for P. tricornutum exposed to HHCB and AHTN, the IC10 values (the inhibition concentration at which 10% microalgae growth inhibition was observed) were... [more]

In recent years, carbon cap-and-trade has been promoted by many national governments aiming to limit, or cap, total carbon dioxide emissions. Such a mechanism impacts manufacturers’ remanufacturing decisions, as it increases the cost of carbon emissions. The current literature has recognized the importance of carbon cap-and-trade regulations; however, little attention has been paid to what effect such regulations have on manufacturer’s remanufacturing with the flexibility to engage it in-house or outsource it to third-party remanufacturers. To fill this gap, we develop two theoretical models that, under the carbon cap-and-trade mechanism, allow the manufacturer to engage in remanufacturing operations in-house (Model H) or outsource them to an independent remanufacturer (Model R). The primary goal of this paper is to understand what effects carbon cap-and-trade regulations have on green supply chain management when producing new and remanufactured products. In particular, we find that a... [more]

This study reports on the optimization of the operating conditions using response surface methodology and a comparative study of three promising technologies of cell disruption (bead milling, microwaves and ultrasound) to increase the lipid extraction from Nannochloropsis oceanica, Nannochloropsis gaditana and Tetraselmis suecica. Central composite designs were used for the optimization of ultrasound and microwave processes. The performance of the cell disruption processes in breaking down microalgae cells is dependent on the strain of microalgae. Microwaves (91 °C for 25 min) were the most efficient for the recovery of lipids from N. oceanica, reaching a lipid content of 49.0% dry weight. For N. gaditana, ultrasound process (80% of amplitude for 30 min) was the most efficient in terms of lipid recovery (21.7% dry weight). The two aforementioned processes are ineffective in disturbing T. suecica whatever the operating conditions used. Only the bead milling process at low flow feed rate... [more]

Gold nanoparticles (GNP) aided hyperthermia has demonstrated promising results in the treatment of cancer. However, most existing investigations focus only on the extinction spectra of GNP solutions, few reported the actual heat generation capability of these solutions to estimate their real potential in in-situ hyperthermia treatment. In this study, the impact of GNP clustering on the optical properties and heating capability of GNP aggregates in acidic solutions have been investigated. It was found that localized heat generation could be significantly enhanced (to up to 60.0 °C) when acidic solutions were illuminated by a near infrared light source at 1.7 W/cm2. In addition, infrared thermography imaging can only detect the surface temperature during thermal treatment, leaving the localized temperature distribution inside the tissues unknown. To overcome this limitation, in this study, the absorbed energy during NIR irradiation in GNP solutions was obtained computationally by couplin... [more]

Brewer’s spent grain (BSG) is the main by-product of the beer brewing process. It has a huge potential as a feedstock for bio-based manufacturing processes to produce high-value bio-products, biofuels, and platform chemicals. For the valorisation of BSG in a biorefinery process, efficient fractionation and bio-conversion processes are required. The aim of our study was to develop a novel fractionation of BSG for the production of arabinose, arabino-xylooligomers, xylose, and bioethanol. A fractionation process including two-step acidic and enzymatic hydrolysis steps was investigated and optimised by a response surface methodology and a desirability function approach to fractionate the carbohydrate content of BSG. In the first acidic hydrolysis, high arabinose yield (76%) was achieved under the optimised conditions (90 °C, 1.85 w/w% sulphuric acid, 19.5 min) and an arabinose- and arabino-xylooligomer-rich supernatant was obtained. In the second acidic hydrolysis, the remaining xylan was... [more]

An innovative enzymatic polycondensation of dicarboxylic acids and dialcohols in aqueous polymerization media using free and immobilized lipases was developed. Various parameters (type of lipases, temperature, pH, stirring type and rate, and monomer carbon chain length) of the polycondensation in an oil-in-water (o/w) miniemulsion (>80% in water) were evaluated. The best results for polycondensation were achieved with an equimolar monomer concentration (0.5 M) of octanedioic acid and 1,8-octanediol in the miniemulsion and water, both at initial pH 5.0 with immobilized Pseudozyma antarctica lipase B (PBLI). The synthesized poly(octamethylene suberate) (POS) in the miniemulsion is characterized by a molecular weight of 7800 g mol−1 and a conversion of 98% at 45 °C after 48 h of polycondensation in batch operation mode. A comparative study of polycondensation using different operation modes (batch and fed-batch), stirring type, and biocatalyst reutilization in the miniemulsion, water, and... [more]

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of biomass micronization on energy production using a converted aircraft turbine AI-20. The test system was constructed in such a way to ensure continuous operation for a given period of time and was equipped in a chopper, a flail mill, and a micronizer. The turbine had the ability to produce energy from solid biomass and as well conventional fuels. The most energy was obtained from absolutely dry sunflower husk (17.27 MJ/kg) and the least from Poplar (7.82 MJ/kg). Miscanthus, wheat straw, and hay (approximately 17 MJ/kg) showed high values of energy production. In addition, the thermal decomposition of wheat straw at 350 and 450 °C was studied using the Py-GC/MS technique in a helium atmosphere to determine the gaseous compounds formed during biomass gasification under anaerobic conditions. The results obtained indicate the formation of compounds classified as phenols (vanillin, hydroxymethylfurfural).

For the sour water strippers in petroleum refinery plants, three prediction models were developed first, including the estimators of sour water feed concentrations using convenient online measurements, the minimum reboiler duty and the corresponding internal temperature at a specific location (Tstage,29). Feedforward control schemes were developed based on these prediction models. Four categories of control schemes, including feedforward, feedback, feedback with external reset, and feedforward-feedback, were proposed and evaluated by the rigorous dynamic simulation model of the sour water stripper for their dynamic responses to the sour water feed stream disturbances. The comparison of control performance, in terms of the settling time, integrated absolute error (IAE) of the NH3 concentration of the stripped sour water and IAE of the specific reboiler duty, reveals that FFT (feedforward control of Tstage,29) and FBA-DT3 (feedback control with 3 min concentration measurement delay) are... [more]

Nontuberculous mycobacteria, like other opportunistic premise plumbing pathogens, produce resistant biofilms on various surfaces in the plumbing system including pipes, tanks, and fittings. Since standard methods of water disinfection are ineffective in eradicating biofilms, research into new agents is necessary. Essential oils (EOs) have great potential as anti-biofilm agents. Therefore, the purpose of this research was to investigate the potential anti-biofilm effect of common juniper (Juniperus communis) and immortelle (Helichrysum italicum) EOs. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC), and minimum effective concentrations of EOs on Mycobacterium avium, M. intracellulare, and M. gordonae were tested. Additionally, biofilms on the surface of a stainless steel disc were treated with single or mixed concentration of EOs, in order to investigate their degeneration via the bacterial count and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). H. italicu... [more]

More than 1.2 billion kW wind and solar power generation will be integrated in China by 2030. The new provincial renewable portfolio standard, officially implemented in 2020, establishes an efficient bridge between rapid capacity growth and limited accommodation capability. A data-driven prospect analysis framework was proposed to evaluate the activated potential under two kinds of nearby accommodation approaches and to explore the completion prospect of this new obligated quota from provincial levels. Empirical results illustrate diverse prospects across regions. Particularly, it is hard for two kinds of provinces to complete their obligated quotas merely via the single nearby accommodation approach: The first one is close to renewable energy resources but lacks flexible peak regulation capability in Northeast and Northwest China, and the other is close to the nationwide load center but lacks nearby integration from renewables in Southeast, North, and Middle China. Therefore, the path... [more]

Simulated moving bed reactor (SMBR), a multicolumn multifunctional integrated reactor system, which can be exploited with on-site adsorptive separation to enhance conversion of equilibrium-limited reversible chemical reaction. In this article, for generality, a dimensionless SMBR model was developed and effects of five representative temperature distributions among different zones on the performance of an SMBR for reversible reaction in the general form of a reactant decomposed to two products were evaluated based on simultaneous maximization of unit throughput and product purity. Multipliers were applied to adjust some of the model parameters such that different operation modes can be compared under various conditions in the parametric space. The multiobjective optimization problems were solved using the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm. All simulations were carried out using FORTRAN codes. The results showed that both kinetics and adsorptive separation play important roles in... [more]

Moisture content is the most relevant quality parameter for wood fuels. Effective and fast determination of moisture of incoming feedstock is essential in the management of bioenergy facilities. The availability of fast and reliable moisture meters based on innovative technologies simplifies this task. However, in Mediterranean conditions the inherent variability of wood fuels calls for a careful sampling strategy if representative results are required while facing acceptable analytic costs. The present study is aimed at measuring the fuel heterogeneity and defining accordingly the appropriate number of samples to be analyzed in order to get reliable moisture-content results. A total of 70 truckloads (about 2270 t of woodchips) were sampled during commercial operations in two different seasons. Five samples were collected from each load and measured with standard method and magnetic resonance gauge. Results show that the variability of moisture content is influenced by mixing of specie... [more]

This study is about the manufacturing of a personified automatic robotic lawn mower with image recognition. The system structure is that the platform above the crawler tracks is combined with the lawn mower, steering motor, slide rail, and webcam to achieve the purpose of personification. Crawler tracks with a strong grip and good ability to adapt to terrain are selected as a moving vehicle to simulate human feet. In addition, a lawn mower mechanism is designed to simulate the left and right swing of human mowing to promote efficiency and innovation, and then human eyes are replaced by Webcam to identify obstacles. A human-machine interface is added so that through the mobile phone remote operation, users can choose a slow mode, inching mode, and obstacle avoidance mode on the human-machine interface. When the length of both sides of the rectangular area is input to the program, the automatic robotic lawn mower will complete the instruction according to the specified path. The chip of... [more]

Food by-products contain a remarkable source of bioactive molecules with many benefits for humans; therefore, their exploitation can be an excellent opportunity for the food sector. Moreover, the revalorization of these by-products to produce value-added compounds is considered pivotal for sustainable growth based on a circular economy. Traditional extraction technologies have several drawbacks mainly related to the consumption of hazardous organic solvents, and the high temperatures maintained for long extraction periods which cause the degradation of thermolabile compounds as well as a low extraction efficiency of desired compounds. In this context, supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) has been explored as a suitable green technology for the recovery of a broad range of bioactive compounds from different types of agri-food wastes. This review describes the working principle and development of SFE technology to valorize by-products from different origin (marine, fruit, vegetable, nuts... [more]

The enormous library of pharmaceutical compounds presents endless research avenues. However, several factors limit the therapeutic potential of these drugs, such as drug resistance, stability, off-target toxicity, and inadequate delivery to the site of action. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are lipid bilayer-delimited particles and are naturally released from cells. Growing evidence shows that EVs have great potential to serve as effective drug carriers. Since EVs can not only transfer biological information, but also effectively deliver hydrophobic drugs into cells, the application of EVs as a novel drug delivery system has attracted considerable scientific interest. Recently, EVs loaded with siRNA, miRNA, mRNA, CRISPR/Cas9, proteins, or therapeutic drugs show improved delivery efficiency and drug effect. In this review, we summarize the methods used for the cargo loading into EVs, including siRNA, miRNA, mRNA, CRISPR/Cas9, proteins, and therapeutic drugs. Furthermore, we also include t... [more]

Enzymatic biodiesel production has attracted tremendous interest due to its well-recognized advantages. However, high enzyme costs limit the application of enzymatic processes in industrial production. In the past decade, great improvements have been achieved in the lab and the industrial scale, and the production cost of the enzymatic process has been reduced significantly, which has led to it being economically competitive compared to the chemical process. This paper summarizes the progress achieved in enzymatic biodiesel research and commercialization, including reducing enzyme cost, expanding low-quality raw materials, and novel reactor designs. The advantages and disadvantages of different enzymatic processes are also compared.

This paper investigated the mechanical response (including breakage and release of the internal liquid) of single core−shell capsules under compression by means of discrete multi-physics. The model combined Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics for modelling the fluid and the Lattice Spring Model for the elastic membrane. Thanks to the meshless nature of discrete multi-physics, the model can easily account for the fracture of the capsule’s shell and the interactions between the internal liquid and the solid shell. The simulations replicated a parallel plate compression test of a single core−shell capsule. The inputs of the model were the size of the capsule, the thickness of the shell, the geometry of the internal structure, the Young’s modulus of the shell material, and the fluid’s density and viscosity. The outputs of the model were the fracture type, the maximum force needed for the fracture, and the force−displacement curve. The data were validated by reproducing equivalent experimental... [more]

A major part of Swiss fly ashes (FA) from municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) are treated with the acid fly ash leaching process (FLUWA) in order to recover heavy metals prior to deposition. The FLUWA process uses scrub water from wet flue gas cleaning to leach heavy metals from FA. The leaching efficiency is strongly dependent on the leaching conditions (e.g., pH, Eh, L/S-ratio). This case study presents the optimization of the FLUWA process at the MSWI plant Linth, Switzerland, through determination of ideal process parameters for optimal metal recovery. By means of laboratory- and industrial-scale experiments, the process was adjusted towards a more efficient leaching of Zn, Pb, Cu, and Cd. This included the use of an oxidizing agent (hydrogen peroxide). Laboratory experiments proved to be a powerful tool for simulating process optimizations at industrial scale. An ideal leaching pH of 3.8 was determined and it was observed that the process stability is significantly influence... [more]