Cellular response to inflammatory stimuli leads to the production of eicosanoids—prostanoids (PRs) and leukotrienes (LTs)—and signaling molecules—cytokines and chemokines—by macrophages. Quantitative modeling of the inflammatory response is challenging owing to a lack of knowledge of the complex regulatory processes involved. Cybernetic models address these challenges by utilizing a well-defined cybernetic goal and optimizing a coarse-grained model toward this goal. We developed a cybernetic model to study arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism, which included two branches, PRs and LTs. We utilized a priori biological knowledge to define the branch-specific cybernetic goals for PR and LT branches as the maximization of TNFα and CCL2, respectively. We estimated the model parameters by fitting data from three experimental conditions. With these parameters, we were able to capture a novel fourth independent experimental condition as part of the model validation. The cybernetic model enhanced ou... [more]

A gliding arc plasma source designed for high efficient ignition has been studied with the help of numerical simulation and experiments. A coupled 3D−0D approach has been proposed to model the gliding arc from ignition (the equilibrium stage) to extinguish (the non−equilibrium stage). The model takes the measured discharge morphology, voltage, current, and velocity as inputs, and has been validated by comparing the calculated temperature with experimental results from an independent group. The temporal evolution of the temperature as well as active species, and the effective penetration length of the gliding arc has been studied; the influence of the gliding arc-based plasma igniter on the ignition delay time of a premixed pentane-air gas has also been theoretically analyzed.

Packed-bed bioreactors are often used for aerobic solid-state fermentation, since the forced aeration supplies O2 and removes metabolic heat from the bed. Motivated by the potential for applications in biorefineries, we review studies conducted on packed-bed bioreactors over the last decade, evaluating the insights these studies provide into how large-scale packed beds should be designed and operated. Many studies have used low superficial air velocities and suffer from preferential airflow, such that parts of the bed are not properly aerated. Moreover, some studies have proposed ineffective strategies, such as reversing the direction of the airflow or introducing air through perforated pipes within the bed. Additionally, many studies have used narrow water-jacketed packed-bed bioreactors, but these bioreactors do not reflect heat removal in wide large-scale packed beds, in which heat removal through the side walls makes a minor contribution. Finally, we conclude that, although some at... [more]

In 2019, a coffee chain in Taiwan was found to be mixing relatively cheap Robusta beans into products marketed as 100% Arabica. Many studies show 16-OMC is a remarkable marker to distinguish Robusta from Arabica beans, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a convenient and efficient technique for 16-OMC quantification. Here, a 500 MHz NMR was employed to determine the content of 16-OMC in coffee for adulterate evaluation. A total of 118 samples were analyzed including products from the coffee chain, raw materials (single coffee beans), and other commercial products. The contents of 16-OMC in single Robusta beans were between 1005.55 and 3208.32 mg/kg and were absent from single Arabica beans. The surveillance results indicate that 17 out of 47 blend products claiming to contain 100% Arabica had 16-OMC quantifications in the range of 155.74−784.60 mg/kg. Furthermore, all 17 products were produced by the same coffee chain. We confirmed that coffee chain adulterated Arabica with Robusta... [more]

In this study, we prepared chitosan/Fe(III)/deferoxamine nanoparticles with unimodal size distribution (hydrodynamic diameter ca. 250 nm, zeta potential ca. 32 mV). The elaborated nanoparticles are characterized by outstanding in vitro and in vivo antibacterial activity, which exceeds even that of commercial antibiotics ampicillin and gentamicin. Moreover, the nanoparticles are non-toxic. We found that the introduction of iron ions into the chitosan matrix increases the ability of the resulting nanoparticles to disrupt the integrity of the membranes of microorganisms in comparison with pure chitosan. The introduction of deferoxamine into the obtained nanoparticles sharply expands their effect of destruction the bacterial membrane. The obtained antibacterial nanoparticles are promising for further preclinical studies.

Facility layout in a manufacturing system is a complex production activity because decisions on layout design are influenced by numerous, ambiguous, and competing factors. This study proposes a method for determining and choosing an ideal layout using a hybridized Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (F-AHP) with the Fuzzy Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to the Ideal Solution (F-TOPSIS). The F-AHP is used, in this case, because of its ability to generate design criteria weight. The railcar industrial case study results indicate that the developed model can effectively lead to selection of the most suitable facility layout design. The Discrete Event Simulation model is used to evaluate the performance of the suggested layout concepts with the purpose of determining quantitative criteria for use when selecting the most optimal concept by the proposed Fuzzy AHP-TOPSIS model. The proposed methodology demonstrated that a framework is a logical way to solve problems. The proposed... [more]

Graphene is an important nanocarbon nanofiller for polymeric matrices. The polymer−graphene nanocomposites, obtained through facile fabrication methods, possess significant electrical−thermal−mechanical and physical properties for technical purposes. To overcome challenges of polymer−graphene nanocomposite processing and high performance, advanced fabrication strategies have been applied to design the next-generation materials−devices. This revolutionary review basically offers a fundamental sketch of graphene, polymer−graphene nanocomposite and three-dimensional (3D) and four-dimensional (4D) printing techniques. The main focus of the article is to portray the impact of 3D and 4D printing techniques in the field of polymer−graphene nanocomposites. Polymeric matrices, such as polyamide, polycaprolactone, polyethylene, poly(lactic acid), etc. with graphene, have been processed using 3D or 4D printing technologies. The 3D and 4D printing employ various cutting-edge processes and offer en... [more]

With the development of the global economy, large amounts of fossil fuels are being burned, causing a severe energy crisis and climate change. Photocatalytic CO2 reduction is a clean and environmentally friendly method to convert CO2 into hydrocarbon fuel, providing a feasible solution to the global energy crisis and climate problems. Photocatalytic CO2 reduction has three key steps: solar energy absorption, electron transfer, and CO2 catalytic reduction. The previous literature has obtained many significant results around the first two steps, while in the third step, there are few results due to the need to add a co-catalyst. In general, the co-catalysts have three essential roles: (1) promoting the separation of photoexcited electron−hole pairs, (2) inhibiting side reactions, and (3) improving the selectivity of target products. This paper summarizes different types of photocatalysts for photocatalytic CO2 reduction, the reaction mechanisms are illustrated, and the application prospe... [more]

In Sichuan Province, China, most coal seams that are mined are steeply inclined; their roadways’ surrounding rocks are asymmetric, with non-equilibrium deformations and unstable anchorage structures, thus making major safety hazards highly likely. Using field observations and a universal distinct element code (UDEC) numerical simulation method, this paper analyzed the time-dependent failure of the ventilation roadway of Working Face 1961 of the Zhaojiaba Mine, revealing the preconditions for such damage and a bidirectional deterioration mechanism for the deformation as well as stress of surrounding rocks. Moreover, this paper built an anchorage mechanical model for the thick layer of the roadway roof and proposed a cross-boundary anchor-grouting (CBAG) differential support technique. Calculations proved that the new support was particularly effective in restraining the expansion of tension cracks, thus preventing the slipping and dislocation deformations of rock masses on the curved ro... [more]

Olive cake, the solid byproduct of three-phase centrifugation olive oil production, has a high organic and polyphenol content, rendering it an environmental threat when landfilled as well as limiting its animal feed potential. This residue can be a good candidate for biomethane production due to its rich polysaccharide content (pectin, hemicellulose, and cellulose). Two strategies were compared to maximize biomethane production: destoning (i.e., removal of the seed fragments via mechanical means) and enzymatic pretreatment of the pulp. After 30 days of batch anaerobic digestion at 35 °C, both enzymatically pretreated and destoned olive cakes produced similar amounts of methane (~295 mL CH4/g volatile solids (VS)), 42% more than the control. A comparison of olive cake’s biomethane yields with a broad range of agricultural residues in the literature demonstrated its suitability for biomethane production. Additionally, the digestate recovered from the anaerobic digestion of olive cake had... [more]

(OTA) is positively correlated with an increased risk of developing cancer in nephrotoxic and hepatotoxic patients. Therefore, it is of great significance for the highly sensitive, highly selective, and timely detection of OTA. We described here an electrochemical aptasensor for OTA analysis, which took advantage of the favorable properties of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) functionalized zinc oxide (ZnO) composites and the intercalative binding between methylene blue (MB) and nucleic acid. There were two label-free aptamers: one to capture OTA and another serving as complementary DNA (cDNA), enabling connection to the ZnO-Au composite’s immobilized electrode. Once OTA was present, the aptamer could capture OTA and detach from the electrode interface, thus, preventing MB from accessing electrode surface for efficient electron transfer; a decreased peak current was monitored by differential pulse voltammetry. The aptasensor presented nice analytical performance for OTA detection in the rang... [more]

Silver is an important industrial raw material, and the price of silver has always been a concern of the financial industry. Silver price data belong to time series data and have high volatility, irregularity, nonlinearity, and long-term correlation. Predicting the silver price for economic development is of great practical significance. However, the traditional time series prediction models have shortcomings, such as poor nonlinear fitting ability and low prediction accuracy. Therefore, this paper presents a novel hybrid model of CNN-SA-NGU for silver closing price prediction, which includes conventional neural networks (CNNs), the self-attention mechanism (SA), and the new gated unit (NGU). A CNN extracts the feature of input data. The SA mechanism captures the correlation between different eigenvalues, thus forming new eigenvectors to make weight distribution more reasonable. The NGU is a new deep-learning gated unit proposed in this paper, which is formed by a forgetting gate and a... [more]

In this paper, we address a multiload AGVs workshop scheduling problem with limited buffer capacity. This has important theoretical research value and significance in the manufacturing field in considering the efficient multiload AGVs widely used today, and in the limited buffer area in production practice. To minimize the maximum completion time, an improved ant colony optimization-simulated annealing algorithm based on a multiattribute dispatching rule is proposed. First, we introduce a multiattribute dispatching rule, which combines two attributes, delivery completion time and input queue through dynamic weights that are determined by the information about the system, using the multiattribute dispatching rule to construct the initial solution. Then, with the ant colony optimization-simulated annealing algorithm as the basic framework, we propose a method for calculating transfer probability based on the multiattribute dispatching rule, which obtains heuristic information through the... [more]

The goal of this research is to convey an outlook of heat transfer and friction factor in an exper-imental study with a double-pipe heat exchanger (DPHE). In process heat transformation (HT) and friction factor(f) in a DPHE counter-flow with a twisted tape (TT) arrangement by dimple inserts. The grooves were a kind of concavity that enhanced thermal transfer while only slightly degrading pressure. Heat transmission (HT) and friction factor(f) were investigated employing dimples with twisting tape of varying diameters along with uniform diameter (D) to the diameter-to-depth ratio (D/H). The impact of using twisted tape with various dimpled diameters D = 2, 4, and 6 mm at a uniform (D/H) = 1.5, 3 and 4.5 on heat transmission and friction factor properties were discussed. The dimple diameter (D) was directly connected to the friction coefficient (f), hence the highest value of friction factor was established at (D) = 6 mm. Furthermore, the best performance of Nusselt number (Nu) and perfo... [more]

The concentralized distribution logistics in cruise-building imported materials (CDL-CIMs) constitute a complex process that requires a high degree of coordination between the multi-link and multi-participator. Delayed delivery, materials damaged, and cost overruns occur because of increasing uncertainties and risks, which may cause disjointedness in cruise construction planning. Therefore, it is essential to conduct a risk assessment of the CDL-CIMs to examine their adverse impacts on cruise construction. Drawing on the advantages of the failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) method in risk assessment, an effective and efficient model is developed using a novel hybrid method in this paper, namely the rule-based Bayesian network (RBN) and utility function. The approach has its superiorities in dealing with vague and uncertainty risk information. In addition, the risk parameters from multiple perspectives concerning “occurrence likelihood”, “detection”, “delayed schedule”, “damaged q... [more]

This article reports a successful development of the induction heating process (IHP) in a jewelry factory based on experiments and multiphysics consisting of electromagnetic and thermal simulations. First, two experiments were set to measure essential parameters for result validation and multiphysics boundary condition settings. Then, the essential parameters were applied to multiphysics, and both simulation results revealed heat transfer, magnetic flux density (B) generated by the coil, and temperature (T) of the product. B and T were consistent with the experimental results and theory, confirming the reliability of the multiphysics and methodology. After that, all simulation results were analyzed to assess and optimize IHP in terms of the number of coil turns (N), positional placement of the product (P), and coil thickness (Th). Multiphysics revealed that the current operating condition with N = 3 is proper; however, the IHP can be improved more with coil and operating condition opti... [more]

In this paper, the interaction mechanism between the solid−liquid−gas interface phenomenon caused by nanostructure and surface wettability and boiling heat transfer is described, and the heat transfer theory of single wettable nanostructure surface and mixed wettable nanostructure surface is proposed. Through molecular dynamics simulation, the thermodynamic model of the wettable surface of nanostructures is established. The nanostructures are set as four rectangular lattice structures with a height of 18 Å. The solid atoms are platinum atoms, and the liquid atoms are argon atoms. The simulation results show that with the increase of surface hydrophilicity of nanostructures, the fluid temperature increases significantly, and the heat transfer at the interface is enhanced. With the increase in surface hydrophobicity of nanostructures, the atoms staying on the surface of nanostructures are affected by the hydrophobicity, showing a phenomenon of exclusion, and the evaporation rate in the e... [more]

As crucial equipment in the industrial field, the stable operation of centrifugal pumps has drawn noteworthy attention. Relevant studies in the open literature have shown that intense pressure fluctuations have a major effect on the reliability and lifetime of centrifugal pumps. In the present paper, the pressure fluctuations in the centrifugal pumps are discussed in detail from different perspectives. The details of the studies are as follows. Firstly, the pressure fluctuation characteristics in centrifugal pumps are studied without considering clearance flow. Secondly, the pressure fluctuation property is investigated in detail for the pumps, with consideration for clearance flow. The pressure fluctuation characteristics in the wear ring, the pump-chamber clearance region, and the main stream region are studied, and the effect of clearance flow on the external performance of the pumps is analyzed. Thirdly, measures to reduce the pressure fluctuations and forces are summarized to impr... [more]

The presence of dyes in aquatic environments can have harmful effects on aquatic life, including inhibiting photosynthesis, decreasing dissolved oxygen levels, and altering the behavior and reproductive patterns of aquatic organisms. In the initial phase of this review study, our aim was to examine the categories and properties of dyes as well as the impact of their toxicity on aquatic environments. Azo, phthalocyanine, and xanthene are among the most frequently utilized dyes, almost 70−80% of used dyes, in industrial processes and have been identified as some of the most commonly occurring dyes in water bodies. Apart from that, the toxicity effects of dyes on aquatic ecosystems were discussed. Toxicity testing relies heavily on two key measures: the LC50 (half-lethal concentration) and EC50 (half-maximal effective concentration). In a recent study, microalgae exposed to Congo Red displayed a minimum EC50 of 4.8 mg/L, while fish exposed to Disperse Yellow 7 exhibited a minimum LC50 of... [more]

In the perspective of energy sustainability, biomass is the widely used renewable domestic energy with low cost and easy availability. Increasing studies have reported the health impacts of toxic substances from biomass burning emissions. To make proper use of biomass as residential solid energy, the evaluation of its health risks and environmental impacts is of necessity. Empirical studies on the characteristics of toxic emissions from biomass burning would provide scientific data and drive the development of advanced technologies. This review focuses on the emission of four toxic substances, including heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), elemental carbon (EC), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from biomass burning, which have received increasing attention in recent studies worldwide. We focus on the developments in empirical studies, methods of measurements, and technical factors. The influences of key technical factors on biomass burning emissions are c... [more]

Biomasses are renewable sources used in energy conversion processes to obtain diverse products through different technologies. The production chain, which involves delivery, logistics, pre-treatment, storage and conversion as general components, can be costly and uncertain due to inherent variability. Optimization methods are widely applied for modeling the biomass supply chain (BSC) for energy processes. In this qualitative review, the main aspects and global trends of using geographic information systems (GISs), linear programming (LP) and neural networks to optimize the BSC are presented. Modeling objectives and factors considered in studies published in the last 25 years are reviewed, enabling a broad overview of the BSC to support decisions at strategic, tactical and operational levels. Combined techniques have been used for different purposes: GISs for spatial analyses of biomass; neural networks for higher heating value (HHV) correlations; and linear programming and its variatio... [more]

In recent years, the stability of the distribution network has declined due to the large proportion of the uses of distributed generation (DG) with the continuous development of renewable energy power generation technology. Meanwhile, the traditional distribution network operation mode cannot keep the balance of the source and load. The operation mode of the active distribution network (ADN) can effectively reduce the decline in operation stability caused by the high proportion of DG. Therefore, this work proposes a bi-layer model for the planning of the electricity−hydrogen hybrid energy storage system (ESS) considering demand response (DR) for ADN. The upper layer takes the minimum load fluctuation, maximum user purchase cost satisfaction, and user comfort as the goals. Based on the electricity price elasticity matrix model, the optimal electricity price formulation strategy is obtained for the lower ESS planning. In the lower layer, the optimal ESS planning scheme is obtained with t... [more]

For a long time, the basic as well as the only function of foods is to provide the nutrients and energy needed for human physiological processes [...]

To improve the wear resistance of the TMR blade and investigate the effect of nano-La2O3 and Mo on the wear resistance of laser cladding coating. 65Mn blade as the substrate, La2O3, Mo and Mo-La2O3 composite powders were added into Ni60a/SiC composite powder. Using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and the CFT-I surface synthesizer, the phase composition, element distribution and friction and wear properties of the coating were analyzed to obtain the best composition of the composite coating. The results showed that the wear resistance of Mo-La2O3-Ni60a/SiC composite coating was the best. The coating was analyzed by X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The coating contained hard phases such as CrB, CrC and Cr7C3, and the element distribution was uniform. It can be seen from the scanning electron microscope that the addition of nano-Mo and La2O3 improves the toughness and compactness of Ni60a/SiC composite coating, and t... [more]

This article proposes two new high-frequency, thirteen-level switched capacitor inverter topologies. Compared with the counterpart existing topologies, which were recently published, the switch count, capacitor voltage, and voltage stress on the switch are reduced. In addition, the proposed topologies have inherited merits such as six-time voltage boosting levels and self-balanced capacitor voltages as well. The capacitor ripple voltages and the proposed topology performance are analyzed. The prototype setup is developed for 500W, and the results are verified. The maximum efficiency is approximately equal to 97.5% for simulation. Furthermore, it is approximately equal to 96.1% for experimental, and both are measured at an output power of 500 W. Finally, the characteristics of the proposed topologies are tested under several scenarios, such as modulation index variations and load changes, and the findings are reported.