We are glad to share the editorial summary of the Special Issue on "Biological Activity Evaluation Process of Natural Antioxidants," edited by Chang-Wei Hsieh and Jer-An Lin of National Chung Hsing University [...]

The microstructure mechanisms and mechanical properties of 0.23C-1.96Si-1.94Cr-1.93 Mn-0.35 Mo ultra-high strength steel treated by the deep cryogenic treatment at −196 °C were investigated after the steel was hot rolled at different temperatures. Experimental results show that austenitizing zone rolling with a large reduction in a single pass can comprehensively enhance the mechanical properties due to the high volume of retained austenite and refined lath martensite and bainite. The high strain gradient was suppressed, and tensile strength, yield strength, impact toughness, and total elongation were 2221 MPa, 2017 MPa, 65.5 J, and 16.9%, respectively. In addition, the austenitizing zone rolling can promote the formation of film retained austenite more than dual phase zone rolling, and retained austenite was decreased with an increase in rolling pass in a total rolling reduction of 75%. It is demonstrated that deep cryogenic treatment after austenite zone rolling with a large reductio... [more]

This study addressed the effect of microbial methane production on the physical properties of a coal reservoir. Two kinds of coal samples before and after anaerobic degradation were tested by a low-temperature liquid nitrogen adsorption test and an isothermal adsorption and diffusion coefficient test. The influence of the characteristics of microbial gas production on the coal physical properties was analyzed. Due to the differences in the physical properties of the coal samples, the effect of microbial production is different. Coal is a macromolecular organic compound, mainly aromatic and lignin derivatives, containing carbon and nitrogen sources that can be used by microorganisms. Microorganisms secrete extracellular enzymes to decompose covalent bonds and functional groups of macromolecules in coal and eventually produce methane, which will change the physical properties of coal. It was found that microbial anaerobic degradation could increase the content of coalbed methane, change... [more]

This article presents studies, whose main goal was to minimize food waste. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to expand the scope of their application, for example, for the purification of polluted water from heavy metals. Millions of tons of waste from the fruit and vegetable industry, including pomace of apples and beetroots, are thrown into landfills, posing a danger to the environment. In order to solve the problems with the disposal of these wastes, the authors investigated their sorption potential for the removal of lead from wastewater. The sorbents, dried apple (AP), and beetroots (BR) pomaces were characterized by various methods (study of composition, zeta potential, FTIR-ATR, and SEM-EDX). Various models of sorption kinetics and sorption isotherms were analyzed. Kinetical studies under optimal conditions showed that the sorption process occurs through complexation and ion exchange and the determining stage limiting the rate of sorption is the diffusion of lead ions in the... [more]

The accurate estimation of reservoir porosity plays a vital role in estimating the amount of hydrocarbon reserves and evaluating the economic potential of a reservoir. It also aids decision making during the exploration and development phases of oil and gas fields. This study evaluates the integration of artificial intelligence techniques, conventional well logs, and core analysis for the accurate prediction of porosity in carbonate reservoirs. In general, carbonate reservoirs are characterized by their complex pore systems, with the wide spatial variation and highly nonlinear nature of their petrophysical properties. Therefore, they require detailed well-log interpretations to accurately estimate their properties, making them good candidates for the application of machine learning techniques. Accordingly, a large database of (2100) well-log records and core-porosity measurements were integrated with four state-of-the-art machine learning techniques (multilayer perceptron artificial ne... [more]

In rational drug design, the concept of molecular similarity searching is frequently used to identify molecules with similar functionalities by looking up structurally related molecules in chemical databases. Different methods have been developed to measure the similarity of molecules to a target query. Although the approaches perform effectively, particularly when dealing with molecules with homogenous active structures, they fall short when dealing with compounds that have heterogeneous structural compounds. In recent times, deep learning methods have been exploited for improving the performance of molecule searching due to their feature extraction power and generalization capabilities. However, despite numerous research studies on deep-learning-based molecular similarity searches, relatively few secondary research was carried out in the area. This research aims to provide a systematic literature review (SLR) on deep-learning-based molecular similarity searches to enable researchers... [more]

To improve the prediction of thin reservoirs with special geophysical responses, a geostatistical inversion technique is proposed based on an in-depth analysis of the theory of geostatistical inversion. This technique is based on the Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm, to which we added the contents of facies-constrained. The feasibility of the technique and the reliability of the prediction results are demonstrated by a prediction of the sand bodies in the braided river channel bars in the Xiazijie Oilfield in the Junggar Basin. Based on the MCMC algorithm, the results show that leveraging the lateral changes in the seismic waveforms as geologically relevant information to drive the construction of the variogram and the optimization of the statistical sampling can largely overcome the obstacle that prevents traditional geostatistical inversions from accurately delineating the sedimentary characteristics; thereby, the proposed algorithm truly achieves facies-constrained geostatistical... [more]

Lung cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related mortalities globally. Failure in diagnosis at early stages and limited effective chemotherapeutics has severely impeded the clinical management of patients suffering from lung carcinoma. At present, researchers across the world are focused on exploring biologically active natural products for treating various cancers, which can thus be further investigated for their chemotherapeutical potential. Coleus aromaticus is a common herb used in culinary practices and has previously been shown to possess various medicinal characteristics. In the present study, the anti-cancer effects of ethanolic extract of C. aromaticus leaves (EtOH-LCa) against non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) A549 cells were screened. It was observed that EtOH-LCa reduced the viability of A549 cells and obstructed the cell cycle progression in a concentration-dependent manner. Importantly, EtOH-LCa succeeded in instigating the production of reactive oxygen speci... [more]

The outbreak of multiple disaster sites during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has presented challenges due to varying access time intensity, population density, and medical resources at each site. To address these issues, this study focuses on 13 districts and counties in Wuhan, China. The importance of each research area is analyzed using the improved PageRank and TOPSIS algorithms to determine the optimal site selection plan. Additionally, a particle swarm algorithm is used to construct an emergency material dispatching model that targets both distribution and site selection costs to solve the multi-distribution center dispatching problem. The results suggest that constructing 10 distribution centers can satisfy the demand for epidemic prevention and control in Wuhan city while saving costs associated with site selection and material distribution. Compared to the previous optimal solution, the distribution and site selection costs under the optimal solution decrease... [more]

In this study, hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) at five temperatures (180, 200, 220, 240, and 260 °C) was applied to transform Paulownia leaves (PL) into a carbonaceous sorbent of Pb(II) from aqueous solutions. To enhance the adsorption efficiency of the obtained hydrochar (PH), subsequent alkali activation was performed using NaOH. Preliminary results of the Pb(II) adsorption (CPb = 200 mg/L) showed removal coefficients after 48 h of 73.44 mg/g, 82.37 mg/g, and 110.9 mg/g for PL, PH-220, and MPH-220, respectively. The selected hydrochar (PH-220) and modified hydrochar (MPH-220) were further investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results revealed that alkali treatment changed the hydrochar structure and, thus, improved its adsorption performance. The kinetic parameters showed that the Pb(II) sorption onto MPH-220 followed a pseudo-second-order model, while the intra-particle diffusion went through two simultaneous stag... [more]

The gas explosion process in pipes is often accompanied by an intense wall heat effect. A considerable part of the explosion energy is dissipated, and the process of gas explosion and its propagationis affected. In order to study the influence of wall heat effect on gas explosion and its propagation, numerical models of gas explosion in pipes with different adiabatic degrees were established by ANSYS/LS-DYNA. The propagation process of gas explosion in pipes under the influence of the wall heat effect was numerically simulated and analyzed, and the thermal stress and temperature distribution of pipes with different adiabatic degrees were studied. The results show that with a decrease in pipe insulation, the wall heat effect increases, the heat loss of gas explosion increases, and the overpressurizationof the shock wave, the explosion intensity, and the thermal stress of the pipe wall are significantly reduced. The results indicate that the wall heat effect can weaken the gas explosion... [more]

This article considers the design and control of the 2-butene metathesis process. The process transforms a low-value feedstock derived from a fluid catalytic cracking unit into more valuable products. The economical optimization is applied to the preheat−reaction and separation sections, with the objective of minimizing the total annual cost. The dynamic response and control of the plant are evaluated for feed flow perturbations. Although the process control system acts as a first line of defense against potential hazards, other independent safety layers are discussed with safety limits specific to the critical equipment of the 2-butene metathesis unit. The results prove that the metathesis reaction of 2-butene over a mesoporous tungsten catalyst is economically attractive. For a 5.7 t/h feed rate consisting of 2-butene (70% molar) and n-butane (30% molar), a reaction−separation plant (without recycle) requires 6570 × 103 $ investment and has a profitability of 2300 × 103 $/year.

This work aimed to evaluate the chemical composition of essential oils from Catha edulis Forsk collected in the Day Forest of the Republic of Djibouti. Additionally, in vivo toxicity studies, biochemical profiling, and hematological tests were conducted to determine the biological activity of the investigated essential oils. Finally, in vitro tests were performed to investigate the antibacterial activity of the essential oils. The essential oils were obtained at yields of 0.75%. Chromatographic analysis identified 39 compounds, of which cathinone (81.4%) and cathine (10.55%) were determined as the two major components, representing 91.95% of the total composition. Catha edulis essential oil had a rat LD50 of 2500 mg/kg, indicating very low toxicity. Chronic exposure studies revealed that use of the essential oil in rats resulted in persistent stimulant action at dosages of 100 and 200 mg/kg, whereas the weight gain of control rats was faster than that of the essential oil-treated rats.... [more]

The Y oilfield reservoir is characterized by ultra-depleted reservoir and multiple pressure systems in each well section. If conventional PLUS/KCL drilling fluid is used in directional drilling, the following problems are found: the rheological stability of drilling fluid is not sufficient, resulting in increased viscosity and thickening after aging, and the single plugging material may cause loss-circulation when the drilling differential pressure is more than 26 MPa, resulting in poor reservoir protection effects. To solve the above problems, based on the conventional PLUS/KCL drilling fluid formula, a PLUS/KCL drilling fluid system suitable for directional drilling in multi-pressure systems was formed by optimizing the addition of a treating agent to improve the rheological stability of the drilling fluid, optimizing the plugging agent and compound combination to improve plugging ability, and optimizing the particle size distribution of a temporary plugging agent to improve the rese... [more]

A novel UV-light-active MCC/S-VO2 photocatalyst was successfully synthesized by a simple and reliable hydrothermal route. XRD, FT-IR, Raman analysis, XPS, FE-SEM, EDX, TEM, DRS, and thermal analysis techniques were utilized for the characterization of the as-prepared photocatalysts. The photocatalytic activities of the V2O5, doped S-VO2, and MCC/S-VO2 nanostructures were investigated by monitoring the fading out of the methylene blue (MB) concentration under UV-light irradiation. The results revealed that the photocatalytic degradation of MB via MCC/S-VO2 was superior compared with that exhibited by pure V2O5 and doped S-VO2. It was found that 72.3% of MB (100 mL; 20 mg·L−1) was degraded after 6 h in contact with MCC/S-VO2. Interestingly, the photodegradation of MB dye was enhanced dramatically by adding H2O2, while 92.5% of MB was degraded within 55 min. The kinetic studies revealed that the MB degradation followed the pseudo-first-order model with a rate constant (kobs) of 3.9 × 10−2... [more]

Thermal runaway occasionally happens in batteries. A single battery, after thermal runaway, will release heat and transfer it to neighboring batteries, leading to thermal runaway of battery packs. Thus, it is necessary to explore the diffusion law of thermal runaway in battery modules. Heating is by far the most common way to trigger thermal runaway propagation of battery modules. In this paper, experiments and simulations were conducted to explore the influence of different heat insulation thicknesses on the thermal propagation of lithium iron phosphate batteries, and the result shows that the best thickness between adjacent batteries is 2 mm. For complex modules, the simulation analysis shows that when the spacing between adjacent modules in the battery pack was 10 mm and thermal runaway occurred on one side of the battery pack, it did not occur on the other side for a certain period of time. Therefore, the recommended spacing between modules in the battery pack is 10 mm. This lays a... [more]

With the increasing proportion of close-distance coal seam mining in China, the problem of strong mining pressure during the mining of close-distance coal seams is becoming more and more severe. This article focuses on the complex stress environment and severe mining pressure encountered in the mining of thick coal seams under the multi-coal-seam goaf of Zhunnan Coal Mine. By using research methods, such as similar material simulation, theoretical analysis, and numerical simulation, it studies in depth the instability characteristics of the overlying rock structure of the W1701 working face, the inducing factors and mechanisms of strong mining pressure during the mining process, and control measures. The results show that the roof structure of the W1701 working face can be divided into “high-level key layer (hard rock)−giant thick soft and weak rock group−low-level key layer (hard rock)”, and the law of mining pressure manifestation presents a small cycle formed by the instability of “... [more]

The mobile phone industry, one of the fastest advancing sectors in production over the last few decades, has been associated with a high e-waste generation rate. Simultaneously, a high demand for the production of new electronic equipment has led to the scarcity of certain metals. In this context, many recent studies have focused on recovering certain metals from e-waste through the use of bioprocesses. Such recovery processes are based on the action of microorganisms that produce Fe(III) as an oxidant, in order to leach the copper contained in printed circuit boards. During the oxidation-reduction reaction between Fe(III) and metallic Cu, the color of the solution evolves from an initial reddish color, due to Fe(III), to a bluish-green color, due to the oxidized Cu. In this work, a hardware-software prototype is developed, through which the concentrations of the key analytes—Fe(III) and Cu(II)—can be determined in real time by monitoring the color of the solution. This is achieved thr... [more]

Unexpected instances have posed challenges to production lines over the last few years. The latest COVID-19 global epidemic is one notable example. In addition to its social impact, the virus has destroyed the traditional industrial production system. Industry 4.0 requires adapting to changing prerequisites with adaptability. However, the next movement, Industry 5.0, has emerged in recent years. Industry 5.0 takes a more coordinated approach than Industry 4.0, with increased collaboration among humans and machines. With a human-centered strategy, Industry 5.0 improves Industry 4.0 for greater sustainability and resilience. The concept of Industry 4.0 is the interconnection via cyber-physical systems. Industry 5.0, also associated with systems enabled by Industry 4.0, discusses the relationship between “man and machine,” called robots or cobots. This paper discusses the industry 5.0 possibilities, the restrictions, and future analysis potentials. Industry 5.0 is a new paradigm change th... [more]

The construction of new renewable energy infrastructures and the development of new ocean resources continues to proceed apace. In this regard, the increasing size and capacity of offshore wind turbines demands that the size of their accompanying supporting marine structures likewise increase. The types of marine structures utilized for these offshore applications include gravity base, monopile, jacket, and tripod structures. Of these four types, monopile structures are widely used, given that they are comparatively easy to construct and more economical than other structures. However, constant exposure to harsh cyclic environmental loads can cause material deterioration or the initiation of fatigue cracks, which can then lead to catastrophic failures. In this paper, a 3D fatigue finite element analysis was performed to predict both the fatigue life and the crack initiation of a welded monopile substructure. The whole analysis was undertaken in three steps. First, a 3D non-steady heat c... [more]

Joining similar or dissimilar materials has recently become a hot topic in industries. In this study, an adhesive technique was used to join plastic materials produced by additive manufacturing (3D printing) with metal materials. The effects of the type of material that forms the joint pairs on the joint strength were investigated. In addition, a case study was carried out on the “rubber-metal buffer” part, which is a rubber industry product. The “rubber-metal buffer” part, traditionally produced by vulcanization, was re-manufactured by changing the body material and production technique. Samples were produced from Tough PLA and TPU materials using a 3D printer at 80% and 100% fill rates. Adhesive joints were made by bonding dissimilar (Tough PLA/Galvanized steel, TPU/Galvanized steel, Tough PLA/TPU) and similar materials (Tough PLA/Tough PLA, TPU/TPU, Galvanized steel/Galvanized steel) using Loctite 9466 adhesive. The mechanical properties of the joints were determined using tensile a... [more]

Saudi Arabia initiated its much-anticipated Vision 2030 campaign, a long-term economic roadmap aimed at reducing the country’s reliance on oil. The vision, which is anticipated to be accomplished in the future, underlines compliance, fiscal, and strategy adjustments that will significantly affect all the important features of Saudi economic growth. Technology will be a critical facilitator, as well as controller, of the initiative’s significant transformation. Cloud computing, with the Internet of things (IoT), could make significant contributions to Saudi Vision 2030’s efficient governance strategy. There are multiple IoT applications that cover every part of everyday life, as well as enabling users to use a variety of IoT applications. Choosing the best IoT applications for specific customers is a difficult task. This paper concentrates on the Kingdom’s advancement towards a fresh, as well as enhanced, method of advancing the development phases pertaining to digital transformation, t... [more]

Gas−liquid transportation is an efficient and economical transportation technology developed in recent years. It mainly uses some transportation equipment to simultaneously transport crude oil, associated natural gas, produced water, and so on for the purpose of reducing costs and energy consumption. In this paper, a double-chamber gas−liquid transferring device was selected as the research object. The VOF multiphase flow model of FLUENT software was used to simulate the gas−liquid two-phase flow performance under the design condition. The relationships between the two-phase flows, pressure, temperature, liquid level in the tank, outlet flow rate of the device, and time were calculated and analyzed. The results show that the operating cycle of the device can be divided into three processes, namely ‘suction-compression-discharge’, in which the cycle period formula is proposed as well. The pressures of gas and liquid in the device are basically the same, but the temperatures of the two p... [more]

The Xihu sag has two main oil−gas fields: Huagang Gas Field and Pinghu Oil Field. The Huagang formation is the reservoir of the Huagang Gas Field in the Central Tectonic Zone, while the Pinghu formation is the reservoir of the Pinghu Oil Field in the Western Slope Zone. In this paper, which mainly focusses on the Huagang formation, we conducted gas-driven water displacement−magnetic resonance imaging (GWD-MRI) experiments to simulate the charging characteristics of the sandstone migration layer, centrifugal magnetic resonance (Cen-NMR) experiments to simulate the short-term rapid trap charging process, and semi-permeable baffle (SPB) charging experiments to simulate the slow trap accumulation process. The results indicate that a start-up pressure exists for migration layer charging, where the start-up pressure for a core with a permeability of 0.3 mD is about 0.6 MPa. Our experimental simulations confirm that a planar front of changing water saturation exists, which has a width of abou... [more]

This work focuses on introducing new sustainable chemicals in the wool grease removal processes by aiming to understand the effect of an eco-friendly solvent, cyclopentyl methyl ether (CPME), in solvent-based wool grease extraction and, in addition, the impact of the wool protein hydrolyzate (WPH) as a biosurfactant derived from green hydrolysis in the wool scouring process. In the green solvent extraction process assisted using solvent CPME, the effect of CPME on grease extraction and the presence of four primary fatty acids were evaluated and compared with conventional solvents. The quantity of grease extracted using green solvent CPME was more significant than the conventional solvents. An extraction using green solvent CPME resulted in 11.95% extracted wool grease, which is more when compared with 8.19% hexane and 10.28% diethyl ether. The total quantity of four fatty acids was analyzed and found to be ~15% for CPME ~17% for Hexan compared with ~20% for commercial lanolin. FTIR of... [more]