Mechanics-seepage synchronous tests on gas-bearing coal under three different stress paths were designed and implemented to evaluate how load path affected the mechanical strength and permeability of deep mining-disturbed coal. The cracks-count evolution of coal specimens during instability was observed through DEM numerical simulation. The results showed significant stress-strain and strength variations under different paths. At the time of failure, the specimen deformation and peak strength were Test 1 > Test 2 > Test 3, while the permeability was Test 3 > Test 2 > Test 1, with specimen permeability in Test 3 rising prominently. From numerical simulation, the cracks count was Test 2 > Test 3 > Test 1, with tensile cracks taking the largest proportion in Test 2 and shear cracks taking the largest proportion in Test 3. Our findings shed some light on the research and disaster prevention regarding coal and gas outburst.

In the present study, the effect of oregano essential oil, which is contained in xanthan gum and guar gum edible coating, was investigated in regard to its ability to assist with the preservation and the extension of the shelf life of minced beef meat when stored at 4 °C. Minced beef meat samples were coated with a mixture of xanthan gum and guar gum containing oregano essential oil at various levels (1−3%). The coated samples were compared with the control sample (uncoated) for bacteriological (i.e., total viable count, coliforms, and Enterobacteriaceae), physicochemical (pH), and sensorial properties (color and odor) on specific storage days (0, 3, 6, 9, and 12). There was greater microbial growth noted in the uncoated minced beef meat in comparison to the coated ones. Odor, color, and overall acceptability were significantly improved in the coated samples (p < 0.05). The chemical, bacteriological, and sensory analyses that were performed, evidenced the benefits that edible coatin... [more]

An excellent e-commerce logistic cycle is based on reducing the delivery time to satisfy customers, accelerating the distribution chain activities at each delivery station, increasing the transported stowage objects for mobilization parallelograms containers to ingest most orders, and reducing the unused area. Because the stowage steps are considered an NP-complexity, the authors introduce the Oriented Stowage Map (OSM) using one of the heuristic methods (i.e., the camel algorithm) that are programmed by the C-sharp software to be easily managed via the Internet of Things (IoT), which is embedded in the distribution chain. The authors called it Oriented Stowage’s Map by Camel algorithm “OSM-CA”. This methodology is considered one of the mat-heuristic approaches (i.e., decomposition metaheuristics) because we resorted to using mathematical steps (branch-and-bound). The OSM-CA reduces transport costs by 7% and delivery time by 14%. Additionally, it shows superiority over the solo Ant-col... [more]

More energy-efficient industries could reduce the problems of pollution, global warming, energy security, and fossil fuel depletion, including processing waste into raw materials and more efficient energy cogeneration. This research project considers the novelties of the upgraded electricity cogeneration technique, including one open gas turbine during the high-pressure product reaction loop and a second turbine during the exhaust gas for co-product production with only one compressor. The upgraded electricity cogeneration was carried out in two steps and based on the productive use of otherwise useless polyethylene waste, flue gas, and wood. The first step can simulate the simulation model from the existing product production with well-known technology and process units using the Aspen Plus® simulator. The maximum available electricity cogeneration can previously be determined from the thermodynamics of the products and co-products, and an existing energy unit’s characteristic capacit... [more]

Probability distributions perform a very significant role in the field of applied sciences, particularly in the field of reliability engineering. Engineering data sets are either negatively or positively skewed and/or symmetrical. Therefore, a flexible distribution is required that can handle such data sets. In this paper, we propose a new family of lifetime distributions to model the aforementioned data sets. This proposed family is known as a “New Modified Exponent Power Alpha Family of distributions” or in short NMEPA. The proposed family is obtained by applying the well-known T-X approach together with the exponential distribution. A three-parameter-specific sub-model of the proposed method termed a “new Modified Exponent Power Alpha Weibull distribution” (NMEPA-Wei for short), is discussed in detail. The various mathematical properties including hazard rate function, ordinary moments, moment generating function, and order statistics are also discussed. In addition, we adopted the... [more]

Hydrogen, as a suitable and clean energy carrier, has been long considered a primary fuel or in combination with other conventional fuels such as gasoline and diesel. Since the density of hydrogen is very low, in port fuel-injection configuration, the engine’s volumetric efficiency reduces due to the replacement of hydrogen by intake air. Therefore, hydrogen direct in-cylinder injection (injection after the intake valve closes) can be a suitable solution for hydrogen utilization in spark ignition (SI) engines. In this study, the effects of hydrogen direct injection with different hydrogen energy shares (HES) on the performance and emissions characteristics of a gasoline port-injection SI engine are investigated based on reactive computational fluid dynamics. Three different injection timings of hydrogen together with five different HES are applied at low and full load on a hydrogen−gasoline dual-fuel SI engine. The results show that retarded hydrogen injection timing increases the conc... [more]

Aluminum 6061 is a precipitation-hardened alloy, containing magnesium and silicon as its major alloying element, and it is widely used in industries due to its remarkable mechanical properties and weld ability. Several types of machining manners are researched for aluminum 6061 alloys, and micro-abrasive jet blasting (μ-AJM) is one of the most developed processes for improving surface roughness. When operating μ-AJM on aluminum alloys, sufficient consideration of environmental variables such as particle types, nozzle diameter, pressure, standoff distance, and injection time is a prerequisite for the appropriate degree of roughness. To find the optimal conditions, a statistical method of analysis of variables was used to investigate the maximum value for depth, diameter, width, etc., of the blasting surface. According to experimental results, multiple factors have a great influence on the condition of surface roughness. The blasting processes were conducted as square and cylindrical exp... [more]

In this work, we have successfully fabricated nanocrystalline Co2MnSi Heusler alloy glass-coated microwires with a metallic nucleus diameter (dnuclei) 10.2 ± 0.1 μm and total diameter 22.2 ± 0.1 μm by the Taylor−Ulitovsky technique for the first time. Magnetic and structural investigations have been performed to clarify the basic magneto-structural properties of the Co2MnSi glass-coated microwires. XRD showed a well-defined crystalline structure with a lattice parameter a = 5.62 Å. The room temperature magnetic behavior showed a strong in-plane magnetocrystalline anisotropy parallel to the microwire axis. The M-H loops showed unique thermal stability with temperature where the coercivity (Hc) and normalized magnetic remanence exhibited roughly stable tendency with temperature. Moreover, quite soft magnetic behavior has been observed with values of coercivity of the order of Hc = 7 ± 2 Oe. Zero field cooling and field cooling (ZFC-FC) magnetization curves displayed notable irreversible... [more]

The research aims to produce, model, and optimise the mechanical properties of novel composite material through a structured multidisciplinary approach. The primary objective is to combine materials science, mechanical engineering, and statistical concepts to ensure Design for Manufacturability (DFM) from the industrial perspective. More specifically, the article is intended to determine the optimal mixture components and predictive model of Al-Si alloy with Al2O3 by accommodating multi-responses that enable DFM. The study adopted ASTM standards to prepare and test the novel composite material. Additionally, the Mixture Design of Experiment (DOE) approach was used to design the experimentation and subsequent analysis. In addition, microstructural images, Cox Response Trace plot, and Response Optimiser plot are effectively utilised to draw robust inferences. For multi-response modelling and optimisation, the composite material’s mechanical properties, like impact strength, hardness, den... [more]

In the study, rupture energy values of Deveci and Abate Fetel pear fruits were predicted using artificial neural network (ANN). This research aimed to develop a simple, accurate, rapid, and economic model for harvest/post-harvest loss of efficiently predicting rupture energy values of Deveci and Abate Fetel pear fruits. The breaking energy of the pears was examined in terms of storage time and loading position. The experiments were carried out in two stages, with samples kept in cold storage immediately after harvest and 30 days later. Rupture energy values were estimated using four different single and multi-layer ANN models. Four different model results obtained using Levenberg−Marquardt, Scaled Conjugate Gradient, and resilient backpropagation training algorithms were compared with the calculated values. Statistical parameters such as R2, RMSE, MAE, and MSE were used to evaluate the performance of the methods. The best-performing model was obtained in network structure 5-1 that used... [more]

Microbial bioformulations, due to their positive impact on the growth and development of plants, as well as the absence of harmful effects on the environment and humans, have a vast potential for mass introduction into agriculture. Assessing the quality of bioformulations, especially complex ones, is a difficult task. In this study, we show that high-throughput sequencing can be an effective tool for the quality control and safety of microbial bioformulations. By the method of high-throughput sequencing on the MiSeq platform, we studied 20 samples of commercially available microbial bioformulations. In parallel with this, bioformulations were studied by classical microbiological methods. The analysis showed the presence of extraneous undeclared bacterial genera by the manufacturer. Only 10% of the bioformulations fully corresponded to the commercial composition, and another 10% of the bioformulations did not contain the bacteria declared by the manufacturer in their composition at all.... [more]

Widely used in traditional medicine, sheep placenta extract (SPE) is known for its physiological effects such as wound healing, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. However, the effect of SPE on antiaging is still unclear. In this study, we investigated the effect of SPE on aging through the senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) strain. We designed an experiment using both male and female mice randomly divided into 4 groups (n = 10) as follows: Group A—control group; Group B—low-dose SPE (61.5 mg/kg BW/day); Group C—medium-dose SPE (123 mg/kg BW/day); and Group D—high-dose SPE (184.5 mg/kg BW/day). As a result of measuring the aging index parameters such as skin glossiness, spine lordosis, and kyphosis, it was found that the treatment of SPE lowered the aging index. In addition, we found that biochemical parameters such as lactic acid, glucose, ketone bodies, free fatty acids, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin 6 (IL-6) were not changed in the experim... [more]

The pump as turbines (PATs) has been widely used in the petrochemical, seawater desalination, and mining industries. Volutes are critical components for flow guidance and energy conversion in the PATs. Therefore, its inner flow characteristic could significantly influence the hydraulic turbine system stability. To reveal the vortex evolution, pressure pulsation characteristics, and the interaction between the two in the volute of PATs, a single-stage cantilever hydraulic turbine is investigated by the numerical and experiment method. The effect of impeller rotation on vorticity distribution and pressure fluctuation intensity in volute is analyzed based on the numerical simulation results. By clarifying the frequency components corresponding to local high amplitude vorticity and pressure pulsations, the relationship between vortex evolution and pressure pulsations is established. The results showed that the dominant frequency of pressure pulsation in the circumferential direction of the... [more]

The improper disposal of flower waste from cultural activities is one of the main challenges in certain countries such as India. If the flower waste is not managed properly, it causes a number of environmental issues. Therefore, various technologies have been developed to transform flower waste into value-added products. To integrate multiple technologies holistically to maximise the energy and material recovery, an integrated flower-waste biorefinery is required. Since there are a wide range of technologies available that can convert the waste into multiple products, there is a need to develop a systematic approach to evaluate all the technologies. This research proposes a systematic approach to synthesise an integrated flower-waste biorefinery based on different optimisation objectives, e.g., maximum economic performance and minimum environmental impact. Due to the conflicting nature between the two objectives, a fuzzy optimisation approach has been adapted to synthesise a sustainabl... [more]

The climate change impact associated with greenhouse gas emissions is a major global concern. This work investigates perovskite compounds for oxygen separation from air to supply oxygen to oxyfuel energy systems to abate these significant environmental impacts. The perovskites studied were Me0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Cu0.2O3−δ (MeSCC) where the A-site substitution was carried out by four different cations (Me = Ca, Mg, Sr, or Ba). SEM analysis showed the formation of small particle (<1 µm) aggregates with varying morphological features. XRD analysis confirmed that all compounds were perovskites with a hexagonal phase. Under reduction and oxidation reactions (redox), Ba and Ca substitutions resulted in the highest and lowest oxygen release, respectively. In terms of real application for oxygen separation from air, Ba substitution as BaSCC proved to be preferable due to short temperature cycles for the uptake and release of oxygen of 134 °C, contrary to Ca substitution with long and undesirable te... [more]

Despite the development of many antibiotics, excessive inflammation caused by endotoxins is still a subject of interest to biomedical researchers. The hyper-inflammatory response of macrophages activated by endotoxins is an important topic in the development of natural product-based anti-inflammatory drugs. Conioselinum tenuissimum, a perennial herb of the family Apiaceae, contains levistolide A, demethylsuberosin, and fraxetin. One of the synonyms of Conioselinum tenuissimum is Angelica tenuissima. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of Conioselinumtenuissimum root water extract (AT) on the hyper-inflammatory responses of macrophages activated by endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide; LPS) and the mechanisms involved in such effects. Levels of cytokines, nitric oxide (NO), hydrogen peroxide, and cytosolic calcium in LPS-activated RAW 264.7 murine macrophages were evaluated by the multiplex cytokine assay (MCA), Griess reagent assay (GRA), dihydrorhodamine 123 assay (DHR),... [more]

Extractive distillation has great significance for the separation of ethylbenzene from C8 aromatic hydrocarbons. Herein, a distillation process for the separation of ethylbenzene was designed using methyl phenylacetate as an extractant. A genetic algorithm (GA) was used to evaluate the economic and environmental factors of the process, and Aspen Dynamic was used to assess the dynamic performance. The sequential optimization method was used to obtain the initial process parameters. Then, the total annual cost and CO2 emissions were minimized by NSGA-III to increase the economic and environmental benefits. To enhance the search performance of GA, the mutation probability and crossover probability were studied and adjusted. The optimal total annual cost and CO2 emissions were 11.7% and 23.7% lower than those of the initial process. Based on a steady process, two control strategies, which were the flow rate of the recycling solvent controlled by entrainer makeup flow rate (CS1) and the bot... [more]

The transport and prediction of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) contamination in “slag−soil−groundwater” is one with many uncertainties. Based on the column experiments, a migration model for Cr(VI) in the slag−soil−groundwater system was investigated. The hydraulic conductivity (Kt), distribution coefficient (Kd), retardation factor (Rd), and other hydraulic parameters were estimated in a laboratory. Combining these hydraulic parameters with available geological and hydrogeological data for the study area, the groundwater flow and Cr(VI) migration model were developed for assessing groundwater contamination. Subsequently, a Cr(VI) migration model was developed to simulate the transport of Cr(VI) in the slag−soil−groundwater system and predict the effect of three different control programs for groundwater contamination. The results showed that the differences in the measured and predicted groundwater head values were all less than 3 m. The maximum and minimum differences in Cr(VI) between... [more]

Evaluating the degree of coordination among regional carbon emission systems is key to achieving an earlier carbon peak and carbon neutrality. However, quantifying the co-evolution of carbon emissions among regions is challenging. Therefore, we propose a data-driven method for evaluating the synergetic development of the regional carbon emission composite system. First, the proposed method employs relevant data to calculate the carbon emissions and carbon emission intensity of each subsystem within the region to describe the temporal trends. The inverse entropy weight method is then used to assign weight to each order parameter of the subsystem for data processing. Then, we perform synergetic development assessment of the composite system to measure the order degree of each subsystem, the degree of synergy among subsystems, and the overall synergetic degree of the temporal evolution of carbon emissions between regions. Finally, the evaluation results can be used to suggest measures for... [more]

Since the beginning of this century, the world has experienced a growing need for enabling techniques and more environmentally friendly protocols that can facilitate more rational industrial production. Scientists are faced with the major challenges of global warming and safeguarding water and food quality. Organic solvents are still widely used and seem to be hard to replace, despite their enormous environmental and toxicological impact. The development of water-based strategies for the extraction of primary and secondary metabolites from plants on a laboratory scale is well documented, with several intensified processes being able to maximize the extraction power of water. Technologies, such as ultrasound, hydrodynamic cavitation, microwaves and pressurized reactors that achieve subcritical water conditions can dramatically increase extraction rates and yields. In addition, significant synergistic effects have been observed when using combined techniques. Due to the limited penetrati... [more]

The presence of tens of Clostridium botulinum spores per gram of honey can cause infantile botulism. Thermal treatment is insufficient to inactivate these resistant forms. This study explored the effectiveness of supercritical CO2 (scCO2) on its own and combined with lemon (LEO), clove (CLEO), and cinnamon (CEO) essential oils on the inactivation of Clostridium sporogenes (CECT 553) as a surrogate of Clostridium botulinum. In water, the degree of inactivation at 10 MPa after 60 min increased with the increasing temperature, reducing the population by 90% at 40 °C and by 99.7% at 80 °C. In contrast, when applied to honey, scCO2 did not inactivate Clostridium spores satisfactorily at temperatures below 70 °C, which was related to the protective effect of honey. Meanwhile, scCO2 modified with CEO (<0.4% mass) improved the inactivation degree, with a 1.3-log reduction achieved at 60 °C. With this same mixture, a reduction of 3.7 logs was accomplished in a derivative with 70% moisture. H... [more]

Airborne fungi emitted from livestock manure composting plants are one of the major harmful factors causing respiratory disease for workers and nearby residents. Their generation of emissions is relatively high compared to other workplaces. This study investigated the emission characteristics of airborne fungi generated in livestock manure composting plants and utilized them as basic data to prevent workers’ health. The livestock manure composting plants selected for the survey in this study were according to the fermentation mode, including screw type, rotary type and natural dry type. The field evaluation period was from September 2019 to August 2020 and was surveyed monthly. The equipment for collecting airborne fungi was a six-stage cascade impactor. An analysis of the quantification and qualification of airborne fungi was conducted through a culture method and identification technique, respectively. The mean levels of airborne fungi in livestock manure composting plants were 1143... [more]

In the last years, the demand for new eco-friendly ingredients has increased on the cosmetic market. Consumers are more aware of sustainable principles and, simultaneously, more conscious regarding the skin aging process. Chestnut (Castanea sativa) shells are a food by-product produced in high quantities in Europe. This waste has been described as a rich source of phenolic compounds with skin biological effects, such as antioxidant, antiradical, and anti-inflammatory activities. Despite the huge number of assays reporting the richness of chestnut shell extracts in bioactive compounds as well as the development of cosmetic formulations containing these extracts, no in vivo assays have assessed their clinical efficacy in human volunteers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect on skin face parameters of a formulation containing a chestnut shell extract in human volunteers (n = 22) who applied the product twice per day, for 56 days. For that, biophysical techniques, including Co... [more]

In this paper, the heat transfer and flow characteristics of a helically coiled tube with twisted elliptical in a low Reynolds number (Re = 500−3000) flow were investigated numerically. The working fluid flowed in a laminar regime. Numerical results were compared with empirical correlations in the existing literature, demonstrating the accuracy of the analysis in this study. Firstly, we investigated the effects of geometric parameters and Reynolds number on the heat transfer and flow characteristics. The results showed that lower twist pitch length and semi-major axis length could induce sufficient fluid mixing and a larger temperature gradient near the tube wall, enhancing the heat exchange and producing larger friction resistance. Overall, the heat transfer performances were improved by about 1.04−1.21 times and 1.02−1.23 times for different semi-major axis lengths and different twist pitch lengths, respectively, compared to the smooth helical coil. Secondly, by changing the working... [more]

An axial flow pump is a kind of high-specific revolution vane pump that has the characteristics of large flow, low head, and high efficiency. Due to its unique properties, it is widely used in large water diversion projects, such as the South-to-North Water Diversion Project. However, during the operation of the pump, some fish enter the axial flow pump together with the water flow through the screen before the entrance of the pump station. Consequently, some fish are inevitably damaged or even die in the process of traversing through the pump. Meanwhile, the decay of dead fish directly affects the quality of water, hence, posing serious ecological pollution and destabilizing the ecological balance. Therefore, understanding the dynamics of axial flow pumps in relation to fish species in water bodies for biodiversity and ecosystem services remain vital for nature conservation. In this paper, the impact of damage of the model pump on fish is exhaustively investigated according to the the... [more]