Deep lean is a novel approach that is concerned with the profound analysis for waste’s behavior at hidden layers in manufacturing processes to enhance processes’ reliability level at the upstream. Ideal Standard Co. for bathtubs suffered from defects and cost losses in the spraying section, due to differences in the painting cover thickness due to bubbles, caused by eddies, which move toward the bathtubs through hoses. These bubbles and their movement are considered as a form of lean’s waste. The spraying liquid inside the tanks and hoses must move with uniform velocity, viscosity, pressure, feed rate and suitable Reynolds circulation values to eliminate the eddy causes. These factors are tackled through the adoption Internet of Things (IoT) technologies that are aided by neural networks (NN) when an abnormal flow rate is detected using sensor data in real-time that can reduce the defects. The NN aimed at forecasting eddies’ movement lines that carry bubbles and works on being blasted... [more]

This article focuses on fuel quality in biomass power plants and describes an online prediction method based on image analysis and regression modeling. The main goal is to determine the mixture fraction from blends of two wood chip species with different qualities and properties. Starting from images of both fuels and different mixtures, we used two different approaches to deduce feature vectors. The first one relied on integral brightness values while the latter used spatial texture information. The features were used as input data for linear and non-linear regression models in nine training classes. This permitted the subsequent prediction of mixture ratios from prior unknown similar images. We extensively discuss the influence of model and image selection, parametrization, the application of boosting algorithms and training strategies. We obtained models featuring predictive accuracies of R2 > 0.9 for the brightness-based model and R2 > 0.8 for the texture based one during the valid... [more]

Condensate-liquid accumulation in the vicinity of a well is known to curtail gas production up to 80%. Numerous approaches are employed to mitigate condensate banking and improve gas productivity. In this work, a field-scale simulation is presented for condensate damage removal in tight reservoirs using a thermochemical treatment strategy where heat and pressure are generated in situ. The impact of thermochemical injection on the gas recovery is also elucidated. A compositional simulator was utilized to assess the effectiveness of the suggested treatment on reducing the condensate damage and, thereby, improve the gas recovery. Compared to the base case, represented by an industry-standard gas injection strategy, simulation studies suggest a significantly improved hydrocarbon recovery performance upon thermochemical treatment of the near-wellbore zone. For the scenarios investigated, the application of thermochemicals allowed for an extension of the production plateau from 104 days, as... [more]

New synthetic biobased mechanically adaptive composites, responding to water and having self-healing property, were developed. These composites were prepared by introducing plant-based cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) at 10, 20, and 25% (v/v) concentration into a biobased rubbery poly (myrcene-co-furfuryl methacrylate) (PMF) matrix by solution mixing and subsequent compression molding technique. The reinforcement of CNFs led to an increase in the tensile storage modulus (E’) of the dry composites. Upon exposure to water, water sensitivity and a drastic fall in storage moduli (E’) were observed for the 25% (v/v) CNF composite. A modulus reduction from 1.27 (dry state) to 0.15 MPa (wet state) was observed for this composite. The water-sensitive nature of the composites was also confirmed from the force modulation study in atomic force microscopy (AFM), revealing the average modulus as 82.7 and 32.3 MPa for dry and swollen composites, respectively. Interestingly, the composites also showed th... [more]

Mitochondrial proteins of Plasmodium falciparum (MPPF) are an important target for anti-malarial drugs, but their identification through manual experimentation is costly, and in turn, their related drugs production by pharmaceutical institutions involves a prolonged time duration. Therefore, it is highly desirable for pharmaceutical companies to develop computationally automated and reliable approach to identify proteins precisely, resulting in appropriate drug production in a timely manner. In this direction, several computationally intelligent techniques are developed to extract local features from biological sequences using machine learning methods followed by various classifiers to discriminate the nature of proteins. Unfortunately, these techniques demonstrate poor performance while capturing contextual features from sequence patterns, yielding non-representative classifiers. In this paper, we proposed a sequence-based framework to extract deep and representative features that are... [more]

The goal of this work was to investigate the effect of the biochar additive (2.5; 5; 10 wt.%) on the properties of carbon fiber-reinforced bio-epoxy composites. The morphology of the composites was monitored by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the thermomechanical properties by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA). Additionally, mechanical properties such as impact strength, flexural strength andtensile strength, as well as the thermal stability and degradation kinetics of these composites were evaluated. It was found that the introduction of biochar into the epoxy matrix improved the mechanical and thermal properties of carbon fiber-reinforced composites.

Over the last decade, food waste has been one of the major issues globally as it brings a negative impact on the environment and health. Rotting discharges methane, causing greenhouse effect and adverse health effects due to pathogenic microorganisms or toxic leachates that reach agricultural land and water system. As a solution, composting is implemented to manage and reduce food waste in line with global sustainable development goals (SDGs). This review compiles input on the types of organic composting, its characteristics, physico-chemical properties involved, role of microbes and tools available in determining the microbial community structure. Composting types: vermi-composting, windrow composting, aerated static pile composting and in-vessel composting are discussed. The diversity of microorganisms in each of the three stages in composting is highlighted and the techniques used to determine the microbial community structure during composting such as biochemical identification, po... [more]

This paper presents a multi-scale-homogenization based on a two-step methodology (micro-meso and meso-macro homogenization) to predict the elastic constants of 3D fiber-reinforced composites (FRC). At each level, the elastic constants were predicted through both analytical and numerical methods to ascertain the accuracy of predicted elastic constants. The predicted elastic constants were compared with experimental data. Both methods predicted the in-plane elastic constants “ E x ” and “ E y ” with good accuracy; however, the analytical method under predicts the shear modulus “ G x y ”. The elastic constants predicted through a multiscale homogenization approach can be used to predict the behavior of 3D-FRC under different loading conditions at the macro-level.

In this study, livestock wastewater treatment plants in South Korea were monitored to determine the characteristics of influent and effluent wastewater, containing four types of veterinary antibiotics (sulfamethazine, sulfathiazole, chlortetracycline, oxytetracycline), and the removal efficiencies of different treatment processes. Chlortetracycline had the highest average influent concentration (483.7 μg/L), followed by sulfamethazine (251.2 μg/L), sulfathiazole (230.8 μg/L) and oxytetracycline (25.7 μg/L), at five livestock wastewater treatment plants. Sulfathiazole had the highest average effluent concentration (28.2 μg/L), followed by sulfamethazine (20.8 μg/L) and chlortetracycline (11.5 μg/L), while no oxytetracycline was detected. For veterinary antibiotics in the wastewater, a removal efficiency of at least 90% was observed with five types of treatment processes, including a bio-ceramic sequencing batch reactor, liquid-phase flotation, membrane bioreactor, bioreactor plus ultraf... [more]

Phenol degradation by Pseudomonas putida BCRC 14365 was investigated at 30 °C and a pH of 5.0−9.0 in the batch tests. Experimental results for both free and immobilized cells demonstrated that a maximum phenol degradation rate occurred at an initial pH of 7. The peak value of phenol degradation rates by the free and immobilized cells were 2.84 and 2.64 mg/L-h, respectively. Considering the culture at 20 °C, there was a lag period of approximately 44 h prior to the start of the phenol degradation for both free and immobilized cells. At the temperatures ranging from 25 to 40 °C, the immobilized cells had a higher rate of phenol degradation compared to the free cells. Moreover, the removal efficiencies of phenol degradation at the final stage were 59.3−92% and 87.5−92%, for the free and immobilized cells, respectively. The optimal temperature was 30 °C for free and immobilized cells. In the batch experiments with various initial phenol concentrations of 68.3−563.4 mg/L, the lag phase was... [more]

RNA viruses, such as influenza and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), invoke excessive immune responses; however, the kinetics that regulate inflammatory responses within infected cells remain unresolved. Here, we develop a mathematical model of the RNA virus sensing pathways, to determine the intracellular events that primarily regulate interferon, an important protein for the activation and management of inflammation. Within the ordinary differential equation (ODE) model, we incorporate viral replication, cell death, interferon stimulated genes’ antagonistic effects on viral replication, and virus sensor protein (TLR and RIG-I) kinetics. The model is parameterized to influenza infection data using Markov chain Monte Carlo and then validated against infection data from an NS1 knockout strain of influenza, demonstrating that RIG-I antagonism significantly alters cytokine signaling trajectory. Global sensitivity analysis suggests that paracrine signaling is responsible for the ma... [more]

The effect of ultrasound and enzyme pretreatment (with pectinase, amylase, and cellulase) on the physicochemical properties (yield, viscosity, total soluble solids, and total phenolics) of mango juice was evaluated through a set of six experiments. Ultrasonication treatment alone showed no influence on juice yield (54.6 ± 1.1%). However, the combined uses of ultrasonication with a pectinase or the enzyme mixture significantly increased the yield (94.1 ± 1.4% and 80.0 ± 2.1%, respectively) and decreased the enzyme pretreatment time (from 2 h to 1 h). Pectinase treatment assisted by ultrasonication was more effective with regard to juice yield, viscosity reduction, and the clarity of the juice than the enzyme mixture treatment with ultrasonication. Ultrasonication alone significantly increased the amount of total phenolics (65.5 ± 1.0 mg/100 mL) and showed a slight reduction of viscosity and improvement of clarity compared to the control.

Globally, increasing environmental issues are gaining attention to facilitate the adoption of green innovation for sustainable supply chain management (SSCM). Sustainable environmental practices have been well-considered in the literature; however, no study has focused on adopting green innovation practices for sustainable development. Thus, environmental management authorities are putting pressure on industries to implement green innovation criteria for SSCM operations. Moreover, it is important to select traditional suppliers to transform its practices to that of sustainable supply chains in order to achieve the industry’s sustainable supply chain goals. In response, this research identified and analyzed the green innovation criteria for SSCM and then selected a supplier that could implement green aspects in the SSCM. This study developed an integrated multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) model using the fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) and the fuzzy technique for order of... [more]

Biosurfactants are one of the microbial bioproducts that are in most demand from microbial-enhanced oil recovery (MEOR). The production of biosurfactant is still a relatively high cost. Therefore, this study aims to reduce production costs by utilizing palm oil mill effluent (POME) as the main carbon source. This work examines the optimal conditions of biosurfactant production by Halomonas meridiana BK-AB4 isolated from the Bledug Kuwu mud volcano in Central Java Indonesia and studies it for EOR applications. The biosurfactant production stage was optimized by varying POME concentration, incubation time, NaCl concentration, and pH to obtain the maximum oil displacement area (ODA) values. A response surface methodology (RSM) and a central composite design (CCD) were used to identify the influence of each variable and to trace the relationship between variables. Optimum biosurfactant production was found at a POME concentration (v/v) of 16%, incubation (h) of 112, NaCl concentration (w/v... [more]

Globe artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) is considered one of the most significant sources of phenolic antioxidants in nature. However, more than 60% of its total volume is discarded for consumption purposes, making available an abundant, inexpensive and profitable source of natural antioxidants in the discarded fractions. Polyphenolic antioxidants from a South American variety of artichoke agro-industrial discards (external bracts and stems) were obtained by mild extraction processes. Best results were achieved at 40 °C, 75% of ethanol and 10 min of reaction, obtaining 2.16 g gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/100 g of total phenolic compounds (TPC) and 55,472.34 µmol Trolox equivalent (TE)/100 g of antioxidant capacity (oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC)). High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analyses determined that caffeoylquinic acids comprise up to 85% of the total polyphenolic content, and only around 5% are flavonoids. Inulin content in the artichokes residues was recover... [more]

The estimation of biomethane or biohydrogen yield is used to evaluate energy recovery during the process of the anaerobic treatment of waste and wastewater. Mathematically calculated theoretical values can also be used in biomethane or biohydrogen potential tests as reference points to calculate which fraction of substrate is decomposed, when the substrate degradation stopped and when the sample’s self-digestion begins. This study suggests expanded forms of equations for anaerobic processes leading to either biomethane or biohydrogen. The traditional equations describing the conversion of a substrate with known carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen composition were expanded to account for the composition of sulfur (for biohydrogen yields) and phosphorus (both biohydrogen and biomethane yields). As an optional part, one metal cation was also incorporated into the chemical formula of the evaluated wastewater composition in case the compound of biodegradable interest exists as a salt. The... [more]

Many researchers have focused on multi-phase reactor development for improving mass transfer performance. However, solid particle addition in gas−liquid contactor for better oxygen mass transfer performance is still limited. Hence, this study aims to analyze the relative effect of different types of local solid media on the bubble hydrodynamic characteristics towards mass transfer enhancement in bubble columns (BCR) and airlift reactors (ALR). This was investigated by varying solid media types (ring, sphere, cylinder, and square), solid loadings (0%−15%), and superficial gas velocities (Vg) (2.6−15.3 × 10−3 m/s) in terms of the bubble hydrodynamic and oxygen mass transfer parameters. The result showed that bubble size distribution in BCR and ALR with additional plastic media was smaller than that without media addition, approximately 22%−27% and 5%−29%, respectively, due to the increase of the bubble breaking rate and the decrease of the bubble rising velocity (UB). Further, adding med... [more]

Pt/C, PtMOn/C (M = Ni, Sn, Ti, and PtX/C (X = Rh, Ir) catalyst systems were prepared by using the pulse alternating current (PAC) technique. Physical and electrochemical parameters of samples were carried out by x-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and CO stripping. The catalytic activity of the synthesized samples for the ethanol electrooxidation reaction (EOR) was investigated. The XRD patterns of the samples showed the presence of diffraction peaks characteristic for Pt, NiO, SnO2, TiO2, Rh, and Ir. The TEM images indicate that the Pt, Rh, and PtIr (alloys) particles had a uniform distribution over the carbon surface in the Pt/C, PtRh/C, PtIr/C, and PtMOn/C (M = Ni, Sn, Ti) catalysts. The electrochemically active surface area of catalysts was determined by the CO-stripping method. The addition of a second element to Pt or the use of hybrid supported catalysts can evidently improve the EOR activity. A remarkable positive affecting shift of the onset... [more]

This work focuses on the evaluation of the degradation of 17β-estradiol in a mixture of synthetic urine and methanol, trying to determine in which conditions the hormone can be more easily degraded than the urine compounds. This is in the frame of an overall study in which the pre-concentration stage with adsorption/desorption technology is evaluated to improve electrolysis efficiency. Results show that this pollutant can be efficiently removed from mixtures of urine/methanol by electrolysis with diamond electrodes. This removal is simultaneous with the removal of uric acid (used as a model of natural pollutants of urine) and leads to the formation of other organic species that behave as intermediates. This opens the possibility of using a concentration strategy based on the adsorption of pollutants using granular activated carbon and their later desorption in methanol. Despite methanol being a hydroxyl radical scavenger, the electrolysis is found to be very efficient and, in the best... [more]

Lignocellulosic biomass is widely grown in many agricultural-based countries. These are typically incinerated or discarded in open spaces, which further may cause severe health and environmental problems. Hence, the proper utilization and conversion of different parts of lignocellulosic biomasses (e.g., corn wastes derived leave, cob, stalk, and husk) into value-added materials could be a promising way of protecting both health and environments. In addition, they have high-potential for myriads applications (e.g., pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, textiles, and so on). In this context, herein, we isolated holocellulose (a mixture of alpha α, beta β, and gamma γ cellulose) from corn waste, and then it was converted into carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC). Subsequently, the prepared CMC was evaluated successfully to be used as a pharmaceutical excipient. Different characterization tools were employed for structural, morphological, and thermal properties of the extracted holocellulose and synthesize... [more]

Pharmaceutical manufacturing is evolving from traditional batch processes to continuous ones. The new global competition focused on throughput and quality of drug products is certainly the driving force behind this transition which, thus, represents the new challenge of pharmaceutical manufacturing and hence of lyophilization as a downstream operation. In this direction, the present review deals with the most recent technologies, based on spray freeze-drying, that can achieve this objective. It provides a comprehensive overview of the physics behind this process and of the most recent equipment design.

A compact heat integrated reactor system (CHIRS) of a steam reformer, a water gas shift reactor, and a combustor were designed for stationary hydrogen production from ethanol. Different reactor integration concepts were firstly studied using Aspen Plus. The sequential steam reformer and shift reactor (SRSR) was considered as a conventional system. The efficiency of the SRSR could be improved by more than 12% by splitting water addition to the shift reactor (SRSR-WS). Two compact heat integrated reactor systems (CHIRS) were proposed and simulated by using COMSOL Multiphysics software. Although the overall efficiency of the CHIRS was quite a bit lower than the SRSR-WS, the compact systems were properly designed for portable use. CHIRS (I) design, combining the reactors in a radial direction, was large in reactor volume and provided poor temperature control. As a result, the ethanol steam reforming and water gas shift reactions were suppressed, leading to lower hydrogen selectivity. On th... [more]

The objective of this study was to encapsulate iron and chromium into novel nanoparticles formulated using chitosan (CS), dextran sulfate (DS) and whey protein isolate (WPI) for oral drug delivery. Empty and loaded CS-DS nanoparticles were prepared via complex coacervation whilst whey protein nanocarriers were produced by a modified thermal processing method using chitosan. The physiochemical properties of the particles were characterized to determine the effects of formulation variables, including biopolymer ratio on particle size and zeta potential. Permeability studies were also undertaken on the most stable whey protein−iron nanoparticles by measuring Caco-2 ferritin formation. A particle size analysis revealed that the majority of samples were sub-micron sized, ranging from 420−2400 nm for CS-DS particles and 220−1000 nm for WPI-CS samples. As expected, a higher chitosan concentration conferred a 17% more positive zeta potential on chromium-entrapped WPI nanoparticles, whilst a hi... [more]

Unfavorable prognoses and low survival rates are specific features of metastatic melanoma that justify the concern for the development of new therapeutic strategies. Lately, nanotechnology has become an attractive field of study due to recent advances in nanomedicine. Using a chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) implanted with xenografts harvested from C57BL/6 mice with B16F10 melanoma cells, we studied the effects of iron oxide nanoparticles functionalized with salicylic acid (SaMNPs) as a form of therapy on the local development of xenotransplants and CAM vessels. The SaMNPs induced an anti-angiogenic effect on the CAM vessels, which accumulated preferentially in the melanoma cells and induced apoptosis and extensive xenograft necrosis. As a result, this slowed the increase in the xenograft volume and reduced the melanoma cells’ ability to metastasize locally and distally. Further, we demonstrate the use of the chick CAM model as a tool for testing the action of newly synthesized nan... [more]

This article presents a literature review on reverse logistics (RL) supplier selection in terms of criteria and methods. A systematic view of past work published between 2008 and 2020 on Web of Science (WOS) databases is provided by reviewing, categorizing, and analyzing relevant papers. Based on the analyses of 41 articles, we propose a three-stage typology of decision-making frameworks to understanding RL supplier selection, including (a) establishment of the selection criteria; (b) calculation of the relative weights and ranking of the selection criteria; (c) ranking of alternatives (suppliers). The main discoveries of this review are as follows. (1) Attention to the field of RL supplier selection is increasing, as evidenced by the increasing number of papers in the field. With the adaption of circular economy legislation and the need resource and business resilience, it is expected that RL and RL supplier selection will be a hot topic in the near future. (2) A large number of paper... [more]