In order to address the challenges associated with free lipase in organic solvents, including aggregation, poor stability, and low catalytic efficiency, this study developed two types of poly(o-phenylenediamine) microspheres (solid and hollow) as supports for immobilizing lipase. The immobilization process utilized an adsorption method, with the poly(o-phenylenediamine) hollow microspheres being identified as the optimal support in a 2:5 enzyme-to-support ratio. On this basis, the lipase was immobilized by the covalent binding method. The immobilization conditions consisted of treating the support with 2% glutaraldehyde and immobilization at 40 °C for 2 h in pH 7.0 buffer. The specific activity of the immobilized enzyme was 5.3 times higher than that of the free enzyme. Covalent-binding immobilized lipase was also used for the preparation of citronellyl acetate by transesterification reaction, and, in optimized reaction conditions where the amount of immobilized enzyme was 0.1 g/mL, th... [more]

Path planning and tracking control are essential parts of autonomous vehicle research. Regarding path planning, the Rapid Exploration Random Tree Star (RRT*) algorithm has attracted much attention due to its completeness. However, the algorithm still suffers from slow convergence and high randomness. Regarding path tracking, the Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) algorithm is widely used in various control applications due to its efficient stability and ease of implementation. However, the relatively empirical selection of its weight matrix can affect the control effect. This study suggests a path planning and tracking control framework for autonomous vehicles based on an upgraded RRT* and Particle Swarm Optimization Linear Quadratic Regulator (PSO-LQR) to address the abovementioned issues. Firstly, according to the driving characteristics of autonomous vehicles, a variable sampling area is used to limit the generation of random sampling points, significantly reducing the number of itera... [more]

Enzymes are complex proteins that carry out biochemical reactions. Apart from being necessary for life, they are used in numerous industrial processes, especially in the textile, pharmaceutical, food and chemical sectors. One of the longest-lived industries regarding the use of enzymes is the food industry. Enzymes have always been used, mainly in their free form, to obtain new products and to improve the organoleptic qualities in different industries, such as in dairy, fruit and vegetables, and beverages. However, today, immobilized enzymes are the focus of attention in the liquid food industry, as they offer numerous advantages, such as stabilization and reuse, which enable cost reduction.

Successful matrix acidizing for extremely thick carbonate reservoirs with long horizontal well sections and strong heterogeneity requires efficient temporary plugging and diverting of acid fluid, ensuring acid fluid distribution to each production layer. Foamed-viscoelastic-surfactant (Foamed-VES) acid combines the benefits of both foam acid and viscoelastic surfactant (VES) acid, integrating foam plugging and viscous plugging. It can achieve uniform acid distribution in highly heterogeneous reservoirs. However, little research has been conducted on the wormhole propagation law of foamed-VES acid. To address this gap, this study established a mathematical model of foamed-VES acid wormhole propagation based on the dual-scale model. The model was coupled with a random porosity distribution generated with geological statistical software. The effects of different factors on foamed-VES acid etching were simulated. Numerical results show that foamed-VES acid can stimulate low-permeability re... [more]

The active frequency drift (AFD) method is an effective method to detect islanding in grid-connected photovoltaic systems. However, it has some inherent drawbacks, such as generating higher harmonics. In order to reduce the harmonics and non-detection zone (NDZ), various improved AFD methods have been proposed, but they still suffer from high harmonics and reduced detection speed. To overcome these limitations, this paper proposes an innovative islanding detection technique based on AFD. Analysis reveals that the proposed method reduces harmonics by 68% compared to conventional AFD and has a larger chopping factor. Therefore, this technique offers several distinct advantages, including accelerated detection speed, reduced NDZ and harm caused by disturbances, and improved power quality. Furthermore, to verify the harmonic impact of this proposed islanding detection method, simulations and analyses are conducted using simulation software of Matlab/Simulink. An experimental prototype is s... [more]

Herein, we report the synthesis of four new hybrid molecules between ketoprofen or 2-(3-benzoylphenyl)propanoic acid and N-containing heterocyclic compounds, such as piperidine, pyrrolidine, 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoline, and 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline. The obtained hybrid compounds were fully characterized using 1H- and 13C-NMR, UV-Vis, and HRMS spectra. Detailed HRMS analysis is provided for all novel hybrid molecules. The compounds were assessed for their in vitro anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity. The lipophilicity of the hybrids was determined, both theoretically (cLogP) and experimentally (RM). The affinity of the compounds to the human serum albumin was assessed in silico by molecular docking study using two software, and the stability of the predicted complexes was evaluated by molecular dynamics study. All novel hybrids have shown very good HPSA activity, statistically close when compared to the reference—quercetin. The molecular docking confirmed the obtained in vi... [more]

Azithromycin (AZ) is an azalide macrolide antibiotic that is frequently employed for treating bacterial skin infections. It suffers from limited oral bioavailability, which results from incomplete absorption or extensive first-pass metabolism. Therefore, preparing azithromycin formulations for topical administration is highly recommended to avoid first-pass metabolism and to boost the concentration of the drug on the skin. The objective of our investigation was to formulate and evaluate the efficacy of AZ-loaded nanoemulgel as an antimicrobial drug. The physical appearance, spreadability, viscosity, particle size, in vitro drug release, ex vivo permeation investigations, and antimicrobial efficiency of the prepared formulations were evaluated. The prepared formulation loaded with AZ exhibited good physical quality. AZ-loaded nanoemulgel had a greater ex vivo drug permeation across rabbit skin than other formulations (AZ-loaded gel and AZ-loaded emulgel), revealing improved drug permeat... [more]

The paper formulates conditions under which the roots closest to the imaginary axis (critical roots) of the characteristic equation of a linearized system are real for the maximum possible degree of stability of the closed-loop control system of a technological process with pure delay. For the parameters of the controllers corresponding to the maximum degree of stability, these roots are multiples. Their multiplicity order is one more than the number of coefficients in the transfer function of the controller. It is demonstrated that for a typical technological control object, these conditions are satisfied for all “serial” control laws. This allowed for obtaining analytical expressions for optimal settings and limiting degrees of stability as functions of object parameters for typical dynamic characteristics of technological processes. The paper considers the problem of robust stability for control systems with an object containing pure delay. It has been proven that in the maximum sta... [more]

Biomass burning is an important source of brown carbon (BrC) which poses high-risk threats to human health and the environment. In this study, bio-coal briquette (coal mixed with biomass), a promising solid fuel for residential combustion, is proven to be a clean fuel which can effectively reduce BrC emission. First of all, an orthogonal experiment with three factors and three levels on the physical property of bio-briquette was carried out to identify the optimal preparation conditions including the ratio of biomass to anthracite, particle size and molding pressure. Then a combustion experiment of the bio-coal briquetted was implemented in a simulated residential combustion system. BrC emission factors (EFs) were calculated based on the detected black carbon (BC) concentration by an aethalometer, and other optical characteristics for organic components of extract samplers, such as mass absorption efficiency (MAE) and absorption angstrom index (AAE), were also explored. Lastly, composi... [more]

Fractured-vuggy reservoirs are a new target in carbonate oil and gas exploration and development. Because of well-developed reservoir bodies, including fractures and caverns, bottom water invasion can be observed in oilfield development, with low utilization efficiency of crude oil in the reservoir. Accordingly, this study focused on the intersection region of the S99 unit of the Tahe fractured-vuggy reservoirs. Based on seismic data, the reservoir bodies can be divided into three types—caverns, fractures, and broken solution pores. Using the same location condition assignment algorithm, four single-type models are fused into a multi-scale discrete three-dimensional geological model of fractured and cavernous reservoirs, and the corresponding fractured-vuggy reservoir model was established for numerical simulation. The single-well historical fitting precision exceeded 85%. Furthermore, the development can be divided into four stages—initial stage of production, peak production stage, l... [more]

To address the growing problem of pollution and global warming, it is necessary to steer the development of innovative technologies towards systems with minimal carbon dioxide production. Thermal storage plays a crucial role in solar systems as it bridges the gap between resource availability and energy demand, thereby enhancing the economic viability of the system and ensuring energy continuity during periods of usage. Thermal energy storage methods consist of sensible heat storage, which involves storing energy using temperature differences; latent heat storage, which utilizes the latent heat of phase change materials; and thermochemical heat storage, which utilizes reversible chemical reactions through thermochemical materials. The objective of this review paper is to explore significant research contributions that focus on practical applications and scientific aspects of thermal energy storage materials and procedures. For each type of storage, different materials have been examine... [more]

Pressure control while minimizing the mass loss of liquid hydrogen is one of the key technologies required for the long-term storage of cryogenic propellants in microgravity in space, and the use of a thermodynamic venting system (TVS) has been considered as an effective means to solve this problem. In order to investigate the characteristics of pressure control by TVS technology, a cryogenic test platform for liquid hydrogen that integrated active and passive TVS was set up, a spray-bar exchanger and vapor-cooling screen were used to eliminate thermal stratification and realize the reuse of cold energy. Ten pressure-control tests using passive TVS (PTVS), mixing and active TVS (ATVS) strategies with heating powers of 0 W, 40 W and 80 W, were carried out. The single cycle time under different strategies, the effect of heating power on single cycle time, and the comparison of volume of the venting GH2 in different tests were analyzed in detail, the research showed that TVS technology co... [more]

Rural power grids are essential for rural development, impacting the lives of farmers, the agricultural economy, and the overall efficiency of agricultural production. To ensure the reliable operation of these grids, finding ways to provide high-quality power is imperative. In recent years, the penetration rate of distributed photovoltaic (PV) in the distribution network has been increasing. When the output of PV and load are not matched, the voltage fluctuation of the network affects the safe and stable operation of the distribution network. In this study, we propose that the stable operation of rural power grids can be achieved by employing a photovoltaic-electric spring (PV-ES) device. A state space model of PV-ES is established and a single PV-ES voltage control method, based on a PI controller, is proposed, taking a rural user household with a monthly power consumption of about 120 access to distributed power supply as an example. We analyzed the device’s effectiveness in addressi... [more]

It is essential to use highly antigenic epitope areas, since the development of peptide vaccines heavily relies on the precise design of epitope regions that can elicit a strong immune response. Choosing epitope regions experimentally for the production of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine can be time-consuming, costly, and labor-intensive. Scientists have created in silico prediction techniques based on machine learning to find these regions, to cut down the number of candidate epitopes that might be tested in experiments, and, as a result, to lessen the time-consuming process of their mapping. However, the tools and approaches involved continue to have low accuracy. In this work, we propose a hybrid deep learning model based on a convolutional neural network (CNN) and long short-term memory (LSTM) for the classification of peptides into epitopes or non-epitopes. Numerous transfer learning strategies were utilized, and the fine-tuned method gave the best result, with an AUC of 0.979, an f1 score... [more]

Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe.) starch is a waste product generated during the extraction of bioactive compounds from ginger. This study aimed to treat ginger starch with different freeze−thaw cycles and explore the effect on the functional components, physicochemical properties, and structural properties of ginger starch. The results of the study showed that as the number of freeze−thaw cycles increased, the content of resistant starch, amylose, total starch, and recrystallization in ginger starch increased significantly (p < 0.05). Freeze-dried ginger starch exhibited a C-type crystal structure in the X-ray diffraction pattern. The Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy results also showed that the value of A1047/1022 increased, indicating that the freeze−thaw cycle would increase the degree of starch recrystallization. In terms of physical and chemical properties, compared with gelatinized starch, freeze−thawed starch had low swelling power, high solubility, low peak viscos... [more]

A dynamic reconfiguration method based on the improved multi-objective dung beetle optimizer (IMODBO) is proposed to reduce the operating cost of the distribution network with distributed generation (DG) and ensure the quality of the power supply, while also minimizing the number of switch operations during dynamic reconfiguration. First, a multi-objective model of distribution network dynamic reconfiguration with the optimization goal of minimizing active power loss and voltage deviation is established. Secondly, the K-means++ clustering algorithm is used to divide the daily load of the distribution network into periods. Finally, using the IMODBO algorithm, the distribution network is reconstructed into a single period. The IMODBO algorithm uses the chaotic tent map to initialize the population, which increases the ergodicity of the initial population and solves the problem of insufficient search space. The algorithm introduces an adaptive weight factor to solve the problem of the alg... [more]

By addressing the flexible job shop scheduling problem (FJSP), this paper proposes a new type of algorithm for the FJSP. We named it the hybrid coronavirus population immunity optimization algorithm. Based on the characteristics of the problem, firstly, this paper redefined the discretized two-stage individual encoding and decoding scheme. Secondly, in order to realize the multi-scale search of the solution space, a multi-population update mechanism is designed, and a collaborative learning method is proposed to ensure the diversity of the population. Then, an adaptive mutation operation is introduced to enrich the diversity of the population, relying on the adaptive adjustment of the mutation operator to balance global search and local search capabilities. In order to realize a directional and efficient neighborhood search, this algorithm proposed a knowledge-driven variable neighborhood search strategy. Finally, the algorithm’s performance comparison experiment is carried out. The mi... [more]

The Renovation Wave for Europe initiative aspires to materialize the progressive greening of 85−95% of the continental older building stock as part of the European Green Deal objectives to reduce emissions and energy use. To realistically predict the energy performance even for a single apartment building is a difficult problem. This is because an apartment unit is inherently a customized construction which is subject to year-round occupant use. We use a standardized energy consumption response approach to accelerate the setting-up of the problem in pertinent energy engineering terms. Nationally instituted Energy Performance Certification databases provide validated energy consumption information by taking into account an apartment unit’s specific shell characteristics along with its installed electromechanical system configuration. Such a pre-engineered framework facilitates the effect evaluation of any proposed modifications on the energy performance of a building. Treating a vast bu... [more]

In order to improve the combined exploitation efficiency of horizontal and vertical wells, and given the fact that the complex and varied spatial structure of sand bodies in the Fuyu oil layer in the Qian’an area of Songliao Basin leads to significant differences in production characteristics of horizontal wells, the sand body types and internal spatial structure are finely dissected according to the theory of configuration analysis, and the internal spatial structure is divided into three configuration styles: spatial clipping type, overlapping type, and separation type. Then, by comparing the productivity characteristics of horizontal wells with different configurations of sand bodies, combined with the analysis of fluid flow law under horizontal well volume fracturing, a main fracture−fracture network−matrix coupled fluid flow model in a tight reservoir based on composite sand body configuration is established. Combined with the actual volume fracturing the horizontal well area, the... [more]

Energy intensity is an important assessment indicator of energy consumption. Unfortunately, the traditional energy intensity model (TEIM) has obvious limitations when applied to quasi- continuous production process, especially for small time scales (STS). Therefore, a novel energy intensity model (NEIM) has been established in this study. The NEIM includes three main stages. Firstly, the statistical period and time scale have been determined. Secondly, the concept of workpiece valid weight has been proposed for a given time scale. Then the specific calculation method has also been established. Thirdly, a NEIM has been suggested according to the definition of energy intensity. The application results for a reheating furnace show that the NEIM’s effectiveness has been verified via comparison with the TEIM for large time scale (LTS) and critical time scale (CTS), whereas the NEIM still has validity at STS. Additionally, calculation results for the NEIM reflect more trend information at LT... [more]

Accurately predicting the surface finish of fused deposition modeling (FDM) parts is an important task for the engineering application of FDM technology. So far, many prediction models have been proposed by establishing a mapping relationship between printing parameters and surface roughness. Each model can work well in its specific context; however, existing prediction models cannot meet the requirements of multi-factor and multi-category prediction of surface finish and cope with imbalanced data. Aiming at these issues, a prediction method based on a combination of the adaptive particle swarm optimization and K-nearest neighbor (APSO-KNN) algorithms is proposed in this paper. Seven input variables, including nozzle diameter, layer thickness, number of perimeters, flow rate, print speed, nozzle temperature, and build orientation, are considered. The printing values of each specimen are determined using an L27 Taguchi experimental design. A total of 27 specimens are printed and experim... [more]

In order to study the effect of freezing and thawing of liquid nitrogen on the mechanical and seepage characteristics of coal rock with different water content values, conventional triaxial loading tests on freeze−thawed coal samples with different water content values were carried out using non-contact digital image processing technology. The research results showed that with the same water content, the peak strength of a liquid nitrogen freeze−thawed coal sample was smaller than that of a non-freeze−thawed coal sample, and the Poisson’s ratio was larger than that of the non-freeze−thawed coal sample; compared with the non-freeze−thawed coal sample, the strain fluctuation and concentration in the stages of compression density, elasticity, yield, and damage were weakened after freeze−thawing by liquid nitrogen, but the local stress concentration was more obvious; the non-freeze−thawed coal sample mainly showed single shear damage, and the damage fissures were inclined fissures with sma... [more]

In the published experimental results, it has been observed that when high-speed steam spurt into the subcooled waterflow, the total pressure along the axial direction at trailing edge of the steam plume shows a pressure-lift. To reveal the mechanism behind this phenomenon, this study utilizes a particle model to investigate the pressure profile of steam jet condensation in subcooled water flow in a narrow pipe. A numerical model based on the Eulerian−Eulerian multiphase model has been developed to accurately simulate the characteristics of pressure profile along the axial direction. The model’s validity is established by comparing the steam plume shape and temperature profiles with the experimental data. By analyzing the total pressure profile of the axis and the contours of gas volume fraction, it is found that there exists a pressure-lift phenomenon at trailing edge of the steam plume. The dynamic pressure of the water also shows a pressure-lift at this position, so it can be inferr... [more]

Algae-based wastewater treatment is a promising technology with various applications for excess biomass such as biofertilizer production or valuable elements extraction. The benefits of the technology have been discussed for larger wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), but the use of microalgae in decentralized wastewater treatment has been barely reported. The current study screens the possible resource recovery potential of onsite technology, which adds algae-based post-treatment to the conventional biological treatment of domestic wastewater. The effluent from the onsite sequencing batch reactor (SBR) of a household was further processed in laboratory conditions using an SBR technology with two local monocultures of algae—Klebsormidium nitens (Kützing) Lokhorst and Tetradesmus obliquus (Turpin) M. J. Wynne. The decant and the generated algal biomass were analyzed in terms of their element content. The post-treated effluent has a slightly better quality for irrigation purposes than th... [more]

This Special Issue entitled “Application of Proteomics and Enzyme Technologies in Foods” explores the latest progress and perspectives on the development and application of enzyme technologies, proteomics, and bioprocessing in the context of food science [...]