The intermittent injection of power and the nature of power electronic devices used for photovoltaic (PV) systems can affect the power quality (PQ) of the grid to which they are connected. This study proposes to quantify and evaluate the impact of PV injection on the PQ of a low-voltage (LV) network by applying a statistical analysis through hypothesis testing for the mean comparison of populations of parameters with and without a PV system. The effects of PV power injection and load demand at the point of common coupling on PQ are monitored. The methodology includes the selection and monitoring of PQ, the use of a matrix for classification of data with similar load and PV power injection conditions, and the application of the Wilcoxon rank sum test. This methodology was applied to evaluate the impact of a 9.8 kWp PV system on the PQ of an LV network. Full article

The thermal and catalytic conversion processes of alternative feedstocks (e.g., waste and biomass) to different engine fuels can result in the formation of a significant amount of light hydrocarbons as by-products in the boiling range of gasoline. The properties of these C₅/C₆ hydrocarbons need to be improved due to many reasons, e.g., their benzene content, and/or poor oxidation stability (high olefin content) and low octane number (<60). The aim of the research work was to increase the octane number of benzene containing C₅/C₆ bioparaffin fractions by catalytic isomerization. These by-products were obtained from special hydrocracking of waste cooking oil to hydrocarbons in the boiling range of aviation turbine fuels (JET fuels)/diesel fuels. Experiments were carried out in a reactor system containing down-flow tubular reactors over Pt/Al₂O₃/Cl and Pt/H-Mordenite/Al₂O₃ catalysts at 115–145 °C and 230–270 °C, respectively. Based on the results obtained at different process parameter combinations, it was concluded that the hydrogenation of benzene was complete over both catalysts, and the liquid yields were higher (ca. 98% > ca. 93 %) in the case of Pt/Al₂O₃/Cl. In addition, the octane number was also enhanced (ca. 32 > ca. 27 unit) in the products compared to the feedstock. This was because a higher isoparaffin content can be obtained at a lower operating temperature. Moreover, cracking side reactions take place to a lesser extent. The utilization of these isomerized bio-origin light fractions can contribute to the competitiveness of second-generation biofuels. Full article

Mach number effects on loss and loading are evaluated in both the datum and slotted compressor profiles under a wide range of incidences based on two-dimensional (2D) computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations. First, total pressure loss and loading abilities are compared. Then, three kinds of deficit thickness are defined and evaluated, and a correlation is made between the loading and the momentum deficit thickness at the profile trailing edge. Finally, the nondimensionalized destruction of mean mechanical energy and dissipation function are employed to analyze the loss mechanism. The slotted profile broadens the low loss range towards the positive incidence range. The slotted profile allows a higher diffusion factor (DF) than the datum profile. It is hard to distinguish failure simply based on the DF values, whereas the Zweifel loading coefficient connects well with the low momentum deficit in the profile trailing edge. The peak of the V-shaped distributions in the $\Psi$ - ${\theta }_{def}$ plot could better suggest the design condition and determine the correct operating range despite the occurrence of bulk separation. The slotted profile gains the ability of the boundary layer flow near the suction surface to resist the adverse pressure gradient, hence, a reduced shear thickness and a uniformed downstream flow field is obtained. Full article

Photoresponsive polymers have attracted increasing interest for a variety of applications. Here, we report a family of photoresponsive polypeptoid-based copolymer poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(N-(S-(o-nitrobenzyl)-thioethyl) glycine)-co-poly(N-(2-phenylethyl) glycine) (PEG-b-PNSN-co-PNPE) synthesized by the controlled ring-opening polymerization (ROP) technique. The key feature of the design is to incorporate both o-nitrobenzyl group moiety to offer the photoresponsive property and phenethyl residues to tune the structural and amphiphilic property of the system. We demonstrate that the cleavage degree of the o-nitrobenzyl group can reach to 100% upon UV-irradiation. With delicate design, a photoresponsive vesicle-to-sphere transition has been observed that facilitates the release of the encapsulants. This work provides a facile approach to prepare a type of photoresponsive polymers with tunable properties for drug delivery. Full article

This article describes a hybrid topology of high-voltage direct current (HVDC) for offshore wind farms using a series connection of a voltage source converter (VSC) and six-pulse diode rectifier (6P-DR). In this topology, the offshore side VSC (OF-VSC) acts as a grid-forming converter to maintain the PCC (point of common coupling) voltage of offshore wind farms (WF) and frequency. In addition, the OF-VSC functions as an active power filter to suppress the 5th, 7th, 11th, and 13th order harmonic current components produced by the 6P-DR, making it almost sinusoidal. Due to the 6P-DR being used in the hybrid converter, this new configuration reduces the total cost of the converters and losses, while preserving the power flow to the onshore gird. Compared to the fully-rated converter and hybrid converter based on a 12-pulse diode rectifier, the power loss and cost are reduced, and in addition, the proposed hybrid converter does not require a phase shift transformer nor a high number of diodes. A 200 MW in an HVDC transmission system using the hybrid configuration was simulated in PSCAD. The results show that the system operated correctly and the harmonic components were filtered. Full article

The Centers for Disease Control declared e-cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury (EVALI) a national outbreak due to the high incidence of emergency department admissions and deaths. We have identified chemical constituents in e-cig counterfeit cartridges and compared these to medical-grade and CBD containing cartridges. Apart from vitamin E acetate (VEA) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), other potential toxicants were identified including solvent-derived hydrocarbons, silicon conjugated compounds, various terpenes, pesticides/plasticizers/polycaprolactones, and metals. This study provides additional insights into the chemicals associated with EVALI cartridges and thus may contribute to the underlying disease mechanism of acute lung injury. Full article

Although numerous studies have been conducted on ginger extracts and fractions, the data on the pharmacological activity of single constituents of Zingiber officinale are still insufficient. To assess the antidementia properties of the plant, a thin layer chromatography (TLC)-based bioautography acetylcholinesterase inhibitory assay was performed on the Zingiber officinale diethyl ether extract. It led to the recognition of three active inhibitors among volatile constituents of the plant: ar-curcumene (A), α-sesquiphellandrene (B) and a-zingiberene (C). The identification of the components was possible thanks to the application of a TLC–HPLC-MS interface analysis of active zones and the GC-MS qualitative analysis of the tested samples. Based on the obtained results, the influence of several extraction techniques (hydrodistillation—HD, pressurized liquid extraction or accelerated solvent extraction—ASE, shaking maceration–SM, supercritical fluid extraction–SFE, and ultrasound-assisted extraction—UAE) on the recovery of the active metabolites from plant material was assessed to deliver enriched extracts. As a result, HD and SFE, were found to be the most efficient methods to recover the volatile components and the concentrations of A, B, and C reached 0.51 ± 0.025, 0.77 ± 0.045, and 1.67 ± 0.11 percent, respectively. Only HD and SFE were found to recover monoterpene hydrocarbons from the plant matrix. The remaining techniques provided extracts rich in more complex constituents, like sesquiterpenes. Full article

Bacterial cellulose as polysaccharide possessing outstanding chemical purity and a unique structure compared with wood cellulose, attracts great attention as a hydrocolloid system. It was shown, that at intense mechanical action on a neat bacterial cellulose film in presence of water, the gel-like dispersions are obtained. They retain stability in time (at least, up to several months) and temperature (at least, up to 60 °C) without macro-phase separation on aqueous and cellulose phases. The main indicator of the stability is constant viscosity values in time, as well as fulfilling the Arrhenius dependence for temperature dependence of viscosity. Flow curves of diluted dispersions (BC content less than 1.23%) show strong non-Newtonian behavior over the entire range of shear rates. It is similar with dispersions of micro- and nanocrystalline cellulose, but the absolute viscosity value is much higher in the case of BC due to more long fibrils forming more dense entanglements network than in other cases. Measuring the viscosity in increase and decrease shear rate modes indicate an existence of hysteresis loop, i.e., thixotropic behavior with time lag for recovering the structural network. MCC and NCC dispersions even at cellulose content more than 5% do not demonstrate such behavior. According to oscillatory measurements, viscoelastic behavior of dispersions corresponds to gel-like systems with almost total independence of moduli on frequency and essentially higher values of the storage modulus compared with the loss modulus. Full article

Novel nanotechnologies represent the most attractive and innovative tools to date exploited by cosmetic companies to improve the effectiveness of their formulations. In this context, nanoliposomes have had a great impact in topical preparations and dermocosmetics, allowing the transcutaneous penetration and absorption of several active ingredients and improving the stability of sensitive molecules. Despite the recent boom of this class of delivery systems, their industrial production is still limited by the lack of easily scalable production techniques. In this work, nanoliposomes for the topical administration of vitamin D3, K2, E, and curcumin, molecules with high antioxidant and skin curative properties but unstable and poorly absorbable, were produced through a novel simil-microfluidic technique. The developed high-yield semi continuous method is proposed as an alternative to face the problems linked with low productive conventional methods in order to produce antioxidant formulations with improved features. The novel technique has allowed to obtain a massive production of stable antioxidant vesicles of an 84–145 nm size range, negatively charged, and characterized by high loads and encapsulation efficiencies. The obtained products as well as the developed high-performance technology make the achieved formulations very interesting for potential topical applications in the cosmetics/cosmeceutical field. Full article

The Toe-to-Heel Air Injection (THAI) combined with catalytic upgrading process in situ (CAPRI) has demonstrated it can simultaneously extract and upgrade heavy oil in situ. This paper reports the investigation of augmenting temperature deficit and suppressing coke formation in the CAPRI section through the incorporation of induction heating and H-donor solvents. An induction-heated catalytic reactor was designed and developed, heated with steel balls in a mixed bed of NiMo/Al₂O₃ catalyst (66% v/v) to 425 °C temperature, 15 bar pressure and 0.75 h⁻¹ LHSV (Liquid Hourly Space Velocity). The catalyst surface area, pore volume and pore size distribution were determined by using nitrogen adsorption–desorption, while the location of coke deposits within the microstructure of the pelleted spent catalyst was analyzed with X-ray nano-Computed Tomography (X-ray nano-CT). Findings showed that induction heating improved the catalyst performance, resulting in a 2.2° American Petroleum Institute (API) gravity increase of the upgraded oil over that achieved with the conventional heating method. The increment in API gravity and viscosity reduction in the upgraded oils with nitrogen gas only, N₂ and H-donor solvents, and hydrogen gas environments can be summarized as follows: decalin > H₂ gas >= tetralin > N₂ gas. Meanwhile, the improvement in naphtha fraction, middle distillate fractions and suppression of coke formation are as follows: decalin > H₂ gas > tetralin > N₂ gas. The X-ray nano-CT of the spent catalyst revealed that the pellet suffers deactivation due to coke deposit at the external surface and pore-mouth blockage, signifying underutilization of the catalyst interior surface area. Full article

Existing methods employed for combining temporal and spatial evidence derived from multiple sources into a single coherent description of objects and their environments lack versatility in various applications such as multi-sensor target recognition. This is addressed in the present study by proposing an adaptive evidence fusion method based on the power pignistic probability distance. This method classifies evidence sets into non-conflicting and conflicting evidence sets based on the maximum power pignistic probability distance obtained between evidence pairs in the evidence set. Non-conflicting evidence sets are fused using Dempster’s rule, while conflicting evidence sets are fused using a weighted average combination method based on the power pignistic probability distance. The superior evidence fusion performance of the proposed method is demonstrated by comparisons with the performances of seven other fusion methods based on numerical examples with four different evidence conflict scenarios. The results show that the method proposed in this paper not only can properly fuse different types of evidence, but also provides an excellent focus on the components of evidence sets with high confidence, which is conducive to timely and accurate decisions. Full article

Many low-luminosity active galactic nuclei (AGNs) contain a compact radio core which can be observed with high angular resolution using very long baseline interferometry (VLBI). Combining arcsec-scale structural information with milliarcsec-resolution VLBI imaging is a useful way to characterise the objects and to find compact cores on parsec scales. VLBI imaging could also be employed to look for dual AGNs when the sources show kpc-scale double symmetric structure with flat or inverted radio spectra. We observed five such sources at redshifts $0.36<z<0.58$ taken from an optically selected sample of Type 2 quasars with the European VLBI Network (EVN) at 1.7 and 5 GHz. Out of the five sources, only one (SDSS J1026–0042) shows a confidently detected compact VLBI core at both frequencies. The other four sources are marginally detected at 1.7 GHz only, indicating resolved-out radio structure and steep spectra. Using first-epoch data from the ongoing Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array Sky Survey, we confirm that indeed all four of these sources have steep radio spectra on arcsec scale, contrary to the inverted spectra reported earlier in the literature. However, the VLBI-detected source, SDSS J1026−0042, has a flat integrated spectrum. Radio AGNs that show kpc-scale symmetric structures with truly flat or inverted spectra could still be promising candidates of dual AGNs, to be targeted with VLBI observations in the future. Full article

Process optimization and quality control are important issues in cold spraying and coating development. Because the cold spray processing is based on high kinetic energy by high particle velocities, online spray monitoring of particle inflight properties can be used as an assisting process tool. Particle velocities, their positions in the spray jet, and particle size measurements give valuable information about spraying conditions. This, in turn, improves reproducibility and reliability of coating production. This study focuses on cold spraying of Al6061 material and the connections between particle inflight properties and coating characteristics such as structures and mechanical properties. Furthermore, novel 2D velocity scan maps done with the HW CS2 online spray monitoring system are presented as an advantageous powder and spray condition controlling tool. Cold spray processing conditions were similar using different process parameters, confirmed with the online spray monitoring prior to coating production. Higher particle velocities led to higher particle deformation and thus, higher coating quality, denser structures, and improved adhesions. Also, deposition efficiency increased significantly by using higher particle velocities. Full article

Consumers are increasingly interested in decreasing their dietary intake of animal-based food products, due to health, sustainability, and ethical concerns. For this reason, the food industry is creating new products from plant-based ingredients that simulate many of the physicochemical and sensory attributes associated with animal-derived foods, including milk, eggs, and meat. An understanding of how the ingredient type, amount, and organization influence the desirable physicochemical, sensory, and nutritional attributes of these plant-based foods is required to achieve this goal. A potential problem with plant-based diets is that they lack key micronutrients, such as vitamin B₁₂, vitamin D, calcium, and ω-3 fatty acids. The aim of this review is to present the science behind the creation of next-generation nutritionally fortified plant-based milk substitutes. These milk-like products may be formed by mechanically breaking down certain plant materials (including nuts, seeds, and legumes) to produce a dispersion of oil bodies and other colloidal matter in water, or by forming oil-in-water emulsions by homogenizing plant-based oils and emulsifiers with water. A brief overview of the formulation and fabrication of plant-based milks is given. The relationship between the optical properties, rheology, and stability of plant-based milks and their composition and structure is then covered. Approaches to fortify these products with micronutrients that may be missing from a plant-based diet are also highlighted. In conclusion, this article highlights how the knowledge of structural design principles can be used to facilitate the creation of higher quality and more sustainable plant-based food products. Full article

A very significant number of marine accidents occur because of human errors. This study aimed to prevent ship collisions by identifying types of navigators’ errors. Based on Reason’s classification theory, the possible human errors are classified into skill-based slips (SBSs) (errors caused by the lack of skills), rule-based mistakes (RBMs) (errors caused by the misapplication of rules), and knowledge-based mistakes (KBMs) (errors caused by the lack of navigator’s knowledge). For this study, a scenario-based experiment using a ship-handling simulator was conducted with 50 recruited student navigators. The results revealed two primary human errors of accidents, namely lack of knowledge and misapplication of rules. The results suggest that a collision can be minimized when a navigator has sufficient knowledge of an appropriate course of action and a deep understanding of safety rules. Accidents cannot be prevented by identifying errors, but steps can be taken to narrow the knowledge gap. Based on the results, we proposed a simulation training on navigator error in an unfamiliar situation. The results are expected to reduce errors in the maritime sector using a human-centric work system. Full article

Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is a highly versatile and globally popular culinary herb, and a rich source of aromatic and bioactive compounds. Particularly for leafy vegetables, nutrient management allows a more efficient and sustainable improvement of crop yield and quality. In this work, we investigated the effects of balanced modulation of the concentration of two antagonist anions (nitrate and chlorine) in basil. Specifically, we evaluated the changes in yield and leaf metabolic profiles in response to four different NO₃⁻:Cl⁻ ratios in two consecutive harvests, using a full factorial design. Our work indicated that the variation of the nitrate-chloride ratio exerts a large effect on both metabolomic profile and yield in basil, which cannot be fully explained only by an anion-anion antagonist outcome. The metabolomic reprogramming involved different biochemical classes of compounds, with distinctive traits as a function of the different nutrient ratios. Such changes involved not only a response to nutrients availability, but also to redox imbalance and oxidative stress. A network of signaling compounds, including NO and phytohormones, underlined the modeling of metabolomic signatures. Our work highlighted the potential and the magnitude of the effect of nutrient solution management in basil and provided an advancement towards understanding the metabolic response to anion antagonism in plants. Full article