For marine vessels, a propeller shaft system, also known as a propulsion shaft system, is an essential changer in engine torque and propeller thrust. The propeller shaft system is subjected to transverse, longitudinal, and torsional excitations during operation. These sources of excitations originate from alternating thrust generated by the propeller, operation of a propeller in a stern flow field which is non-uniform in time and space, misalignment of components such as shafts, bearings, and keyholes in the assembly, excitations in the form of rotational motion, and the whirling motion of the shafts. These dynamic excitations posed a challenging issue for the integrity and reliability of a marine vehicle. Thus, it is crucial to analyze the dynamic response of the propulsion shaft system. The dynamic analysis of the propulsion shaft system is typically conducted using numerical /analytical models. At present, Finite Element Model (FEM) as a numerical model plays a vital role in analyzing the dynamic response of the structure. The computed response and the modal parameters from the FE model are reliable only if accurate boundary conditions, such as stiffness, can be imposed on the model. However, the numerical FE model deviates from the experimental results because of uncertainties in the stiffness values of the bearings and other connectors. This paper uses the Response Surface Optimization (RSO) technique to estimate the unknown stiffness of the bearings used in the propulsion shaft system. The experimental model of the propeller shaft system is constructed from the steady-state response of the system using the step sine excitation. The natural frequencies and the amplitude of vibrations in the FE model are updated using the parametric RSO technique. The updated model shows that the difference in natural frequencies and vibration amplitude is less than 10% between the optimized and experimental models. Propeller Shaft, Vibrations, Optimization, Response Surface

A highly efficient reduction process of Cr (VI) with biochar was conducted in this paper. The results showed that nearly 100% Cr (VI) was reduced at selected reaction conditions: the dosage of biochar at m (C)/m(Cr) = 3.0, reaction temperature of 90 ℃, reaction time at 60 min and concentration of H2SO4 of 20 g/L, respectively. The reduction kinetics analysis demonstrated that the reduction of Cr (VI) fitted well with the pseudo-first-order model and the apparent activation energy was calculated to 40.24 kJ/mol. Response surface methodology confirmed that all the experimental parameters had positive effect on the reduction of Cr (VI). The influence of each parameter on the reduction process followed the order: dosage of biochar> Concentration of H2SO4 > Reaction Temperature > Reaction Time. This paper provided a versatile strategy for treatment of wastewater containing Cr (VI) and showed a bright tomorrow for wastewater treatment.

The present work aims at the comprehensive application of stochastic and optimization tools with the support of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) through a case study in a logistics process for electronic goods; simulation and Response Surface Methodology (RSM) are applied for this purpose. The problem to be evaluated is to define an optimal distribution cost for products shipped to wholesale customers located in different cities in Mexico from a manufacturing plant in Tijuana, Mexico. The factors under study are the product allocation for each distribution center, finished good inventory level and on time deliveries, which are supposed to be significant to get the objective. The methodology applied for this problem considers the design of a discrete event simulation model to represent virtually the real life of logistics process, which is considered a complex system due to different activities are interrelated to carry it out. This model is used to execute the different experiments proposed by the RSM. The results obtained from simulation model were analyzed with the RSM to define the mathematical model that allows identifying the parameters of the factors in order to optimize the process. The findings prove how the ICT facilitate the application of stochastic tools with the purpose of process optimization.

Imperatorin is a chemical compound belong to Linear furan coumarins. Imperatorin is attracting considerable attention because of its anti-tumor, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant and inhibition of myocardial hypetrophy and other pharmacological efficacy. However, imperatorin has limited water solubility and preferable lipid solubility, we decided to design and synthesize imperatorin lipid microsphere, to optimize preparation conditions. The aim was to develop and formulate imperatorin lipid microsphere through nano emulsion technology and apply the response surface-central composite design to optimize the imperatorin lipid microsphere formulation. Influence of content of amount of egg lecithin(A), amount of poloxamer188(B), soybean oil for injection accounted for the total percentage of oil phase(C) were investigated. Integrated effect of dependent variables including particle size(Y₁), polydispersity index(Y₂), Zeta potentials(Y₃), drug loading(Y₄), encapsulation efficiency(Y₅). Data of overall desirabiities were fitted to a second-order polynomial equation, through which three dimensional response surface graphs were described. Optimum experimental conditions were calculated by Design-Expert 8.06. Results indicated that the optimum preparation conditions were as follows: egg lecithin amount 1.39 g, poloxamer188 amount 0.21 g, soybean oil for injection amount 10.57%. Preparation of imperatorin lipid microsphere according to the optimum experimental conditions resulted in an overall desirability of 0.7286, while the particele size (168±0.54) nm, polydispersity index (PDI) (0.138±0.02), Zeta potentials (−43.5±0.5) mV, drug loading (0.833±0.27) mg·mL⁻¹, encapsulation efficiency (90±1.27)%. The difference between observed and predicted values of the overall desirability of the optimum formulation was in range from 2.4% to 4.3%. Subsequently, using the Scanning electron microscopy to observe the micromorphology of imperatorin lipid microsphere, the result shows that round globular of relatively uniform and sizes within 200nm.The proliferation study of imperatorin lipid microsphere on MDA-MB-231 was investigated by MTT method. Furthermore, pharmacokinetics in Sprague Dawley rats were evaluated using orbital bleeding. A sensitive and reliable liquid chromatography with High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) method was established and validated for the quantification of imperatorin in rat plasma samples. The data were calculated by DAS (Drug and statistics) pharmacokinetic software version3.2.6 (China). Results demonstrated that imperatorin lipid microsphere can significantly enhance the bioavailability of imperatorin and can significantly inhibit MDA-MB-231 cell proliferating. In conclusion, our results suggersted that the response surface-central composite design is suitable for the optimized lipid microspere formulation. Imperatorin Lipid microsphere can improve the bioavailability of imperatorin and inhibit the proliferation of MDA-MB-231 than that of imperatorin.

This paper proposes the use of non-uniform extended surfaces installed externally to the tubes of the radiation section of fired heaters, in order to obtain a better heat flux distribution to the coils. To this end, the heat transfer mechanisms present in such equipment were studied through computational fluid dynamics (CFD), using simplified geometries that represent typical sizes of fired heaters. Also, a simplified model for the combustion was considered. Although this model oversimplifies the physics of the problem, it was able to give satisfactory results for the parameters being optimized, considering the main objective of this paper, that is to minimize the non-uniformity of heat flux in the tubes of the radiant section of fired heaters. It was possible to obtain optimized geometric parameters for different types of extended surfaces evaluated, coupling the results of these models with the Particle Swarm optimization method through the use of a response surface technique,. The results indicate a significant improvement in the uniformity of the heat flux distribution to the tubes through the use of the proposed extended surfaces. Thus, this solution reveals to be an interesting alternative to reduce the risks of fluid degradation and coking formation. Future studies must investigate the non-uniformity of the heat flux due to the presence of the flame and consider the interaction between the reactive flow and the participating medium. Nevertheless, this paper presents some results that justify the optimization of such extended surfaces taking into consideration thermal radiation.

Electricity generation from renewable energy sources is emerging as a result of global carbon emission reduction policies. However, most renewable energy sources are non-dispatchable and cannot be adjusted to meet the fluctuating electricity demands of society. A flexible operation process has been proposed as an effective solution to compensate for the unstable nature of renewable energy sources. Thermal load fluctuations during flexible operation may cause creep-fatigue damage to the high-temperature components of thermal power plants, as they are designed with a focus on creep damage under a constant power level. This study investigated the residual life of high-temperature components, such as a superheater tube and a reheater header, to failure under flexible operation conditions using finite element analysis and empirical models. First, we determine an analytical solution for the straightened superheater tube under thermal conditions and compare it with the numerical solution to verify the numerical models. Through the verified finite element model, the creep-fatigue life of the reheater header is estimated by considering flexible operation factors and employing the Coffin-Manson and Larson-Miller models. Although fatigue damage increases with decreasing minimum load and ramp rate, we confirmed that creep damage significantly affects the residual life during flexible operation. In addition, a surrogate model was proposed to evaluate the residual life of the reheater as a function of the flexible operation factors using the machine learning methodology, based on the results of finite element methods. It can be used to predict its residual life without performing complex thermal-structure analysis and relying on empirical models for fatigue and creep life. We expect our findings to contribute to the efficient operation of thermal power plants by optimizing the flexible operation factors.

Boiler efficiency is called to some extent of total thermal energy which can be recovered from the fuel. Boiler efficiency losses are due to four major factors: the dry gas flux, the latent heat of steam in the flue gas, the combustion loss or the loss of unburned fuel, radiation and convection losses. In this research, the thermal behavior of boilers in gas refinery facilities is studied and their efficiency and their losses are calculated. The main part of this research is comprised of analyzing the effect of various parameters on efficiency such as excess air, fuel moisture, air humidity, fuel and air temperature, the temperature of combustion gases, and thermal value of the fuel. Based on the obtained results, it is possible to analyze and make recommendations for optimizing boilers in the gas refinery complex using response-surface method (RSM).

Microencapsulation by atomization can be used to minimize the loss of bioactive compounds, improving the characteristics and applicability of the powdered product. This study evaluates the effect of different encapsulating agents (maltodextrin, gum arabic, and chitosan) and three spray nozzle diameters (1.0, 1.2, and 1.5 mm) on the atomization of guavira (Campomanesia adamantium) pulp with added 6% bocaiuva (Acrocomia aculeata) dehydrated pulp in the green maturation stage. The experiment followed a simplex-centroid mixed design, with carrier agent concentrations and spray nozzle diameters as independent variables and powder yield, solubility, hygroscopicity, and vitamin C content as dependent variables. The results show that gum arabica increased powder yield and vitamin C retention. The addition of maltodextrin resulted in powders with increased solubility and low hygroscopicity. Furthermore, the optimization tool indicated that the best process conditions were achieved with the addition of gum arabic (10.8%) and chitosan (7.2%), resulting in powders with 29.48% yield, 82.96% solubility, 15.90% hygroscopicity and 741.11 mg/100g vitamin C. Furthermore, the 1.0 mm diameter spray nozzle was considered the most suitable for obtaining guavira pulp microparticles with higher ascorbic acid content.

Alginate, a biopolymer promising in food, biomedical, pharmaceutical, and electronic materials industries, is characterized by its biodegradability, biocompatibility, low toxicity, and gel-forming properties. It is most abundantly found in brown algae. However, conventional dilute acid and alkali extraction methods face limitations in commercialization due to their long processing time, low throughput, and high solvent requirements. In this study, a microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) process for sodium alginate was designed to improve extraction efficiency. Solid/liquid ratio, extraction temperature, and extraction solvent concentration were major variables affecting sodium alginate extraction from Undaria pinnatifida(sea mustard). They were then statistically optimized using response surface methodology. Under optimal conditions (13.27 g/L, 91.86 ℃, 2.51 %(w/v), and 15 min), the yield was 38.41 %, which was 93.43 % of the theoretical content of sodium alginate in Undaria pinnatifida. Our work has confirmed the productivity and industrial feasibility of efficient extraction of sodium alginate from marine biomass, and we hope that it will serve as an encouraging case for the application of biopolymers as one of the desirable options for alternative petrochemicals to construct a sustainable society.

The synthesis 2-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol is of great significance because of its widely application in industry, and the development of highly efficient catalyst is necessary to the alkylation of p-cresol and tert-butyl alcohol. Here, an efficient and mild method was established, caprolactam was chosen as hydrogen-bonding acceptor, p-toluenesulfonic acid was employed as hydrogen-bonding donor, and deep eutectic solvent (DES) was prepared to catalyze the alkylation reaction. The structure of the DES catalyst was characterized by 1H NMR spectra, thermogravimetric analysis and fourier transform infrared spectra (FT-IR). In addition, response surface design based on Box-Behnken method was employed to optimize the alkylation reaction process parameters, the study of reaction kinetics was also carried out subsequently. The recycle performance of the catalyst was evaluated by recovery experiments, and a good result was obtained. Comparing with the literature reported, we here provide a mild method to the synthesis of 2-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol.

Using the above results from RMS analysis the optimum values were predicted for the independent significant variables (Figure 3) the optimized levels of these variables in combination with other media variables the maximum production was predicted to be 199.90 U/mL. The predicted data were validated through confirmatory experiments performed in triplicates. A 1.29-fold increase in amylase activity against un-optimized (OVAT) medium was achieved in the present study authenticating the efficacy of RSM in process optimization (Figure 4). 2.6 Model validation and scale-up at laboratory scale (5L) bioreactor Once the parameters were standardized in the shake-flasks culture, the experiment was scaled-up to a laboratory-scale bioreactor (5 L). The yield of amylase increased by 1.01 fold (205.69 U/mL), it could be possible because the enzyme production in a bioreactor is higher than in shake-flasks culture as the various critical variable factors such as the dissolved oxygen (DO) and the pH can be optimally controlled at the desired levels [22].

Microalgal harvesting is one of the most challenging processes in the development of algal research and development. Several methods, such as centrifugation, flocculation, and filtration, are available at the laboratory scale. However, the requirement of expensive pieces of equipment and the possibility of biomass contamination are recurring gaps that hinder the development of microalgae I+D in different parts of the world. Recently, the electroflotation has been proved as a suitable method for the harvesting of different species of microalgae and cyanobacteria. To this day, there are no companies that sell laboratory-scale electroflotation equipment; this is mainly due to the gap in the knowledge on which factors (time, mixing rate, number of electrodes, and others) will affect the efficiency of concentration without reducing the biomass quality. This paper aims to build an innovative low-cost electroflotation system under 300 USD with cheap and resistant materials. To achieve our goal, we test the interaction of three variables (time, mixing rate, and amount of electrodes) were evaluated. Results showed that an efficiency closer to 100% could be achieved under 20 minutes using >10 electrodes and 150 rpm. We hope this innovative approach can be used by different researchers to improve our knowledge of the concentration and harvesting of algae and cyanobacteria.

The process of preparing anti-glare thin films by spray-coating silica sol-gel to soda-lime glass was exclusively and statistically studied in this paper. The effects of sol-gel deliver pressure, air transport pressure, and spray gun displacement speed on the gloss, haze, arithmetic mean surface roughness, and total transmittance light were analyzed. The experimental results indicate that the factors of sol-gel deliver pressure, air transport pressure, and displacement speed exhibit significant effect on the haze, gloss, and Ra. In contrast, the variation of total transmittance light with these three factors are insignificant. Because the anti-glare property is predominantly determined by low gloss and high haze, therefore, we aim to minimize gloss and maximize haze to achieve high anti-glare. Central composite design and response rurface methodology are employed to analyze the main and interaction effects of the three factors through quadratic polynomial equations, which are confirmed by the analysis of variance and R². The response surface methodology predict the lowest gloss and highest haze are 9.2 GU and 57.0%, corresponding to the sol-gel deliver pressure, air-transport pressure, and displacement speed of 250 kPa, 560 kPa, and 140 mm/s, and 340 kPa, 620 kPa, and 20 mm/s, respectively. Comparing the predicted optimal data with the real experimental results validates the applicability of the mathematical model. This study provides an important basis for the subsequent production of anti-glare glass with different specifications to satisfy the market demand.

In the present study, Electrocoagulated Metal Hydroxide Sludge (EMHS) was analyzed as adsorbent material to remove both fluoride ion (F-) and arsenic V (As(V)) from aqueous effluents. This material was generated during an electrocoagulation process using Aluminum anode. It was characterized by using specific surface areas and the surface morphology was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Adsorbent fixed-beds are generally studied to remove different class of contaminants. EMHS was evaluated using a continuous flow rate column test with an experimental design. The effect of initial concentration of F- (2.5–10 mg L⁻¹) and the Empty Bed Contact Time (EBCT (0.4–0.8 min)) was studied following a central composite design methodology. The experimented parameters had a significant influence on saturation time, breakthrough volume, and breakthrough time. A response surface analysis was a tool for analyzing the adsorption study, showing interactions that are complicated to identify by others methods. The results, here reported, revealed that EMHS is an efficient and promising adsorbent material in order to remove F- and As(V) from water contaminated by these pollutants.

The design of curved surface sliders (CSS) based on the elastic response spectrum is done by iteration to find the combination of friction coefficient and displacement capacity which satisfies the condition that the maximum horizontal CSS force is equal to the horizontal force of the structure. Although this CSS design is valid it does not necessarily minimize structural acceleration. This paper therefore describes the optimum CSS design for minimum structural acceleration. All valid CSS designs and the optimum CSS design are represented by their associated trajectory in the elastic response spectrum plane which visualizes the optimization problem. The results demonstrate that the optimum CSS design is not obtained at maximum tolerated effective damping ratio. The subsequent sensitivity analysis describes how much the structural acceleration increases if the actual friction coefficient of the real CSS deviates from its optimum design value. The analysis points out that the increase in structural acceleration is approximately one order of magnitude smaller than the deviation in friction. The sensitivity data may be used by structural engineer to determine tolerable deviations in friction coefficient which still results in acceptable structural accelerations.

This paper presents the results of investigations into the pyrolysis of waste polypropylene in a laboratory fixed-bed batch reactor. The experiments were designed and verified in such a way as to allow the application of the Response Surface Methodology (RSM) in the development of an empirical mathematical model that quantifies the impacts mentioned above. The influence of the mass of the raw material (50, 100 and 150 g), together with the reactor temperature (450, 475 and 500 °C) and the reaction time (45, 50 and 75 min) was examined. It has been shown that the mass of the raw material, i.e. the filling volume of the reactor, has a significant influence on the pyrolysis oil yield. This influence exceeds the influence of reactor temperature and reaction time. This was explained by observing the temperature change inside the reactor at three different spots at the bottom, middle and top of the reactor. Recorded temperature diagrams show that with greater masses of feedstock, local overheating occurs in the middle part of the reactor, which leads to overcracking of vapor products, and from there to an increased formation of non-condensable gases, i.e. reduced yield of pyrolytic oil.

Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using raw Whey has never been reported. Silver nanoparticle formation involves a reduction reaction of silver salt solution with Whey extract. Extract and metal salt concentrations, and temperature can control this reaction. In this work, incubation period, extract, AgNO3, and NaOH concentrations were used as the independent factors using central composite design under response surface methodology. The aim was to elucidate the influence these factors have on the measured UV-Vis absorption spectra fitted with a Voigt function, and to optimize the conditions for nanoparticle formation. The fitting parameters, peak wavelength (λ0), peak area (A), and Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM), were the responses. Silver nanoparticle formation was only possible in an alkaline environment (pH 10). The peak wavelength and the FWHM are influenced mainly by extract and AgNO3 concentrations. In contrast, the peak area is influenced by a total of 33.54 % from the interaction terms of AgNO3 and extract concentrations with NaOH. Metallic AgNPs were formed for the following parameter ranges: a) Whey (0.4 – 1.6 % v/v), b) AgNO3 (0.15 – 0.6 mM), c) NaOH (10 – 50 mM), and d) Time (20 – 60 min). Silver oxide nanoparticles were also observed.

The overall cost of a hydropower plant is mainly due to the expenses for civil works, mechanical equipment (turbine and control units) and electrical components. The goal of a new draft tube design is to obtain a geometry that reduces investment costs, especially the excavation ones, but the primary driver is to increase the overall machine efficiency allowing for reduced payback time. In the present study, an optimization study of the elbow-draft tube assembly of a Kaplan turbine was conducted. A CFD model for the complete turbine has been developed and validated; next, an optimization of the draft tube alone was performed using a Design of Experiments technique; finally, several optimum solutions for the draft tube were obtained using a Response Surface technique aiming at maximizing pressure recovery and minimizing flow losses. A selection of optimized geometries was subsequently post-checked using the validated model of the entire turbine and a detailed flow analysis on the obtained results could make it possible to provide insight into the improved designs. It was observed that efficiency could be improved by 1% (in relative terms), and the mechanical power increased by 1,8% (in relative terms) with respect to the baseline turbine.

In order to improve the yield of the therapeutic agent N-methylsansalvamide (SA), optimization of stationary liquid fermentation conditions was carried out on an endophytic strain, Fusarium sp. R1, at flask level. Using a One-Factor-At-a-Time approach, the fermentation conditions for SA production were determined as follows: fermentation time of 13 d, 24 oC, initial pH of 6.5, seed age of 24 h, inoculum size of 5.0% (v/v), loading volume of 50% (v/v), 20.0 g/L salinity, and sucrose, tryptone, and yeast extract were found to be the best sources of carbon and nitrogen. Using response surface methodology, the optimal medium compositions consist of 22.5 g/L sucrose, 16.5 g/L tryptone, and 0.024 g/L yeast extract. Verification tests suggested that the SA yield under these optimal conditions reached up to 536.77 ± 2.67 mg/L, which was increased by almost ten times the initial yield (54.05 ± 3.45 mg/L). The findings indicate that a high SA production yield can be achieved by static culture of strain R1 under the proper fermentation conditions using a low-cost medium. This study paves the way towards industrial-scale SA production by strain R1 for new drug development.

To study the fermentation process of biocatalyzing decanoic acid to synthesize trans-2-decenoic acid, this study was based on the engineering E.coli constructed in the laboratory in the early stage and studied the effect of seed liquid culture time, culture temperature, inoculum amount, induction temperature, dissolution effects of substrate solvent, metal ions, and substrate loading on the yield of trans-2-decenoic acid. Based on single-factor experimental optimization, the Box–Behnken design was used to conduct response surface testing using the substrate feeding concentration, inducer concentration, and MnCl2 concentration as response variables and trans-2-decenoic acid production as the response value. The optimal fermentation process was determined through experiments: seed culture time 20 h, culture temperature 37°C, inoculation amount 1%, induction temperature 30°C, substrate flow amount 0.15 g/L, inducer concentration 5.60 g/L, MnCl2 concentration was 0.10 mM. Under these conditions, the average production of trans-2-decenoic acid was 1.982 ± 0.110 g/L. Compared with the basic LB medium, the production of trans-2-decenoic acid increased by 1.042 g/L; compared with the previous period, the yield of trans-2-decenoic acid studied increased by 1.501 ± 0.110 g/L, which provides a reliable basis for further research on the fermentation process of biocatalytic decanoic acid synthesis of trans-2-decenoic acid.

We have much to learn from historic buildings. The fact that they are still standing is obvious, but unfortunately often not appreciated. In this paper the results obtained from a series of parametric analyses, where the influence that geometric and mechanical parameters have in the structural response of existing cob walls within an Irish context, are presented. A design of experiments using central composite designs was implemented along with analysis of variance following two computational approaches, namely, finite element method and kinematic limit analysis. As results, a series of response surfaces and parametric equations with which it is possible to compute safety factors and collapse multipliers (within the range of values studied) are provided. Based on the results obtained, it could be concluded that traditional cob walls in Ireland are very robust. Relatively high acceleration values, unlikely to happen in a low seismic hazard region such as Ireland, would be needed to start the collapse mechanisms studied or cause yielding in typical vernacular cob walls. Furthermore, the equations generated with the refined regression models, can be used by practitioners as a first approach to estimate the safety levels of existing cob buildings with similar characteristics.

Acrylamide (AA) present in food is considered a harmful compound for humans, but it exerts impact on microorganisms too. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of AA (at conc. 0-10 µg/mL) on the growth of bacteria (Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-5) and yeasts (Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Kluyveromyces lactis var. lactis), which naturally occur in food products. Moreover, we decided to verify whether these microorganisms could decompose acrylamide. Our results proved that AA can stimulated the growth of L. acidophilus and K. lactis. We have also reported, to the best of our knowledge for the first time, that probiotic strain of bacteria L. acidophilus LA-5 is able to degrade AA by amidase production and hence can utilize AA as a source of carbon and nitrogen if they lack in the environment. The conducted Response Surface Methodology indicated that pH as well as incubation time and temperature significantly influenced the amount of ammonia released from acrylamide by the bacteria. Concluding, our studies suggest that some strains of bacteria present in milk fermented products can exert additional beneficial impact by acrylamide degradation and preventing against its harmful impact on human body and other members of intestinal microbiota.

An ion exchange dialysis (IED) is used in the recovery of aluminium from residue. In this papers, the face-centered central composite design (FC-CCD) of the response surface methodology (RSM) and desirability approach is used for experimental design, modelling and process optimization of a counter flow IED system. The feed concentration, feed flowrate, sweep flowrate and sweep concentration are selected as the process variables, with the Al-transport across a Nafion 117 membrane as the target response. A total of 30 experimental runs were conducted with 6 center points. The response obtained was analysed by analysis of variance (ANOVA) and fitted to a second-order polynomial model using multiple regression analysis. The actual R2 and standard deviation of the model are 0.9548 and 0.2932 respectively. The influences of significant variables are plotted on 3D surface and contour plots. The designed variables were numerically optimized by applying the desirability function to achieve the maximum Al-transport. The optimised condition values were found to be feed concentration (1600 ppm), feed flowrate (61.76%), sweep flowrate (37.50%) and sweep concentration (0.75 N) for the 80% target response at 32hrs. Overall, the model can be used to effectively predict Al-recovery using the designed system

This paper studies the optimization method of pump hydraulic performance based on the response surface method. A parametric model of impeller and diffuser is established. Three-dimensional optimization is carried out on the basis of the initial model obtained by one-dimensional design method. We select the pump hydraulic efficiency and the head as objective function and constraint function. Response surface models are constructed to analyze the relationship between the objectives and the design variables, and the global optimization of hydraulic performance is realized. According to the internal flow characteristics of pump, this paper proposes the strategy of two steps optimization, which aims at meridional plane and blade shape, respectively, to solve the problem of large numbers of design parameters and computational cost. The optimization results show that the hydraulic efficiency of pump increased by 3.7%, and the head is nearly the same.

To facilitate the computation of the uniaxial compressive strength value of the cemented paste backfill under the condition of high sand-cement ratio, and to analyze the size effect of the cemented paste backfill with high sand-cement ratio under varied aspect ratios, the cemented paste backfill specimens with sand-cement ratios of 8:1-24:1 and aspect ratios of 0.5, 1, and 2 were prepared. Through response surface experiments and finite element analysis, the influence of three aspect ratios on the cemented paste backfill strength was explored, and the failure characteristics and size effect mechanisms of cemented paste backfill with various aspect ratios were analyzed. The model of strength conversion between cemented paste backfill with different aspect ratios was established. The results show that the compressive strength of the cemented paste backfill decreases with the increase of the aspect ratio under the same mass concentration and sand-cement ratio. When the aspect ratio is 0.5 and 1, the splitting failure is the main factor; when the aspect ratio is 2, the shearing failure is the main factor. The three-dimensional stress caused by the end effect of the cemented paste backfill is the main reason for the high strength when the aspect ratio is 0.5. Due to the one-dimensional stress zone generated in the middle of the cemented paste backfill with an aspect ratio of 2 in the laboratory, its strength value is closer to the actual uniaxial compressive strength value of the cemented paste backfill. The strength values of the cemented paste backfill with aspect ratios of 0.5 and 1 were higher than the actual uniaxial compressive strength values in the laboratory. The rationality of the theoretical analysis was verified by the ABAQUS analysis results. According to the experimental results, a strength conversion model between different aspect ratios is established, which can provide a reference for the design of the uniaxial compressive strength of the cemented paste backfill.

Citrus peels are considered as a rich source of valuable biomolecules like pectin as polymer of polysaccharide acid. In this study, response surface methodology was used to optimize pectin extraction from Citrus clementina peels using citric acid as extraction solvent. The effect of parameters conditioning the extraction process and pectin yield (pH, temperature, extraction time, solid/liquid ratio, and raw material particle size) was investigated using a Box-Behnken design. The quality of the extracted pectin was assessed both chemically (moisture, ash, protein, and sugar content) and functionally (gelling power and emulsifying activity). According to the screening experiment, the factors pH, temperature, and particle size were the main factors influencing the pectin yield. The adjusted mathematical model enabled us to plot response surfaces in order to determine optimal extraction conditions. The highest production yield of pectin (26.6%) was obtained at the optimal conditions of: pH = 1.5; temperature 100 °C and particle size = 0.1 mm for an extraction time of 30min. Compared to the predicted value of 26.6%, the experimental extraction yield was about 21.4% of pectin. Concerning the functional properties, the extracted pectin has a high gelling power of 164°SAG and an emulsifying activity of 38.5%.

The present study employed a modifed QuEChERS method to systematically analyze the presence of fifteen Quinolones and seven Tetracyclines antibiotic residues in local animal food. Additionally, a multi-level-four-factor Box-Behnken design (BBD) within the framework of Response surface methodology (RSM) was utilized to evaluate the various factors affecting the detection efficiency of the sample pretreament procedure. The optimization was performed by Design Expert®, the factors including volume of the acetonitrle, the addition of formic acid, the duration of extract and the addition of EDTA were combined to experiment design until reach an optimal solution. Finally, the sample test was conducted by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-linear ion trap mass spectrometry in both multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) and enhanced product ion (EPI) scan modes on a QTRAP® 5500 instrument. The overall average recoveries from actual samples fortified with 22 antibiotics at three levels ranged from 74.7 to 122.6% based on the use of matrix-fortified calibration with the variation ranging from 2.1 to 18.2% (n=6). The limits of detection and quantification were 0.3 μg kg-1 and 1.0 μg kg-1, respectively.

In response to the structural optimization problem of PCB stator coreless disc motors, the orthogonal response surface method was used to optimize the motor structure, determine the basic parameters of the motor preliminarily, and conduct orthogonal experiments on the motor parameters based on the optimization design objectives, The optimization factors were the quantity of magnetic pole of the motor rotor, the ratio of main/auxiliary pole size, the thicknessof the permanent magnet, and the air gap length.The motor torque，the amplitude of magnetic density of the air gap and waveform distortion rateare used as optimization objectives. The motor parameters that make the motor torque reach the maximum, the air gap magnetic density maximum, and the waveform distortion rate minimum. Due to the use of PCB plates instead of motor stator cores in PCB coreless disc motors,The service life of the PCB board during motor operation will be reduced with the temperature rise generated by the stator winding To solve this problem, the response surface analysis of the motor is carried out to reduce the temperature rise of the stator windings during the operation of the motor. PCB board and stator winding are the main factors affecting the temperature rise of the motor.Taking the thickness of the PCB board, the hole diameter on the board, and the uneven width of the stator winding as optimization factors, the motor parameters with the lowest temperature rise of the motor winding are obtained. Simulation analysis is conducted using Ansys/Maxwell software, and the results prove the feasibility of optimization.

In this study, we applied a central composite design to estimate independent variables and establish optimal conditions of filtration rate and feces production that enhance filtration of suspended organic matter by the freshwater mussels Sinanodonta woodiana. The results indicated that statistical design methodology offers an efficient and feasible approach for high filtration and low feces production condition optimization. The proposed model equation takes into account the quantitative effect of variables and also the influence of interactions among variables on mussel filtration rate. Under the optimal experimental conditions (mussel size, 13.0 ± 0.2 cm; water current, 17.5 L/h), the experimental filtration rate of 4.47 ± 1.82 L/mussel/h showed a degree of correspondence with the predicted value of 8.4 L/mussel/h, which verified the practicability of this optimum strategy.

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) is an innovative green technology for the extraction of phytochemicals from plants. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the application of SFE and to optimize the extraction condition of the Thai herbal formula, Kleeb Bua Daeng (KBD). A Box-Behnken design (BBD) with response surface methodology was used to determine the effect of extraction time, temperature, and pressure on response variables including extraction yield, total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), total carotenoid content (TCC) and total anthocyanin content (TAC) of KBD formula. The highest percentage extraction yield, TPC, TFC, and TCC of the extracts were 3.81%, 464.56 mg gallic acid equivalents/g extract, 217.19 mg quercetin equivalents/g extract, and 22.26 mg β-carotene equivalents/g extract, respectively. The results indicated that SFE is a suitable method of extraction for green recovery of some phytochemicals from the KBD formula.

Abstract: Arranged patterns obtained by ultrafast laser processing on the surface of Ti/Cu/Ti/Si and Ti/Zr/Ti/Si thin film systems are reported. Two differently designed multilayer thin films, Ti/Cu/Ti/Si and Ti/Zr/Ti/Si, were deposited on silicon by the ion sputtering method. The bioactive surfaces on these systems involve the formation of laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) in each of the laser-written lines of mesh patterns on 5x5 mm areas. The formation of nano- and micro-patterns with an ultra-thin oxide film on the surfaces was used to observe the effects of morphology and proliferation of the MRC-5 cell culture line. To determine whether Ti-based thin films have a toxic effect on living cells, an MTT assay was performed. The relative cytotoxic effect as a percentage of surviving cells showed that there was no difference in cell number between the Ti-based thin films and the control cells. There was also no difference in the viability of the MRC-5 cells, except for the Ti/Cu/Ti/Si system, where there was a slight 10% decrease in cell viability.

Following legalization, cannabis has quickly become an important horticultural crop in Canada and increasingly so in other parts of the world. However, due to previous legal restrictions on cannabis research there are limited scientific data on the relationship between nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) supply (collectively: NPK) and the crop yield and quality. This study examined the response of a high delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) Cannabis sativa cultivar grown in deep-water culture with different nutrient solution treatments varying in their concentrations (mg L^-1) of N (70, 120, 180, 250, 290), P (20, 40, 60, 80, 100) and K (60, 120, 200, 280, 340) according to a central composite design. Results demonstrated that inflorescence yield responded quadratically to N and P, with the optimal concentrations predicted to be 194 and 59 mg L^-1, respectively. Inflorescence yield did not respond to K in the tested range. These results can provide guidance to cultivators when formulating nutrient solutions for soilless cannabis production and demonstrates the utility of surface response design for efficient multi-nutrient optimization.

The unsteady Ekman problem involves finding the response of the near-surface currents to wind stress forcing under linearized dynamics. Its solution can be conveniently framed in the frequency domain in terms of a quantity that is known as the transfer function, the Fourier transform of the impulse response function. In this paper, a theoretical investigation of a fairly general transfer function form is undertaken with the goal of paving the way for future observational studies. Building on earlier work, we consider in detail the transfer function arising from a linearly-varying profile of the vertical eddy viscosity, subject to a no-slip lower boundary condition at a finite depth. The linearized horizontal momentum equations are shown to transform to a modified Bessel’s equation for the transfer function. Two self-similarities, or rescalings that each effectively eliminate one independent variable, are identified, enabling the dependence of the transfer function on its parameters to be more readily assessed. A systematic investigation of asymptotic behaviors of the transfer function is then undertaken, yielding expressions appropriate for eighteen different regimes, and unifying the results from numerous earlier studies. A solution to a numerical overflow problem that arises in the computation of the transfer function is also found. All numerical code associated with this paper is distributed freely for use by the community.

Avian necrotic enteritis is an enteric disease of broiler chickens caused by certain pathogenic strains of Clostridium perfringens in combination with predisposing factors. A vaccine offering complete protection against the disease has not yet been commercialized. In a previous study, we produced five recombinant proteins predicted to be surface-exposed and unique to necrotic enteritis-causing C. perfringens and the immunogenicity of these potential vaccine candidates was assessed in broiler chickens. In the current work, the relative contribution of the antibodies raised by these putative antigens to protect broiler chickens was evaluated using an experimental necrotic enteritis induction model. Additionally, the link between the immune response elicited and the gut microbiota profiles in immunized birds subjected to infection with virulent C. perfringens was studied. ELISA results showed that the IgY antibody titers in vaccinated birds on days 21 and 33 were significantly higher than those on days 7 and 14 and those in birds receiving the adjuvant alone, while the relative contribution of the specific immunity attributed to these antibodies could not be precisely determined using this experimental NE induction model. Besides, 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing showed that immunization of birds with recombinant proteins had a low impact on the chicken caecal microbiota.

Abstract: Polylactic acid (PLA) is brittle in nature with extensive deformation property. For improvement of the end-use quality, it is of significant importance to enhance the producibility of fused deposition modeling (FDM)-printed objects in PLA. The purpose of this investigation is to boost toughness and to reduce the production cost of the FDM-printed tensile test samples with the desired part thickness. To attain the research purpose number of experiments are designed and analyzed by the Response Surface Method (RSM). The statistical analysis is performed to deal with this concern considering layer thickness, infill percentage, and extruder temperature as controlled factors. The tensile test specimens are printed based on the designed experiments, and the tensile strength tests are conducted by SANTAM 150 universal testing machine based on ASTM D638. The honeycomb internal fill pattern is applied for the production of light-weight and high-strength specimens. The area under Force- Extension curve up to fracture is acquired as the toughness of the printed specimens. This study also developed a modeling process using ANN and ANN-GA techniques for developing an accurate estimation for toughness, part thickness, and production cost as dependant variables. Results were evaluated by correlation coefficient and RMSE values. According to the modeling results, ANN-GA as a hybrid ML technique could successfully improve the accuracy of modeling about 7.5, 11.5 and 4.5 % for toughness, part thickness, and production cost, respectively, in comparison with those for the single ANN method. In the other side, the optimization results confirm that the optimized specimen is cost-effective and able to comparatively undergo deformation, which develops the usability of printed PLA objects. The research is accomplished under the constraints of PLA compatibility with existing fused deposition modeling setup without changing the functional hardware/software of the machine. Although the mechanical properties and dimensional accuracy of PLA have already been studied, there is little literature on the toughness of the printed PLA with honeycomb internal fill pattern.

Geopolymer cement has been popularly studied nowadays compared to ordinary Portland cement because it demonstrated superior environmental advantages due to its lower carbon emissions and waste material utilization. This paper focuses on the formulation of geopolymer cement from nickel-laterite mine waste (NMW) and coal fly ash (CFA) as geopolymer precursors, and sodium hydroxide (SH) and sodium silicate (SS) as alkali activators. Different mix formulations of raw materials are synthesized to produce a geopolymer based from an I-optimal design and obtained different compressive strengths. A mixed formulation of 50% NMW and 50% CFA, SH-to-SS ratio of 0.5, and an activator-to-precursor ratio of 0.429 yielded the highest 28-day unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of 22.10 ± 5.40 MPa. Furthermore, using an optimized formulation of 50.12% NMW, SH-to-SS ratio of 0.516, and an activator-to-precursor ratio of 0.428, a UCS value of 36.30 ± 3.60 MPa was obtained. The result implies that the synthesized geopolymer material can be potentially used for concrete structures and pavers, pedestrian pavers, light traffic pavers, and plain concrete.

Friction stir welding (FSW) is a solid state welding process for joining metallic alloys and dissimilar metals. It has emerged as an alternative technology for welding high strength alloys that are difficult to join with conventional techniques. FSW is used to produce products with better mechanical properties. Now a days aluminum alloys have been widely used in several industrial applications such as aerospace, marine, automobile and commercial applications due to their light weight structure, better mechanical properties and high corrosion resistance.In this work, three welding parameters such as spindle speed, welding speed and plunge depth were considered for friction stir welding. FSW was carried out between dissimilar aluminum alloy plates (AA6061 and AA 8011) to produce butt joint.A Box-Behnken design with three factors and three levels was chosen to minimize the number of experimental conditions .The tensile strength and hardness of the welded regions were evaluated. The optimum level settings and the major parameters that influence the joint strength were obtained by Box-Behnken design.

A novel approach based on response surface methodology (RSM) was developed to predict and apply the best extraction conditions for the isolation of various-type polyphenolic antioxidants from the dried flower buds of Magnolia x soulangeana Soul.-Bod. var. ‘Lennei’ (Magnoliaceae). As a method of choice, ultrasound-assisted extraction was used and the optimized extraction parameters (temperature, time of extraction, the composition of aqueous-ethanolic extractants and solvent to solid ratio) have been determined using a central composite design factorial analysis, followed by appropriate spectrophotometric methods (with Folin–Ciocalteu and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl reagents) to determine the antioxidant and antiradical potential of extracts, respectively. The use of 66.8% (V/V) ethanol, as the extraction solvent during the 55.2 min extraction protocol, and the ratio of extractant volume to herbal substance of 46.8 mL/g gave the highest total yield of bioactive antioxidant phenolics in the extract obtained. For this herbal preparation, qualitative and quantitative analysis was performed using combined chromatographic (LC), spectroscopic (PDA) and tandem mass spectrometric (ESI-QTOF–MS/MS) techniques. A detailed phytochemical profiling, conducted for the first time, documented substantial amounts of polyphenolic antioxidants, especially phenylethanoids and flavonoids in the flower buds of M. soulangeana ‘Lennei’. Their average total content exceeded 30.3 and 36.5 mg/g dry weight, respectively.

Due to the non-degradability of petroleum-based packaging materials, serious environmental pollution and the depletion of non-renewable resources have become pressing issues. In order to actively promote green production and address these concerns, there is an urgent need for new packaging materials to replace traditional plastic products. Starch-based packaging materials, composed of starch, fiber, and plasticizers, offer a degradable and environmentally friendly alternative. Starch alone cannot undergo thermoplastic processing due to its inherent structural characteristics. Therefore, researchers have explored modifications by incorporating plasticizers to create processable thermoplastic starch (TPS). However, there are challenges related to the high crystallinity and poor compatibility between TPS and fibers, resulting in decreased mechanical properties. To address these challenges, a novel approach combining plasticizer optimization and response surface method (RSM) optimization has been proposed to enhance the mechanical properties of starch-based packaging materials. This method leverages the advantages of composite plasticizers and process parameters. The findings demonstrate that the composite plasticizer effectively disrupt the hydrogen bonding and granule morphology of starch, leading to a significant reduction in crystallinity. Based on these findings, the optimal process parameters are determined using the RSM, resulting in a forming temperature of 198 °C, forming time of 5.4 minutes, and AC content of 0.84 grams. Compared with the non-optimized values, the tensile strength increases by 12.2% and the rebound rate increases by 8.1%.

Continuous rigid frame bridges across valleys are often at the risk of rockfalls caused by heavy rainfalls, earthquakes and debris flows in a mountainous country. Hollow thin-walled bridge piers (HTWBP) in valleys are exposed to the threat of the impact of accidental rockfalls. In the current research, ANSYS/LS-DYNA is used to establish a high-precision rockfall-HTWBP model. The rockfall-HTWBP model is verified against a scaled impact test of a previous research. A mesh independence test is also performed to obtained an appropriate mesh size. Based on the rockfall-HTWBP model, the impact force, damage and dynamic response characteristics of HTWBP under the rockfall impact are studied. In addition, a damage assessment criteria is proposed based on the response surface model combined with Central Composite Design method and Box-Behnken Design method. The main conclusions are as follows: 1）The impact force of rockfall has a substantial impulse characteristic, and the duration of the impulse load is approximately 0.01s. 2）The impacted surface of the pier is dominated by the final elliptic damage with the conical and strip damage areas as the symmetry axis. The cross-sectional damage mode is compression failure in the impact area and shear failure at the corner. 3）The maximum displacement occurs in the middle height of the pier. The maximum displacement increases with impact height, impact velocity and rockfall diameter and decreases with the uniaxial compressive strength of the concrete. 4) The initial impact velocity and diameter of the rockfall are the most significant parameters affecting the damage indices. In addition, a damage assessment method with a damage zoning diagram based on the response surface method is established for the fast assessment of the damage level of impacted HTWBP.

Lactoperoxidase (LP), which is a high-value minor whey protein, has recently drawn extensive attention from research scientists and industry due to its multi-function and potential therapeutic applications. In this study, the separation and optimization of two similar-sized proteins, LP and lactoferrin (LF) were investigated using strong cation exchange column chromatography. Optimization was started with central composite design based experiments to characterize the importance of different decision variables. The three variables used in the optimization were flow rate, length of gradient and final salt concentration in the linear elution gradient step. The obtained empiric functional model represented the effect of the significant factors on the yield as the objective function. Afterwards, the calibrated mechanistic model was employed to predict accurate optimal set of variables. The optimal operating points were found and the results were compared with validation experiments. Predictions respecting yield confirmed a very good agreement with experimental results while keeping purity, a product quality characteristic, equal or above to a predefined value.

C-C Chemokine receptor type 5 (CCR5) is expressed on the CD4 T cell surface where CXCR4 and CCR5 expressions are controlled differently during the activation of T cells and with the binding of interleukin type-2 (IL-2). IL-2 can upregulate CCR1 and CCR2 in CD45R01 T cells and increase the T lymphocyte chemotaxis toward CC-chemokines. CD4+ T cells are either apart of the T helper 1 or Th1 lymphocytes that release interferon gamma (IFNγ) and lymphotoxin that provide cellular immunity to internal pathogens and T helper cells type 2 (Th2), which secrete interleukins 4 and 5 (IL-4 and IL-5). IL-4 and IL-5 cause an allergic and humoral immune response to parasites. Th2 lymphocytes use CCR3 chemokine receptors. CCR5 and CXCR3 chemokine receptors are specific for CD4+ Th1 and Th2 lymphocytes. CCR5Δ32 is a 32-base-pair deletion of the CCR5 gene. CCR5 is a co-receptor for the entrance of the human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1). CCR5Δ32 creates a malfunction of the CCR5 protein that can prevent HIV-1 infection. However, the CCR5Δ32 32-base-pair deletion is not prevalent and predominant in many populations worldwide and there also exist more genetic variations of CCR5 known as CCR5-SNPs. An alternative polymorphism was identified based on the CCR5 gene that was identified as a A to G (A/G) point mutation. This point mutation is located at the 59029 locus on the promoter that lowers the expression rate of CCR5. Gurdol et al. found activity at the promoter of CCR5/590029G was 45% lesser than the CCR5/59029A. The genetic variations of CCR5 SNPs also include: 2459G>SNP of CCR5, C101X, CCR5 gene position at -2273, and the A to G SNP mutation found in two South African blacks. Therefore, more studies are needed to find more and varied chemokine polymorphisms that are present in many diverse populations in the world. The aim of this literature review is to describe the immense impact of CCR5 SNP mutations on viral infection susceptibility, on the pathogenesis of chronic conditions, to endorse the increased discovery of more novel CCR5 SNPs, and to show the significant potential of anti-CCR5 therapies to treat multiple diseased conditions.

In this study, the efficiency of an anaerobic treatment system for wastewater from a South African poultry slaughterhouse was evaluated using a lab-scale static granular bed reactor (SGBR). The down-flow SGBR (2 L) was operated continuously for 138 days under mesophilic conditions (35-37 ˚C), at hydraulic retention times (HRTs) ranging from 24 to 96 h and average organic loading rates (OLRs) of 0.78 to 5.74 g COD/L.day. The SGBR achieved an average chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency of 80% and the maximum COD removal achieved was 95%, at an HRT of 24 h and average OLR of 5.74 g COD/L.day. The optimization of the SGBR, with regard to a suitable HRT and OLR, was determined using response surface methodology (RSM). The optimal SGBR performance with regard to the maximum COD removal efficiency was predicted for an OLR of 12.49 g COD/L.day and a HRT of 24 h, resulting in a 95.5% COD removal efficiency. The model R2 of 0.9638 indicated that the model is a good fit and is suitable to predict the COD removal efficiency for the SGBR.

Ferulic acid esters have been suggested as a group of natural chemicals with sunscreen function. The study aimed to utilize an environment-friendly enzymatic method to produce octyl ferulate by esterification of ferulic acid with octanol. The Box-Behnken design with response surface methodology (RSM) was adopted to evaluate the effects of synthesis variables, including reaction temperature (70–90 °C), enzyme amount (1000–2000 PLU) and stir speed (50–150 rpm), on the molar conversion of octyl ferulate. According to the joint test, both the reaction temperature and enzyme amount had great impacts on the molar conversion. RSM-developed second-order polynomial equation further showed great ability on data-fitting. Based on ridge max analysis, the optimum parameters for the biocatalyzed reaction were: 72 h reaction time, 92.2 °C reaction temperature, 1831 PLU enzyme amount and 92.4 rpm stir speed, respectively. Finally, the molar conversion of octyl ferulate under optimum condition was verified to be 93.2 ± 1.5%. In conclusion, high yield of octyl ferulate synthesized by commercial immobilized lipase under elevated temperature conditions has been suggested, which our findings could broaden the utilization of the lipase and provide a biocatalytic approach, instead of the chemical method, for ferulic acid ester synthesis.

This study was designed for the first time to improve phenolic yield and antioxidant activity of ultrasonic-assisted extraction from Acer truncatum leaves (ATL) using response surface methodology, and phenolic composition in ATL extracted under the optimized condition were characterized by UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS. Solvent and extraction time were selected based on preliminary experiments, and a four-factors-three-levels central composite design was conducted to optimize solvent concentration (X₁), material-to-liquid ratio (X₂), ultrasonic temperature (X₃) and power (X₄) for an optimal total phenol yield (Y₁) and DPPH• antioxidant activity (Y₂). The results showed that the optimal combination was ethanol: water (v:v) 66.21%, material-to-liquid ratio 1:15.31 g/mL, ultrasonic temperature 60 °C, power 267.30 W, and time 30 min with three extractions, giving a maximal total phenol yield of 7593.62 mg gallic acid equivalent /100 g d.w. and a maximal DPPH• antioxidant activity of 74241.61 μmol Trolox equivalent/100 g d.w.. Furthermore, 22 phenolics were first identified in ATL extract obtained under the optimized conditions, indicating that gallates, gallotannins, quercetin, myricetin and chlorogenic acid derivatives were the main phenolic composition in ATL. What’s more, a gallotannins pathway existing in ATL from gallic acid to penta-O-galloyl-glucoside was interpreted. All these results provided practical information aiming at full utilization of phenolics in ATL, together with fundamental knowledge for further research.

Ecuador is the world's fifth largest cocoa producer, generating hundreds of annual tons of residues from this fruit. This research aims to value this residual (cocoa pod husk) by using it as raw material to obtain pectin, which is widely used in the food and pharmaceutical industries. For them, the extraction of three different organic acids with GRAS status (and therefore safe for their use), citric, malic and fumaric acids, were studied. In addition, two other factors, temperature (70-90°C) and extraction time (60-90 min), were explored in a central composite design of experiments. Under the conditions of the experiment, it was obtained that the best yields were reached for citric acid, malic acid and fumaric acid and for ~86 min of extraction time. The temperature did not show a significant influence on the yield. The pectins obtained under optimal conditions were characterised, showing their similarity with commercial pectin. However, the equivalent weight and the esterification degree of the pectin obtained with fumaric acid classify it as having a high equivalent weight and a low degree of esterification. It differs significantly from the other two acids, perhaps due to the limited solubility of fumaric acid.

Dietary polyphenols exist in two forms; extractable polyphenols (EPP) or compounds solubilised by aqueous/organic solvents, and non-extractable polyphenols (NEPP) or compounds remain in the corresponding residues after the extraction. At present, most researchers focus on EEP fractions, while NEPP is neglected. Thus, this study aimed to release NEPP from the remaining powder residue of Barhi date palm kernels (BDPK) with acid hydrolysis. The related extraction conditions were determined and optimised using response surface methodology (RSM) for maximisation of NEPP with highest cytotoxic and antioxidant activities. The face-centred central composite design (FCCCD) was used to establish treatments based on three independent variables, namely; extraction temperature, time, and solvent/sample ratio. Under the optimal conditions, the experimental values for DPPH radical-scavenging capacity of NEPP (IC50=57.52µg/mL), and cytotoxicity of NEPP against A549 and HT29 cells were IC50=17.4 µg/mL and 31.4µg/mL, respectively. The experimental values were in agreement with those predicted by RSM models, confirming the suitability of the model employed and the success of RSM for optimisation of the extraction conditions for NEPP from BDPK. These results indicate that NEPP from industrial date fruit waste could be a promising candidate as natural antioxidants with significant antiproliferation effect against A549 and HT29 cancer cells in-vitro.

Brushless Direct Current Motors are significantly improved for using many electrical applications. The design investigation is increased year by year and most of the motor design researchers find out the superior efficiency of the BLDC motor. The traditional motor consumed more electrical power than BLDC motor. The design of BLDC motors that are compact, small, easy to control, save energy and light weight. Due to this fact, the design of BLDC motor should be analyzed to improve the motor characteristics performance. The research focuses on the design of BLDC motor performance using Taguchi Method and Response Surface Methodology (RSM) for Finite Element Method (FEM). Firstly, the Taguchi Method is applied to identify the optimization point of design parameters and consider using the reference model of actual BLDC electric fan motor with a rated power of 26Watts design. Based on the Taguchi Method to create the RSM is used to two-step optimization design performance using in FEM analysis. The performances of motor design proposed approach to provide the effeteness for motor design investigator. In this investigation aims the better structural performances in output power, torque, efficiency and torque ripple. The final design of proposed model achieved an energy efficiency is 10% higher than the reference design of prototype modes, the output power result is 10W higher this reference design. We can reduce the loss of the proposed motor design. Furthermore, the maximum torque can also increase the 0.032Nm of that design. The design simulation results were produced and studied by the FEM analysis of JMAG software. From the evaluation results, the configurations of reference model design are compared with the proposed design by using the three methods of motor design optimization showed the best characteristics for performance of motor investigation design.

We analyzed signal transduction of three constitutively activating mutants (M410T, L469R, and D590Y) and two inactivating mutants (D417N and Y558F) of the eel luteinizing hormone receptor (eel LHR), known to occur in human LHR. The objective of this study was to assess the functional effects of these mutations in signal transduction and cell surface loss of receptor. Mutant receptors were transiently expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-K1) cells. Eel LH-stimulated accumulation of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) was measured by homogeneous time-resolved fluorescence (HTRF) assays. The loss of receptors from the cells surface was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells. The cAMP response in cells expressing the wild type eel LHR was increased in a dose-dependent manner using eel LH ligand stimulation. Compared with the wild type, cells expressing the activating mutants (M410T, L469R, and D590Y), exhibited a 4.0-, 19.1-, and 7.8-fold increase in basal cAMP response without agonist stimulation, respectively. Their maximal responses to agonist stimulation were approximately 65%, 52%, and 98%, respectively, of those of the wild type. The inactivating mutants (D417N and Y558F) did not completely impair signal transduction, and their maximal responses were only 33% and25 % of those of wild type. These data clearly showed that the eel LHR-L469R and D590Y, activating mutants enhanced the rate of the loss of cell surface receptors following treatment with eel LH. Thus, the loss of cell surface receptors in cells expressing mutant eel LHRs was consistent with the eel LH agonist-induced production of cAMP. Our results suggested that the activation of the eel LHR requires appropriate loss of LHR-ligand complexes from the cell surface.

Automated controlling the harvesting systems can significantly increase the efficiency of the agricultural practices and prevent food wastes. Modeling and improvement of the combine harvester can increase the overall performance. Machine learning methods provide the opportunity of advanced modeling for accurate prediction of the highest performance of the machine. In this study, the modeling of combine harvesting id performed using radial basis function (RBF) and the hybrid machine learning method of adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) to predict various variables of the combine harvester for the optimal performance. Response surface methodology (RSM) is also used to optimize the models. The comparative study shows that the ANFIS method outperforms the RBF method.

The study presents a comparative approach between response surface methodology (RSM) and hybridized, genetic algorithm artificial neural network (GA-ANN) in predicting the water absorption, compressive strength, flexural strength split tensile strength and slump for steel fiber reinforced concrete. The effect of process variables such as aspect ratio, water cement ratio and cement content were investigated using the central composite design of response surface methodology. This same experimental design was used in training the hybrid-training approach of artificial neural network. The predicting ability of both methodologies were compared using the root mean sqaured error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), model predictive error (MPE) and absolute average deviation (AAD). The RSM model was found more accurate in prediction compared to hybrid GA-ANN.

Silicone rubber formulations in the form of thin discs have been studied under room ambient conditions for their surface characteristics. The samples were silicone rubber manufactured in laboratory and those industrially manufactured. The measurements were done using an electrometer high resistance meter, applying dc voltage under normal room ambient conditions. The results show that the silicone rubber samples show higher values of surface resistivity when the dc voltage was applied. Silicone rubber samples manufactured in laboratory seem to exhibit erratic behaviour unlike their corresponding silicone rubbers manufactured in industry; this could be due to manufacturing shortcomings in laboratory and the irregularities in the way the silicone rubber adhered to the concentric ring electrodes. The empirical current traversing the surface of the silicone rubbers does not decay exponentially but rather it decays as an exponential power of the energization time.

Social surveys are conducted to determine how annoyed people are in a certain noise situation. The results are typically presented as exposure-response curves showing the percentage of the area population that are highly annoyed as a function of the noise exposure level. It is a well-known fact that the survey results are not only dependent on the accumulated noise exposure, DNL, DENL, or similar, but also on various other factors such as maximum levels, exposure patterns, noise spectra, etc. A re-analysis of previously reported surveys shows that the results are also to a large extent dependent on survey-specific factors like wording of the annoyance questions, how the questionnaires are presented, response scales, methods of scoring highly annoyed, etc. This paper discusses and quantifies the influence of such factors and suggests ways of comparing results from surveys that have been conducted according to different protocols and different analysis methods.

The aerodynamic efficiency of a NACA 0012 AR 4 wing was affected through periodic contours aligned in the flow direction resembling a “wrinkled” texture. Streamwise and cross-stream Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) were conducted at the University of Dayton Low Speed Wind Tunnel (UD-LSWT) around Reynolds number of 135,000 on the NACA 0012 AR 4 wing with and without surface contours. Wings with 6 contour sections was designed by spline fitting two NACA 0012 airfoil profiles in the spanwise direction. Both 2D (wall-to-wall model) configuration and 3D configuration of the wings were tested to determine the effects of surface contours on the parasite and induced drag of the wing. Streamwise PIV results indicated an increase in momentum deficit in the wake of the mid-contour region due to enhanced boundary layer separation from the upper surface of the mid-contour region. The cross-stream PIV results indicated a decrease in the magnitude of azimuthal velocity, circulation and RMS quantities in the wingtip vortex with the surface contours. The reduction in the wingtip vortex properties indicates that the contours were effective in blocking the spanwise flow feeding into the wingtip vortex on the surface of the wing

Hemifacial spasm (HFS) is a rare disorder characterized by involuntary facial muscle contractions. The primary cause is mechanical compression of the facial nerve by nearby structures. Lateral spread response (LSR) is an abnormal muscle response observed during electromyogram (EMG) testing and is associated with HFS. Intraoperative monitoring of LSR is crucial during surgery to confirm successful decompression. Proper anesthesia and electrode positioning are important for accurate LSR monitoring. Stimulation parameters should be carefully adjusted to avoid artifacts. The disappearance of LSR during surgery is associated with short-term outcomes, but its persistence does not necessarily indicate poor long-term outcomes. LSR monitoring has both positive and negative prognostic value, and its predictive ability varies across studies. Early disappearance of LSR can occur before decompression and may indicate better clinical outcomes. Further research is needed to fully understand the implications of LSR monitoring in HFS surgery.

This study provides, to our knowledge, the first detailed analysis of how surface oil modifies air-sea interaction in a two-way coupled model, i.e., the coupled-ocean-atmosphere-wave-sediment-transport (COAWST) model modified to account for oil-related changes to air-sea fluxes. This study investigates the effects of oil on surface roughness, surface wind, surface and near surface temperature differences, and boundary-layer stability, and how those conditions ultimately affect surface stress. We first conducted twin coupled modeling simulations with and without the influence of oil over the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill period (April 21 to May 5, 2010) in the Gulf of Mexico. Then we compared the results by using a modularized flux model with parameterizations selected to match those selected in the coupled model adapted to either ignore or account for different atmospheric/oceanic processes in calculating surface stress. When non-oil inputs to the bulk formula treated as unchanged by oil, the surface stress changes are always negative due to oil-related damping of surface roughness alone. However, the oil-related changes to 10-m wind speed and boundary-layer stability are found to play a dominant role in surface stress changes relative to those due to the oil-related surface roughness changes, highlighting that most of the changes in surface stress are due to the oil-related changes in wind speed and boundary-layer stability. Finally, the oil-related changes to surface stress due to the combined oil-related changes in surface roughness, surface wind, and boundary-layer stability are not large enough to have a major impact on the surface current and surface oil transport, indicating that the feedbacks from the surface oil to the surface oil movement itself are minor for forecasting the surface oil transport unless the fractional oil coverage is much larger than found in this study.

Multiphase systems are important in minerals processing, and usually include solid-solid and solid-fluid systems. Examples of operations in multiphase systems include flotation, dewatering, and magnetic separation, among several other unit operations. In this paper, the current trends in the process system engineering tasks of modeling, design, and optimization, in multiphase systems, are analyzed. Different scales of size and time are included, and therefore the analysis includes modeling at the molecular level and unit operation level, and the application of optimization for the design of a plant. New strategies for the modeling and optimization of multiphase systems are also included, with a strong focus on the application of artificial intelligence (AI) and the combination of experimentation and modeling with response surface methodology (RSM). The paper finishes with tools to study the uncertainty, both epistemic and stochastic, which is present in all mineral processing operations. It is shown that all these areas are very active and can help to understand, operate, design, and optimize mineral processing that involves multiphase systems.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women globally, often necessitating mastectomy and subsequent breast reconstruction. Silicone mammary implants (SMIs) play a pivotal role in breast reconstruction, yet their interaction with the host immune system and microbiome remains poorly understood. This study investigates the impact of SMI surface topography on host antimicrobial responses, wound proteome dynamics, and microbial colonization. Biological samples were col-lected from ten human patients undergoing breast reconstruction with SMIs. Mass spectrometry profiles were analyzed for acute and chronic wound proteomes, revealing a nuanced interplay between topography and antimicrobial respondseproteins. 16S rRNA sequencing assessed mi-crobiome dynamics, unveiling topography-specific variations in microbial composition. Surface topography alterations influenced wound proteome composition. Microbiome analysis revealed heightened diversity around rougher SMIs, emphasizing topography-dependent microbial inva-sion. In vitro experiments confirmed staphylococcal adhesion, growth, and biofilm formation on SMI surfaces, with increased texture correlating positively with bacterial colonization. This comprehensive investigation highlights the intricate interplay between SMI topography, wound proteome dynamics, and microbial transmission. The findings contribute to understanding host-microbe interactions on SMI surfaces, essential for optimizing clinical applications and minimizing complications in breast reconstruction.

Various methods of polymer surface tailoring have been studied to control the changes in wetting behavior. Polymers having precisely controlled wetting behavior in a specific environment are blessed with a wealth of opportunities and potential applications exploitable in biomaterial engineering. The controlled wetting behavior can be obtained by combining surface chemistry and morphology. Plasma assisted polymer surface modification technique have played a significant part to control surface chemistry and morphology. This review focuses on plasma polymerization and investigations regarding surface chemistry, surface wettability, coating kinetics, as well as coating stability. We begin with brief overview of plasma polymerization; these include growth mechanisms of plasma polymerization and influence of plasma parameters. Next, surface wettability and theoretical background structures and chemistry of superhydrophobic and superhydrophilic surfaces. In this review, overview of recent work on tunable wettability by tailoring surface chemistry and physical appearance (i.e. substrate texture) is also described. The formation of smart polymer coatings, which adjust their surface wettability by according to outside environment, including, pH, light, electric field and temperature. Finally, the applications of tunable wettability and pH responsiveness of polymer coatings in real life are addressed. This review should be of interest to plasma surface science communality specifically focused controlled wettability of smart polymer surfaces.

Buckling defect will appear on the outer surface of the deformed ring during constrained ring rolling (CRR) of aluminum alloy thin wall conical ring with inner high ribs (AATWCRIHR), if the geometrical dimension of the ribs doesn't match the wall thickness. To avoid the buckling defect, a quantitative method for characterizing the degree of the buckling defect is proposed using the area of buckling profile. Then an orthogonal experimental scheme was designed taking the width of the middle rib, thickness of wall, and height of the middle rib as design variables and defining the area of buckling profile as optimization objective. Subsequently, a quadratic polynomial response surface model was established by combining the optimization algorithm with the finite element method (FEM), and the geometrical dimension of the middle ribs of the deformed AATWCRIHR is optimized. Also the optimal parameter combination to minimize the area of buckling profile is obtained and verified using FE simulation. Results show that the AATWCRIHR after optimization doesn’t generate the buckling defect during constrained ring rolling, and it is proved that the quantitative buckling defect representation method and the optimization design method based on the response surface model and the finite element simulation results are feasible for the constrained ring rolling process of the AATWCRIHR.

This letter introduces a frequency response characteristic (FRC) curve and its application in high renewable power systems. In addition, the letter presents a method for fast frequency response assessment and frequency nadir prediction without performing dynamic simulations using detailed models. The proposed FRC curve and fast frequency response assessment method are useful for operators to understand frequency response performance of high renewable systems in real time.

In this study, the NiCrAlY coating was prepared using the atmospheric plasma spraying (APS). The sample was then exposed to a continuous fiber laser beam. Laser surface melting (LSM) can effectively homogenize the composition of the coating. It also reduced the defects and roughness. The coating was examined using optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The process parameters of the LSM consist of laser power and scan rate. The high-temperature oxidation test was conducted for 200 hours at a temperature of 1100 °C. After a period of 200 hours, the primary coating demonstrated the emergence of an aluminum oxide layer, along with the presence of harmful spinel oxides. The laser remelting technique was used to modify the surface, which led to the uniform growth and development of an aluminum oxide layer (α-Al₂O₃) during the oxidation examination. Therefore, it appears that the reduction in grain size caused by laser remelting prevents the wrinkling of Al2O3 oxide. This process represents a novel and alternative approach to modifying MCrAlY coatings.

The integrated stress response (ISR) is an adaptational signaling pathway that is induced in response to different stimuli, such as accumulation of unfolded and misfolded protein, hypoxia, amino acid deprivation, viral infection and ultraviolet light. It has been known that viral infection can activate ISR, but the role of ISR during viral infection is still unclear. In some cases, ISR is a protective mechanism of host cell against infection with virus whilst ISR may be hijacked by viruses for facilitating its replication. In this review, we highlighted recent advances on induction of ISR upon viral infection and the downstream responses involved such as autophagy, apoptosis, formation of stress granules and innate immunity response. We then discussed the molecular mechanism of ISR regulating viral replication and how viruses antagonize this cellular stress response resulting from ISR.

Photosynthetic activities of the sago palm (Metroxylon sagu Rottb.) were studied to find out its sensitivity to changes in ambient air temperature. The minimum ambient air temperature designed for the experiment was 25–29⁰C, while the higher end was 29–33⁰C. Several photosynthetic parameters were studied to support our analysis in sago photosynthetic activity, including diurnal leaf gas exchange, assimilation rate vs. CO₂ concentration, leaf greenness, leaf chlorophyll content, and photosynthetic rate vs. irradiance. We found that sago palm photosynthetic activity tends to be more sensitive to minimum than to maximum ambient air temperature. The plants exposed to higher air temperatures had dark green leaf color associated with higher rates of diurnal photosynthesis, chlorophyll content, and rubisco limited photosynthetic activity. They also exhibited higher trend in optimum irradiance absorption level. Consequently, maximum light energy dissipation occurred at higher temperatures.

The work contains a detailed analysis of the electromagnetic field originating from a point source placed above the layered structure.The surface impedance of the multilayer dielectric structure was determined. Based on the boundary conditions, a method for determining the surface impedance of a layered structure with a perfectly conductive screen and or a magnetic screen is presented. The resonance conditions and the conditions for the excitation of surface waves are derived. The integral expression defining the generalized impedance was analyzed with a view to adapting it to numerical implementation. This allowed the development of a computer program based on which calculations were made of the effect of excitation of waves on multilayer dielectric substrates.

The development of sensitive and specific exosome detection devices is highly desirable because it is believed to deliver specific important information for cancer screening, diagnosis, and monitoring. Among many detection techniques, nanoplasmonic sensors are optical detection methods that offer advantages in sensitivity and detection speed and this makes the sample analysis process faster and more accurate. This paper summarizes the development of nanoplasmonic biosensors, especially Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) and Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance (LSPR)-based biosensors for exosome detection. There are three main parts in this paper. The first part will focus on introducing the theoretical background regarding the working principles of SPR and LSPR biosensors. After that, we will introduce several methods that can be used for exosome isolation. This article will close by explaining the engineering of nanoplasmonic sensors both in terms of transducer modification to amplify the signal and functionalization strategies to increase sensor specificity. In this section, the detection mechanism, the type of exosomes detected, and the resulting detection limits are some of the points highlighted in this paper.

We report on a 2D-gap surface plasmon metasurface based composed of a bottom metal layer, middle insulator layer, and top metal nanostructure of gold nanoblocks (nanoantennas). The proposed structure enables us to generate simultaneous multi plasmonic resonances and offers the possibility to tune them, within the near-infrared domain. The simplicity of the metasurface makes it promising for compact optical platforms based on reflection mode operation with potential application in multi-channel biosensors, second-harmonic generation, and multi-wavelength surface-enhanced spectroscopy among other interesting fields

The successful vaccination implies the induction of effective specific immune responses. We intend to find biomarkers among various immune cell subpopulations, cytokines and antibodies which could be used to predict the levels of specific antibody- and cell-mediated responses after measles-mumps-rubella vaccination. We measured 59 baseline immune status parameters (frequencies of 42 immune cell subsets, levels of 13 cytokines, immunoglobulins) before vaccination and 13 response variables (specific IgA and IgG, antigen-induced IFN-γ production, CD107a expression on CD8+ T lymphocytes, and cellular proliferation levels by CFSE dilution) 6 weeks after vaccination for 19 individuals. Statistically significant Spearman correlations between some baseline parameters and response variables were found for each response variable (p<0.05). Due to the low number of observations relative to the number of baseline parameters and missing data for some observations, we utilized three feature selection strategies to select potential predictors of the post-vaccination responses among baseline variables: (a) screening of the variables based on the correlation analysis, (b) supervised screening based on the information of changes of baseline variables at day 7, (c) implicit feature selection is performed using regularization-based sparse regression. We identified optimal multivariate liner regression models for predicting the effectiveness of vaccination against measles-mumps-rubella using the baseline immune status parameters. It turned out that the sufficient number of predictor variables ranges from one to five depending on the response variable of interest.

Background and introduction: Lung cancer is a prevalent and deadly disease globally. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common subtype, comprising 85% of cases; Case report: A 65-year-old ex-smoker man presented to our facility with nocturnal cough. Various investigations revealed that he had metastatic NSCLC, for which he underwent chemotherapy with cisplatin and gemcitabine, followed by immunotherapy with Nivolumab. He achieved a complete response to the therapy and has remained free from recurrence for over 7 years since the initial diagnosis; Discussion and Conclusion: The treatment of metastatic NSCLC remains a significant therapeutic challenge, but the implementation of new therapeutic techniques has expanded the possibilities of achieving complete and durable eradication of the disease.

Studying the interaction between the upper ocean and the typhoons is crucial to improve our understanding of heat and momentum exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere. In recent years, the upper ocean responses to typhoons have received considerable attention. The sea surface cooling (SSC) process has been repeatedly discussed. In the present work, case studies were examined on five strong and super typhoons that occurred in 2016—LionRock, 1610; Meranti, 1614; Malakas, 1616; Megi, 1617; and Chaba 1618—to search for more evidence and new features of typhoon’s impact on the sea surface environment. The typhoon monitoring data from the Central Meteorological Observatory, the sea surface temperature (SST) data from satellite microwave and infrared remote sensing, and the sea surface height anomaly (SSHA) data from satellite altimeters were used to analyze in detail: the SSC features caused by typhoons, the relationship between the SSC and the typhoon travelling speed, and the variations in cold and warm eddies during typhoon passage. Results showed that: (1) SSC generally occurred during typhoon passage and the degree of SSC was always determined by the strength and the travelling speed of the typhoon, as well as the initial SST. (2) One day before or on the day of typhoon passage, the SSHA slightly increased due to low surface pressure. After the typhoon passed, the SSHA obviously decreased along with the SSC. The pre-existing positive SSHAs, which always represent warm eddies, decreased or disappeared during typhoon passage, whereas negative SSHAs or cold eddies were enhanced. (3) New cold eddies were generated, especially at the turning points of the typhoon path. The presence of warm eddies is suggested to have a strengthening effect on the typhoons.

The etiology of exaggerated fibrous capsule formation around silicone mammary implants (SMI) is multifactorial but primarily induced by immune mechanisms toward the foreign material silicone. The aim of this work was to enlighten the disease progression from implant insertion and immediate tissue damage response reflected in (a) the acute wound proteome, and (b) the adsorption of chronic inflammatory wound proteins at implant surfaces. An intra-individual absolute quantitation TMT-liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry approach was applied to profile wound proteome formed around SMI the first five days post-implantation. Compared to plasma, the acute wound profile resembled a more complex composition comprising plasma-derived and locally differentially expressed proteins (DEPs). DEPs were subjected to functional enrichment analysis, which revealed the dysregulation of signaling pathways mainly involved in immediate inflammation response and ECM turnover. Moreover, we found time-course variations in protein enrichment immediately post-implantation and adsorbed to SMI surfaces after 6-8 months. Characterization of the expander-adhesive proteome by label-free approach uncovered a long-term adsorbed acute wound and the fibrosis-associated proteome. Our findings propose a wound biomarker panel for the early detection and diagnosis of excessive fibrosis that could potentially broaden insights into the characteristics of fibrotic implant encapsulation.

During the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination campaign, people with CF (pwCF) were considered a clinically vulnerable population. However, data on immunogenicity of anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in pwCF are lacking. We conducted a prospective study enrolling all patients aged >12 and followed-up in our CF centre, who received two doses of the BNT162b2 vaccine in March-­­­October 2021. They underwent a blood sample for quantification of antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein receptor binding domain immediately before receiving the first dose and after 3 and 6 months from the second dose. We enrolled 143 patients (median age: 21 years, range: 13-38); of whom 16 had a previous infection. Median antibody titer (interquartile range) after 3 months from vaccination was 1288 U/mL (730-2115) and decreased to 918 U/mL (534-1488) after 6 months (P<0.0001). Median values were higher among previously infected patients as compared to those naïve to SARS-CoV-2 (9107 vs 1229 U/mL at 3 months and 4810 vs 829 U/mL at 6 months, P<0.0001) with no significant differences in the rate of decline over time (P=0.135). All pwCF mounted an antibody response after two-doses of BNT162b2 vaccine that waned at 6 months from vaccination. Age ≥30 years and use of inhaled corticosteroids were associated with a lower humoral response.

Conformal radiotherapy is a primary treatment in head and neck cancer, which putative adverse effects depend on relatively low doses of radiation delivered to increased volumes of normal tissues. Systemic effects of such treatment include radiation-induced changes in serum lipid profile, yet dose- and volume-dependence of these changes remain to be established. Here we analyzed levels of choline-containing phospholipids in serum samples collected consecutively during the radiotherapy used as the only treatment modality. The LC-MS approach applied in the study enabled the detection and quantitation of 151 phospholipids, including (lyso)phosphatidylcholines and sphingomyelins. No statistically significant differences were found in the pre-treatment samples from patients with different location and stage of cancer. To compensate for potential differences between schemes of radiotherapy the biologically effective doses were calculated and used in the search of correlations with specific lipid levels. We found that the levels of several phospholipids depended on the maximum dose delivered to the gross tumor volume and total radiation energy absorbed by the patient’s body. Increased doses correlated with increased levels of sphingomyelins and reduced levels of phosphatidylcholines. Noteworthy, serum phospholipid levels were associated mainly with volumes of normal tissues irradiated with relatively low doses (i.e., total accumulated dose 20 Gy), which indicated the importance of such effects on the systemic response of the patient’s organism to IMRT.

Post-mortem characterisation is a pivotal tool to trace back to the origin of structural failures in modern engineering analyses. This work presents a comparison of both the crack propagation profiles and the rupture roughness profiles based on areal parameters for total fracture area. Notched and smooth samples made of weather-resistant structural steel (10HNAP), popular S355J2 structural steel and aluminium alloy AA2017A under bending, torsion, and combined bending-torsion are investigated. After the fatigue tests, fatigue fractures are measured with an optical profilometer, and the relevant surface parameters are critically compared. The results show a great impact of the loading scenario on both the local profiles and the total fracture areas. In this work, the results of both approaches (local and total fracture zones) for specimens with different geometries are investigated. For all specimens, measured texture parameters decreased in the following order: total area, rupture area, and propagation area.

Production of biofuel from lignocellulosic biomass is relatively low due to the limited knowledge about natural cell wall loosening and cellulolytic processes in plants. Industrial separation of cellulose fiber mass from lignin, its saccharification and alcoholic fermentation is still cost-ineffective and environmental unfriendly. Assuming that the green transformation is inevitable and that the new sources of raw materials for biofuels are needed, we decided to study cell death - a natural process occurring in plants in a context of reducing the recalcitrance of lignocellulose for production of second generation bioethanol. “members of the enzyme families responsible for lysigenous aerenchyma formation were identified during the root hypoxia stress in Arabidopsis thaliana cell death mutants. The cell death regulatory genes, LESION SIMULATING DISEASE 1 (LSD1), PHYTOALEXIN DEFICIENT 4 (PAD4) and ENHANCED DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITY 1 (EDS1) conditionally regulate the cell wall when suppressed in transgenic aspen. During four years of growth in the field the following effects were observed: lignin content was reduced, the cellulose fiber polymerization degree increased and the growth itself was unaffected. The wood of transgenic trees was more efficient as a substrate for saccharification, alcoholic fermentation and bioethanol production. The presented results may trigger the development of novel biotechnologies in the biofuel industry.

In recent times, there has been a growing interest in the use of control charts as a feedback process monitoring technique. Particularly, CUSUM schemes have been proven to be efficient for monitoring processes where the magnitude of the sustained mean shifts is small or moderate. However, because of the constant control limits, the detection ability of CUSUM schemes becomes slow at the initial set-up of the process. The fast initial response FIR feature has often been used to enhance it at the process startup. Meanwhile, the dynamism of real-life problems has always encouraged a more sensitive CUSUM scheme capable of detecting process shifts more rapidly. In this paper, an improved CUSUM scheme for monitoring process mean is proposed. This scheme will be substantial for monitoring processes whose observations are obtained at a distant time interval for example hourly, daily or weekly and where the sustained shifts are assumed to be small or moderate. To demonstrate the practical applications of the proposed scheme, we present its real-life application using datasets from a bottling company and petroleum refinery laboratory.

Immune dysfunction has long been reported by medical professionals regarding astronauts suffering from opportunistic infections both during their time in space and a short time period afterwards once back on Earth. Various species of prokaryotes on board these space missions or cultured in a microgravity analogue exhibit increased virulence, enhanced formation of biofilms, and in some cases develop specific resistance for specific antibiotics. This poses a substantial health hazard to the astronauts confined in constant proximity to any present bacterial pathogens on long space missions with a finite number of resources including antibiotics. Furthermore, some bacteria cultured in microgravity develop phenotypes not seen in Earth gravity conditions, providing novel insights into bacterial evolution and research.

Nonhost disease resistance is the most common type of plant defense mechanism against potential pathogens. In this study, the metabolic enzyme formate dehydrogenase (FDH1) was identified to be involved in nonhost disease resistance in Nicotiana benthamiana and Arabidopsis thaliana. In Arabidopsis, AtFDH1 was highly upregulated in response to both host and nonhost bacterial pathogens. Arabidopsis Atfdh1 mutants were compromised in nonhost resistance, basal resistance, and gene-for-gene resistance. The expression patterns of salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) marker genes after pathogen infections in Atfdh1 mutant indicated that SA is most likely involved in the FDH1-mediated plant defense response to both host and nonhost bacterial pathogens. Previous studies reported that FDH1 localizes to only mitochondria, or both mitochondria and chloroplasts. Our results showed that the AtFDH1 localized to mitochondria and the amount of FDH1 localized to mitochondria increased upon infection with host or nonhost pathogens. Interestingly, the subcellular localization of FDH1 was observed in both mitochondria and chloroplasts after infection with a nonhost pathogen in Arabidopsis. We speculate that FDH1 plays a role in cellular signaling networks between mitochondria and chloroplasts to produce coordinated defense responses such as SA-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and hypersensitive response (HR)-induced cell death against nonhost bacterial pathogens.

Although there is a common physiological notion that the origin of the membrane potential is attributed to transmembrane ion transport, it is theoretically possible to explain its generation by the mechanism of ion adsorption. It was previously suggested that the ion adsorption mechanism led even to the potential formulas which are even identical to either the famous Nernst equation or Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz equation. Our further analysis shown in this paper indicates that the potential formula based on the ion adsorption mechanism leads to one equation which is the function of material surface charge density and the material surface potential. Furthermore, we confirmed that the equation holds in all the different experimental systems we studied. Although we have not succeeded in elucidating why such an equation is established, the equation appears to be the key equation governing the characteristics of the membrane potential regardless of the systems in question.

An all-weather land surface temperature (LST) product derived at the Satellite Application Facility on Land Surface Analysis (LSA-SAF) is presented. The product is based on clear-sky LST retrieved from MSG/SEVIRI infrared (IR) measurements, complemented by LST estimated with a land surface energy balance (EB) model to fill gaps caused by clouds. The EB model solves the surface energy balance mostly using products derived at LSA-SAF. The new product is compared with in situ observations made at 3 dedicated validation stations, and with a Microwave (MW) based LST product derived from AMSR-E measurements. The validation against in-situ LST indicates an accuracy of the new product between -0.8 K and 1.1 K and a precision between 1.0 K and 1.4 K, generally showing a better performance than the MW product. The EB model shows some limitations concerning the representation of the LST diurnal cycle. Comparisons with MW LST generally show higher LST of the new product over desert areas, and lower LST over tropical regions. Several other imagers provide suitable measurements for implementing the proposed methodology, which offers the potential to obtain a global, nearly gap-free LST product.

Daily maximum surface air temperature (Tamax) is a crucial factor for understanding complex land surface processes under rapid climate change. Remote detection of Tamax has widely relied on the empirical relationship between air temperature and land surface temperature (LST), a product derived from remote sensing. However, little is known about how such a relationship is affected by the high heterogeneity in landscapes and dynamics in seasonality. This study aims to advance our understanding of the roles of land cover and seasonal variation in the estimation of Tamax using the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) LST product. We developed statistical models to link Tamax and LST in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China for five major land-cover types (i.e., forest, shrub, water, impervious surface, cropland, and grassland) and two seasons (i.e., growing season and non-growing season). Results show that the performance of modeling the Tamax-LST relationship was highly dependent on land cover and seasonal variation. Estimating Tamax over grasslands and water bodies achieved superior performance; while uncertainties were high over forested lands that contained extensive heterogeneity in species types, plant structure, and topography. We further found that all the land-cover specific models developed for the plant non-growing season outperformed the corresponding models developed for the growing season. Discrepancies in model performance mainly occurred in the vegetated areas (forest, cropland, and shrub), suggesting an important role of plant phenology in defining the statistical relationship between Tamax and LST. For impervious surfaces, the challenge of capturing the high spatial heterogeneity in urban settings using the low-resolution MODIS data made Tamax estimation a difficult task, which was especially true in the growing season.

Host immunological pathways have been proposed including TH1, TH2, TH3, TH9, TH17, TH22, TH1-like, and THαβ immune reactions. Besides TH2 and TH9 immune responses which are against multicellular parasites, host immunological pathways against viruses, intracellular micro-organisms (bacteria, protozoa, and fungi), and extracellular micro-organisms can use programmed cell death pathways to trigger immune reactions or to execute effective strategies to eliminate these pathogens. These programmed cell deaths include apoptosis, autophagic death, pyroptosis, ferroptosis, necroptosis, and NETosis. Apoptosis is related to host anti-virus eradicable THαβ immunity. Autophagic death is related to host anti-virus tolerable TH3 immunity. Pyroptosis is related to host anti-intracellular micro-organism eradicable TH1 immunity. Ferroptosis is related to host anti-intracellular micro-organism tolerable TH1-like immunity. Necroptosis is related to host anti-extracellular micro-organism eradicable TH22 immunity. NETosis is related to host anti-extracellular micro-organism tolerable TH17 immunity.

Food allergies are a growing public health concern worldwide, especially in children and young adults. Allergen-specific IgE plays a central role in the pathogenesis of food allergies, but their titers poorly correlate with allergy development. Host immune systems yield allergen-specific immunoglobulin (Ig)A, IgE and IgG subclasses with low or high affinities and differential Fc N-glycosylation patterns that can affect the allergic reaction to food in multiple ways. High affinity IgE is required to induce strong mast cell activation eventually leading to allergic anaphylaxis while low affinity IgE can even inhibit the development of clinically relevant allergic symptoms. IgA and IgG antibodies can inhibit IgE-mediated mast cell activation through various mechanisms, thereby protecting IgE-positive individuals from allergy development. The production of IgE and IgG with differential allergenic potential seems to be affected by the signaling strength of individual B cell receptors, and by cytokines from T cells. This review provides an overview of the diversity of the B cell response and the diverse roles of antibodies in food allergy.

Like other organisms, fungi produce extracellular vesicles (EVs) that are involved in various biological processes, including intercellular communication and the transport of molecules between cells. These EVs can be applied in fungal pathogenesis, virulence, and interactions with other organisms, including host cells, in the case of fungal infections. While some types of mycoses are relatively common and easily treatable, certain neglected mycoses pose significant public health challenges, such as sporotrichosis, chromoblastomycosis, and paracoccidioidomycosis. These infectious diseases can cause significant morbidity and disability, leading to a reduced quality of life for the patients. So, research about the virulence factor is essential to understand how fungi escape the immune system. In this context, this manuscript reviews the study of fungi EVs, their cargo, their obtaining, and their role during the infectious process, which is extremely important for understanding this neglected mycosis.

Leishmaniasis is a complex infectious parasitic disease caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania, belonging to a group of neglected tropical diseases. It poses significant global health challenges, particularly in socio-economically disadvantaged regions. Macrophages, as innate immune cells, play a crucial role in initiating the inflammatory response against the pathogens responsible for this disease. Macrophage polarization, the process of differentiating macrophages into pro-inflammatory (M1) or anti-inflammatory (M2) phenotypes, is essential for the immune response in leishmaniasis. The M1 phenotype is associated with resistance to Leishmania infection, while the M2 phenotype is predominant in susceptible environments. Notably, various immune cells, including T cells, play a significant role in modulating macrophage polarization by releasing cytokines that influence macrophage maturation and function. Furthermore, other immune cells can also impact macrophage polarization in a T-cell-dependent manner. Therefore, this review comprehensively examines macrophage polarization's role in leishmaniasis and other immune cells' potential involvement in this intricate process.

We present a new perspective of the link between QED and Maxwell's equations. We demonstrate that the interpretation of $\mathbf{D}=\varepsilon_{0} \mathbf{E}$ as vacuum polarization is consistent with QED. A free electromagnetic field polarizes the vacuum, but the polarization and magnetization currents cancel giving zero source current. The speed of light is a universal constant, while the fine structure constant, which couples the electromagnetic field to matter, runs as it should.

Abstract: With the continuous integration of various energy systems and the reform of energy trading marketization, the traditional power demand response can no longer meet the needs of multi-energy coupling. For the joint response problem of multi-energy, this paper proposes a comprehensive demand response optimization incentive model considering the user response characteristics, with the complete energy service providers and multiple users as the participants of the comprehensive demand response, to solve the response strategy for the optimal goal of all parties. The implementation architecture of integrated demand response and the electrothermal energy hub model is introduced first. Secondly, the integrated demand response collaborative optimization strategy of the integrated energy service providers and users is established, and the existence and uniqueness of the optimal solution are proved. Finally, the example analysis demonstrates that the proposed strategy can reduce the integrated energy service providers' response cost and user dissatisfaction under multiple scenarios.

Mechanical power and motion are often transmitted by the gear-rotor-bearing system. When there are fitting clearances between the housing and outer ring in bearings, complex vibration responses will be generated, which makes the operating status difficult to identify. Therefore, for analyzing dynamic responses, a dynamic model of gear-rotor-bearing systems with bearing fitting clearances is proposed. In the model, the bearing system with fitting clearances and gear pair system are combined, and the coupling relationship is determined by the gyroscopic mo-tion of the shaft. The friction force and collision force caused by fitting clearances are also con-sidered, which are simulated by the Coulomb friction model and Hertz theory. The result shows that the meshing stiffness will also be excited by the bearing displacement. When there are fit-ting clearances on the bearing, the amplitude modulation of the bearing outer raceway to the system time-domain response is intensified, and the multiple harmonic frequency of bearings and gear pairs are generated on the spectrum, as well as defect frequencies of gear pairs. As the fitting clearance is increased, the higher multiple harmonic responses will be caused. Although the response amplitude of the gearbox is increased by raising the input speed, multiple harmon-ic responses are suppressed, which makes the system mainly vibrate at the fundamental fre-quency. Then, the dynamic model and the vibration analysis are experimentally verified.

The role of the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection is not yet well known, in particular about the persistence of circulating antibodies. The aim of the study is to compare the results of two automated systems for the determination of IgG antibodies against SARS CoV-2 and to assess the time course of the IgG response after the onset of symptoms for a period longer than that evaluated to date. IgG were measured in 98 specimens of 55 subjects with COVID-19 (time from the onset of symptoms from 3 to 109 days) using the automated tests "Abbott SARS-COV-2 IgG" and the "MAGLUMI 2019-nCoV IgG". The two methods had a concordance of 91.8%, but the quantitative correlation showed very dispersed results. All the specimens resulted positive after 17 days from the onset of the synptoms. However, the median concentrations of IgG, after a rapid increase up to about 20 days, quickly decrease to about 15% of the maximum for Maglumi. The same samples measured by Architect showed a quite constant trend up to 80 day, and then an only moderate decline. The titer of IgG against SARS-CoV-2 in patients exposed to COVID-19 may significantly and rapidly decrease, with a different time-course depending on the method used for the determination.

The human innate immune response to the pore-forming toxin of Vibrio cholerae VCC, is currently under study. Here, in vitro studies on a human macrophage cell line (THP-1), helped explore the activated pathways involved on the onset the innate immune response towards the cytotoxin. The secreted monomeric 65 KDa form interacts with mature macrophages in pg/ml concentrations, determined by dose response experiments after treatments under 1 h. Non vacuolating concentrations (pg/ml) were applied to the cells; immunoblots revealed activation of MAPKs: early overexpression of p38 and ERK. Cell lysis by release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was not apparent in the first hour, nonetheless it was positive after 24 h. Finally, to discern whether the VCC stimulates transcriptional activators via MAPKs pathway, NF-κB and AP-1 were studied by real time quantitation. Increased expression of p50 (NF-κB), cJun and cFos (AP-1) was observed. Given that NF-κB is the transcription factor initiating inflammation of innate immune response and in turn, AP-1 is responsible for cell surviving response, results from this study lead us to conclude that VCC in vitro treatments, induce a pro-inflammatory and a surviving response, in less than one hour on activated macrophages.

Background: Cytokines and chemokines are critical regulators of innate and adaptive immunities during viral infection. We examined innate and adaptive immune responses to hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) at baseline and against controls. Methods: Twenty-seven cytokines were evaluated before treatment in 27 patients with chronic hepatitis C(CHC) [genotype1 (n=20), genotype2 (n=7), HCVRNA 5.72IU/ml] and 12 chronic hepatitis B(CHB) [e-antigen (Ag) (+) (n=5), e-Ag (-) (n=7), HBVDNA 6.191.31Logcopies/ml] and against controls(n=5). Results: Th1 and Th2 cytokines were significantly higher (p<0.05) in CHB than in CHC. The levels of IL-IL10 in CHC and CHB, and IL15 in CHC(genotype2) and CHB were significantly lower (p<0.05) than in controls. The levels of CXCL8 in CHC and CHB, IL12 in CHC and CHB [e-Ag (-)] and CXCL10 in CHC and CHB were significantly higher (p<0.05) than in controls. IFN-γwas higher in CHB than in controls. Conclusion: Cytokines levels differed between CHB and CHC before treatment. Innate immune responses were impaired in CHB with HBeAg(-) and CHC, but not in CHB with HBeAg(+) with high viral loads. Adaptive immune responses were impaired in CHB and CHC and appear to reflect the distinct state of virus-host immune interactions between CHB and CHC.

Additive manufacturing (AM) technologies show potential for the development of functionally integrated lightweight designs, biomimetic structures and material savings. Typically, as-built surfaces show powder particle agglomerations and re-entrant features, leading to rough surfaces, which are associated with poor fatigue performance. To benefit from the full range of advantages with special focus on aerospace applications, critical features for crack initiation when subjected to fatigue loading need to be identified and mitigated. A first step toward achieving this goal is the surface texture characterisation based on the quantification of surface features. In this paper, selected areal height, functional and feature parameters from ISO 25178-2:2022 are generated and process-specific features are examined for as-built AlSi7Mg0.6 from laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB). A connection with the particle size distribution of the used powder is demonstrated. It is shown that surface feature analysis opens up opportunities to use physically meaningful surface characteristics in future quality assurance and part qualification processes.

Here, our data provide the first evidence for the existence of a previously unknown receptive system formed by novel DNA- and RNA-based receptors in eukaryotes. This system, named the TR-system, is capable of recognizing and generating a response to different environmental factors and has been shown to orchestrate major vital functions of fungi, mammalian cells, and plants.Recently, we discovered the existence of a similar regulatory system in prokaryotes. These DNA- and RNA-based receptors are localized outside of the membrane forming a type of a network around cells that respond to a variety of chemical, biological, and physical factors and enabled the TR-system to regulate major aspects of eukaryotic cell life as follows: growth, including reproduction and development of multicellular structures; sensitivity to temperature, geomagnetic field, UV, light, and hormones; interaction with viruses; gene expression, recognition and utilization of nutrients. The TR-system was also implicated in cell memory formation and was determined to be responsible for its maintenance and the forgetting of preceding events. This system is the most distant receptive and regulatory system of the cell that regulates interactions with the outer environment and governs the functions of other receptor-mediated signaling pathways.

The surface chemistry and the morphology of SnO2 nanowires, deposited by Vapour Phase Deposition (VPD) method on Au-covered silicon substrate, were studied before and after subsequent air exposure. For this purpose, surface-sensitive methods including X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Thermal Desorption Spectroscopy (TDS) and the Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) were applied. The studies presented within this paper allowed to determine the surface non-stoichiometry combined with the presence of carbon contaminations, in a good correlation with the surface morphology. The relative concentrations of the main components [O]/[Sn]; [C]/[Sn]; [Au]/[Sn] together with the O – Sn; O – Si bondings were analyzed. The results of TDS remained in a good agreement with the observations from XPS. Moreover, conclusions obtained for SnO2 nanostructures deposited with the use of Au catalyst were compared to the previous obtained for Ag-assisted tin dioxide nanowires. The information obtained within this studies are of great importance for the potential application of SnO2 nanowires deposited on Au covered Si substrate in the field of novel chemical nanosensor devices, since the results can provide an interpretation of how aging effects influence gas sensor dynamic characteristics.

Given the rise in the number of cases and their recurrences, Urinary Tract Infections (UTI) are one of the major burdens on public healthcare worldwide. Rapid, inexpensive and selective detection of Uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC), a major contributor to UTIs, is the need of the hour for effective treatment, given the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria due to improper diagnosis. Here we present a rapid, real-time, selective and label-free detection of UPEC using an integrated sensing platform based on Crossed Surface Relief Gratings (CSRGs) as nanoplasmonic sensors. Detection is achieved due to the unique Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR)-based light energy exchange attributed to the CSRGs, allowing real-time sensing in a very narrow bandwidth of the incident light to pass where the SPR energy conversion occurs. The sensing ability of the platform is experimentally demonstrated by the detection of bulk Refractive Index (RI) changes, with a bulk sensitivity of 382.2 nm/RIU and a resolution in the order of 10-6 RIU. We demonstrate selective capture and detection of clinical concentration of UPEC, as opposed to other gram-negative bacteria, in real-time, a first for CSRGs. This work is particularly important for effective treatment of UTIs, allowing point-of-care diagnosis for economically disadvantaged regions around the world.

This research aimed to assess the influence of red dragon fruit peels ratio (RDF-PR) from two species, Hylocereus hybridum (HH) and Hylocereus undatus (HU), and particle size (PS) on quality parameters of red dragon fruit peel powder (RDF-PP), and its further application in emulsified alpaca-based sausages as partial substitutes of pork-back fat. A three-level full factorial design (nine treatments) was employed to evaluate the effect of: (i) RDF-PR [HH(0%):HU(100%), HH(50%):HU(50%), and HH(100%):HU(0%)] and (ii) PS (499–297, 296–177, and &lt;177 µm) on the dependent variables: L*, a*, b*, C, h°, water-holding capacity, oil-holding capacity, swelling capacity, pectin yield, degree of esterification (analysed through FT-IR), and crude fibre content. The data analysed through a response surface methodology showed that treatment one (T1) is the best with the optimised conditions at 100% HU RDF-PR and PS of &lt;177 µm. The statistical validation of T1 exhibited the highest water holding capacity (32.1 g H2O/g peel), oil holding capacity (2.20 g oil/g peel), and pectin yield (27.1%). A completely randomised design (four formulations) was then used to assess the effect of partial replacement of pork-back fat by T1 in emulsified alpaca-based sausages. The results revealed that 65.7% of pork-back fat content was successfully replaced as compared with a control formulation.

In this study, the optimal condition for the extraction of antioxidants from the fruit Buah Mahkota Dewa (Phaleria macrocarpa) was determined by using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). The optimization was applied using central composite design (CCD) to investigate the three independent variables, namely extraction temperature (^oC), extraction time (minutes) and extraction solvent to-feed ratio (%v/v) on the responses of free radical scavenging activity (DPPH), ferric ion reducing power assay (FRAP), total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC).The optimal conditions for the antioxidants extraction were found to be extraction temperature (64^oC), extraction time (66 minutes) and solvent to-feed ratio (75 %v/v) with the highest percentage yield of DPPH, FRAP, TPC and TFC were 86.85%, 7.47%, 292.86 mg/g and 3.22 mg/g respectively. Moreover, the data were subjected to response surface methodology (RSM) and the results showed that the polynomial equations for all models were significant, did not show lack of fit, and presented adjusted determination coefficients (R²) above 99%, proving the yield of phenolic, flavonoid and antioxidants activities obtained experimentally were close to the predicted values and the suitability of the model employed in RSM to optimize the extraction conditions. Hence, in this study, the fruit from P.macrocarpa could be considered to have the strong antioxidant ability and can be used in various cosmeceutical or medicinal applications.

Blood has certain significant physical properties, which the authors investigated. This paper provides values of surface tension and viscosity of blood at 37 °C, as well as relationship between them plotted on a cross-plot. By applying Hagen- Poiseuille equation and Jurin's law to the experimentally obtained data, the authors calculated with great accuracy viscosity and surface tension of blood. Evaluating both of the properties using described methods required from the authors to know the density of investigated liquid, which was found to be on average $\rho=1063,56 \frac{kg}{m^3}$. The authors took blood samples from 30 healthy subjects and determined aforementioned physical properties. There has been made a distinction in regard of a sex of the blood donor. Results indicate that both surface tension and viscosity are independent from sex of a subject, as well as indicate that there is no correlation between viscosity and surface tension of blood at 37\degree C. Average values of surface tension and viscosity were found to be $\sigma=5,241\pm 0,262 \cdot 10^{-2}\frac{J}{m^2}$ and $\eta=3,352\pm0,360 \cdot 10^{-3} Pa \cdot s$, respectively.

Titanium membranes are used for guided bone regeneration in implant therapy. However, as a bioinert material, titanium does not have the ability to accelerate bone formation. Various titanium surface treatments to confer bioactivity have been demonstrated; however, there are concerns about the influence of chemical treatments on the corrosion of thin titanium membranes. This study investigated the influence of surface modifications on the structure of thin titanium membranes. Titanium membranes of 20 µm thickness were treated with acid or alkali solutions, and we evaluated their surface structure, wettability, corrosion depth, and mechanical strength compared to non-treated membranes. Alkali-treated thin titanium membranes displayed the formation of nanoscale pore structures on their surfaces, enhanced hydrophilicity, and less corrosion depth compared with acid-treated membranes. Furthermore, the tensile strength of alkali-treated membranes was comparable to non-treated membranes. These results suggest that alkali treatment is an appropriate surface modification method for thin titanium membranes.

In today's digital landscape, cybersecurity has become a priority, with attacks becoming increasingly sophisticated. Traditional security approaches are no longer enough, requiring a more dynamic and advanced response. In this context, integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) appears key to addressing this growing threat. However, despite their high effectiveness, there is a developed problem: the integration of various data sources and technologies for comprehensive protection. This article presents an in-depth review of integrating Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in cybersecurity, focusing particularly on Open Extended Detection and Response (Open XDR) technology. The literature review in this article was meticulously conducted with specific criteria in mind. It focused on sourcing peer-reviewed journals, authoritative cybersecurity publications, and recent conferences that primarily concentrate on the advancements in AI and ML within the cybersecurity domain, particularly from 2018 to 2023. This timeframe was chosen to ensure the inclusion of the most current and relevant developments in Open XDR technology, Intrusion Detection Systems, Endpoint Detection and Response, and Security Information and Event Management systems. Additionally, the review gave special attention to studies and reports highlighting practical implementations and real-world applications of these technologies, thereby ensuring a comprehensive understanding of their impact and effectiveness in enhancing cybersecurity resilience. The methodology used is a detailed literature review, examining how various cybersecurity components interact and function. These components include Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS), which monitor networks for malicious activities; Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), which focuses on detecting and investigating security incidents on endpoints; and Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), systems that provide real-time analysis of security alerts. The review also considers the role of Active Directory, a directory service for Windows domain networks, and the process of log forwarding, where log files are transmitted to a central server for analysis, in the context of AI and ML. The paper delves into the development of AI and ML, underscoring their roles in cybersecurity for advanced data processing, pattern recognition, and predicting threats. It explores both supervised (where the model is trained on labeled data) and unsupervised learning (where the model learns from unlabeled data) in ML, and how these techniques bolster cybersecurity measures. The article highlights the significance of Open XDR as a critical innovation that integrates data from multiple sources for comprehensive security analysis. Further, the review discusses how the integration of AI and ML into various cybersecurity tools, such as IDS, EDR, and SIEM, augments capabilities in threat detection and response. It addresses the challenges and opportunities that AI and ML present in the cybersecurity domain, focusing on ethical issues, data privacy concerns, and the necessity for ongoing professional development in this rapidly advancing field. The paper concludes by affirming the effectiveness of merging AI and ML with these cybersecurity tools within the Open XDR framework.