Focusing geophysics to improve recovery factor of hydrocarbon reservoirs adds value and contributes toward ZERO carbon footprint by increasing the recovery factor by of 30-40 % and thus reducing the cost/carbon emission per produced barrel. Thus, the Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) market is expected to grow more than 3.5% annually. This will be even more fueled by the Green-House-Gas (GHG) reduction and subsequent CO2 injection into the reservoirs as they are being produced. Presently, geophysics only ac-counts for a small percentage of this market, thus its growth is inevitable since more deterministic observation lead higher operating efficiency. Imaging the fluids (hydro-carbon, water, and CO2) is a key component to optimized production and injection. We designed a novel electromagnetic (EM) acquisition system that combines mul-ti-physics fluid imaging and acquires surface and borehole data with high fidelity. Borehole calibration is needed to upscale reservoir data and parameters to measurement scale. Multiple electromagnetic methods are used as well as microseismics in one layout for Exploration and Production (E & P) problems. Multi-components in electromagnetics allows resolving oil and water-bearing zones equally well while achieving the best ac-curacy suitable for repeat measurements. Because sedimentary basins are intrinsically anisotropic, considering 3-dimensional anisotropy is essential from measurement and 3D modeling viewpoint. Thus, the results have the better subsurface images. Here, we combine hardware design, methodology, 3D modeling, processing, and interpretations into an integrated technology and demonstrate the success with verifiable case histories.

The utilisation of the industrial residual products to create new value-added materials and to reduce footprint is a modern challenge of science and industry. Development of the new multifunctional and bio-based composites is an excellent opportunity for complex utilisation of industrial residual products. The study describes the preparation and characterisation of the three-phases bio-based composites. The main components are bio-based binder made of peat, devulcanised crumb rubber (DCR) from used tires and part of the fly ash the cenosphere (CS). Three-phase composite prepared in the form of a block for investigation of the mechanical properties and density and a form of granules for determination of the water and oil products sorption was investigated. This work investigated the dependence of the properties on the main component DCR and CS fraction. Is found, that maximum compression strength (in block form) observed for composition without CS and DCR addition - 79.3 MPa, the second highest value of compression strength is 11.2 MPa for composition with 27.3 wt% of CS. For compositions with bio binder content from 17.4 to 55.8 wt% and with DCR contents in range from 11.0 to 62.0 wt% compression strength is in range 1.1 to 2.0 MPa. Liquid sorption analysis (water and diesel) showed that the maximum saturation of liquids in both cases is set after 35 minutes and ranges from 1.05 to 1.4 g·g -1 for water and 0.77 to 1.25 g·g-1 for diesel. It was noted that 90% of the maximum saturation with diesel fuel comes after 10 minutes and for water after 35 minutes.

Hierarchical honeycomb patterns were manufactured with the breath-figures self-assembly by drop-casting on the silicone-oil lubricated glass substrates. Silicone oil promoted spreading of the polymer solutions. The process was carried out with the industrial grade polystyrene and polystyrene with the molecular weight Mw=35.000. Both of polymers gave rise to the patterns, built from micro- and nano-scaled pores. Ordering of the pores was quantified with the Voronoi tessellations and calculating the Voronoi entropy. Measurement of the apparent contact angles evidenced the Cassie - Baxter wetting regime of the porous films.

The essential oils (EOs) obtained from aromatic plants are rich in natural compounds with interesting biological effects. The aim of this study was to evaluate the chemical composition of EOs of Mentha pulegium (MP-EO) and Mentha suaveolens (MS-EO) collected from Morocco, and their antioxidant properties and antibacterial activity against Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes. The EOs were extracted by hydro-distillation, while the chemical compositions were determined by GC-MS. The antioxidant activity was evaluated by DPPH and FRAP assay. Antibacterial activity was tested with disc diffusion assay; determination of minimum inhibitory concentration, minimum bactericidal concentration and the evaluation of sub-lethally injured cell were also performed. The results of chemical composition showed the presence of compounds not still reported in EOs obtained from these plants. MS-EO was characterized by the best antioxidant and antibacterial activity vs S. enterica and L. monocytogenes respect to MP-EO. The EOs tested in this study were rich in compounds with interesting activities and they could be applied in the medical fields, as well as in food industries as natural preservatives against tested food borne pathogens.

Water soluble polymers have gained an increasing interest in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) processes, especially as polymer flooding. Despite the fact that the flow of polymer in porous medium has been a research subject for many decades with numerous publications, there are still some research areas that need progress. The prediction of polymer injectivity remains elusive. Polymers with similar shear viscosity might have different in-situ rheological behaviors and may be exposed to different extent of mechanical degradation. Hence, determining polymer in-situ rheological behavior is of great significance for defining its utility. In this study, an investigation of rheological properties and mechanical degradation of different HPAM (partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide) polymers was performed using Bentheimer sandstone outcrop cores. Results show that, HPAM in-situ rheology is different from bulk rheology measured in rheometer. Specifically, shear thickening behavior occurs at high rates, and near-Newtonian behavior is measured at low rates in porous media. This deviates strongly from measurements in the rheometer. Polymer molecular weight and concentration influence its viscoelasticity and subsequently its flow characteristics in porous media. Exposure to mechanical degradation by flow at high rate through porous media leads to significant reduction in shear thickening and thereby improved injectivity. More importantly, the degraded polymer maintained in-situ viscosity at low flow rates indicating that improved injectivity can be achieved without compromising viscosity at reservoir flow rates. This is explained by reduction in viscoelasticity. Mechanical degradation also leads to reduced residual resistance factor (RRF), especially for high polymer concentrations. For some of the polymer injections, successive degradation (increased degradation with transport length in porous media) was observed. The results presented here may be used to optimize polymer injectivity.

This paper deals with experimental study of the influence of conductive (Fe₃O₄) and insulating (Al₂O₃) nanostructured particles at various concentrations on the dielectric strength of transformer mineral oil. The method of preparation and characterization of these nanofluids (NFs) through the measurements of zeta potential, the real and imaginary parts of dielectric constant as well as the concentration and size of nanoparticles using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) images of nanoparticles powders and Dispersive x-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) analysis are presented. Experimental findings reveal that these two types of nanoparticles materials significantly improve AC breakdown voltage and the magnitude of this improvement depends on the concentration, size and nature (material) of nanoparticles. For a given type of nanoparticles, the effect is more marked with the smallest nanoparticles. The conductive nanoparticles offer higher enhancement of dielectric strength compared with insulating nanoparticles based nanofluids. With Fe₃O₄, the breakdown voltage (BDV) can exceed twice that of mineral oil and it increases by more than 76% with Al₂O₃. The physicochemical mechanisms implicated in this improvement are discussed.

This study investigated live animal performance and carcass characteristics of Australian prime lambs fed oil based polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) enriched pellets in a feedlot system. The tested hypothesis was that supplementation of lambs with a variety of dietary oil based PUFA enriched pellets would enhance growth and carcass characteristics compared with the control lambs on lucerne only. Seventy-two, 6 months old White Suffolk x Corriedale first-cross prime lambs with an average liveweight (LWT) of 35.7 ± 0.9 kg were allocated to six treatment groups in a completely randomised experimental design. The treatments were: (1) control: lucerne hay only; or lucerne hay plus wheat-based pellets infused with 50 ml/kg DM of oils from (2) rice bran (RBO); (3) canola (CO); (4) rumen protected (RPO); (5) flaxseed (FO) and (6) safflower (SO) dietary sources. All lambs had ad libitum access to lucerne hay and clean fresh water. Supplemented lambs were fed 1kg of pellet/head/day for 10 weeks. Feed intake, final LWT, average daily gain (ADG), body conformation and carcass characteristics of lambs in the supplemented groups were all greater than for the control group. SO lambs had the lowest ADG of 190.3 g/day. RBO and CO treatments had the lowest feed cost per unit gain of AU$ 3.0/kg. Supplemented lambs had similar over the hooks (OTH) incomes that were all higher than that of the control group. This empirical evidence-based data demonstrated that supplementation of lambs with RBO and CO had comparatively lower feed costs without compromising ADG, carcass characteristics and OTH income.

Various environmental challenges, related to oil palm commodity has became a major environmental challenge to oil palm production. The aim and objective of this study is to analyze the actual water footprint of oil palm based on root water uptake under varying crop age and soil type. The research was conducted in Pundu Village, Central Kalimantan. The methodology adopted in carrying out this study consists of various stages which includes observing soil moisture, rainfall, and water table, ETo, root water uptake and oil palm water footprint. The highest rate of water consumption was the 13 years oil palm on spodosol soil type with an average daily rate of 3.73 mm/day. The lowest evapotranspiration was represented by the 7th year oil palm on spodosol with an average rate of 3.07 mm/day. The total water footprint value obtained was between 0.56 – 1.14 m3/kg for a variety of plants with various age and soil types. It can be deduced that the water footprint value of oil palm vary for different crop age and soil types on temporal scale. The study also presented that the source of green water from the first root zone of oil palm deliver the highest contribution for oil palm root water uptake.

Delipidation is a method of defatting that is generally associated with the removal of residual lipids or lipid groups from matrices in which they are present in minute quantities. The bio-delipidation of protein-rich poultry slaughterhouse wastewater (PSW) pre-treated with a dissolved air flotation (DAF) system was developed using microbial lipases from bacterial strains isolated from the PSW. The efficacy of the bio-delipidation system was quantitatively characterised by comparing the quality parameters i.e., fats, oil and grease (FOGs), turbidity, total suspended solutes (TSS), total chemical oxygen demand (tCOD) and protein concentration of the DAF pre-treated PSW and bio-lipidized samples. As hypothesised, the bio-delipidation system was able to effectively reduce the levels of these quality parameters when crude lipases of Bacillus cereus AB1 (BF3) and Bacillus cereus CC-1 (B30) strains were used. Strain-dependent quality characteristics were also observed in bio-delipidized samples. The study successfully managed to complement physical reduction techniques (DAF) with biological strategies (bio-delipidation) for improved PSW quality, with potential industrial applications.

The study was done to investigate the kinetics of first order bioremediation. The effectiveness of remediating soils polluted with raw crude oil and treated crude oil using Aspergillus niger (fungi) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (bacteria) were investigated. Eight systems of 500g soil sample were polluted with both raw and treated crude oil. Four systems were polluted with 40g treated crude oil while the other remaining four systems were polluted with 40g raw crude oil. Two systems with raw crude and treated crude were left as control (RCC and TCC). Raw crude samples were treated with Aspergillus niger only (RCA) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (RCP) while treated crude samples were also treated with same (TCA) and (TCP) only. The last two systems were treated with both Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Aspergillus niger (RCAP and TCAP). The first order bioremediation kinetics and biostimulant efficiency for these systems were studied by monitoring Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH). At the end of the bioremediation period, the results obtained showed that treated crude oil polluted soil generally remediated faster and better than raw crude oil polluted soil. The highest level of bioremediation occurred in systems amended with both Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Aspergillus niger which had about 98% TPH decrease.

The efficiency of cold sheet and strip rolling of steels and non-ferrous metals in the main depends on the quality of the technological lubricant and its cost. In this regard, it is important to develop new compositions of effective metal-working coolants (MWC) having low cost and providing the maximum reduction in the friction coefficient. We developed and tested the new compositions of the MWC on basis of chicken fat, and mono- and diglycerides and their esters of boric acid synthesized from the wastes of sunflower oil production. The MWC were tested in DSEA on laboratory rolling mill 100x100 with a roll diameter of 260 mm during steel 08Kp rolling. The efficiency of the coolants was determined by the factor of metal stretch forming λ and the coefficient of friction μ in the deformation zone which was found by forward slip method. We found the metal-working coolant with 100 % concentration of boric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides is the most effective in steel rolling. Thus the new MWC on basis of boric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides synthesized from the wastes of sunflower oil production can be recommended for use in rolling of structural steels on account of availability, high efficiency, and a low cost.

The Directive 2014/95, in force in 2017, is the first European step that requires mandatory non-financial information to undertakings (all “public interest entities” with more than 500 employees). The regulation is concerning sustainability information as environmental, social and employee, human rights and anti-corruption and bribery matters and disclosure of diversity policy for board members. The study, in the strand of the regulation of accounting, part of the broader field of research into accounting regulation, contributes to the debate on the quality of regulation, in this specific case referred to sustainability disclosure. The regulation of sustainability matters is studied in literature broadly in a post-implementation phase and at national level. This research, instead, aims to analyse, through the causal chain of regulatory policy, in the ex-ante stage, the quality of the regulation and, at least, the usefulness of the normative pressure. The Oil & Gas sector is chosen as sample of the study, because it is one of the most advanced sectors in sustainability disclosure. The examination of the law, in terms of content requirements (what) and location of information (where), is the basis to apply the disclosure-scoring system, a partial form of content analysis, to the reports of the sample. The findings reveal a good level of completeness of non-financial information, however, there are some areas that have to be improved to reach the requests of the Directive. Results show also the presence of overlap between financial reports and sustainability ones. In conclusion, the regulation is useful to prompt undertakings to reflect on their reporting and so doing improve their sustainability approach.

In this study, the olive pomace was considered because of its importance in the environment. So, this study carried out to estimate the total nitrogen content and the fatty acids profile of olive pomace. The olive pomace samples were collected from Irbid, Jarash, Ajloun and Mafraq during the harvesting season 2014 to study the biochemical characteristics of fatty acid composition and the total nitrogen (TN) content. The total nitrogen content was determined by standard Kjeldahl method and the fatty acid profile was detected by gas chromatography (GC). The results show that the total nitrogen content ranged from (0.39 ± 0.0) to (0.62 ± 0.02) with statistically significant difference suggesting that the composition of matrices and their percentage may be responsible for composition of amendments. The calculated total protein percentage ranged between (2.43 ± 0.00) to (3.87 ± 0.17). Also, 13 different fatty acids were quantitatively profiled and quantitated. Oleic acid (C 18:1) was found to be the highest percentage of all other fatty acids and ranged between (59.03%) and (63.81%), moreover the C 18:1/C 18:2 (oil quality) was calculated and C.V% showed variation meaning that nutritional implication could affect the oxidative stability of oils. In conclusion, OP by-product could give a sustainable and alternative-cheap source for fertilizers, pharmaceutical industries, cosmetics and other industries.

In this project, four of fibers Bragg gratings were fabricated by injecting different volumes of liquids (star line Glass Mechanix optical adhesive material, olive oil diluted with ethanol) into the hollow core fiber. The amplitude splitting interferometric technique with a high resolution specially designed translation stage was used for the fabrication process. The fabrication was done using ultraviolet laser operated at wavelength 405nm. The fabricated Bragg length of the four fibers is equal to 3.8 cm. The results presented fiber Bragg grating (FBG) with successful fabrication at 653.3 nm Bragg reflected wavelength.

The article considers the issues of ensuring operational performance and environmental sustainability of marine diesel engines by using biodiesel fuel. The research was conducted on 5S60ME-C8 MAN-B&W Diesel Group and 6DL-16 Daihatsu Diesel marine diesel engines, which were operated using RMG380 petroleum fuel and B10 and B30 biodiesel fuels. The efficiency of biofuel usage was assessed based on environmental (reduced nitrogen oxide concentration in exhaust gases) and economic (increased specific effective fuel consumption) criteria. It was found out that the use of B10 and B30 biofuels provides reduction of nitrogen oxides concentration in exhaust gases by 14.71–25.13 %, but at the same time increases specific effective fuel consumption by 1.55–6.01 %. Optimum fuel injection advance angles were determined that ensure the best thermal energy, economic and environmental performance of diesel engines. The optimum angle of biofuel supply advance is determined experimentally and should correspond to the limits recommended by the diesel engine operating instructions. It has been proven experimentally that the use of biofuel increases the environmental sustainability of marine diesel engines by 13.75–29.42 %. It increases the diesel engines environmental safety in case of emergency situations, as well as accidental and short-term emissions of exhaust gases with an increased content of nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere - phenomena that are possible in starting modes of diesel engine operation, as well as in modes of sudden load changes. It is the increase in the environmental friendliness of marine diesel engines in the case of using biofuel that is the most positive criterion and contributes to the intensity of biofuel use in power plants of sea vessels.

The nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) metabolomic analysis was applied to investigate the differences within nineteen Sicilian Nocellara del Belice mono varietal Extra Virgin Olive Oils (EVOO), grown in two zones different for altitude and soil composition. Several classes of endogenous olive oil metabolites were quantified through a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) three-experiment protocol coupled with a yet developed data-processing called MARA-NMR. This method, taking around one-hour experimental time per sample, faces the possible quantification of different class of compounds at different concentration’s range which would require at least three alternative traditional methods. NMR results were compared with the data of traditional analytical methods to quantify free fatty acidity (FFA), fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs), and total phenol content. The presented NMR methodology is compared with traditional analytical practices and its consistency is also tested through slightly different data treatment. Despite the rich literature about the NMR of EVOOs, the paper points out that there are still several advances potentially improving this general analysis and overcoming the other cumbersome and multi-devices analytical strategies. Monovarietal EVOO’s composition is mainly affected by pedoclimatic conditions in turn relaying upon the nutritional properties, quality, and authenticity. Data collection, analysis and statistical processing are discussed touching the important issues related to the climate changes in Sicily and to the specific influence of pedoclimatic conditions.

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is an essential fatty acid (FA) with proven health effects, whom bioavailability improvement is becoming a public health issue. Unlike fish oils, the bioavailability of DHA from microalgal (A) has not been fully assessed, particularly with regard to the molecular structuring capabilities offered by A-oil. We explored the impact of 5 formulas rich in DHA, different by i) the molecular structure: ethyl ester (EE) or monoglyceride (MG) or Triglyceride (TG) and ii) the supramolecular form: emulsified TG or TG+phospholipids (blend PL), on the lymphatic kinetics of DHA absorption and the lipid characteristics of resulting lipoproteins. We demonstrated that in rat, the DHA absorption of the conventional A-DHA TG structure was more effective than the EE structure (+ 23%). More, the A-DHA MG and A-DHA Emulsion were the most favourable DHA-vectors (AUC: 89% and +42%, respectively), thanks to an improved lipolysis. The A-DHA MG and -Emulsion presented the richest DHA content in TG (+40%) and PL (+50%) of lymphatic chylomicrons, which could impact the metabolic fate of DHA. We concluded that structuring A-DHA in TG or EE would be more prone for tissue and hepatic metabolism whereas in A-DHA MG and A-DHA Emulsion could target nerve tissues.

The effect of Amaranthus cruentus L. seed oil (AmO) on collagen biosynthesis and wound healing was studied in cultured human dermal fibroblasts exposed to UVA radiation. It has been found that UVA radiation inhibited collagen biosynthesis, prolidase activity, expression of β1-integrin receptor, phosphorylated ERK1/2 and TGF-β, while increased the expression of p38 kinase. The AmO at 0.05-0.15% counteracted the above effects induced by UVA radiation in fibroblasts. UVA radiation also induced the expression and nuclear translocation of pro-inflammatory NF-κB fac-tor and enhanced the COX-2 expression. AmO effectively suppressed the expression of these pro-inflammatory factors induced by UVA radiation. Expressions of β1 integrin and IGF-I re-ceptors were decreased in the fibroblasts exposed to UVA radiation, while AmO counteracted the effects. Furthermore, AmO stimulated fibroblast’s migration in a wound healing model, thus facilitating the repair process following exposure of fibroblasts to UVA radiation. This data suggest the potential of AmO to counteract UVA-induced skin damage.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) represent the leading cause of global mortality with 1,7 million deaths a year. One of the alternative systems to drug therapy to minimize the risk of CVDs is represented by alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an essential fatty acid of the Omega-3 series, known for its cholesterol-lowering effect. The main purpose of this review is to analyze the effects of ALA and investigate the relevant n-6/n-3 ratio in order to maintain functionally beneficial effects. Concerning the lipid-lowering preventive effects, ALA may favorably affect the values of LDL-C and triglycerides in either adult and pediatric populations and it has a positive and protective effect against hypertension, suggesting that ALA is an useful diet-related antihypertensive compound. According to the 2009 EFSA statement, dietary ALA may contribute to reducing the risk of CVDs, thanks to anti-hypertensive, anti-atherosclerotic and cardio-protective effects.

This study investigates multiple extrusion regimens with twin screw extruder for valorising soy press cakes (by-products of soy drink & tofu manufacturing process) by varying physical conditions of extrusion (temperature and moisture content) for improving their morphological, physico-chemical, technological, and sensory parameters. Valorised soy press cakes were compared before and after extrusion. Four extrusion regimens (moisture content 30%-60% and temperature 110°C -120°C) were designed for producing different extruded samples. Small amounts (3%-6%) of untreated and extruded press cakes were utilised in the development of meat analogues. All samples showed comparable nutritional and trypsin inhibition activity with almost all samples possessing most essential amino acids above significant amounts. Press cakes with higher moisture indicated improved bulk density, water holding and oil holding capacity. Interestingly, the same samples also reportedly had texture more closely resembling native meat texture and scored the highest in overall sensory acceptance. Our results thus indicate that soy press cake samples from drink manufacturing process, when extruded with the regimen with 60% moisture and temperature of 120°C show the greatest potential in developing meat analogues.

Recently, in a previous study, we have experimentally shown the existence of an optimal injected steam mass flow rate, per unit length, ϕopt, which produces the maximal recovery of con- densate in a preformed steam chamber with an elliptical cross section of horizontal semi-major axis. Mutatis mutandis, in this work we present experimental studies in preformed steam chambers, one elliptical and the other circular. In both cases, we also have found the existence of unique optimal values. These configurations try to recreate the steam condensation, at a given time lapse, as it would occur during the growth stage of the steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) process, a method used in the recovery of heavy and extra-heavy oil from homogeneous reservoirs. Finding the optimal mass flow rates in actual recovery process could become useful in the design of optimized SAGD processes.

According to the structural features, sedimentary evolution, types of sedimentary facies, source rocks features, diagenesis evolution, reservoir features and hydrocarbon formation mechanism, exploration status and hydrocargon resource potential, this article analyzed the major control fac-tors and hydrocarbon distribution rules of the lithologic reservoirs in continental fault basin. The research shows that three major control factors and one coupled factor (fractures act as a tie) in-fluence hydrocarbon formation of lithologic traps in Nantun Formation of Tanan Sag, which in-clude sand body types, effective source rocks and effective reservoirs. With the increase in depth, enough hydrocarbon generate in source rock under thermal evolution. Hydrocarbon generation and expulsion are more intensive when it comes to the depth threshold and critical conditions of hydrocarbon supplying are met. Traps that surrounded or contacted by source rock, or communi-cated by fault are qualified to form reservoirs. As buried depth increases, hydrocarbon genera-tion-expulsion intensity grows and the trap is more petroliferous. Hydrocarbon accumulation and reservoir formation are also controlled by sandbody accumulation conditions. When it meets the critical conditions of hydrocarbon generation and concrete oil and gas are charged in, better phys-ical properties of sandbody always indicate more hydrocarbon accumulation in the trap. Alloca-tion of sand type, effective source rock and effective reservoir is optimized under the effect of fractures, and coupled hydrocarbon reservoir with these three elements.

In commercial terms, Virgin Olive Oil (VOO) is considered an exceptional food of excellent sensory and nutritional quality, for its taste and genuine odour and, as well as for its bioactive compounds, of a great interest for the health. This quality can be affected by oxidative degradation, chemical as well as enzymatic (activity of oxidative endogenous enzymes from polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase olive fruit type), of essential components during extraction and conservation of VOO. In the bibliography, the reduction of oxygen during the malaxation process and the storage of the oil has been studied in different ways. However, research about the reduction of oxygen in the crushing of olive fruit, malaxation of the paste and/or both at the same time in “real extraction condition” is scarce. The reduction of oxygen has been compared to control conditions (concentration of atmospheric oxygen of 21%). Batches of 200 kg of olive fruit, Picual cultivar, were used and the following treatments were applied: Control (21% O2 Mill - 21% O2 Mixer), “IM-NM”: Inerted milling -Normal malaxation (6.5% O2 Mill-21% O2 Mixer), “NM-IM”: Normal milling-Inerted malaxation (21% O2 Mill-4 % O2 Mixer) and “IM-IM”: Inerted milling-Inerted malaxation (5.5% O2 Mill-10% O2 Mixer). The parameters of commercial quality covered by Regulation: free acidity, peroxide value and absorbency in ultra-violet (k 232 and k270) did not suffer any change in relationship to the control, the oils belong to the comercial category of “Extra virgin olive oil”. The phenolic compounds are involved in the distinctive bitter and purgent taste and, their healthy properties and their oxidative stability, increased with the downsizing amounts of oxygen regarding control and the IM-NM, NM-IM and IM-IM treatments with an average of 4, 10 and 20 %, respectively. By contrast, total volatile compounds decrease between a 10-20 % in all oxygen reduction treatments. The volatile compounds arising from lipoxygenase pathway, which are responsable for the green and fruity notes of VOO, also decreased their concentration with the treatments, between 15-20%. The results show how the reduction of oxygen in the milling and malaxation stages of olive fruit can modulate the content of phenols, volatile compounds, carotenoids and chlorophyll pigments of the VOO avoiding the degradation of compound with sensorial and nutritional interest.

The utilisation of the industrial residual products to develop new value-added materials and to reduce footprint is one of the critical challenges of science and industry. Development of the new multifunctional and bio-based composites materials is an excellent opportunity for the effective utilisation of industrial residual products. Keeping the different issues in mind, in this work, we describe the manufacturing and characterisation of the three-phases bio-based composites. The key components are bio-based binder made of peat, devulcanised crumb rubber (DCR) from used tires and part of the fly ash, i.e. the cenosphere (CS). The three-phase composite prepared in the form of a block were investigated for their mechanical properties and density. The three-phase composite was prepared in the form a) of a block were investigated for their mechanical properties, and density and b) a form of granules for determination of the water and oil products sorption were investigated. We have also investigated the dependence of the properties on the DCR and CS fraction. It has been found, that maximum compression strength (in block form) observed for composition without CS and DCR addition was- 79.3 MPa, while the second-highest value of compression strength is 11.2 MPa for composition with 27.3 wt% of CS. For compositions with bio binder content from 17.4 to 55.8 wt% and with DCR contents in range from 11.0 to 62.0 wt%, the compression strength is in the range from 1.1 to 2.0 MPa. Liquid sorption analysis (water and diesel) showed that the maximum saturation of liquids in both cases is set after 35 minutes and ranges from 1.05 to 1.4 g·g -1 for water and 0.77 to 1.25 g·g-1 for diesel. It was noted that 90% of the maximum saturation with diesel fuel comes after 10 minutes and for water after 35 minutes.

Recently the use of food by products as natural sources of biologically active substances has been extensively investigated especially for the development of functional foods fortified with natural antioxidants. Due to their content of bioactive compounds, such as carotenoids, flavonoids and limonoids, Citrus peels could be suitable to formulate enriched olive oils able to boost a healthy nutrition. The aim of this study was: (i) to determine the compositional and sensory profiles of the Citrus olive oil and (ii) to evaluate its nutraceutical properties in rats with high fat diet-induced-metabolic syndrome and oxidative stress. The results obtained show the potential of using the Citrus peels as a source of bioactive compounds to improve the sensory profile as well as the phytochemical composition of olive oil. We demonstrated that the production system of C. aurantium olive oil and C. limon olive oil improves their organoleptic properties without altering their beneficial effects, which, like control extra virgin olive oil, showed protective effects on glucose and serum lipid levels, metabolic activity of adipocytes, myocardial tissue functionality, oxidative stress markers and endothelial function at blood vessel level.

Plastics have become an indispensable part of modern life today. The global production of plastics has gone up to 299million tones in 2013, which is believed to be increasing in the near future. The utilization of plastics and its final disposal pose a tremendous negative significance impacts on the environment. The aim of this study was to investigate the thermal and catalytic pyrolysis for production of fuel oil from the polyethene plastic wastes. Catalysts used in the experiment were acid activated clay mineral and aluminum chlorides on activated carbon. The clay mineral was activated by refluxing it with 6M Sulphuric acid for 3hours. The experiment was conducted in three different phases: the first phase of the experiment was done without a catalyst where 88mL oil was obtained at a maximum temperature of 39 and heating rates of 12.5, reaction time of 4hours. The second phase involves the use of acid activated clay mineral where 100mL of oil was obtained and heating rates of 12.5 and reaction time of 3hours 30minutes. The third phase was done using aluminium chlorides on activated carbon and 105ml oil was obtained at a maximum temperature of 400 and heating rates of 15.5 reaction time of 3hours 10minutes. From the results, catalytic pyrolysis is more efficient than purely thermal pyrolysis and homogenous catalysis (aluminum chlorides) shows a better result than solid acid catalyst (activated clay minerals) hence saving the energy needed for pyrolysis and making the process more economically feasible.

Nowadays, the fingerprinting methodologies of olive oils are dominated. They consider the entire analytical signal, which is acquired and recorded by the analytical instrument, directly from olive oil or isoleted fraction, i,e chromatogram. The shape and intensity of the recorded signal the instrumental fingerprint from the whole olive oil adulteration. Therefore, the methodolygy is based on the chemical composition (Fatty acids and Triglycerides compositions). However, Fatty acids composition as an indicator of purity suggests that linolenic acid content could be used as a parameter for the detection of extra virgin olive oil fraud with 5% of soybean oil. The adulteration could also be detected by the increase of the trans-fatty acid contents with 3% of soybean oil, 2% of corn oil and 4% of sunflower oil. The use of the ∆ECN42 proved to be effective in the Chemlali extra-virgin olive oil adulteration even at low levels: 1% of sunflower oil, 3% of soybean oil and 3% of corn oil. Therefore, compared to classical methods PCA and new approach of using LDA application could represent an alternative and innovative tool for faster and cheaper evaluation of extra-virgin olive oil adulteration.

The abnormal assembly of α-synuclein (α-Syn) is an initial step in the formation of Lewy bodies in the brain, which finally causes the neuronal death, being considered as a pathological hallmark in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Certain food bioactives or their metabolites at very low concentrations can trespass the blood brain barrier (BBB) that might, thereafter, act simultaneously. The aim of this work was to evaluate the inhibitory and destabilising capacities on α-Syn kinetics and the neuroprotective effects of three well-known bioactive compounds able to cross the BBB and present in foods; melatonin (MEL), protocatechuic acid (PCA) and hydroxytyrosol (HT), and their combinations. For this purpose, different in vitro techniques (Thioflavin T (ThT), Transmission Electronic Microscopy (TEM), electrophoresis and MTT assay) were used. All tested compounds and their combinations were able to abolish the toxicity induced by α-Syn. In addition, the combination of PCA (100 µM) +HT (100 µM) showed the highest inhibitory effect against α-Syn fibril formation and destabilises α-Syn fibrils (88 and 62%, respectively). This is the first time that MEL, PCA and HT prove a joint effect against α-Syn aggregation and toxicity when they are tested together.

Recently, the properties of bouncing oil droplets, also known as `walkers', have attracted much attention because they are thought to offer a gateway to a better understanding of quantum behaviour. They indeed constitute a macroscopic realization of wave-particle duality, in the sense that their trajectories are guided by a self-generated surrounding wave. The aim of this paper is to try to describe walker phenomenology in terms of de Broglie-Bohm dynamics and of a stochastic version thereof. In particular, we first study how a stochastic modification of the de Broglie pilot-wave theory, à la Nelson, affects the process of relaxation to quantum equilibrium, and we prove an H-theorem for the relaxation to quantum equilibrium under Nelson-type dynamics. We then compare the onset of equilibrium in the stochastic and the de Broglie-Bohm approaches and we propose some simple experiments by which one can test the applicability of our theory to the context of bouncing oil droplets. Finally, we compare our theory to actual observations of walker behavior in a 2D harmonic potential well.

CO2-soluble surfactant foam systems have garnered significant attention in the fields of enhanced oil and gas recovery, environmental protection, and greenhouse gas emission reduction. This review provides a comprehensive explanation of the basic theory of CO2-soluble surfactant foam, the mechanism of enhanced oil recovery, and the classification and application of various CO2-soluble surfactants.The mechanism of enhanced oil recovery by CO2-soluble surfactant foam involves the effective reduction of CO2 fluidity, the decrease in oil-air flow ratio, and the stabilization of the displacement front. Foam plays a vital role in mitigating the issues of channeling and gravity separation often caused by simple CO2 injection. The reduction in gas fluidity can be attributed to the increase in apparent viscosity and trapped gas fraction.Future research should prioritize the development of more efficient and environmentally-friendly CO2-soluble surfactants. It is essential to further explore the advantages and challenges associated with their practical applications in order to maximize their potential impact.

The LTTD process for highly concentrated crude oil-contaminated soil was studied to evaluate the remediation efficiency. In addition, the environmental impact difference between HTTD and LTTD was studied. OpenLCA software obtained from PE International was used to perform the analyses. The total ADP environmental impact of the HTTD process was 1.63E-04 MJ, whereas the total GWP impact was 4.14E+02 kg CO2-eq. In contrast, the LTTD process exhibits total ADP and GWP environmental impacts of 1.29E-04 MJ and 2.78E+02 kg CO2 eq, respectively. Analysis of the overall environmental impact reduction revealed that replacing the HTTD process with the LTTD process resulted in a total ADP reduction of 3.40E-05 MJ (20.5%) and a GWP reduction of 1.36E+02 kg CO2 -eq (32.9%). It is inferred that the LTTD treatment of contaminated soil can significantly reduce the environmental impact compared with conventional incineration and HTTD processes. Additionally, the LTTD-treated soil with coke or carbonized residue could act like biochar as a soil amendment. Approximately 50% of organic hydrocarbon contaminants are sequestered into coke or carbonized residues on the soil surface. With additional analyses of various oil-contaminated soils, the potential utility of LTTD-treated soils is expected to be maximized.

Despite advances in conservation-restoration treatments, most surface cleaning tests are subjectively evaluated. Scores according to qualitative criteria are employed to assess results, but these can vary by user and context. This paper presents a range of cleaning efficacy and homogeneity evaluation metrics for appraising cleaning trials, which minimise user bias by measuring quantifiable changes in the appearance and characteristic spectral properties of surfaces. The metrics are based on various imaging techniques (optical imaging by photography using visible light (VIS); spectral imaging in the visible-to-near-infrared (VNIR) and shortwave infrared (SWIR) ranges; chemical imaging by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectral mapping in the mid-infrared (MIR) range; and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) element mapping). They are complemented by appearance measurements (glossimetry and colorimetry). As a case study showcasing the low-cost to high-end metrics, agar gel spray cleaning tests on exposed ground and unvarnished oil paint mock-ups are reported. The evaluation metrics indicated that spraying agar (prepared with citric acid in ammonium hydroxide) at a surface-tailored pH was a safe candidate for efficacious and homogenous soiling removal on water-sensitive oil paint and protein-bound ground. Further research is required to identify a gel-based cleaning system for oil-bound grounds.

.Various synthetic nematicides are currently used effectively in the control of plant parasitic nematodes. However, these nematicides have adverse effects on humans and the environment. Neem oil is eco-friendly alternatives to synthetic nematicides. The effectiveness of repeated neem oil application in suppressing the root-knot nematodes infestation in figs seedlings was therefore examined in this study, both in its natural form (10 ml/L) and in its nano-emulsion form (5 and 7 ml/L). The recorded reduction parameters of M. incognita were J2/250g soil, galls and egg masses / 5g roots of infected fig seedlings were measured at that time, and the effects of these natural additives were compared with the Fosthiazate (Krenkel 75%EC). The impact of such soil amendments on some typical plant parameters, the total microbial count of soil, and the overall enzymatic activity of the fig rhizosphere were also included. Obtained results revealed that the soil population density of root knot nematode suppressed by 80.3% , reduction of nematode egg masses (60.4%) due to the application of nano-emulsion of neem oil (at 7ml/L). Present work recommend the use of nano-emulsion of neem oil as one of the effective and eco-friendly means to reduce the root- knot nematode on fig .

The Gulf of Suez is a sedimentary rift-basin with thick evaporites and complex structural settings that presents challenges to achieving quality imaging based on seismic reflection data. Such subsurface settings and the lack of 3D seismic data poses challenges in building reservoir models to guide hydrocarbon exploration and development, especially in southern parts the Gulf of Suez. This study attempts to overcome the challenges of both 2D seismic interpretation and building a static reservoir model of two Miocene reservoir formations, Ras Ghara Field, Southern Gulf of Suez. Integration of well log data analysis of nine wells and regional-tectonics cognizant 2D seismic interpretation of nineteen 2D seismic lines enabled a reliable 3D static reservoir model. The Miocene reservoir characterization reveals heterogeneity in lithofacies distribution, with thick evaporite sequences causing seismic reflection distortions. Significant hydrocarbon accumulations are associated with horst fault blocks. The Miocene reservoirs demonstrate effective porosity of 14-33%, water saturation of 16-65%, and hydrocarbon saturation of 35-84%. Two new prospects are identified based on structure, facies distribution, and petrophysical results, with estimated original oil in place (OOIP) of 2,002,404 stock tank barrels (STB) and 1,175,580 STB for the Kareem Formation, and 6,302,916 STB and 2,841,894 STB for the Rudeis Formation.

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is manifested by hepatic steatosis, insulin resistance, hepatocyte death, and systemic inflammation. Obesity induces steatosis and chronic inflammation in the liver. However, the precise mechanism underlying hepatic steatosis in the setting of obesity remains unclear. Here we report studies that address this question. Methods: 14 weeks on high-fat diet (HFD) with high sucrose, C57BL/6 mice revealed a phenotype of liver steatosis. Transcriptional profiling analysis of the liver tissues was performed using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). Results: Our RNA-seq data revealed 692 differentially expressed genes involved in processes of lipid metabolism, oxidative stress, immune responses, and cell proliferation. Notably, the gene encoding neutral sphingomyelinase SMPD3, was predominantly upregulated in the liver tissues of the mice displaying a phenotype of steatosis. Moreover, nSMase2 activity was elevated in these tissues of the liver. Pharmacological and genetic inhibition of nSMase2 prevented intracellular lipid accumulation and TNFα-induced inflammation in in-vitro HepG2-steatosis cellular model. Furthermore, nSMase2 inhibition ameliorates oxidative damage by rescuing PPARα and prevent cell death associated with high glucose/oleic acid-induced fat accumulation in HepG2 cells. Conclusions: Collectively, our findings highlight the prominent role of nSMase2 in hepatic steatosis which could serve as a potential therapeutic target for NAFLD and other hepatic steatosis-linked disorders.

UVA radiation inducing oxidative stress is harmful for the skin cells. The most sensitive are dermal fibroblasts. Exposure of the cells to prolonged UVA radiation induces apoptosis. Although, skin cells have a number of defense mechanisms that protect them against UV-induced oxidative stress, they are insufficient during long-lasting UV exposure. Therefore, there is a need for effective skin protection compounds with cytoprotective and antioxidant properties. One of their sources is Amaranthus cruentus L. seed oil, rich in unsaturated fatty acids, squalene, vitamin E derivatives, and phytosterols. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether Amaranthus cruentus seed oil evokes protective effect on the apoptosis stimulated by UVA radiation in human skin fibroblasts. UVA radiation at an applied dose of 10 J/cm2 caused a significant reduction in the survival of human skin fibroblasts and directed them into apoptosis pathway. Increased expression of p53, caspase 3, and caspase 9 and PARP proteins in UVA-treated fibroblasts suggests the intrinsic mechanism of apoptosis. The application of Amaranthus cruentus seed oil at 0.1% and 0.15% concentrations to UVA-treated cells decreased the expression of these proteins, which was accompanied by increased cell survival. Similarly, the UVA-dependent decrease in expression of p-Akt and mTOR proteins was restored, under the effect of studied oil. The molecular mechanism of this phenomenon is related to the stimulation of antioxidant processes through activation of Nrf2. This suggests that Amaranthus cruentus seed oil stimulate the antioxidant system in fibroblast cells and prevent the effects of UVA-induced oxidative stress and may find application in pharmacy and cosmetology as a sun- protective substance.

Agricultural landscapes are more and more characterized by intensification and habitat losses. Landscape composition and configuration are known to mediate insect abundance and richness. In the context of global insect decline, and despite 75% of crops being under insect’s dependence, there is still a gap of knowledge about the link between pollinators and aromatic crops. Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is an aromatic plant cultivated in South of France, for its essential oil which is of great economic interest. Using pan-traps, we investigated the influence of the surrounding habitats at landscape scale (semi-natural habitat proportion and vicinity, landscape configuration) and local scale agricultural practices (insecticides and patch size) on fennel-flower-visitor abundance and richness and their subsequent impact on fennel essential oil yield. We found that fennel may to be a generalist plant species. We did not find any effect of intense local management practices on insect abundance and richness. Landscape configuration and the proximity to semi-natural habitat were the main drivers of flying insect’s family richness. This richness positively influenced fennel essential oil yield. Maintaining a complex configuration of patches at the landscape scale are important to sustain insect diversity and crop yield.

This study aimed to characterize the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) expression in the bovine mammary gland and to infer their functions in dietary response to 5% linseed oil (LSO) or 5% safflower oil (SFO). Twelve cows (six per treatment) in mid lactation were fed a control diet for 28 days followed by a treatment period (control diet supplemented with 5% LSO or 5% SFO) of 28 days. Mammary gland biopsies were collected from each animal on day-14 (D-14, control period), D+7 (early treatment period) and D+28 (late treatment period) and were subjected to RNA-Sequencing and subsequent bioinformatics analyses. Functional enrichment of lncRNA was performed via potential cis regulated target genes located within 50 Kb flanking regions of lncRNAs and having expression correlation of >0.7 with mRNAs. A total of 4955 lncRNAs (325 known and 4630 novel) were identified which potentially cis targeted 59 and 494 genes in LSO and SFO treatments, respectively. Enrichments of cis target genes of lncRNAs indicated potential roles of lncRNAs in immune function, nucleic acid metabolism and cell membrane organization processes as well as involvement in Notch, cAMP and TGF-β signaling pathways. Thirty-two and 21 lncRNAs were differentially expressed (DE) in LSO and SFO treatments, respectively. Six genes (KCNF1, STARD13, BCL6, NXPE2, HHIPL2 and MMD) were identified as potential cis target genes of six DE lncRNAs. In conclusion, this study indicated potential roles for lncRNAs in mammary gland immune functions and development and provided potential candidate genes and pathways via which lncRNAs can function in diet responses.

Alternative fuels available at low cost, friendly to natural environments and meet the energy needs and demands, have witnessed a growing demand and use today. Ethanol is an attractive renewable energy source with a high content of oxygen. Ethanol can be produced through ethanolisis, however for this work direct blending of conventional diesel, waste plastic pyrolysis oil and ethanol with commercial fuel improver CI-0808 purchased from Innospec company was attempted. The primary purpose of adding a cetane improver was to improve the combustion characteristics of the blends by at least 1- 3 ignition quality points. Five mixing ratios were chosen in the following order, 50:25:25, 60: 20:20, 70: 15:15, 80: 10:10 and 90: 5:5 for Waste Plastic Pyrolysis Oil (WPPO), ethanol and conventional diesel (CD) respectively. However, for the fuel additive mixing ratio the total volume percentage was considered and the ratio put at 0.01% of the total quantity of blended fuel. In this work WPPO, diesel blends and fuel additives improvers were used as alternative fuel. This was to evaluate their performance and emission characteristics in a stationary single cylinder water cooled experimental diesel engine. The CI-0808 was added due to its potential power to reduce emissions of CO, UHC, NO_X, PM and improved engine performance. The results obtained were compared carefully to ASTM standards and discussed using graph curves figures and tabulated values. The conclusion was that ethanol and WPPO blends can be used in diesel engines as alternative fuel without modification. Used in combination with cetane improvers the emissions reduce significantly and performance improved equalling that of conventional diesel fuel.

Microparticles derived from biomaterials are becoming increasingly popular for various applications, particularly in drug delivery systems. In this study, the water-in-oil (W/O) emulsification-diffusion method was used to create cellulose (C), silk fibroin (SF), and C/SF composite microparticles. We then observed the morphology of all obtained microparticles using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), evaluated their functional groups using attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), and conducted thermogravimetric analysis using a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA). SEM micrographs indicated that the native SF microparticles have the highest spherical shape with smooth surfaces. With blue dextran, the C microparticle was smaller compared to the native microparticle, while the drug-loaded SF microparticles were bigger than the native microparticle. The morphological surfaces of the C/SF composite microparticles were varied in shape and surface depending on the C/SF ratio used. The spherical shape of the C/SF composite microparticle was increased as SF content increased. Furthermore, the size of drug-loaded C/SF composite microparticles was gradually increased by the SF content. The significant functional groups in the C and SF structures were identified based on the ATR-FTIR data, and a suggestion was made regarding the interaction between the functional groups of each polymer. When compared to both native polymers, the C/SF composite microparticles exhibit improved thermal stability. The C/SF composite microparticle at a 1:3 ratio had the lowest drug release content, whereas the hydrophilicity of the C microparticle affected the highest drug release content. As a result, one crucial factor affecting the medication released from the microparticle is its thermal stability. According to the obtained results, C, SF, and C/SF composite microparticles show promise as delivery systems for drugs with controlled release.

An investigation studied the impact of various solid waste types on Helianthus plant growth, encompassing both Helianthus annuus and Helianthus giant. Common sunflowers (Helianthus) were cultivated to assess the influence of soil substrates with differing compositions and solid waste concentrations on plant growth and morphology. Materials included fireplace ash, oil burner dust, forge dust, land of Milos (pozzolan), and land of Milos mixed with olive core. The aim was to determine if Helianthus could remediate soil contaminated by these wastes. Results re-vealed plant growth relied on substrate quality and quantity. High concentrations of fireplace ash and oil burner dust were detrimental, while forge dust, land of Milos, and olive core combinations supported satisfactory growth and improved resistance. Generally, Helianthus annuus outper-formed Helianthus giant. These findings highlight Helianthus' potential for soil restoration and decontamination under specific substrate conditions concerning solid waste type and concentration.

Aquathermolysis is a promising method to upgrade heavy oil in reservoir conditions. However, application of catalysts can significantly promote transformation of the heavy fragments (resins and asphaltenes) and heteroatom-containing compounds of crude oil mixture into low-molecular-weight hydrocarbons. In this paper, the comparison study of the catalytic performance of the water-soluble metal salts such as NiSO4 and FeSO4 on the aquathermolytic upgrading of heavy oil samples produced from Ashal’cha reservoir was carried out at a temperature of 300 °C for 24 hours. Iron nanoparticles contributed to the highest viscosity reduction degree - 60% in contrast to the viscosity of the native crude oil sample. The viscosity alteration is reasoned by the changes in the group composition of heavy oil after catalytic (FeSO4) aquathermolysis, where the content of resins and asphaltenes were reduced by 17% and 7%, respectively. Moreover, the aquathermolytic upgrading of heavy oil in the presence of FeSO4 led to an increase in the yield of gasoline fraction by 13% and diesel fraction by 53%. The H/C ratio, which represents the hydrogenation of crude oil, increased from 1.52 (before catalytic upgrading) to 1.99 (after catalytic upgrading). The results of Chromatomass (GC-MS) and Fourier-infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopies confirmed the intensification of destructive hydrogenation of resins and asphaltenes in the presence of the water-soluble catalysts. According to XRD and SEM-EDX results, the metal salts are thermally decomposed during the aquathermolysis process into the oxides of corresponding metals and particularly sulfided by the sulfur-containing aquathermolysis products.

The pore-throat radius of shale oil reservoir is extremely small, and it is difficult to accurately obtain the absolute permeability and oil-water two-phase relative permeability of actual oil reservoir through conventional core experiments. However, these parameters are very important for reservoir numerical simulation. In this paper, a method for characterizing flow parameters based on pore network model that considers differential pressure flow and diffusion flow is proposed. Firstly, a digital core was reconstructed using focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) from the Gulong shale reservoir in the Songliao Basin, China, and a pore network model was extracted. Secondly, quasi-static single-phase flow and two-phase flow equations considering diffusion were established in the pore network model. Finally, pore throat parameters, absolute permeability, and oil-water two-phase permeability curves were calculated, respectively. The results show that the pore throat distribution of Gulong shale reservoir is mainly concentrated in the nanometer scale, the mean pore radius is 87 nm, the mean throat radius is 41 nm, and the mean coordination number is 3.97; The calculated permeability considering diffusion is 0.000124mD, which is approximately twice the permeability calculated without considering diffusion; The irreducible water saturation of the Gulong shale reservoir is approximately 0.26, and the residual oil saturation is approximately 0.73. The method proposed in this paper can provide an important approach for characterizing the flow parameters of similar shale oil reservoirs.

A quasi-two-dimensional (quasi-2D) modelling approach is introduced to mimic transverse mixing of an inflow into a river from one of its banks, either an industrial outfall or a tributary. The concentrations of determinands in the inflow vary greatly from those in the river, leading to very long mixing lengths in the river downstream of the inflow location. Ideally, a two-dimensional (2D) model would be used on a small scale to capture the mixing of the two flow streams. However, for large-scale applications of several hundreds of kilometres of river length, such an approach demands too many computational resources and too much computational time, especially if the application will at some point require ensemble input from climate-change scenario data. However, a one-dimensional (1D) model with variables varying in the longitudinal flow direction but averaged across the cross-sections is too simple of an approach to capture the lateral mixing between different flow streams within the river. Hence, a quasi-2D method is proposed in which a simplified 1D solver is still applied but the discretisation of the model setup can be carried out in such a way as to enable a 2D representation of the model domain. The quasi-2D model setup also allows secondary channels and side lakes in floodplains to be incorporated into the discretisation. To show proof-of-concept, the approach has been tested on a stretch of the lower Athabasca River in Canada flowing through the oil sands region between Fort McMurray and Fort MacKay. A dye tracer and suspended sediments are the constituents modelled in this test case.

The aim of this work was the study and evaluation of winery by-products in the framework of circular bioeconomy. Grape seeds and grape skins from Greek traditional Ionian Islands varieties were analyzed in an attempt to provide the appropriate basis for model development of their sustainable exploitation at a local or regional level. The wastes collected directly from the wineries immediately after the vinification process and analyzed by chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques. Also, annual production and yields were estimated. Grape seed oil quality was evaluated based on fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) composition. Grape skins phenolic fraction was extracted by an eco-friendly, non-toxic water-glycerol solvent system and were detected qualitatively. Also, total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity were measured. Based on estimated yields, our results demonstrate that winery by-products have the potential to promote the cyclical bioeconomy in a modern economic growth model that will reduce waste, and environmental costs as they can be reused as whole material in foods, dietary supplements, cosmetic ingredients, food colorants and preservatives.

Background Oil palm (OP), Elaeis guineensis , is by far the most important global oil crop, supplying about 40% of total traded vegetable oil. Palm oils are key dietary components consumed daily by over three billion people, mostly in Asia, and also have a wide range of important non-food uses including in cleansing and sanitising products. Main body Oil palm is a perennial crop with a >25-year life cycle and an exceptionally small land footprint compared to annual oilseed crops. Oil palm crops globally produce an annual 81 million tonnes (Mt) of oil from about 19 million hectares (Mha). In contrast, the second and third largest vegetable oil crops, soybean and rapeseed, yield a combined 84 Mt oil but occupy over 163 Mha of increasingly scarce arable land. Despite this advantage, oil palm has acquired a poor environmental reputation, especially in Europe and North America, although soybean planting is now responsible for more deforestation. Oil palm crops face other challenges in the 2020s. On the demand side, these include changing consumer purchasing habits, threats to global trade systems, and diminishing demand for liquid fuels as transport systems become increasingly electrified. On the supply side, major issues include stagnant yields in ageing plantations, sluggish replanting of improved varieties, labour shortages, diseases and climatic/ environmental threats. The latter include the increasing incidence of new and existing pests/diseases and a general lack of climatic resilience, especially relating to elevated temperatures and increasingly erratic rainfall patterns. This review surveys the oil palm sector in the 2020s and beyond, its major challenges and options for future progress. Conclusions Oil palm crops face many future challenges, including emerging threats from climate change and new pests and diseases, that require more effective international collaboration. Nevertheless, new breeding technologies are providing the promise of improvements, such as much higher yielding varieties, improved oil profiles, enhanced disease resistance and modified crop architecture to enable harvesting mechanisation. The industry also needs to redouble its efforts to engage with global consumers in a constructive dialogue aimed at addressing its image problem and explaining the many benefits of its products.

Fructus Amomi (FA) is usually regarded as the dried ripe fruits of Amomum villosum Lour. (FAL) or Amomum villosum Lour. var. xanthioides T. L.Wu et Senjenis (FALX) However, FAL, which always has a much higher price because of its better quality, is confused with FALX in the market. As volatile oil is the main constituent of FA, a strategy of chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and chemometric approches was applied to compare the chemical composition of FAL and FALX. The results showed that the oil yield of FAL was significantly higher than that of FALX. Total ion chromatograph (TIC) showed that cis-nerolidol existed only in FALX. Bornyl acetate and camphor, could be considered as the most important ones in FAL and FALX respectively. Moreover, hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA) successfully distinguished the chemical constitutes of the volatile oils in FAL and FALX. Additionally, bornyl acetate, α-cadinol, linalool, β-myrcene, camphor, d-limonene, terpinolene and endo-borneol were selected as the potential markers for discriminating FAL and FALX by partial least squares discrimination analysis (PLS-DA). In conclusion, this present study first developed a scientific approach to separate FAL and FALX based on volatile oils by GC-MS combined with chemometric techniques.

Oil immersed paper insulation condition is a crucial aspect of power transformer’s life condition diagnostic. The measurement testing database collected over the years made it possible for researchers to implement classification analysis to in-service power transformer. This article presents classification analysis of transformer oil-immersed paper insulation condition. The measurements data (dielectric characteristics, dissolved gas analysis, and furanic compounds) of 149 transformers with primary voltage of 150 kV had been gathered and analyzed. The algorithm used for developing classification model is Support Vector Machine (SVM). The model has been trained and tested using different datasets. Different models have been created and the best chosen, resulting in 90.63% accuracy in predicting the oil-immersed paper insulation condition. Further implementation was executed to classify oil-paper condition of 19 Transformers which Furan data is not available. The classification results combined, reviewed, and compared to conventional assessment methods and standards, confirming that the model developed has the ability to do classification of current oil-paper condition based on Dissolved Gasses and Dielectric Characteristics.

Oil has become the object of global exploits and fierce competition among the major world powers as it is a key strategic non-renewable resource. Transnational petroleum investment is therefore an important mechanism available to countries and international corporations to control oil resources even though there are numerous inherent uncertainties and risks. A new risk assessment index system is proposed in this paper based on use of the Delphi expert scoring system and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation that aims to minimize the potential risks inherent to multinational petroleum investment. This approach encapsulates political, legal, socioeconomic, and infrastructural factors to develop a technical method that can be used for transnational petroleum investment risk assessment. An evaluation of oil investment risk within a case study area is also presented; results provide reference data that can be applied by national and international oil companies to mitigate risks of transnational oil investment.

This paper develops a novel dynamic correction method for the reliability assessment of large oil-immersed power transformers. First, with the transformer oil-paper insulation system (TOPIS) as the target of evaluation and the winding hot spot temperature (HST) as the core point, an HST-based static ageing failure model is built according to the Weibull distribution and Arrhenius reaction law, in order to describe the transformer ageing process and calculate the winding HST for obtaining the failure rate and life expectancy of TOPIS. A grey target theory based dynamic correction model is then developed, combined with the data of Dissolved Gas Analysis (DGA) in power transformer oil, in order to dynamically modify the life expectancy calculated by the built static model, such that the corresponding relationship between the state grade and life expectancy correction coefficient of TOPIS can be built. Furthermore, the life expectancy loss recovery factor is introduced to correct the life expectancy of TOPIS again. Lastly, a practical case study of an operating transformer has been undertaken, in which the failure rate curve after introducing dynamic corrections can be obtained for the reliability assessment of this transformer. The curve shows a better ability of tracking the actual reliability level of transformer, thus verifying the validity of the proposed method and providing a new way for transformer reliability assessment. This contribution presents a novel model for the reliability assessment of TOPIS, in which the DGA data, as a source of information for the dynamic correction, is processed based on the grey target theory, thus the internal faults of power transformer can be diagnosed accurately as well as its life expectancy updated in time, ensuring that the dynamic assessment values can commendably track and reflect the actual operation state of the power transformers.

With the development of economy, maritime transportation has increased rapidly, which has had a significant impact on the marine environment and resources. In recent years, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) has been widely used to observe maritime environmental incident. Through the large coverage area of SAR, marine environmental emergencies, especially oil pollution, can be better monitored and responded to. This study first proposed an improved Full-scale Aggregated MobileUNet (FA-MobileUNet) model to achieve more complete detection results of oil spill areas. The convolutional block attention module (CBAM) in FA-MobileUNet was modified based on morphological concepts. By introducing the morphological attention module (MAM), the improved FA-MobileUNet model can reduce the fragments and holes in the detection results, providing complete oil spill areas which were more suitable for describing the location and scope of oil pollution incidents. In addition, to overcome the inherent category imbalance of the dataset, label smoothing was applied in model training to reduce the model’s overconfidence in majority class samples while improving the model’s generalization ability. The detection performance of the improved FA-MobileUNet model reached 84.55% mIoU (mean Intersection over Union), which was 17.15% higher than that of the original U-Net model. The improved FA-MobileUNet model was then examined by some oil pollution incidents. According to the detection results, if the oil spill was suspected to be caused by a ship, the corresponding Automatic Identification System (AIS) data were collected based on the acquisition time and geo-location of the SAR image to search for the ship suspected of causing oil pollution. Finally, some oil pollution incidents in Taiwan marine area were collected to verify the effectiveness of the proposed model for marine oil pollution monitoring. Experimental results showed that the extent of the detected oil spill was consistent with the oil pollution area recorded in the incident reports.

Motivated by South Africa's need in the transition to a net-zero economy; this study 10 investigates the integration of renewable energy sources (RES) into oil refineries, considering 11 therein unique challenges and opportunities. The research focuses on optimizing RES allocation 12 using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), a data-driven approach that adapts to real-time 13 operational conditions. Traditional energy management systems often struggle with the inherent 14variability of RES, leading to suboptimal energy distribution and increased emissions. Therefore, 15 this study proposes a PSO-based renewable energy allocation strategy specifically designed for oil 16 refineries. It considers factors like the levelized cost of energy, geographical location, and available 17 technology. The methodology involves formulating the optimization problem, developing a PSO 18 model, and implementing it in a simulated oil refinery environment. The results demonstrate 19 significant convergence of the PSO algorithm, leading to an optimal configuration for integrating 20 RES and achieving cost reductions and sustainability goals. The optimization result of 4,457,527.00 21 Rand achieved by iterations is much better than the result of 4,829,638.88 Rand acquired using 22Linear Programming as the baseline model. The mean cost, indicating consistent performance, has 23 remained at its original value of 4,457,527.00 Rand, highlighting the convergence. Key findings 24 include the average distance measure decreasing from 4.2 to 3.4, indicating particle convergence; 25 swarm diameter decreasing from 4.7 to 3.8, showing swarm concentration on promising solutions; 26 average velocity decreasing from 7.8 to 4.25, demonstrating refined particle movement; and the 27 optimum cost function achieved at 4,457,527 Rand with zero standard deviation, highlighting 28 stability and optimal solution identification. This research offers a valuable solution for oil 29 refineries seeking to integrate RES effectively, contributing to South Africa's transition to a 30sustainable energy future.

Sous-vide is a process in which food is vacuum-sealed and prepared in a water bath, heated to a precise temperature, and circulated in a sous-vide machine. This cooking technique is increasingly common in homes and catering establishments due to its simplicity and affordability. However, manufacturers' and chefs' recommendations for low-temperature and long-term sous-vide cooking in media raise food safety concerns, particularly when preparing beef tenderloin. In this study, Salmonella enterica was found to be inactivated by heat and sage essential oil (EO) in beef tenderloin from musculus psoas major that had undergone sous-vide processing. To determine whether heat treatment was likely to increase the sous-vide efficiency, S. enterica and sage EO were mixed. After being vacuum-packed and injected with S. enterica, the samples were cooked sous-vide for the prescribed time at 50, 55, 60, or 65 °C. On days 1, 3, and 6, the amounts of S. enterica, total bacteria, and coliform bacteria were measured in both groups of sous vide beef tenderloin. Mass spectrometry was used to identify bacterial strains on various days and categories. Each day that was measured, the test group exposed to a temperature of 50 °C for 5 minutes had a higher number of all microbiota. The most isolated microorganisms from the control and treated groups were Pseudomonas fragi, and in the treated group also S. enterica. It has been shown that adding sage essence oil (EO) in combination with the sous-vide gastronomic method leads to the stabilization and safety of beef tenderloin.

Abstract: The promotion of sustainable packaging is part of the European Green Deal and plays a key role in the EU’s social and political strategy. One option is the use of renewable resources and biomass waste as raw materials for polymer production. Lignocellulose biomass from annual and perennial industrial crops and agricultural residues are a major source of polysaccharides, proteins, and lignin, and can also be used to obtain plant-based extracts and essential oils. Therefore, these biomasses are considered as potential substitute for fossil-based resources. Here, the status quo of bio-based polymers is discussed and evaluated in terms of properties related to packaging applications such as gas and water vapor permeability as well as mechanical properties. So far, their practical use is still restricted due to lower performance in fundamental packaging functions that directly influence food quality and safety, the length of shelf life and thus the amount of food waste. Besides bio-based polymers, this review focuses on plant extracts as active packaging agents. Incorporating extracts of herbs, flowers, trees, and their fruits is inevitable to achieve desired material properties that are capable to prolong the food shelf life. Finally, the adoption potential of packaging based on polymers from renewable resources is discussed from a bioeconomy perspective.

This study investigated the risk of lung and bladder cancers in people residing in proximity of a coal-oil-fired thermal power plant in an area of north-eastern Italy, covered by a population-based cancer registry. Incidence rate ratios (IRR) by sex, age, and histology were computed according to tertiles of residential exposure to benzene, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), particular matter, and sulfur dioxide (SO2) among 1076 incident cases of lung and 650 cases of bladder cancers. In men of all ages and in women under 75 years of age, no significant associations were observed. Conversely, in women aged >75 years significantly increased risks of lung and bladder cancers were related to high exposure to benzene (IRR for highest vs. lowest tertile: 2.00 for lung cancer and 1.94 for bladder cancer) and NO2 (IRR: 1.72 for lung cancer; and 1.94 for bladder cancer). In these women, a 1.71-fold higher risk of lung cancer was also related to a high exposure to SO2. The findings of this descriptive study indicated that air pollution may have a role with regard to the risk of lung and bladder cancers, limited to women aged ≥ 75 years. Such increased risk warrants further analytical investigations.

Onychomycosis is a common fungal nail infection for which new antibiotics are needed to overcome antifungal resistance and other limitations of conventional treatments. This study reports the development of antifungal nail lacquers containing oregano essential oil (OEO), rosemary essential oil (REO), and/or biogenic silver nanoparticles (bioAgNP). The formulations (F) were tested against dermatophytes by agar diffusion, ex vivo nail infection, and scanning electron microscopy techniques. They were evaluated pharmacotechnically and by FTIR-PAS to access permeation across the nail plate. F-OEO and F-OEO/Ag were promising for the final nail lacquer formulation, they permeated through the nail plate and showed antifungal efficacy against dermatophytes-contaminated nails after 5 days of treatment. The treated nails had decreased hyphae and spores compared to untreated control; the hyphae were atypically flattened which indicates loss of cytoplasmic content due to damage to cytoplasmic membrane. Formulations were stable after centrifugation and thermal stress, maintaining organoleptic and physicochemical characteristics. F-OEO and F-OEO/Ag had pH compatible with the nail, and drying time (59-90 s) within the reference for nail lacquer. For the first time, OEO and bioAgNP were incorporated in a nail lacquer, resulting in a natural and nanotechnological antifungal product for onychomycosis that may combat microbial resistance.

Intestinal failure (IF) is characterized by a critical reduction of functional gut mass below the minimum needed for optimal growth in children. It requires parenteral nutrition (PN) and home-PN (HPN) which is challenging in terms of meeting nutritional needs according to age, growth velocity, clinical situation, and rapid changes in fluid and electrolyte requirements. Due to these complex requirements, age-adapted multi-chamber bags (MCBs) are important additions to the nutrition armamentarium. The launch of composite fish oil (FO)-containing intravenous lipid emulsions (ILEs) heralded the development of MCBs containing these ILEs in combination with a crystalline amino acids solution (CAAS) adapted for pediatric use. The safety and efficacy of lipid and amino acid components in this context have been widely documented in numerous published studies. This manuscript includes a review of the articles published in PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar until June 2022, exploring studies in the age groups from term infants to children and adolescents. Preterm infants with their highly specific demands are not included. It aims to offer an overview of the clinical experience regarding the use of a composite FO-based ILE and a specific CAAS developed

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) remain the leading cause of death across the globe, hence, establishing strategies to counteract CVD are imperative to reduce mortality and the burden on health systems. Dietary modification is an effective primary prevention strategy against CVD. Research regarding dietary supplementation has become increasingly popular. This review focuses on the current in vivo, in vitro, and epidemiological studies associated with that of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) and polar lipids (PLs) and how they play a role against CVD. Furthermore, this review focuses on the results of several major clinical trials examining n-3 PUFA regarding both primary and secondary prevention of CVD. Notably, we place a lens on the REDUCE-IT and STRENGTH trials. Finally, supplementation of PLs has recently been suggested as a potential alternative avenue for the reduction of CVD incidence versus neutral forms of n-3 PUFA. However, the clinical evidence for this argument is currently rather limited. Therefore, we draw on the current literature to suggest future clinical trials for PL supplementation. We conclude that despite conflicting evidence, future human trials must be completed to confirm whether PL supplementation may be more effective than n-3 PUFA supplementation to reduce cardiovascular risk.

Functional gastro-intestinal disorders (FGID) including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are frequently handled by self-management with over the counter (OTC) products such as hyoscine butylbromide (HBB), alone or in combination with paracetamol, and natural products such as peppermint oil. To obtain real-world information, we have performed an anonymous pharmacy-based patient survey among 1686 users of HBB, HBB + paracetamol and peppermint oil. Based on the distinct but overlapping indications for the three OTC products, multiple logistic regression was applied to compare them in users reporting gastrointestinal cramps and pain, bloating, flatulence, or IBS as cardinal symptom. All three treatments reduced symptoms and associated impairments of work/daily chores, leisure activities, and sleep by approximately 50%. Based on the four cardinal symptoms and the four dependent continuous variables of interest (change of intensity of symptoms and of the three impairment domains) a total of 16 logistic regression models were applied. HBB, HBB + paracetamol, and peppermint oil had similar reported overall effectiveness in those models. Gender, age, baseline symptom severity and impairment in one of three domains had small and inconsistent effects on perceived treatment success. We provide evidence that HBB, HBB + paracetamol, and peppermint oil have comparable effectiveness in their approved indications under real-world conditions in an OTC setting.

A predictive approach to the phase behavior of four-component poly-mer-water-surfactant-electrolyte systems is formulated, by viewing the four-component system as a binary polymer-pseudosolvent system, with the pseudosolvent representing water, surfactant, and the electrolyte. The phase stability of this binary system is examined using the framework of the lattice fluid model of Sanchez and Lacombe. In the lattice fluid model, a pure component is represented by three equation of state parameters, the hard-core volume of a lattice site ( ), the number of lattice sites occupied by the component (r) and its characteristic energy ( ). We in-troduce the extra thermodynamic postulate that r and for the pseudosolvent are the same as for water and all surfactant-electrolyte composition dependent characteristics of the pseudosolvent can be represented solely through its characteristic energy parameter. The key implication of the postulate is that the phase behavior of polymer-pseudosolvent systems will be identical for all pseudosolvents with equal values of the characteristic energy, despite their varying real compo-sitions. Based on the pseudosolvent model, illustrative phase diagrams have been computed for several four-component systems containing alkyl sulfonate/sulfate surfactants, electrolytes and anionic or nonionic polymers. The pseudosolvent model is shown to describe all important trends in experimentally observed phase behavior, pertaining to polymer and surfactant molecular characteristics. Most importantly, the pseudosolvent model allows one to construct a priori phase diagrams for any polymer-surfactant-electrolyte system, knowing just one experimental com-position data for a system at the phase boundary, using available thermodynamic data on sur-factants and electrolytes and without requiring any information on the polymer.

Oral mucosa is a key player in the cancer patient and during cancer treatment. The increasing prevalence of cancer and cancer therapy associated side effects are behind the major role that oral mucosa plays in the oncological patient. Oral mucositis is a debilitating severe complication caused by early toxicity of chemo and/or radiotherapy that can restrict treatment outcome possibilities, even challenging patient’s survival. It has been referred to as the most feared cancer treatment complication. Predictive variables as to who and to what extent will be affected are still unclear. Additionally, oral mucositis is one of the sources of the increasing economic burden of cancer, not only for patients and their families but also for institutions and governments. All efforts should be implemented in the search for new approaches to minimize the apparently ineluctable outburst of oral mucositis along the cancer treatment. New perspectives derived from different approaches in explaining the interrelation between oral mucositis and oral microbiome or the similarities with genitourinary mucosa may help elucidate the biomolecular pathways and mechanisms behind oral mucosa cancer-therapy related toxicity and what is more important its management in order to minimize treatment side effects and to provide enhanced cancer support.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a complex multifactorial disease and the primary cause of legal and irreversible blindness among individuals aged >=65 years in developed countries. Globally, it affects 30-50 million individuals, with an estimated increase of approximately 200 million by 2020 and approximately 300 million by 2040. Currently, the neovascular form may be able to be treated with the use of anti-VEGF drugs, while no effective treatments are available for the dry form. Many observational studies, such as AREDS-1 and AREDS 2, have shown a potential role of micronutrient supplementation in lowering the risk of progression of the early stages of AMD. Recently, low-grade inflammation, sustained by dysbiosis and a leaky gut, has been shown to contribute to the development of AMD. Given the ascertained influence of the gut microbiota in systemic low-grade inflammation and its potential modulation by macro- and micro-nutrients, a potential role of diet in AMD has been proposed. This review discusses the role of the gut microbiota in the development of AMD. Using PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus, we searched for recent scientific evidence discussing the impact of dietary habits (high fat and high glucose or fructose diets), micronutrients (vitamins C, E, and D, zinc, beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin) and omega-3 fatty acids on the modulation of the gut microbiota and their relationship with AMD risk and progression.

This study investigates the effect of oil viscosity on pollutant emissions and fuel consumption of an internal combustion engine (ICE) in high-altitude using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). A Chevrolet Corsa Evolution 1.5 SOHC gasoline engine was used in Cuenca, Ecuador (2560 meters above sea level), testing three lubricating oils with kinematic viscosities of 9.66, 14.08, and 18.5 cSt under various engine speeds and loads. Key findings include: hydrocarbon (HC) emissions were minimized to 7.25 ppm with low viscosity and load; carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions peaked at 15.2% vol with high viscosity and load; carbon monoxide (CO) ranged from 0.04% to 3.74% depending on viscosity and load; nitrogen oxides (NOx) were significantly influenced by viscosity, RPM, and load, indicating a need for model refinement; and fuel consumption was significantly affected by load and viscosity. RSM-based optimization identified optimal operational conditions with a viscosity of 13 sCt, 1473 rpm, and a load of 78%, resulting in 52.35 ppm of HC, 13.97% vol of CO2, 1.2% vol of CO, 0 ppm of NOx, and a fuel consumption of 6.66 l/h. These conditions demonstrate the ability to adjust operational variables to maximize fuel efficiency and minimize emissions. This study underscores the critical role of optimizing lubricant viscosity and operational conditions to mitigate environmental impact and enhance engine performance in high-altitude environments.

Refineries execute a series of interlinked processes, where the product of one unit serves as the input to another process. Potential failures within these processes affect the quality of the end products, operational efficiency, and revenue of the entire refinery. In this context, implementation of a real-time cognitive module, referring to predictive machine learning models, enables to provide equipment state monitoring services and to generate decision-making for equipment operations. In this paper, we propose two machine learning models: 1) to forecast the amount of pentane (C5) content in the final product mixture; 2) to identify if C5 content exceeds the specification thresholds for the final product quality. We validate our approach by using a use case from a real-world refinery. In addition, we develop a visualization to assess which features are considered most important during feature selection, and later by the machine learning models. Finally, we provide insights on the sensor values in the dataset, which help to identify the operational conditions for using such machine learning models.

Oil spillage over a sea or ocean’s surface is a threat to marine and coastal ecosystems. Spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data has been used efficiently for the detection of oil spills due to its operational capability in all-day all-weather conditions. The problem is often modeled as a semantic segmentation task. The images need to be segmented into multiple regions of interest such as sea surface, oil spill, look-alikes, ships and land. Training of a classifier for this task is particularly challenging since there is an inherent class imbalance. In this work, we train a convolutional neural network (CNN) with multiple feature extractors for pixel-wise classification; and introduce to use a new loss function, namely ‘gradient profile’ (GP) loss, which is in fact the constituent of the more generic Spatial Profile loss proposed for image translation problems. For the purpose of training, testing and performance evaluation, we use a publicly available dataset with selected oil spill events verified by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA). The results obtained show that the proposed CNN trained with a combination of GP, Jaccard and focal loss functions can detect oil spills with an intersection over union (IoU) value of 63.95%. The IoU value for sea surface, look-alikes, ships and land class is 96.00%, 60.87%, 74.61% and 96.80%, respectively. The mean intersection over union (mIoU) value for all the classes is 78.45%, which accounts for a 13% improvement over the state of the art for this dataset. Moreover, we provide extensive ablation on different Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and Vision Transformers (ViTs) based hybrid models to demonstrate the effectiveness of adding GP loss as an additional loss function for training. Results show that GP loss significantly improves the mIoU and F1 scores for CNNs as well as ViTs based hybrid models. GP loss turns out to be a promising loss function in the context of deep learning with SAR images.

The main objective of this article was to evaluate the repercussions of the crises resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine on changes in the European Union's reliance on energy raw material imports, particularly from Russia. Furthermore, several specific objectives were outlined: to ascertain the EU's energy balance and any alterations therein, to identify changes in the concentration of energy raw material imports among EU countries during the crises, to determine the level and fluctuations in energy raw material import dependence within the EU and individual member states throughout the crises, and lastly, to assess changes in the concentration of energy raw material imports from Russia in EU countries during the crises. The research encompassed all 27 EU Member States as of 31st December 2022, and the examination period spanned from 2010 to 2022. The information sources included relevant literature on the subject and data sourced from Eurostat. In conducting the analysis and presenting the data, several methodologies were employed, including descriptive, tabular, and graphical techniques. Additionally, quantitative measures such as the Gini structure concentration coefficient and concentration analysis through the Lorenz curve were utilized. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the EU experienced a slight reduction in dependence on energy raw material imports. However, this reduction was short-lived and mainly attributed to the decrease in energy demand caused by the pandemic. Conversely, the war in Ukraine had a substantial impact, leading to a notable surge in energy raw material imports as a result of stockpiling efforts and the need to safeguard against further disruptions in the energy market. Notably, the EU's reliance on energy imports from Russia was already considerable. Following the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine, imports of oil, petroleum products, and solid fossil fuels experienced significant decline due to imposed sanctions. Nonetheless, restrictions on natural gas imports were comparatively less severe.

Nowadays, the high demand for healthy foods and sustainable products, has led the food industry to explore innovative food technologies, such as fortification with bioactive compounds like antioxidants and polyphenols, that may be sourced from herbs or by-products. The aim of the present study was to explore the enrichment of refined olive oils with natural bioactive compounds such as the herbs rosemary (salvia rosmarinus), basil (ocimum basil), sage (salvia officinalis), lemon balm (melissa oficinallis), st. john’s wort (hypericum perforatum), pink savory (Thymbra satureja), dittany (origanum dictamnus), and by-products such as pomace from olives, olive leaves (olea europaea tree), orange peel (citrus sinensis), lemon peel (citrus limon), pomegranate peel (punica granatum) and mandarin peel (citrus reticulate). The fortification of the refined olive oils was performed with the use of different methodologies such as Conventional maceration (CM), Incubation shaking maceration (ISM), and Ultrasound assisted maceration (UAM). Their phenolic content and antioxidant capacity were measured with Folin–Ciocalteu assay and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) assay respectively. All methods demonstrated that different parameters such as time of maceration, temperature and sample concentration, play an important role in the fortification process of the refined olive oils. The predicyed bioavailability of the antioxidant and phenolic compounds in the fortified oils was determined with in vitro digestion and ranged from 4.84% to 53.11%. Furthermore, the refined olive oils fortified with pomace, basil, st. john's wort, and pomegranate peel presented the highest antioxidant and phenolic predicted bioavailability indices during the in vitro process compared to the control refined olive oil. Finally, fortification with natural herbs or by-products can be considered an innovative method for the improvement of the nutritional value of refined olive oils.

In the study at hand a systemic investigation regarding the tribochemical effects of crankcase soot is presented. Sooted oils were generated via an engine dynamometer test. Both conventional as well as advanced oil condition monitoring methods indicated a mild degradation of additives. The wear volume was greatly increased with the sooted oils in model tribometer tests, despite the high residual zinc dialkyl dithiophosphate (ZDDP) antiwear (AW) levels. Once the soot was removed via ultracentrifugation, the wear volume returned to levels comparable to the fresh oil. Surface investigations revealed that ZDDP tribofilms could not form in the sooted oils, as only a thin sulfide layer was present on the metal surfaces. Meanwhile, typical tribofilms were observable with centrifuged oils. The results indicated that a tribocorrosive mechanism is most likely responsible for the elevated wear in the sooted oils, where only the iron sulfide base layer of ZDDP films is formed, which then is rapidly removed by the soot particles in an abrasive manner.

Toxicologically relevant levels of the psychoactive ∆9-tetrahydocannabinol (∆9-THC) as well as high levels of non-psychoactive cannabinoids potentially occur in CBD (cannabidiol) oils. For consumer protection in the fast-growing CBD oil market, facile and rapid quantitative methods to determine the cannabinoid content are crucial. However, the current standard method, i.e., liquid chromatography combined with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS), requires a time-consuming multistep sample preparation. In this study, a quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (qNMR) method for screening cannabinoids in CBD oils was developed. Contrary to the HPLC-MS/MS method, this qNMR features a facile sample preparation, i.e., only diluting the CBD oil in deuterochloroform. Pulse length-based concentration determination (PULCON) enables a direct quantification using an external standard. The signal intensities of the cannabinoids were enhanced during the NMR spectra acquisition by means of multiple suppression of the triglycerides which are a major component of the CBD oil matrix. The validation confirmed linearity for CBD, cannabinol (CBN), ∆9-THC and ∆8-THC in hemp seed oil with sufficient recoveries and precision for screening. Comparing the qNMR results to HPLC-MS/MS data for 46 commercial CBD oils verified the qNMR accuracy for ∆9-THC and CBD but with higher limits of detection. The developed qNMR method paves the way for increasing the sample throughput as a complementary screening before HPLC-MS/MS.

Minerals are the chief constituents of rocks and they have varied properties such as surface area, surface charge, site densities etc. Hence, numerous interactions are bound to occur in the reservoir during rock-fluids (i.e., rock, crude oil and brine) interactions. This study seeks to assess the role of mineralogical composition on the wettability of Sandstone Rocks (SR) and Mineral Mixture (MM) using both Surface Complexation Modelling (SCM) and flotation test. From the considered sandstone rocks, both the experimental results and its simulated counterpart revealed that, the SR were preferentially hydrophilic. For the MM, when the mass fraction of the hydrophobic mineral was increased, the affinity of the MM became slightly hydrophobic and vice-versa. For the dominant sandstone reservoir rock minerals with predominantly negatively charged surfaces, negligible oil adsorption took place due the interfacial repulsive forces at the oil-brine and mineral-brine interfaces. For the MM with low calcite content, the wetting preference was influenced by the mineral with prominent surface area. Our developed model portrayed that the main mechanism for oil adhesion onto sandstone minerals was divalent cations bridging. Nonetheless, adhesion of carboxylate (>COO-) onto the illite, montmorillonite and calcite sites also took place with the latter being more pronounced.

Lutein, a plant-derived xanthophyl-carotenoid, is an exceptional antioxidant and anti-inflammatory constituent found in food. Elevated concentrations of lutein found in human blood and plasma, due to high dietary intake, are beneficial against eye disease and improve cardiometabolic health. Lutein plays an important protective role against the development of neurological disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), multiple sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson’s disease (PD). It has also been shown to be beneficial for liver, kidney and respiratory health. Lutein, acting as a very strong antioxidant, can alleviate oxidative stress and downgrade reactive oxygen species (ROS). Oxidative stress is one of the key pathogenic mechanisms in post-COVID and mRNA vaccine injury syndromes. Recent in silico studies suggest that lutein and other naturally derived antioxidants, by docking at the site where the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (SP) binds to the angiotensin enzyme type 2 (ACE2) receptor, may neutralize the SP-ACE2 interactions. Lutein can be added to a detoxification regimen to aid in clearing Spike protein and relieving symptoms. In agreement with Hippocrates’ dictum to “Let food be thy medicine,” this review establishes dietary lutein as a valuable therapy in the treatment of post-COVID syndrome, mRNA vaccine injury syndromes, and a wide range of other chronic illnesses.

Finding, safe and reliable alternatives to fungicides is one of the most actual challenges in agriculture. In this regard, our experiment investigated the effectiveness of different elicitors, botanical extracts and essential oils to control grey mould (Botrytis cinerea) and powdery mildew (Podosphaera aphanis) on strawberry plants. Furthermore, the defence mechanisms activated in plants after treatments were investigated. The trial was conducted in field conditions under plastic tunnel with strawberry plants ‘Elsanta’. In the first experiment, a group of strawberry plants was treated before flowering with elicitors [acibenzolar-S-Methyl – (BTH), chitosan], botanical extracts (seaweed extract, alfalfa hydrolysate) and essential oils (thyme and juniper) to evaluate their ability to reduce the incidence of grey mould infection on flowers. In the second experiment, another group of plants was treated before and after experimental inoculation with P. aphanis. Results indicated that the incidence of flower infected by B. cinerea was significantly reduced by thyme and juniper essential oils, showing values that were not significantly different from the commercial fungicide penconazole (positive control). As a consequence, final yield of essential oil-treated plants was +27% higher as compared to control. No significant differences emerged for other tested products against grey mould. However, gene expression analysis showed an up-regulation of FaEDS1, FaLOX and PR gene expression (FaPR1, FaPR5, FaPR10) in leaves treated with BTH. The other tested natural substances also elicited defence-related genes, however at a lower level than BTH. In the experiment, all treatments applied prior inoculation significantly reduced the incidence and severity of powdery mildew as compared to control. At 28 days after inoculation, chitosan and thyme essential oil applications performed similarly to their positive controls (BTH and penconazole, respectively), showing a significant reduction of disease incidence (by -84 and -92%) as compared to control. Post-inoculum application of essential oils showed similar effective action to fungicide (penconazole) in reducing incidence and severity of powdery mildew. These results indicate that the tested substances could be used as alternatives to fungicides for the control of grey mould and powdery mildew in strawberry, therefore representing a valuable tool for the control of these fungal diseases under the framework of the sustainable agriculture.

In August 4 2011, United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) submitted an unprecedented, scientific, groundbreaking Environmental Assessment Report (EAR) of Ogoniland, to the Nigerian government. This was the outcome of a 14–month intensive evaluation of the extent of pollution. It was intended that UNEP’s recommendations would be implemented to restore the devastated environment, on the one hand, and on the other, counteract the numerous environmental health issues that have for decades, plagued Ogoniland. However, five years post EAR, and, despite the seriousness of the situation, no significant resolution has occurred, both on the part of the government, and on the part of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) or Shell. To date, millions of Niger Delta residents, particularly those living in the oil-bearing communities, continue to suffer severe consequences. Although, the assessment was conducted in Ogoniland, other communities in the Niger Delta are also affected. This article explores prevailing issues, using Ogoniland (a microcosm of the Niger Delta) as an example. A multidisciplinary approach for sustainable mitigation of environmental health risks in the Niger Delta is paramount, and Environmental Management tools offer valuable strategies. Adopting UNEP’s recommendations for addressing environmental health problems requires implementing the Environmental Management/Environmental Management System (EM/EMS) model.