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Highlights: [•] Two-step catalytic HDO process used for translating bio-oil to transportation grade hydrocarbon fuel. [•] First step to overcome coke formation with better biofuel quality. [•] Second step upgrading biofuel. [•] Final products similar to fossil fuels with HHV of 46MJkg−1 and <1% O content. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

[Display omitted] • Bi-functional Pd/trap-HZSM-5 catalysts prepared by different methods were developed. • Proper pressurization and H 2 atmosphere significantly enhanced synergistic effect. • The maximum selectivity of monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in bio-oil reached 87.4%. • The aromatic hydrocarbons yield reached 40.5 wt%, of which only 0.7 wt% were PAHs. • The synergistic effect increased the yield of aromatic hydrocarbons by 44.5%. A novel method is proposed to one-step convert pine sawdust (PW) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) into monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons under solvent-free conditions. The aim is to strengthen the collision ability of small molecules and stabilize active oxygenates by using pressurization and hydrogen atmospheres, so as to significantly enhance the thermal interaction between PW and HDPE. A series of Pd/trap-HZSM-5 catalysts were prepared by different methods. Among them, self-reduction Pd/trap-HZSM-5 catalyst with smallest Pd nanoparticle size and highest hydrogen adsorption capabilities combined with hydrogenation ability and moderate acidity bi-functions, so it shows the highest activity. Under the optimal conditions (400℃, 1 MPa H 2 , Si/Al ratio of 50, catalyst-to-reactant ratio of 0.1, and plastics-to-biomass ratio of 4), both the high selectivity of aromatic hydrocarbons in bio-oil (88.9%) and the high yield of bio-oil (45.5 wt%) are ensured. The calculated total aromatic hydrocarbons yield reached 40.5 wt%, of which only 0.7 wt% were polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and the vast majority were moncyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The synergistic effect between PW and HDPE relatively increased the yield of aromatic hydrocarbons by 44.5%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the widespread use and increasing consumption of PET, the amount of waste PET is growing rapidly, and the accompanied environmental problems will become more and more serious. Therefore, the recycling and reuse of PET are of great significance for not only saving resources but also solving environmental issues. In this study, Methylcellulose (MC) composites reinforced with waste plastics polyethylene terephthalate (PET) were prepared by casting an MC/PET solution with a varying mass ratio of MC to PET. Systematic investigations were performed to reveal the effect of the MC/PET mass ratio on the mechanical property, chemical structure, and thermal properties. The resultant findings indicate that the addition of 3% waste plastics PET to MC could notably enhance the tensile strength by about 24% as compared with neat MC. Interestingly, the elongation of the MC/PET composite kept increasing with increasing waste plastics PET. At the same time, thermal compression treatment could also enhance the mechanical properties of the composite. Moreover, the composites also displayed higher thermal stability than MC. In addition, the crystallinity and morphology of the composite were estimated by XRD and SEM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is highly important but challenging to fabricate polymeric separation membranes with pore size in sub-5 nm via the non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) process. Herein, we reported a simple but effective method to precisely tailor the pore size of polysulfone- block -polyethylene glycol (PSf- b -PEG) membrane in sub-5 nm via NIPS. Selective solvents of tetramethylene sulfone (Ts) and tetrahydrofuran (THF) towards the corresponding PEG block and PSf block in PSf- b -PEG were mixed at various ratios to tailor the casting solution properties and to finely tailor the pore size of the PSf- b -PEG membranes. The membrane formation mechanism was also investigated to reveal that the PSf- b -PEG membrane exhibited intertwined and fused nanofibrous structure with relatively high porosity and extremely strong mechanical strength. As the content of evaporative THF in the casting solution increased from 42.5 wt% to 85.0 wt%, the MWCO of the PSf- b -PEG membranes decreased from 127 kDa to 6.6 kDa, and the mean effective pore size of the membranes shrank from 15 nm to 2 nm, greatly exceeding the tailorable range and the minimum threshold of the pore size of PSf and PES membranes. Impressively, even if the pore size of the membrane was 2 nm, the pure water permeance of the membrane was still as high as 7 L m−2 h−1 bar−1, indicating the great potential of the PSf- b -PEG membranes for practical applications. [Display omitted] • The pore size of PSf- b -PEG membrane was finely tailored in sub-5 nm via NIPS. • THF was used to tailor the casting solution properties and thus the membrane pore size. • The morphology evolution of PSf- b -PEG membranes turned from nanoparticles to nanofibers and finally into intertwined nanofibrous structure during NIPS. • The PSf- b -PEG membranes exhibited relatively high porosity and extremely strong mechanical strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development trend of high shares of renewables and power electronics has increased the demand for new energy converters in the power system, but there is a lack of systematic research on the stability of different types of converters when transmitting power, which is worth exploring in depth. In this study, the power transfer capabilities of grid-forming and grid-following converters are investigated separately through an equivalent circuit diagram and phasor diagram when connected to the grid, and a quantitative relationship between converters' power transmission limit and short circuit ratio under static stability conditions is obtained, leading to the conclusion that, in terms of power transmission, grid-forming converters are more suitable for weak grids with high damping and low inertia, whereas grid-following converters are more suitable for strong grids with high inertia. The conclusions are further verified by constructing the converter grid-connected models for different grid strengths through the PLECS simulation platform and the real-time simulation RTBOX1 and F28379D launchpad platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genus Alcea, a member of Malvaceae family consists of approximately 75 species worldwide distributing mainly in South-West Asia. Among these, 33 species grow in Iran. Plants of the Alcea (or Althaea) are among important medicinal plants in Iranian traditional medicine. They have long been used in the treatment of health problems and diseases. Alcea aucheri (Boiss.) Alef. species are distributed in different habitats of Iran. There is no information on its population genetic structure, genetic diversity, and morphological variability in Iran. Therefore, due to the importance of these plant species, we performed a combination of morphological and molecular data for this species. For this study, we used 118 randomly collected plants from 10 geographical populations in 5 provinces. AMOVA test revealed significant genetic difference among the studied populations and also revealed that, 74% of total genetic variability was due to within population diversity while, 26% was due to among population genetic differentiation. Mantel test showed positive significant correlation between genetic distance and geographical distance of the studied populations. Networking, STRUCTURE analyses revealed some degree of gene flow among these populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four novel choline carboxylate aqueous solution systems were developed by mixing H2O with choline nicotinate [Ch][Na], choline ferulate [Ch][Fa], choline vanillate [Ch][Va] and choline syringate [Ch][Sa]. The solubility of lignin in the four solvents was determined at 25 °C. The influence of the molar ratio of H2O to [Ch][Na] ([Ch][Fa], [Ch][Va] and [Ch][Sa]) and the anionic structure on lignin solubility were systematically investigated. It was found that, the anionic structure and H2O content significantly affected lignin dissolution. Interestingly, H2O/[Ch][Na] and H2O/[Ch][Fa] solvents show efficient capacity for lignin dissolution even at room temperatures. The dissolution of lignin in H2O/[Ch][Na] and H2O/[Ch][Fa] solvents is mainly ascribed to the interaction of lignin with the alkyl chain in the anion and cation dissociated from [Ch][Na]([Ch][Fa]) by H2O. In addition, the recycling of the lignin solvent was examined, and the structure and thermostability of the lignin regenerated from the solvent were also estimated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) and xanthan gum (XG) were used as stabilizers for the preparation of UHT whipped cream. The purpose was to characterize the effect of stabilizers synergies on whipped cream. Analysis of the creaming stability showed that MCC and XG synergistically and effectively increase the absolute value of zeta potential and keep the particle size within a reasonable range. On the other hand, shear thinning followed by thickening was observed when MCC was added to the whipped cream emulsion. In terms of whipping characteristics, with the increase of XG concentration, the whipping time was prolonged and the overrun level was reduced. Furthermore, the thermal behavior of whipped cream is influenced by the MCC, so that the ability of the foam to adapt to temperature changes is enhanced. Based on confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM), MCC ameliorated XG-induced fluid protein adhesion and excessive aggregation of fat globules were observed. This promotes the uniform distribution of protein and fat globule clusters around the air bubbles, while the high viscosity of XG improves the rigidity of the air bubbles interface membrane. These results highlighted the effectiveness of XG/MCC synergistic effects in stability and whipping properties of the milk-based cream, which assisted in rational design of whipped cream with a distinct texture. • Xanthan gum and microcrystalline cellulose synergized in whipped cream. • Complex stabilizers were significantly effective in preventing fat coalescence. • Microcrystalline cellulose improved the thermal behavior of whipped cream foam. • Small and dense bubbles were observed in xanthan gum sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cranioectodermal dysplasia (CED) or Sensenbrenner syndrome is a very rare autosomal-recessive disease that is characterized by craniofacial, skeletal and ectodermal abnormalities. The proteins encoded by six CED-associated genes are members of the intraflagelline transport (IFT) system, which serves an essential role in the assembly, maintenance and function of primary cilia. The current study identified compound novel heterozygous IFT122 (NM_052985.3) variants in a male Chinese infant with CED. The latter variant changes the length of the protein and may result in the partial loss-of-function of IFT122. With the simultaneous presence of frameshift and stop-loss variants, the patient manifested typical CED with fine and sparse hair, macrocephaly, dysmorphic facial features and upper limb phocomelia. A number of unusual phenotypic characteristics were additionally observed and included postaxial polydactyly of both hands and feet. The molecular confirmation of CED in this patient expands the CED-associated variant spectrum of IFT122 in CED, while the manifestation of CED in this patient provides additional clinical information regarding this syndrome. Moreover, the two variants identified in the proband provide a novel perspective into the phenotypes caused by different combinations of variants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• High-flux PSf- b -PEG membrane was fabricated for precise separation of dye/salt. • The PSf- b -PEG membrane has superior mechanical strength of 22.4 ± 0.9 MPa. • Pore size of the membrane was 3.8 nm, and MWCO towards dyes was about 655 Da. • The membrane exhibited high rejection for CR dye and nearly 100% Na 2 SO 4 passage. • The water permeance of the membrane was 49.3 ± 0.9 L m−2 h−1 bar−1. We report a novel high-flux nanofiltration (NF) membrane for the precise separation of dyes and salts, which was fabricated using polysulfone- block -polyethylene glycol (PSf- b -PEG) block copolymer through the non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) method. The PSf- b -PEG membrane exhibited a very dense sponge-like porous structure with rich interconnected pores, contributing to its superior mechanical strength of 22.4 ± 0.9 MPa. The pore size of PSf- b -PEG membrane was mostly distributed around 1.3 nm in diameter with the mean effective pore size of 3.8 nm in diameter, while the membrane molecular weight cut off (MWCO) towards dyes was about 655 Da. The PSf- b -PEG membrane exhibited a very high water permeance of 49.3 ± 0.9 L m−2 h−1 bar−1 and a precise separation of salts and dyes with high above 98% Congo Red dye rejection and nearly 100% Na 2 SO 4 passage, succeeding the separation performances of current NF membranes used for the separation of dyes and salts. Long-term NF tests prove the highly stable and outstanding separation performances of PSf- b -PEG membrane with the top dense skin layer as the effective selective layer. Our work suggests that the PSf- b -PEG membrane has a great potential to be further optimized and used for practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PSf- b -PEG block copolymers with different PEG contents were synthesized to fabricate the highly perm-selective and anti-fouling ultrafiltration (UF) membranes. PEG homopolymer was also blended into the polysulfone casting solutions to fabricate the control (PSf/PEG blend) membranes. The membrane pore structure, surface properties and separation performances of PSf- b -PEG block copolymer membranes and PSf/PEG blend membranes were investigated to identify the role of PEG block for the pore formation. Our results find that the higher PEG content in the PSf- b -PEG block copolymer and in the PSf/PEG blend system was favorable to form more pores and thinner top skin layer with the slightly larger pore size and the higher MWCO of the fabricated membranes. But under the same content, PEG in the block copolymer could help to generate more pores but with similar pore size than PEG in the blend system during the phase-inversion process, which is because of the micro-phase separation of PSf block and PEG block. The fabricated PSf- b -PEG21 (PSf- b -PEG having 21 wt% PEG) membrane had a high water permeation coefficient of 980.0 ± 33.0 LMH/bar and a high BSA rejection above 98%, succeeding the current perm-selectivity upper-bound of the reported polymeric UF membranes. Antifouling experiments confirmed that the PSf- b -PEG21 membrane exhibited a slow and less flux decline during the fouling stage, but a fast and high flux recovery after the backwash cleaning. Our work provides some insights on the relationship of PSf- b -PEG block copolymer composition and membrane structure-separation properties. • PSf-b-PEG block copolymers with different PEG contents were used to fabricate UF membranes. • High PEG content in PSf-b-PEG facilitated the membrane formation with a high surface porosity and a very thin skin layer. • The PSf-b-PEG (having 21 wt% PEG) membrane exceeded the current perm-selectivity upper-bound of UF membranes. • The PSf-b-PEG21 membrane exhibited antifouling performances with less flux decline and fast flux recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]