The Application of Solid Waste in Thermal Insulation Materials: A Review

As socioeconomic development continues,the issue of building energy consumption has attracted significant attention,and improving the thermal insulation performance of buildings has become a crucial strategic measure.Simultaneously,the application of solid waste in insulation materials has also become a hot topic.This paper reviews the sources and classifications of solid waste,focusing on research progress in its application as insulation materials in the domains of daily life,agriculture,and industry.The research shows that incorporating household solid waste materials,such as waste glass,paper,and clothing scraps into cementitious thermal insulation can significantly reduce the thermal conductivity of the materials,leading to excellent thermal insulation properties.Insulation materials prepared from agricultural solid waste,such as barley straw,corn stalk,chicken feather,and date palm fibers,possess characteristics of lightweight and strong thermal insulation.Industrial solid waste,including waste tires,iron tailings,and coal bottom ash,can also be utilized in the preparation of insulation materials.These innovative applications not only have positive environmental significance by reducing waste emissions and resource consumption,but also provide efficient and sustainable insulation solutions for the construction industry.However,to further optimize the mix design and enhance the durability of insulation materials,continuous research is required to investigate the mechanisms through which solid waste impacts the performance of insulation materials.

Efficient and stable Ru(Ⅲ)-choline chloride catalyst system with low Ru content for non-mercury acetylene hydrochlorination

Herein,we report an excellent,supported Ru(III)‐ChCl/AC catalyst with lower Ru content,where the ionic complex ChRuCl4 serves as the active component for acetylene hydrochlorination.The prepared heterogeneous Ru‐10%ChCl/AC catalyst shows excellent activity and long‐term stability.In this system,ChCl provides an environment for the ChRuCl4 to be stabilized as Ru(III),thus suppressing the reduction of the active species and the aggregation of ruthenium species during the reaction.The interaction between reactants and catalyst species was investigated by catalyst characterizations in combination with DFT calculations to disclose the effect of the ChRuCl4 complex and ChCl on the catalytic performance.This inexpensive,efficient,and long‐term catalyst is a competitive candidate for application in the hydrochlorination industry.

Highly Selective Lithium Ion Adsorbents:Polymeric Porous Microsphere with Crown Ether Groups

In this study, we prepared and applied polymeric porous microsphere adsorbents with selectivity for Li^+ extraction from aqueous solution. We synthesized the adsorbents by suspension polymerization using methacryloyoxyme-12-crown-4(M12C4) as a functional monomer, which had been synthesized from 2-hyroxymethyl-12-crown-4 and methacryloyl chloride. We verified the chemical composition by solid nuclear magnetic resonance(13C-NMR) spectroscopy and observed the porous structure by scanning electron microscopy(SEM). We conducted adsorption isothermal and kinetic tests to determine the adsorption properties. It was found that the adsorbents showed high adsorption efficiency and an adsorption equilibrium time of 200 min. In addition, since the crown ether used in this work could form a stable complex with Li^+, we observed good selectivity for Li^+ in the prepared solution compared with other ions such as Na^+, K^+, Mg^(2+), and Ca^(2+). We reused the adsorbents five times with no significant decrease in adsorptive capacity.

Fabrication of a Hydrophobic Hierarchical Surface on Shale Using Modified Nano-SiO_(2)for Strengthening the Wellbore Wall in Drilling Engineering

Wellbore stability is essential for safe and efficient drilling during oil and gas exploration and development.This paper introduces a hydrophobic nano-silica(HNS)for use in strengthening the wellbore wall when using a water-based drilling fluid(WBF).The wellbore-strengthening performance was studied using the linear swelling test,hot-rolling recovery test,and compressive strength test.The mechanism of strengthening the wellbore wall was studied by means of experiments on the zeta potential,particle size,contact angle,and surface tension,and with the use of a scanning electron microscope(SEM).The surface free energy changes of the shale before and after HNS treatment were also calculated using the contact angle method.The experimental results showed that HNS exhibited a good performance in inhibiting shale swelling and dispersion.Compared with the use of water,the use of HNS resulted in a 20%smaller linear swelling height of the bentonite pellets and an 11.53 times higher recovery of water-sensitive shale—a performance that exceeds those of the commonly used shale inhibitors KCl and polyamines.More importantly,the addition of HNS was effective in preventing a decrease in shale strength.According to the mechanism study,the good wellbore-strengthening performance of HNS can be attributed to three aspects.First,the positively charged HNS balances parts of the negative charges of clay by means of electrostatic adsorption,thus inhibiting osmotic hydration.Second,HNS fabricates a lotus-leaf-like surface with a micro-nano hierarchical structure on shale after adsorption,which significantly increases the water contact angle of the shale surface and considerably reduces the surface free energy,thereby inhibiting surface hydration.Third,the decrease in capillary action and the effective plugging of the shale pores reduce the invasion of water and promote wellbore stability.The approach described herein may provide an avenue for inhibiting both the surface hydration and the osmotic hydration of shale.

Chitosan derived carbon membranes as protective layers on zinc anodes for aqueous zinc batteries

Aqueous zinc batteries with low cost and inherent safety are considered to be the most promising energy storage devices.However,they suffer from poor cycling stability and low coulombic efficiencies caused by the adverse zinc dendrites on the anodes during the discharging/charging processes.Chitosan is a kind of natural amino polysaccharide,which is rich in nitrogen and carbon.When sintered at high temperatures,carbon membranes have been achieved with excellent conductivity and graphitization degree,which could enhance the ability to induce zinc ion uniform deposition to some extent.In this work,a type of carbon membrane using chitosan as raw materials has been fabricated by sintering,and then assembled as the protect layers in aqueous zinc batteries.The results show that the samples could retain smoother surfaces when adopting the sintering temperature of 800℃,and the assembled batteries are able to achieve about 700 h at a current density of 0.25m A·cm^(-2),which is far longer than those of the similar batteries without any carbon membranes.

Preparation and Characterization of Stellera Chamaejasme-Based Carbon Molecular Sieves

The activation effect of boric acid as an activator is good,and we investigate the best activation conditions for the boric acid impregnation method.To represent the structural characteristics and adsorption performance of the Stellera Chamaejasme based carbon molecular sieves,we use Brunner-Emmet-Teller(BET)measurements,scan-ning electron microscope(SEM),Raman spectra(Raman),X-ray diffraction(XRD),and adsorption property measurement.When the loading ratio was 0.68:1,the specific surface area was 532.21 m^(2)/g,the total pore volume was 0.24 cm 3/g,the average pore size was 1.81 nm,the adsorption value of methylene blue was 145.28 mg/g,and the adsorption value of iodine was 713.33 mg/g,the results showed that boric acid had better activation effect.The carbon molecular sieves made from Stellera Chamaejasme and activated with boric acid produce two peaks on the aperture distribution graph that are densely distributed in the micropore range.This indicates that boric acid’s pore-forming tendency is primarily micropore.

Vibration Isolation Characteristics of Impedance-balanced Ship Equipment Foundation under Unbalanced Excitation

A new type of impedance-balanced ship equipment foundation structure based on the principle of impedance balancing using a“discontinuous panel-vibration isolation liquid layer-foundation structure”is proposed to solve the problem of poor low-frequency vibration isolation of the foundation under unbalanced excitation of shipboard equipment.Based on the finite element method,the influence of characteristic parameters of the foundation panel structure on its vibration reduction characteristics under unbalanced excitation is explored.The results show that the vibration isolation level of the impedance-balanced foundation is 10 dB higher than the traditional foundation in the low-frequency band of 10-500 Hz when subjected to combined excitation of concentrated force and moment.Increasing the thickness of the impedance-balanced foundation panel can enhance the isolation effect.Increasing the number of sub-panels can effectively reduce the vibration response of the foundation panel and enhance the isolation performance of the foundation.The connection stiffness between sub-panels has a small effect on the isolation performance of the foundation.

Amorphous and humidity caking: A review

Caking of products is a common and undesired phenomenon in food, chemical, pharmaceutical, and fertilizer industries which leads to extra cost and irregular quality. In general, caking processes could be identified as amorphous caking or humidity caking. In this review, history of studying caking, formation, methods, and prospects of these two caking processes are summarized and discussed. The relevant studies from the 1920 s to today are mentioned briefly. According to the different properties(i.e. hygrocapacity, hygrosensitivity, mechanical properties, and diffusion behavior) of amorphous powders and crystals, the conditions and mechanisms of amorphous and humidity caking are discussed. It is summarized that glass transition, moisture sorption, quantitative methods characterizing caking, accelerated caking tests, and simulation of caking behaviors are the main aspects that should be studied for a caking process. The methods for these five aspects are reviewed. Potential research points are proposed including caking of mixed particles, caking with phase transition or polymorph transition,non-homogenous caking, and simulation of caking.

Experimental Research of Hull Vibration of a Full-Scale River Icebreaker

A series of tests of a full-scale river icebreaker was conducted to investigate the characteristics of ice-induced hull vibration.The test was conducted when the river icebreaker was operating in an ice-covered river at temperatures of-4 to 0°C with ice thicknesses of 300 to 400 mm.In the tests,the ice condition and icebreaker speed were chosen as the main influence factors.By analyzing the measured test data,we identified some important points regarding ice-induced hull vibration.When the river icebreaker navigates in an area with complete ice coverage,the peak value of the acceleration amplitude spectrum is highest.Also,the vibration response excited by the icebreaking load in an area with complete ice coverage exhibits more frequencies.With an increase in icebreaker speed,the vibration acceleration response gradually increases.However,habitability of the bow region on the main and driving decks is maintained due to the harmless vibration levels.In addition,the icebreaking operation of the river icebreaker causes violent local vibration of the grillage on the main deck.

Assessment of Agricultural Drought Vulnerability Based on Crop Growth Stages:A Case Study of Huaibei Plain,China

Climate change can lead to and intensify drought disasters.Quantifying the vulnerability of disaster-affected elements is significant for understanding the mechanisms that transform drought intensity into eventual loss.This study proposed a growth-stage-based drought vulnerability index(GDVI)of soybean using meteorological,groundwater,land use,and field experiment data and crop growth model simulation.The CROPGRO-Soybean model was used to simulate crop growth and water deficit.Four growth stages were considered since the sensitivity of soybean to drought is strictly related to the growth stage.The GDVI was applied to the Huaibei Plain,Anhui Province,China,with the goal of quantifying the spatiotemporal characteristics of soybean drought vulnerability in typical years and growth stages.The results show that:(1)The sensitivity of leaf-related parameters exceeded that of other parameters during the vegetative growth stage,whereas the top weight and grain yield showed a higher sensitivity in the reproductive growth stage;(2)A semi-logarithmic law can describe the relationship between the drought sensitivity indicators and the GDVI during the four growth stages.The pod-filling phase is the most vulnerable stage for water deficit and with the highest loss upper limit(over 70%);(3)The 2001 and 2002 seasons were the driest time during 1997-2006.Fuyang and Huainan Cities were more vulnerable to drought than other regions on the Huaibei Plain in 2001,while Huaibei and Suzhou Cities were the most susceptible areas in 2002.The results could provide effective decision support for the categorization of areas vulnerable to droughts.

Enhanced YOLOv5 network-based object detection(BALFilter Reader)promotes PERFECT filter-enabled liquid biopsy of lung cancer from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF)

Liquid biopsy of cancers,detecting tumor-related information from liquid samples,has attracted wide attentions as an emerging technology.Our previously reported large-area PERFECT(Precise-Efficient-Robust-Flexible-Easy-ControllableThin)filter has demonstrated competitive sensitivity in recovering rare tumor cells from clinical samples.However,it is time-consuming and easily biased to manually inspect rare target cells among numerous background cells distributed in a large area(Φ≥13 mm).This puts forward an urgent demand for rapid and bias-free inspection.Hereby,this paper implemented deep learning-based object detection for the inspection of rare tumor cells from large-field images of PERFECT filters with hematoxylin-eosin(HE)-stained cells recovered from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF).CenterNet,EfficientDet,and YOLOv5 were trained and validated with 240 and 60 image blocks containing tumor and/or background cells,respectively.YOLOv5 was selected as the basic network given the highest mAP@0.5 of 92.1%,compared to those of CenterNet and EfficientDet at 85.2%and 91.6%,respectively.Then,tricks including CIoU loss,image flip,mosaic,HSV augmentation and TTA were applied to enhance the performance of the YOLOv5 network,improving mAP@0.5 to 96.2%.This enhanced YOLOv5 network-based object detection,named as BALFilter Reader,was tested and cross-validated on 24 clinical cases.The overall diagnosis performance(~2 min)with sensitivity@66.7%±16.7%,specificity@100.0%±0.0%and accuracy@75.0%±12.5%was superior to that from two experienced pathologists(10–30 min)with sensitivity@61.1%,specificity@16.7%and accuracy@50.0%,with the histopathological result as the gold standard.The AUC of the BALFilter Reader is 0.84±0.08.Moreover,a customized Web was developed for a user-friendly interface and the promotion of wide applications.The current results revealed that the developed BALFilter Reader is a rapid,bias-free and easily accessible AI-enabled tool to promote the transplantation of the BALFilter technique.This work can easily expand to other cytopathological diagnoses and improve the application value of micro/nanotechnology-based liquid biopsy in the era of intelligent pathology.

Effect of TiB_(2)Addition on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of AA8009 Alloy Fabricated by Laser Additive Manufacturing

The research involves the addition of 5 vol.%TiB_(2)particles into AA8009 alloy powder to synthesize TiB_(2)/AA8009 composite parts produced via laser powder bed fusion(LPBF).The addition of the TiB_(2)particles causes the TiB_(2)/AA8009 composites with and without annealing have lower compressive strength than AA8009 alloy due to the change of the strengthening mechanism.The results further indicated that solid solution strengthening was the main strengthening mechanism of the LPBF AA8009 alloy at room temperature whereas Orowan strengthening became the primary strengthening factor after annealing at 673 K.In contrast,Orowan strengthening always remained the main strengthening mechanism for the TiB_(2)/AA8009 composite,irrespective of the annealing temperature.In addition,after annealing of the LPBF parts at 673 K,the compressive yield strength(CYS)of the unblended AA8009 alloy specimens had a~2.5 times greater reduction(from 705±16 to 459±30 MPa)compared to that of the composite TiB_(2)/AA8009 samples(from 466±23 to 368±3 MPa).Therefore,TiB_(2)particles can suppress the drop in yield strength of LPBF AA8009 alloy below 673 K,providing a theoretical and experimental basis for the applications of both LPBF AA8009 and TiB_(2)/AA8009 alloys at low and medium temperatures.

高变比LLC谐振变换器中低匝比平面变压器的设计

为了实现高电压变比,LLC谐振变换器中采用的变压器绕组匝数过多,使其在采用平面变压器及PCB绕组方案时,PCB绕组匝数和层数过多,结构复杂,制造成本成倍提高,且效率降低。本文提出一种低匝比平面变压器,用于高变比LLC谐振变换器,不但将变压器绕组匝数减少一个数量级,而且减少了磁性元件数量和总体积。对低匝比平面变压器进行参数设计,采用ANSYS软件对变压器进行磁场仿真,搭建370V-400VDC/500kHz输入、12V/2kW输出的3D模型,通过仿真验证了所提平面变压器方案的合理性和有效性。

Bamboo charcoal enhances cellulase and urease activities during chicken manure composting:Roles of the bacterial community and metabolic functions

Microbial enzymes are crucial for material biotransformation during the composting process.In this study,we investigated the effects of adding bamboo charcoal(BC)(i.e.,at 5%,10%,and 20%corresponding to BC5,BC10,and BC20,respectively)on the enzyme activity levels during chicken manure composting.The results showed that BC10 could increase the cellulose and urease activities by 56%and 96%,respectively.The bacterial community structure in BC10 differed from those in the other treatments,and Luteivirga,Lactobacillus,Paenalcaligenes,Ulvibacter,Bacillus,Facklamia,Pelagibacterium,Sporosarcina,Cellvibrio,and Corynebacterium had the most important roles in composting.Compared with other treatments,BC10 significantly enhanced the average rates of degradation of carbohydrates(Dxylose(40%)andα-D-lactose(44%))and amino acids(L-arginine(16%),L-asparagine(14%),and L-threonine(52%)).We also explored the associations among the bacterial community and their metabolic functions with the changes in the activities of enzymes.Network analysis demonstrated that BC10 altered the co-occurrence patterns of the bacterial communities,where Ulvibacter and class Bacilli were the keystone bacterial taxa with high capacities for degrading carbon source,and they were related to increases in the activities of cellulase and urease,respectively.The results obtained in this study may help to further enhance the efficiency of composting.

Hofmeister Effect-Assisted Strong Natural Biopolymer-Based Hydrogels with Multi-Functions

Natural biopolymer-based hydrogels have been extensively studied in recent years due to their excellent biocompatibility.However,the preparation of multi-functional and tough natural biopolymer-based hydrogels is still a challenging problem.Herein,a natural biopolymer-based hydrogel is prepared using gelatin and carboxymethyl chitosan(CMCS)through a one-step soaking method.The prepared hydrogel without any synthetic polymers and crosslinking agents has a fully physical crosslinking structure.Due to the hydrophobic interaction brought by the Hofmeister effect,the mechanical properties of soaked hydrogels(tensile stress and strain can reach 3.77 MPa and 1082%)are superior to conventional protein hydrogels.In addition,the prepared gelatin/carboxymethyl chitosan(Gel/CMCS)hydrogels exhibit a variety of appealing properties,including good shape memory,fatigue resistance,electrical conductivity,water retention,drug releasing,antibacterial property,and recyclability.This strategy opens up a new horizon to fabricate hydrogels with excellent mechanical properties and multiple functions,which can extend their applications in the biomedicine area and other related fields.

2.5-Dimensional Parylene C micropore array with a large area and a high porosity for high-throughput particle and cell separation

Large-area micropore arrays with a high porosity are in high demand because of their promising potential in liquid biopsy with a large volume of clinical sample.However,a micropore array with a large area and a high porosity faces a serious mechanical strength challenge.The filtration membrane may undergo large deformation at a high filtration throughput,which will decrease its size separation accuracy.In this work,a keyhole-free Parylene molding process has been developed to prepare a large(>20 mm×20 mm)filtration membrane containing a 2.5-dimensional(2.5D)micropore array with an ultra-high porosity(up to 91.37% with designed pore diameter/space of 100μm/4μm).The notation 2.5D indicates that the large area and the relatively small thickness(approximately 10μm)of the fabricated membranes represent 2D properties,while the large thickness-to-width ratio(10μm/<4μm)of the spaces between the adjacent pores corresponds to a local 3D feature.The large area and high porosity of the micropore array achieved filtration with a throughput up to 180 mL/min(PBS solution)simply driven by gravity.Meanwhile,the high mechanical strength,benefiting from the 2.5D structure of the micropore array,ensured a negligible pore size variation during the high-throughput filtration,thereby enabling high size resolution separation,which was proven by single-layer and multi-layer filtrations for particle separation.Furthermore,as a preliminary demonstration,the prepared 2.5-dimensional Parylene C micropore array was implemented as an efficient filter for rare cancer cell separation from a large volume,approximately 10 cells in 10 mL PBS and undiluted urine,with high recovery rates of 87±13% and 56±13%,respectively.

Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of hydroxychloroquine in comparison with chloroquine in moderate and severe patients with COVID-19

Dear Editor,Since December 2019,severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)has been rapidly spreading worldwide.Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are candidates for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)owing to its antiviral effect and immunomodulation properties.

Cost-reduction strategies in massive genomics experiments

Many modern biology studies require deep, whole-genome sequencing of hundreds to thousands of samples. Although persamplecosts have dramatically decreased, the total budget for such massive genome sequencing constitutes a significantbarrier for poorly funded labs. The costly lab tools required for genomics experiments further hinder such studies. Here, weshare two strategies for extensively reducing the costs of massive genomics experiments, including miniaturization of theNEBNext Ultra II FS DNA Library Prep Kit for Illumina (reducing the per-sample total costs to ~ 1/6 of that charged byservice providers) and in-lab 3D model-designing of genomics tools. These strategies not only dramatically release fundingpressure for labs, but also provide students with additional training in hands-on genomics and 3D-model-designing skills,demonstrating the high potential for their application in genomics experiments and science education.

Evaluation of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 in breast cancer with a novel specific aptamer

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 （HER2）, also known as Neu, ErbB-2, CD340 or p185, plays a significant role in the devdopment and progression of certain aggressive types of breast cancer. Recently, HER2 has become an important biomarker and therapeutic target for approximately 30% of breast cancer patients.

Further discussion on glucocorticoid treatment of COVID-19

To the Editor:The randomized evaluation of coronavirus 2019(COVID-19)therapy(RECOVERY)[1]clinical trial showed that glucocorticoids can affect the prognosis of severe COVID-19 patients,but they have no benefit for mild disease.Other clinical trials,such as COVID-19-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS)treated with dexamethasone(CoDEX)and efficacy study of dexamethasone to treat the ARDS(DEXA-ARDS),have also proven the effectiveness of glucocorticoids.On the basis of these trials,glucocorticoids have been recommended for the treatment of COVID-19,although their mechanism of action is unclear.Diffuse alveolar damage(DAD)is not the only pathological change of ARDS caused by COVID-19.In some cases,organizing pneumonia(OP)or acute fibrinous and organizing pneumonia(AFOP)is the main manifestation.[2]Acute patterns of AFOP with AFOP as the main pathological feature often leads to respiratory failure and rapidly progresses to death,whereas subacute patterns of AFOP has a good prognosis.There are two types of COVID-19-related ARDS:type 1 is atypical ARDS,with low elasticity(type L),increased compliance,and imbalance of ventilation/perfusion ratio;and type 2 is classic ARDS,with high elasticity(type H),reduced compliance,and increased right to left diversion,which is mainly related to disease progression(but not absolutely).