A strategy for strengthening chaotic mixing of dual shaft eccentric mixers by changing non-Newtonian fluids kinetic energy distribution

Efficiently modulating the velocity distribution and flow pattern of non-Newtonian fluids is a critical challenge in the context of dual shaft eccentric mixers for process intensification,posing a significant barrier for the existing technologies.Accordingly,this work reports a convenient strategy that changes the kinetic energy to controllably regulate the flow patterns from radial flow to axial flow.Results showed that the desired velocity distribution and flow patterns could be effectively obtained by varying the number and structure of baffles to change kinetic energy,and a more uniform velocity distribution,which could not be reached normally in standard baffle dual shaft mixers,was easily obtained.Furthermore,a comparative analysis of velocity and shear rate distributions is employed to elucidate the mechanism behind the generation of flow patterns in various dual-shaft eccentric mixers.Importantly,there is little difference in the power number of the laminar flow at the same Reynolds number,meaning that the baffle type has no effect on the power consumption,while the power number of both unbaffle and U-shaped baffle mixing systems decreases compared with the standard baffle mixing system in the transition flow.Finally,at the same rotational condition,the dimensionless mixing time of the U-shaped baffle mixing system is 15.3%and 7.9%shorter than that of the standard baffle and the unbaffle mixing system,respectively,which shows the advantage of the U-shaped baffle in stirring rate.

Effect of aspect ratio of elliptical stirred vessel on mixing time and flow field characteristics in the absence of baffles

Elliptical tanks were used as an alternative to circular tanks in order to improve mixing efficiency and reduce mixing time in unbaffled stirred tanks(USTs). Five different aspect ratios of elliptical vessels were designed to compare their mixing time and flow field. Computational fluid dynamics(CFD) simulations were performed using the k–ε model to calculate the mixing time and simulate turbulent flow field features, such as streamline shape, velocity distribution, vortex core region distribution, and turbulent kinetic energy(TKE) transfer. Visualization was also carried out to track the tinctorial evolution of the liquid phase. Results reveal that elliptical stirred tanks can significantly improve mixing performance in USTs. Specifically, the mixing time at an aspect ratio of 2.00 is only 45.3% of the one of a circular stirred tank. Furthermore, the secondary flow is strengthened and the vortex core region increases with the increase of aspect ratio. The axial velocity is more sensitive to the aspect ratio than the circumferential and radial velocity. Additionally, the TKE transfer in elliptical vessels is altered. These findings suggest that elliptical vessels offer a promising alternative to circular vessels for enhancing mixing performance in USTs.

锰化合物抗氧化及保护头发光损伤功效评价

采用体外评价方法对甘氨酸锰(GlyMn)、硫酸锰(MnSO4)进行抗氧化及保护头发光损伤功效研究。通过测定GlyMn、MnSO4对超氧自由基和过氧化氢以及羟基自由基清除活性,考察GlyMn、MnSO4对活性氧自由基含量的影响,评价其抗氧化功效。采用模拟太阳光诱导头发光损伤的氧化损伤实验测试头发黑色素降解产生自由基含量,头发表面SEM表征评价锰化合物对头发的光保护作用。采用人体功效实验评价GlyMn、MnSO4洗发液的功能。结果表明,GlyMn、MnSO4对3种自由基均有明显的清除作用,其中3 mmol/L锰化合物能明显清除超氧自由基,清除能力相当于3 U/mL锰超氧化物歧化酶,当当锰化合物浓度在50 mmol/L时能明显降低头发中黑色素降解产生的自由基,能够有效保护头发光损伤,保护头发毛鳞片不受损害,表现出明显的抗氧化及头发光损伤保护功效。

Short-chain fatty acids can improve lipid and glucose metabolism independently of the pig gut microbiota

Background:Previous studies have shown that exogenous short-chain fatty acids(SCFAs)introduction attenuated the body fat deposition in conventional mice and pigs.However,limited studies have evaluated the effects of exogenously introduced SCFAs on the lipid and glucose metabolism independently of the gut microbiota.This study was to investigate the effects of exogenous introduction of SCFAs on the lipid and glucose metabolism in a germ-free(GF)pig model.Methods:Twelve hysterectomy-derived newborn pigs were reared in six sterile isolators.All pigs were hand-fed with sterile milk powder for 21 d,then the sterile feed was introduced to pigs for another 21 d.In the second 21-d period,six pigs were orally administrated with 25 mL/kg sterile saline per day and considered as the GF group,while the other six pigs were orally administrated with 25 mL/kg SCFAs mixture(acetic,propionic,and butyric acids,45,15,and 11 mmol/L,respectively)per day and regarded as FA group.Results:Orally administrated with SCFAs tended to increase the adiponectin concentration in serum,enhance the CPT-1 activity in longissimus dorsi,and upregulate the ANGPTL4 mRNA expression level in colon(P<0.10).Meanwhile,the mRNA abundances of ACC,FAS,and SREBP-1C in liver and CD36 in longissimus dorsi of the FA group were decreased(P<0.05)compared with those in the GF group.Besides,the mRNA expression of PGC-1αin liver and LPL in longissimus dorsi tended to(P<0.10)upregulate and downregulate respectively in the FA group.Moreover,oral administration of SCFAs tended to increase the protein level of GPR43(P<0.10)and decrease the protein level of ACC(P<0.10)in liver.Also,oral administration of SCFAs upregulated the p-AMPK/AMPK ratio and the mRNA expressions of GLUT-2 and GYS2 in liver(P<0.05).In addition,the metabolic pathway associated with the biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids was most significantly promoted(P<0.05)by oral administration of SCFAs.Conclusions:Exogenous introduction of SCFAs might attenuate the fat deposition and to some extent improve the glucose control in the pig model,which occurred independently of the gut microbiota.

An experimental study of immiscible liquid–liquid dispersions in a pump–mixer of mixer–settler

Drop size distribution(DSD) or mean droplet size(d32) and liquid holdup are two key parameters in a liquid–liquid extraction process. Understanding and accurately predicting those parameters are of great importance in the optimal design of extraction columns as well as mixer–settlers. In this paper, the method of built-in endoscopic probe combined with pulse laser was adopted to measure the droplet size in liquid–liquid dispersions with a pump-impeller in a rectangular mixer. The dispersion law of droplets with holdup range 1% to 24% in batch process and larger flow ratio range 1/5 to 5/1 in continuous process was studied. Under the batch operation condition, the DSD abided by log-normal distribution. With the increase of impeller speed or decrease of dispersed phase holdup, the d32 decreased. In addition, a prediction model of d32 of kerosene/deionized system was established as d32/D = 0.13(1 + 5.9φ)We-0.6. Under the continuous operation condition, the general model for droplet size prediction of kerosene/water system was presented as d32/D = C3(1 + C4φ)We-0.6. For the surfactant system and extraction system, the prediction models met a general model as d32/D = bφnWe-0.6.

A novel method for extracting vanadium by low temperature sodium roasting from converter vanadium slag

Long-term high temperature in conventional vanadium extraction process would cause particles to be sintered and wrapped, thus reducing extraction efficiency of vanadium. Based on the purpose of directional conversion and process intensification, this work proposed a combination of low temperature sodium roasting and high efficiency selective oxidation leaching in vanadium extraction. The investigation of the reaction mechanism suggested that the structure of vanadium slag was changed by roasting, which also caused the fracture of spinel.The addition of MnO2 promoted the directional oxidation of low-valent vanadium into high valence. It also found that Na2S2O8 could oxidize low-valent vanadium effectively in leaching. The leaching efficiency of vanadium reached 87.74% under the optimum conditions, including a roasting temperature of 650 ℃, a roasting time of 2.0 h, a molar ratio of sodium-to-vanadium of 0.6, a MnO2(roasting additive) dosage of 5 wt% and a Na2S2O8(leaching oxidant) dosage of 5 wt%. This percentage is 7.18% higher than that of direct roasting-andleaching under the same conditions.

Ionic liquid mediated CO_2 activation for DMC synthesis

Promoted catalytic reaction between methanol and CO2 for dimethyl carbonate （DMC） synthesis is conducted over K2CO3/CH3I catalyst in the presence of ionic liquid under microwave irradiation. The effect of ionic liquids incorporated with microwave irradiation on the yield of DMC is investigated. DMC was found to form at lower temperature in a relative short time, which indicated an enhanced catalytic process by ionic liquid. Among the ionic liquids used, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride is the most effective promoter. Density functional theory calculations indicate that CO2 bond lengths and angles changed due to the molecular interaction of ionic liquid and CO2, resulting in the activation of CO2 molecules and consequently the acceleration of reaction rate.

Reduced power consumption in stirred vessel with high solid loading by equipping punched baffles

Solid-liquid suspension in stirred tank is a common operation in the chemical industry. The power consumption, flow pattern and flow field instability of three systems named as unbaffled stirred tank, traditional baffled stirred tank and punched baffled stirred tank(Pun-BST) were studied by using the computational fluid dynamic analysis. Results showed that perforating holes in the baffles could reduce power consumption of mixing. Meanwhile, the punched baffle system could maintain the solids in suspension as traditional baffle system. The results also showed that the baffles could increase the “effective flow” of stirred tank even though the whole velocity of the vessel is lower than un-baffled vessel. In addition, both the solid-liquid suspension and “effective flow” were related to instability of the flow field.Perfect solid-liquid suspension results always along with obvious instability of the flow field. But, the strengthening effect of punched baffle on flow field instability mainly happened in the near-wall area.It's because the collision and aggregation among sub-streams induced by holes intensified the unstable fluid flow. On the whole, the Pun-BST system provided much better mixing characteristics and recommended to apply in the industrial process.

CFD simulation of hydrodynamics and mixing performance in dual shaft eccentric mixers

This work aims to systematically study hydrodynamics and mixing characteristics of non-Newtonian fluid(carboxyl methyl cellulose,CMC)in dual shaft eccentric mixer.Fluid rheology was described by the power law rheological model.Computational fluid dynamics was employed to simulate the velocity field and shear rate inside the stirred tank.The influence mechanism of the rotational modes,height difference between impellers,impeller eccentricities,and impeller types on the flow field have been well investigated.We studied the performance of different dual-shaft eccentric mixers at the constant power input with its fluid velocity profiles,average shear strain rate,mixing time and mixing energy.The counter-rotation mode shows better mixing performance than co-rotation mode,and greater eccentricity can shorten mixing time on the basis of same stirred condition.To intensify the hydrodynamic interaction between impellers and enhance the overall mixing performance of the dual shaft eccentric mixers,it is critical to have a reasonable combination of impellers and an appropriate spatial position of impellers.

Study on cavern evolution and performance of three mixers in agitation of yield-pseudoplastic fluids

The hydrodynamic performance of three mixers single shaft central mixer(SSC), single shaft off-centred mixer(SSO), dual shaft off-centred mixer(DSO), was investigated in the mixing of yield-pseudoplastic fluids(xanthan gum solutions) in the laminar regime. To explore and determine the efficiency of three mixers, both numerical and experimental approaches were adopted. The fluid rheology was described by the Herschel–Bulkley rheological model. Computational fluid dynamics was employed to simulate the apparent viscosity distribution, mixing time, and the flow pattern inside the stirred tank. The developed model was validated through experimentally measured torque. The influence mechanism of the rotational speed and fluid rheology on the cavern evolution was explored deeply. The performances of three mixers in this work were compared at the constant power input and fluid rheology with respect to the flow pattern, mixing time, and mixing efficiency. The results verify that the faster the rotating speed, the greater influence of the fluid rheology on the cavern evolution, and the more uniform apparent viscosity distribution. Moreover, the mixing time decreases continuously as the increasing power consumption per unit volume, and the dimensionless mixing time of DSO mixer was nearly 42.8% and 6.1% shorter than that of SSC and SCO mixer at the same Reynolds number, respectively. According to the mixing efficiency criteria, these data also revealed that DSO was more efficient than SSC and SSO.

Experimental study of power consumption, local characteristics distributions and homogenization energy in gas–liquid stirred tank reactors

In this paper, the power consumption, the vertical local void fraction and the local gas–liquid interfacial area are investigated in the aerated stirred tank reactors(STRs) equipped with a rigid-flexible impeller. Meanwhile, the regressive correlation based on power consumption and interfacial area is proposed. Then a novel homogenization energy(HE = RSDPtm) expression based on power consumption and local interfacial area is redefined and used to indicate the mixing efficiency. The optimal operating mode is selected based on the change of the HE value. This paper can provide research ideas for structural optimization of stirred reactors.

Analysis of the Role of General Practitioners Services in Rural Areas during the COVID-19 Epidemic

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19,various regions of China have been rapidly deployed under the leadership of the Central Committee of the Party to actively prevent and control the COVID-19.The rural areas of my country have weak links to the prevention and management of public health emergencies.Problems include lack of medical and health resources and farmers’low awareness of epidemic prevention.Situations that correspond to the prevention and management of the COVID-19 are more serious.As the patient’s first contact and“gatekeeper”in the fight against the epidemic,the general practitioner is responsible for the“first visit-subsequent ongoing intervention”.This article is about the prevention and control of the COVID-19 epidemics and epidemic prevention in terms of dissemination of knowledge,informed crowd control,joint prevention and control,and standardized management of people.This is a summary of the efforts of general practitioners.Quarantine at home,interactive referrals to medical consortiums,special care for contracted families.The function during the management period aims to analyze the role played by general practitioners during the epidemic and to provide new ideas for the prevention and management of the epidemic.Provide more targeted general practitioner-style services in rural areas to promote the implementation and improvement of health and poverty alleviation.The health level of the rural population provides a theoretical standard.

Enhanced Mn^(2+)solidification and NH_(4)^(+)-N removal from electrolytic manganese metal residue via surfactants

Electrolytic manganese metal residue(EMMR)harmless treatment has always lacked a low-cost and quick processing technology.In this study,surfactants,namely tetradecyl trimethylammonium chloride(TTC),sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate(SDBS),sodium lignin sulfonate(SLS),and octadecyl trimethylammonium chloride(OTC),were used in the solidification of Mn^(2+)and removal of NH_(4)^(+)-N from EMMR.The Mn^(2+)and NH_(4)^(+)-N concentrations under different reaction conditions,Mn^(2+)solidification and NH_(4)^(+)-N removal mechanisms,and leaching behavior were studied.The results revealed that the surfactants could enhance the Mn^(2+)solidification and NH_(4)^(+)-N removal from EMMR,and the order of enhancement was as follows:TTC>SDBS>OTC>SLS.The NH_(4)^(+)-N and Mn^(2+)concentrations were 12.3 and 0.05 mg·L^(-1)with the use of 60.0 mg·kg^(-1)TTC under optimum conditions(solid–liquid ratio of 1.5:1,EMMR to BRM mass ratio of 100:8,temperature of 20℃,and reaction duration of 12 h),which met the integrated wastewater discharge standard(GB8978-1996).Mn^(2+)was mainly solidified as Mn(OH)_(2),MnOOH and MnSiO_(3),and NH_(4)^(+)-N in EMMR was mostly removed in the form of ammonia.The results of this study could provide a new idea for cost-effective EMMR harmless treatment.

Embedding any desired number of coexisting attractors in memristive system

A simple variable-boostable system is selected as the structure for hosting an arbitrarily defined memristor for chaos producing.The derived three-dimensional(3-D)memristive chaotic system shows its distinct property of offset,amplitude and frequency control.Owing its merits any desired number of coexisting attractors are embedded by means of attractor doubling and self-reproducing based on function-oriented offset boosting.In this circumstance two classes of control gates are found:one determines the number of coexisting attractors resorting to the independent offset controller while the other is the initial condition selecting any one of them.Circuit simulation gives a consistent output with theoretically predicted embedded attractors.

Gut microbiota absence and transplantation affect growth and intestinal functions:An investigation in a germ-free pig model

This study was conducted to investigate host-microbiota interactions and explore the effects of maternal gut microbiota transplantation on the growth and intestinal functions of newborns in a germ-free(GF)pig model.Twelve hysterectomy-derived GF Bama piglets were reared in 6 sterile isolators.Among them,6 were considered as the GF group,and the other 6 were orally inoculated with healthy sow fecal suspension as fecal microbiota transplanted(FMT)group.Another 6 piglets from natural birth were regarded as the conventional(CV)group.The GF and FMT groups were hand-fed with Co60-y-irradiated sterile milk powder,while the CV group was reared by lactating Bama sows.All groups were fed for 21 days.Then,all piglets and then were switched to sterile feed for another 21 days.Results showed that the growth performance,nutrient digestibility,and concentrations of short-chain fatty acids in the GF group decreased(P<0.05).Meanwhile,the serum urea nitrogen concentration and digesta pH values in the GF group increased compared with those in the FMT and CV groups(P<0.05).Compared with the CV group,the GF group demonstrated upregulation in the mRNA expression levels of intestinal barrier function-related genes in the small intestine(P<0.05).In addition,the mRNA abundances of intestinal development and absorption-related genes in the small intestine and colon were higher in the GF group than in the CV and FMT groups(P<0.05).The FMT group exhibited greater growth performance,lipase activity,and nutrient digestibility(P<0.05),higher mRNA expression levels of intestinal development and barrier-related genes in the small intestine(P<0.05),and lower mRNA abundances of pro-inflammatory factor in the colon and jejunum(P<0.05)than the CV group.In conclusion,the absence of gut microbes impaired the growth and nutrient digestibility,and healthy sow gut microbiota transplantation increased the growth and nutrient digestibility and improved the intestinal development and barrier function of newborn piglets,indicating the importance of intestinal microbes for intestinal development and functions.

Genome-wide analysis reveals selection for Chinese Rongchang pigs

Livestock have undergone domestication and consequently strong selective pressure on genes or genomic regions that control desirable traits. To identify selection signatures in the genome of Chinese Rongchang pigs, we generated a total of about 170 Gb of DNA sequence data with about 6.4-fold coverage for each of six female individuals. By combining these data with the publically available genome data of 10 Asian wild boars,we identified 449 protein-coding genes with selection signatures in Rongchang pigs, which are mainly involved in growth and hormone binding, nervous system development, and drug metabolism. The accelerated evolution of these genes may contribute to the dramatic phenotypic differences between Rongchang pigs and Chinese wild boars. This study illustrated how domestication and subsequent artificial selection have shaped patterns of genetic variation in Rongchang pigs and provides valuable genetic resources that can enhance the use of pigs in agricultural production and biomedical studies.