Steam reforming of acetic acid over Ni/biochar of low metal-loading:Involvement of biochar in tailoring reaction intermediates renders superior catalytic performance

Biochar is a reactive carrier as it may be partially gasified with steam in steam reforming,which could influence the formation of reaction intermediates and modify catalytic behaviors.Herein,the Ni/biochar as well as two comparative catalysts,Ni/Al_(2)O_(3) and Ni/SiO_(2),with low nickel loading(2%(mass))was conducted to probe involvement of the varied carriers in the steam reforming.The results indicated that the Ni/biochar performed excellent catalytic activity than Ni/SiO_(2) and Ni/Al_(2)O_(3),as the biochar carrier facilitated quick conversion of the -OH from dissociation of steam to gasify the oxygen-rich carbonaceous intermediates like C=O and C-O-C,resulting in low coverage while high exposure of nickel species for maintaining the superior catalytic performance.In converse,strong adsorption of aliphatic intermediates over Ni/Al_(2)O_(3) and Ni/SiO_(2) induced serious coking with polymeric coke as the main type(21.5%and 32.1%,respectively),which was significantly higher than that over Ni/biochar(3.9%).The coke over Ni/biochar was mainly aromatic or catalytic type with nanotube morphology and high crystallinity.The high resistivity of Ni/biochar towards coking was due to the balance between formation of coke and gasification of coke and partially biochar with steam,which created developed mesopores in spent Ni/biochar while the coke blocked pores in Ni/Al_(2)O_(3) and Ni/SiO_(2) catalysts.

Thermal pretreatment of willow branches impacts yield and pore development of activated carbon in subsequent activation with ZnCl_(2) via modifying cellulose structure

Development of pore structures of activated carbon(AC)from activation of biomass with ZnCl_(2) relies on content and structure of cellulose/hemicellulose in the feedstock.Thermal pretreatment of biomass could induce dehydration and/or aromatization to change the structure of cellulose/hemicellulose.This might interfere with evolution of structures of AC,which was investigated herein via thermal pretreatment of willow branch(WB)from 200 to 360℃and the subsequent activation with ZnCl_(2) at 550℃.The results showed that thermal pretreatment at 360℃(WB-360)could lead to substantial pyrolysis to form biochar,with a yield of 31.9%,accompanying with nearly complete destruction of cellulose crystals and remarkably enhanced aromatic degree.However,cellulose residual in WB-360 could still be activated to form AC-360 with specific surface area of 1837.9 m~2·g^(-1),which was lower than that in AC from activation of untreated WB(AC-blank,2077.8 m~2·g^(-1)).Nonetheless,the AC-200 from activation of WB-200 had more developed pores(2113.9 m~2·g^(-1))and superior capability for adsorption of phenol,due to increased permeability of ZnCl_(2) to the largely intact cellulose structure in WB-200.The thermal pretreatment did increase diameters of micropores of AC but reduced the overall yield of AC(26.8%for AC-blank versus 18.0%for AC-360),resulting from accelerated cracking but reduced intensity of condensation.In-situ infrared characterization of the activation showed that ZnCl_(2) mainly catalyzed dehydration,dehydrogenation,condensation,and aromatization but not cracking,suppressing the formation of derivatives of cellulose and lignin in bio-oil.The thermal pretreatment formed phenolic-OH and C=O with higher chemical innerness,which changed the reaction network in activation,shifting morphology of fibrous structures in AC-blank to“melting surface”in AC-200 or AC-280.

Rice3K56 is a high-quality SNP array for genome-based genetic studies and breeding in rice(Oryza sativa L.)

Single nucleotide polymorphism(SNP)genotyping arrays provide an optimal high-throughput platform for genetic research and molecular breeding programs in both animals and plants.In this study,a highquality and custom-designed Rice3K56 SNP array was developed with the resequencing data of 3024 rice accessions worldwide,which was then tested extensively in 192 representative rice samples.Printed on the Gene Titan chips of Affymetrix Axiom each containing 56,606 SNP markers,the Rice3K56 array has a high genotyping reliability(99.6%),high and uniform genome coverage(an average of 6.7-kb between adjacent SNPs),abundant polymorphic information and easy automation,compared with previously developed rice SNP arrays.When applied in rice varietal differentiation,population diversity analysis,gene mapping of 13 complex traits by a genome-wide association study analysis(GWAS),and genome selection experiments in a recombinant inbred line and a multi-parent advanced generation inter-cross populations,these properties of the Rice3K56 array were well demonstrated for its power and great potential to be a highly efficient tool for rice genetic research and genomic breeding.

Synthesis of Carbon dots from Biomass Chenpi for the Detection of Hg^(2+)

Biomass-derived carbon dots(C-dots)are considered a very important carbon material in metal ion detection of their small environmental impact,simple preparation process,and relatively low cost.A green approach for synthesizing biomass-derived C-dots from Chenpi using a hydrothermal method without further processing is proposed in the present study.The as-synthesized C-dots show excellent fluorescence properties,superior resistance to UV irradiation photobleaching,and high photostability in salt-containing solutions.The C-dots were used in the form of label-free fluorescent probes for sensitively detecting Hg^(2+)selectively.The outcome relationship behaved linearly and was established based on a given range between 10–300 nM concentration,with a detection limit of 7.0 nM.This green strategy obtains a high C-dot quantum yield of 10.8%and satisfactory results in detecting Hg^(2+)in actual water samples.

示踪甲状腺乳头状癌侧颈淋巴结的前瞻性研究

目的:探索在甲状腺乳头状癌中纳米炭示踪侧颈部淋巴结的应用价值。方法:前瞻性地入组2016年3月至2017年11月复旦大学附属肿瘤医院接受甲状腺癌手术患者,术前超声或CT提示侧颈部淋巴结可疑转移,术中应用纳米炭混悬注射液进行侧颈部淋巴结示踪。结果:共67例患者接受了70例/侧颈部淋巴结示踪手术,侧颈部淋巴结转移57例(81.4%)。炭阳性淋巴结的中位检出数量为6枚。Ⅳ区炭染淋巴结无论在送检例数、送检淋巴结枚数以及转移淋巴结比例均为最高。Ⅲ～Ⅳ区淋巴结中炭阳性淋巴结的转移比例显著高于炭阴性淋巴结(P<0.001)。将最终颈清扫结果作为金标准,计算Ⅲ～Ⅳ区炭阳性淋巴结活检敏感度为86.0%。结论:纳米炭是甲状腺癌侧颈部淋巴结示踪的潜在方法。联合侧颈部Ⅲ～Ⅳ区炭阳性淋巴结活检,可以达到较高的敏感度,是较为合理的前哨淋巴结活检范围。

Characteristics and pathological mechanism on magnetic resonance diffusion-weighted imaging after chemoembolization in rabbit liver VX-2 tumor model

AIM: To investigate dynamic characteristics and pathological mechanism of signal in rabbit VX-2 tumor model on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) after chemoembolization. METHODS: Forty New Zealand rabbits were included in the study and forty-seven rabbit VX-2 tumor models were raised by implanting directly and intrahepatically after abdominal cavity opened. Forty VX-2 tumor models from them were divided into four groups. DWI was performed periodically and respectively for each group after chemoembolization. All VX-2 tumor samples of each group were studied by pathology. The distinction of VX-2 tumors on DWI was assessed by their apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values. The statistical significance between different time groups, different area groups or different b-value groups was calculated by using SPSS12.0 software. RESULTS: Under b-value of 100 s/mm2, ADC values were lowest at 16 h after chemoembolization in area of VX-2 tumor periphery, central, and normal liver parenchyma around tumor, but turned to increase with further elongation of chemoembolization treatment. The distinction of ADC between different time groups was significant respectively (F = 7.325, P < 0.001; F = 2.496, P < 0.048; F = 6.856, P < 0.001). Cellular edema in the area of VX-2 tumor periphery or normal liver parenchyma around tumor, increased quickly in sixteen h after chemoembolization but, from the 16th h to the 48th h, cellular edema in the area of normal liver parenchyma around tumor decreased gradually and that in the area of VX-2 tumor periphery decreased lightly at, and then increased continually. After chemoembolization, Cellular necrosis in the area of VX-2 tumor periphery was more significantly high than that before chemoembolization. The areas of dead cells in VX-2 tumors manifested low signal and high ADC value, while the areas of viable cells manifested high signal and low ADC value. CONCLUSION: DWI is able to detect and differentiate tumor necrotic areas from viable cellular areas before and after chemoembolization. ADC of normal liver parenchyma and VX-2 tumor are influenced by intracellular edema, tissue cellular death and microcirculation disturbance after chemoembolization.

A simple taurocholate-induced model of severe acute pancreatitis in rats

AIM: To investigate gut barrier damage and intestinal bacteria translocation in severe acute pancreatitis (SAP), a simple rat model of SAP was induced and studied.METHODS: Pancreatitis was induced by uniformly distributed injection of 3.8% Na taurocholate (1 mL/kg) beneath the pancreatic capsule. Rats in the control group were injected with normal saline in the identical location. RESULTS: Serum amylase, plasma endotoxin, intestinal permeability, and pancreatitis pathology scores were all markedly higher in the pancreatitis group than in the control group (P < 0.01). The bacterial infection rate was signif icantly higher in the SAP group than in the control group (P < 0.01), observed in parallel by both bacterial culture and real-time polymerase chain reaction. Acute damage of the pancreas was observed histologically in SAP rats, showing interstitial edema, leukocyte infiltration, acinar cell necrosis and hemorrhage. The microstructure of the intestinal mucosa of SAP ratsappeared to be destroyed with loose, shortened microvilli and rupture of the intercellular junction, as shown by electron microscopy. CONCLUSION: Significant gut barrier damage and intestinal bacterial translocation were def initely observed with few potential study confounders in this SAP rat model, suggesting that it may be an appropriate animal model for study of gut barrier damage and bacterial translocation in SAP.

Characteristics of liver on magnetic resonance diffusion-weighted imaging:Dynamic and image pathological investigation in rabbit liver VX-2 tumor model

AIM： To investigate dynamical and image pathological characteristics of the liver on magnetic resonance （MR） diffusion-weighted imaging （DWI） in the rabbit VX-2 tumor model. METHODS： Forty New Zealand rabbits were included in the study and VX-2 tumor piece was implanted intrahepatically. Fifteen animals received two intrahepatic implantations while 25 had one intrahepatical implantation. DWI, T1- and T2-weighted of magnetic resonance imaging （MRI） were carried out on the 7th and the 14th d after implantation and DWI was conducted, respectively on the 21th d. Ten VX-2 tumor samples were studied pathologically. RESULTS： The rate of lump detected by DWI, TlWI and T2WI was 78.7%, 10.7% and 53.5% （X^2 =32.61, P 〈 0.001） on the 7th d after implantation and 95.8%, 54.3% and 82.9% （X^2 = 21.50, P 〈 0.001） on the 14th d. The signal of most VX-2 tumors on DWI was uniform and it was equal diffusion coefficient （ADC）. did not decrease on the 7th on the map of apparent The signal of VX tumors d after implantation, most of them slowly growing during the week following implantation without significant cell dying within the tumor. VX-2 tumors grew increasingly within 14 d after implantation but the signal of most VX-2 tumors on DWI or on the map of ADC was uniform or uneven and ADC of VX tumors decreased obscurely or slightly because tumor necrosis was still not obvious. On the 21th d after implantation, the signal of most VX-2 tumors on DWI or on the map of ADC was uneven because tumor necrosis was evident and ADC of VX-2 tumor necrotic areas decreased. The areas of viable cells in VX-2 tumors manifested a high signal on DWI and a low signal on the map of ADC. The areas of dead cells or necrosis in VX-2 tumors manifested low signals on DWI and low, equal or high signals on the map of ADC but they manifested high signals on DWI and on the map of ADC at the same time when the areas of necrotic tumor became liquefied or cystic. The border of tumors on DWI appeared gradually distinct and internal signals of tumor became progressively uneven. CONCLUSION： The manifestations of viable, necrotic and liquefied or cystic areas in VX-2 tumors on DWI are typical and DWI is of significant and potential values in clinical application in both the early detection and diagnosis of liver tumors.

Early warning of rock mass instability based on multi-field coupling analysis and microseismic monitoring

In order to overcome the limitation that rock mass instability warnings are caused by a lack of deep consideration of the inherent mechanism of disaster formation, early warning signs of rock mass instability were detected and multi-field coupling was analyzed. A multi-field coupling model of a damaged rock mass was established. The relationship between microseismic activity parameters and rock mass stability was analyzed, and a multi-parameter early warning index system was established and its solution program was compiled. Based on the D-S data fusion theory,an early warning model of rock mass instability combining multi-field coupling analysis and microseismic monitoring was constructed. Taking an underground mine stope as an object, the multi-field coupling model and its solution program were used to analyze mining response characteristics. The seismic field data were used to verify the accuracy of the multi-field coupling analysis. The early warning model was used to predict the instability of stope rock mass,and the early warning result is consistent with a real-world scenario.

Gene expression and MR diffusion-weighted imaging after chemoembolization in rabbit liver VX-2 tumor model

AIM: To investigate the dynamic characteristics and the correlation between PCNA, Bax, nm23, E-cadherin expression and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) on MR diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) after chemoembolization in rabbit liver VX-2 tumor model. METHODS: Forty New Zealand rabbit liver VX-2 tumor models were included in the study. DWI was carried out periodically after chemoembolization. All VX-2 tumor samples in each group were examined by histopathology and Strept Avidin-Biotin Complex (SABC) immunohistochemical staining. RESULTS: The PCNA expression index in VX-2 tumors was higher than in the normal parenchyma around the tumor (P < 0.001). Nm23, Bax or E-caderin expression index in VX-2 tumors were lower than in the normal parenchyma around the tumor (all P < 0.001). PCNAand nm23 expression in the VX-2 tumor periphery first increased and then decreased (P < 0.001 and P = 0.03, respectively), while the expression of Bax and E-cadherin before and after chemoembolization was insignificant. When b-value was 100 s/mm2, there was a linear correlation between PCNA expression and ADC in the area of VX-2 tumor periphery (P < 0.001), and PCNA expression in VX-2 tumor periphery influenced the ADC. CONCLUSION: The potential of VX-2 tumor infiltrating and metastasizing decreases, while its ability to proliferate increases for a short time after chemoembolization. To some degree, the ADC value indirectly reflects the proliferation of VX-2 tumor cells.

Fundamental and Technical Challenges for a Compatible Design Scheme of Oxyfuel Combustion Technology

Oxyfuel combustion with carbon capture and sequestration （CCS） is a carbon-reduction technology for use in large-scale coal-fired power plants. Significant progress has been achieved in the research and development of this technology during its scaling up from 0.4 MWth to 3 MWth and 35 aWth by the combined efforts of universities and industries in China. A prefeasibility study on a 200 MWe large-scale demonstration has progressed well, and is ready for implementation. The overall research development and demonstration （RD＆D） roadmap for oxyfuel combustion in China has become a critical component of the global RD＆D roadmap for oxyfuel combustion. An air combustion/oxyfuel combustion compatible design philosophy was developed during the RD＆D process. In this paper, we briefly address fundamental research and technology innovation efforts regarding several technical challenges, including combustion stability, heat transfer, system operation, mineral impurities, and corrosion. To further reduce the cost of carbon capture, in addition to the large-scale deployment of oxyfuel technology, increasing interest is anticipated in the novel and next- generation oxyfuel combustion technologies that are briefly introduced here, including a new oxygen-production concept and flameless oxyfuel combustion.

Nomogram for predicting pathological complete response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with advanced gastric cancer

BACKGROUND Survival benefit of neoadjuvant chemotherapy(NAC)for advanced gastric cancer(AGC)is a debatable issue.Studies have shown that the survival benefit of NAC is dependent on the pathological response to chemotherapy drugs.For those who achieve pathological complete response(pCR),NAC significantly prolonged prolapsed-free survival and overall survival.For those with poor response,NAC yielded no survival benefit,only toxicity and increased risk for tumor progression during chemotherapy,which may hinder surgical resection.Thus,predicting pCR to NAC is of great clinical significance and can help achieve individualized treatment in AGC patients.AIM To establish a nomogram for predicting pCR to NAC for AGC patients.METHODS Two-hundred and eight patients diagnosed with AGC who received NAC followed by resection surgery from March 2012 to July 2019 were enrolled in this study.Their clinical data were retrospectively analyzed by logistic regression analysis to determine the possible predictors for pCR.Based on these predictors,a nomogram model was developed and internally validated using the bootstrap method.RESULTS pCR was confirmed in 27 patients(27/208,13.0%).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that higher carcinoembryonic antigen level,lymphocyte ratio,lower monocyte count and tumor differentiation grade were associated with higher pCR.Concordance statistic of the established nomogram was 0.767.CONCLUSION A nomogram predicting pCR to NAC was established.Since this nomogram exhibited satisfactory predictive power despite utilizing easily available pretreatment parameters,it can be inferred that this nomogram is practical for the development of personalized treatment strategy for AGC patients.

Analysis and external validation of a nomogram to predict peritoneal dissemination in gastric cancer

Objective:Peritoneal dissemination is difficult to diagnose by conventional imaging technologies.We aimed to construct a nomogram to predict peritoneal dissemination in gastric cancer(GC)patients.Methods:We retrospectively analyzed 1,112 GC patients in Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center between2001 and 2010 as the development set and 474 patients from The Sixth Affiliated Hospital,Sun Yat-sen University between 2010 and 2016 as the validation set.The clinicopathological variables associated with gastric cancer with peritoneal dissemination(GCPD)were analyzed.We used logistic regression analysis to identify independent risk factors for peritoneal dissemination.Then,we constructed a nomogram for the prediction of GCPD and defined its predictive value with a receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve.External validation was performed to validate the applicability of the nomogram.Results:In total,250 patients were histologically identified as having peritoneal dissemination.Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that age,sex,tumor location,tumor size,signet-ring cell carcinoma(SRCC),T stage,N stage and Borrmann classification IV(Borrmann IV)were independent risk factors for peritoneal dissemination.We constructed a nomogram consisting of these eight factors to predict GCPD and found an optimistic predictive capability,with a C-index of 0.791,an area under the curve(AUC)of 0.791,and a 95%confidence interval(95%CI)of 0.762-0.820.The results found in the external validation set were also promising.Conclusions:We constructed a highly sensitive nomogram that can assist clinicians in the early diagnosis of GCPD and serve as a reference for optimizing clinical management strategies.

Roles of furfural during the thermal treatment of bio-oil at low temperatures

The reactive O-containing species in bio-oil could induce the polymerization of bio-oil during its thermal treatment, which affects the relevant utilization of bio-oil significantly. Furans, as the highly reactive Ocontaining species in bio-oil, play important roles during the thermal treatment of bio-oil. In this study,furfural was chosen as the representative of the furans in bio-oil to investigate its roles during the thermal treatment of bio-oil. The raw bio-oil with and without the addition of extra furfural(10 wt% of bio-oil) and pure furfural were pyrolyzed in a fixed-bed reactor at 200–500 ℃. The results show that the interactions among furfural and bio-oil components can take place prior to the evaporation of furfural(<140 ℃) to form the intermediates, then these intermediates could be further polymerized to form large molecular compounds, and coke can be formed via the interactions at temperatures ≥ 300 ℃. At temperatures ≤ 300 ℃, furfural mainly interacts with anhydrosugars. As the temperature further increases, the aromatics are involved in the interactions to form coke. The increased percentage of the coke formed via the interactions is in a linear relation with the conversion of furfural during the pyrolysis at 300–500 ℃(no coke formed at 200 ℃). Meanwhile, more non-aromatic light components(≤ C6) and less aromatics in the tars could be formed due to the interactions.

Is rosuvastatin protective against sepsis-associated encephalopathy? A secondary analysis of the SAILS trial

BACKGROUND:Sepsis is a common cause of death in emergency departments and sepsis-associated encephalopathy(SAE)is a major complication.Rosuvastatin may play a neuroprotective role due to its protective effects on the vascular endothelium and its anti-inflammatory functions.Our study aimed to explore the potential protective function of rosuvastatin against SAE.METHODS:Sepsis patients without any neurological dysfunction on admission were prospectively enrolled in the“Rosuvastatin for Sepsis-Associated Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome”study(SAILS trial,ClinicalTrials.gov number:NCT00979121).Patients were divided into rosuvastatin and placebo groups.This is a secondary analysis of the SAILS dataset.Baseline characteristics,therapy outcomes,and adverse drug events were compared between groups.RESULTS:A total of 86 patients were eligible for our study.Of these patients,51 were treated with rosuvastatin.There were significantly fewer cases of SAE in the rosuvastatin group than in the placebo group(32.1%vs.57.1%,P=0.028).However,creatine kinase levels were significantly higher in the rosuvastatin group than in the placebo group(233[22-689]U/L vs.79[12-206]U/L,P=0.034).CONCLUSION:Rosuvastatin appears to have a protective role against SAE but may result in a higher incidence of adverse events.

Direct conversion of furfural to levulinic acid/ester in dimethoxymethane:Understanding the mechanism for polymerization

This study investigated the conversion of furfural to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural(HMF)and further to levulinic acid/ester in dimethoxymethane under acidic conditions,with the particular focus on understanding the mechanism for polymer formation.The results showed that furfural could react with dimethoxymethane via electrophilic substitution reaction to form HMF or the ether/acetal of HMF,which were further converted to levulinic acid and methyl levulinate.The polymerization of furfural and the cross-polymerization between dimethoxymethane and the levulinic acid/ester produced were the main side reactions leading to the decreased yields of levulinic acid/ester.Comparing to the other solvent,methanol as the co-solvent helped to alleviate but not totally inhibited the occurrences of the polymerization,as the polymerization reactions via aldol condensation did not eliminate the C=O functionalities.As a consequence,the polymerization reactions continued to proceed.Other co-solvent used such as guaiacol,dimethyl sulfoxide and acetone interfered with the transformation of furfural to HMF or aided the polymerization reactions.The polymer produced from the reactions between furfural and DMM was different from that produced from levulinic acid/ester.The former had a higher crystallinity,while the latter was more aliphatic.The DRIFTS and TG-MS studies showed that the polymer had the carboxylic group,methyl group and the aliphatic structure in the skeleton.The removal of these functionalities was accompanied by the aromatization of the polymer.The condensation of DMM with levulinic acid/ester was the key reason for the diminished production of levulinic acid/ester.

Application of Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation on COGAG Power Plant of Performance

A fuzzy comprehensive evaluation of COGAG power plant performance is given by using a method of fuzzy mathematics, and multilevel fuzzy evaluation model is set up. Taking a naval ship as an example, the major parameters related to COGAG power plant performance are obtained by computer simulation, and a set of synthetic performance evaluation index system is established. The result shows that the strong fuzzy propulsion system performance indexes can be quantified by this fuzzy evaluation model in order to provide the reference for choosing the optimal design of ship propulsion system.

Effects of coagulation-bath conditions on polyphenylsulfone ultrafiltration membranes

Polyphenylsulfone(PPSU)ultrafiltration membrane with different structures was prepared by nonsolvent-induced phase separation.The effects of coagulation bath conditions(concentration and temperature)on membrane morphology,pure water flux,pore size,porosity,and contact angle were studied and discussed based on ternary-phase diagrams.Results indicated that water had stronger coagulant power than ethanol,and that the morphology of the membrane prepared from the polyphenylsulfone/1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone/H_(2)O(PPSU/NMP/H_(2)O)system had finger-like structures.Conversely,sponge-like structures were observed for the PPSU/NMP/(NMP-H_(2)O)and PPSU/NMP/(70 NMP-EtOH-H_(2)O)systems.Ethanol also greatly influenced on membrane structures.According to the Scanning electronic microscopy(SEM)image,the composition(mass fraction)of casting solution is 16%PPSU-84%NMP and the coagulation bath consisting of 70%NMP-26%H_(2)O-4%C_(2)H_(5)OH.Meanwhile,the PPSU ultrafiltration membrane with spong-like was prepared under 8℃coagulation bath.The formation of sponge-like structure reduces the pure water flux of ppsu membrane from 488.39 L·m^(-2)·h^(-1)to 36.04 L·m^(-2)·h^(-1).It also reduces the gas permeability,porosity,and pore size of the membrane.The addition of ethanol and NMP into the coagulation bath increases the roughness of the PPSU ultrafiltration membrane and reduces the hydrophilicity of the membrane.

Effect of ethylene vinyl acetate content on the performance of VMD using HDPE co-blending membrane

Membranes were fabricated with high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) blend through thermally induced phase separation and were then used for vacuum membrane distillation (VMD). The membranes were supported by non woven polyester fabric with a special cellular structure. Different membrane samples were obtained by adjusting the polymer concentration, HDPE/EVA weight ratio, and coagulation bath temperature. The membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis, contact angle test, and evaluation of porosity and pore size distribution. A series of VMD tests were conducted using aqueous NaCI solution (0.5 mol·L^-1) at a feed temperature of 65 ℃ and permeate side absolute pressure of 3 kPa. The membranes showed excellent performance in water permeation flux, salt rejection, and long-term sta-bility. The HDPE/EVA co-blending membranes exhibited the largest permeation flux of 23.87 kg·m^-2·h^-1, and benign salt rejection of ≥99.9%.

Induced Systemic Resistance in Two Genotypes of <i>Brassica napus</i>(AACC) and <i>Raphanus oleracea</i>(RRCC) by <i>Trichoderma</i>Isolates against <i>Sclerotinia sclerotiorum</i>

Two different species, Trichoderma viride TV10 and Trichoderma harzianum TH12 from 30 Trichoderma isolates were selected out based on their high growth inhibition of the phytopathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib) de Bary, which reached 84.44% and 100%, respectively. Their untreated culture filtrates (CF) and culture filtrates treated with heat (CFH) also were tested for growth inhibition of the pathogen in potato dextrose agar (PDA). Morphological and molecular characterisation by internal transcribed spacer (ITS) PCR provided consistent identification of these isolates. The degree of infection and disease index (DI) of S. sclerotiorum were examined in Brassica napus (AACC) and Raphanus alboglabra (RR) and Brassica alboglabra (CC). The results revealed that Raphanus alboglabra showed higher disease resistance than that of B. napus. Biotic elecitors T. harzianum TH12 and T. viride TV10 and their CF and CFH demonstrated the ability to cause induced systemic resistance (ISR) in B. napus and Raphanus alboglabra against sclerotinia stem rot (SSR) disease. Furthermore, a high ability to reduce the degree of infection and DI in B. napus with the biotic elicitors T. harzianum TH12 and T. viride TV10 was observed, with numbers reaching 7.22% to 6.67% and 17.78% to 11.67%, respectively. When CF were used, reached 20.00% to 16.67% and 33.33% to 23.33%, respectively;with CFH, values reached 35.00% to 21.67% and 37.78% to 28.33%, respectively. While in Raphanus alboglabra the degree of infection and DI reached 0.00% and 0.00% with all biotic elicitors treatments. These results show that biotic elicitor treatments significantly (P B. napus and Raphanus alboglabra ranked as most effective. This study showed for the first time the ability of genotype Raphanus alboglabra (RRCC) to demonstrate resistance against S. sclerotiorum with or without treatment by biotic elicitors and the ability of genotype B. napus (AACC) to demonstrate resistance to the pathogen after treatment with biotic elicitors.