Thermodynamic modeling and phase diagram prediction of salt lake brine systemsⅡ.Aqueous Li^(+)-Na^(+)-K^(+)-SO_(4)^(2-) and its subsystems

It is still a challenging task to accurately and temperature-continuously express the thermodynamic properties and phase equilibrium behaviors of the salt-lake brine with multi-component,multitemperature and high concentration.The essential subsystem of sulfate type brine,aqueous Li^(+)-Na^(+)-K^(+)-SO_(4)^(2-) and its subsystems across a temperature range from 250 K to 643 K are investigated with the improved comprehensive thermodynamic model.Liquid parameters(Δg_(IJ),Δh_(IJ),and ΔC_(p,IJ))associated with the contributions of Gibbs energy,enthalpy,and heat capacity to the binary interaction parameters,i.e.the temperature coefficients of eNRTL parameters formulated with a Gibbs Helmholtz expression,are determined via multi-objective optimization method.The solid constantsΔ_(f)G_(k)°^((298.15))andΔ_(f)H_(k)°^((298.15))of11 solid species occurred in the quaternary system are rebuilt from multi-temperature solubilities.The modeling results show the accurate representation of(1)solution properties and binary phase diagram at temperature ranges from eutectic points to 643 K;(2)isothermal phase diagrams for Li_(2)SO_(4)-Na_(2)SO_(4)-H_(2)O,Li_(2)SO_(4)-K_(2)SO_(4)-H_(2)O and Na_(2)SO_(4)-K_(2)SO_(4)-H_(2)O ternary systems.The predicted results of complete structure and polythermal phase diagram of ternary systems and the isothermal phase diagrams of quaternary system excellently match with the experimental data.

Three-Dimensional Cooperative Localization via Space-Air-Ground Integrated Networks

The space-air-ground integrated network(SAGIN)combines the superiority of the satellite,aerial,and ground communications,which is envisioned to provide high-precision positioning ability as well as seamless connectivity in the 5G and Beyond 5G(B5G)systems.In this paper,we propose a three-dimensional SAGIN localization scheme for ground agents utilizing multi-source information from satellites,base stations and unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs).Based on the designed scheme,we derive the positioning performance bound and establish a distributed maximum likelihood algorithm to jointly estimate the positions and clock offsets of ground agents.Simulation results demonstrate the validity of the SAGIN localization scheme and reveal the effects of the number of satellites,the number of base stations,the number of UAVs and clock noise on positioning performance.

Comparative Study on Energy Consumption Structure of Ordinary Rural Households and Rural Tourism Households in Zhejiang Province, China

With the rapid development of rural tourism in China, more and more rural households operate a rural tourism business. The purpose of this study is to understand the energy consumption characteristic of ordinary rural households (ORHs) and rural tourism households (RTHs) in the mountainous area and islands area in Zhejiang province. 225 households were surveyed, including 185 ORHs and 40 RTHs, based on a field survey in Quzhou (mountainous area) and Zhoushan (islands area). Results reveal that energy consumption of ORHs is low, but energy comsumption of RTHs is high, about 3 to 5 times higher than that of ORHs. Given the results, the government and RTHs should pay more attention to take measures to reduce energy comsumption. Meanwhile, the factors affecting households’ energy consumption are also analyzed. Energy consumption of ORHs is affected by frequently used area, family income level and permanent population. Then energy consumption of RTHs is mainly related to the total building area, number of air conditioner (AC), number of guestrooms and family income level.

Awakening the oxygen evolution activity of MoS_(2) by oxophilic-metal induced surface reorganization engineering

Although molybdenum disulfide (MoS_(2))-based materials are generally known as active electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), the inert performance for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) seriously limits their wide applications in alkaline electrolyzers due to there exists too strong metal-sulfur (M−S) bond in MoS_(2). Herein, by means of surface reorganization engineering of bimetal Al, Co-doped MoS_(2) (devoted as AlCo_(3)-MoS_(2)) through in situ substituting partial oxidation, we successfully significantly activate the OER activity of MoS_(2), which affords a considerably low overpotential of 323 mV at −30 mA cm^(−2), far lower than those of MoS_(2), Al-MoS_(2) and Co-MoS_(2) catalysts. Essentially, the AlCo_(3)-MoS_(2) substrate produces lots of M−O (M=Al, Co and Mo) species with oxygen vacancies, which trigger the surface self-reconstruction of pre-catalysts and simultaneously boost the electrocatalytic OER activity. Moreover, benefiting from the moderate M−O species formed on the surface, the redistribution of surface electron states is induced, thus optimizing the adsorption of OH* and OOH* intermediates on metal oxyhydroxides and awakening the OER activity of MoS_(2).

A Numerical Gas Fracturing Model of Coupled Thermal,Flowing and Mechanical Effects

Gas fracturing,which overcomes the limitation of hydraulic fracturing,is a potential alternative technology for the development of unconventional gas and oil resources.However,the mechanical principle of gas fracturing has not been learned comprehensively when the fluid is injected into the borehole.In this paper,a damage-based model of coupled thermal-flowing-mechanical effects was adopted to illustrate the mechanical principle of gas fracturing.Numerical simulation tools Comsol Multiphysics and Matlab were integrated to simulate the coupled process during the gas fracturing.Besides,the damage evolution of drilling areas under several conditions was fully analyzed.Simulation results indicate that the maximum tensile stress,which occurs in the upper and lower of the injection hole,decreases with the increase of the tectonic stress coefficient(TSC).As the TSC increases,shear fractures increase,a crushed area is gradually formed and the seepage area increases rapidly.The influence of TSC on fracture expansion is concluded as follows:with the decrease of TSC,the relative width of fractures decreases whilst the depth increases.It indicates that thermal stress and pore pressure promote the expansion of tensile fractures but restrain the expansion of shear fractures.Therefore,a relatively lower injection gas pressure is required to obtain the same degree of fracturing with a coupled thermal gradient.

The protective effects of Xuebijing injection on intestinal injuries of mice exposed to irradiation

Background:Gastrointestinal(GI)injury is one of the most common side effects of radiotherapy.However,there is no ideal therapy method except for symptomatic treatment in the clinic.Xuebijing(XBJ)is a traditional Chinese medicine,used to treat sepsis by injection.In this study,the protective effects of XBJ on radiation-i nduced intestinal injury(RⅢ)and its mechanism were explored.Methods:The effect of XBJ on survival of irradiated C57BL/6 mice was monitored.Histological changes including the number of crypts and the length of villi were evaluated by H&E.The expression of Lgr5^(+)intestinal stem cells(ISCs),Ki67^(+)cells,villin and lysozymes were examined by immunohistochemistry.The expression of cytokines in the intestinal crypt was detected by RT-PCR.DNA damage and apoptosis rates in the small intestine were also evaluated by immunofluorescence.Results:In the present study,XBJ improved the survival rate of the mice after 8.0and 9.0 Gy total body irradiation(TBI).XBJ attenuated structural damage of the small intestine,maintained regenerative ability and promoted proliferation and differentiation of crypt cells,decreased apoptosis rate and reduced DNA damage in the intestine.Elevation of IL-6 and TNF-α was limited,but IL-1,TNF-β and IL-10 levels were increased in XBJ-treated group after irradiation.The expression of Bax and p53 were decreased after XBJ treatment.Conclusions:Taken together,XBJ provides a protective effect on RⅢby inhibiting inflammation and blocking p53-related apoptosis pathway.

Network-pharmacology and molecular docking-based investigation of mechanism of Sophora flavescens on cancer and inflammation

Objective:In order to explore the systematical regulatory mechanism of Kushen(Sophora flavescens,SF)on inflammation and cancer,we analyzed inter-molecular interactions between herbal ingredients of SF and human inflammation and cancer through network-pharmacology and molecular docking-based approaches.Methods:Firstly,ingredients and potential targets were obtained from Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform,GeneCards database,Therapeutic Targets Database and Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man database.Then,protein-protein interaction network and medicine-ingredient-target-disease network were established and analyzed via STRING and Cytoscape.Surflex-dock was performed by SybylX-2.0.Finally,functional enrichment and pathway enrichment were achieved by Gene Ontology database and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes database.Results:The results showed that 113 components of SF and 53 potential targets were related in the study.SF exerts anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer mechanism through key targets located in nucleus,such as JUN,MYC,RELA,NCOA,PPARG which may trigger the NF-κB pathway,the Bcl-2/Bax pathway and other pathways to effect DNA transcriptional activity.Conclusions:The study predicted the mechanism of SF on cancer and inflammation.According to the results,we suggest that the ingredients of SF effect on DNA bingding and transcription in nuclear receptors-like JUN,MYC,RELA,NCOA,PPARG.the receptors trigger several pathways including NF-κB pathway,the Bcl-2/Bax pathway and others.Eventually,it regulats inflammatory factors and cell proliferation,senescence and apoptosis.

Hymecromone:a clinical prescription hyaluronan inhibitor for efficiently blocking COVID-19 progression

Currently,there is no effective drugs for treating clinically COVID-19 except dexamethasone.We previously revealed that human identical sequences of SARS-CoV-2 promote the COVID-19 progression by upregulating hyaluronic acid(HA).As the inhibitor of HA synthesis,hymecromone is an approved prescription drug used for treating biliary spasm.Here,we aimed to investigate the relation between HA and COVID-19,and evaluate the therapeutic effects of hymecromone on COVID-19.Firstly,HA was closely relevant to clinical parameters,including lymphocytes(n=158;r=−0.50;P<0.0001),C-reactive protein(n=156;r=0.55;P<0.0001),D-dimer(n=154;r=0.38;P<0.0001),and fibrinogen(n=152;r=0.37;P<0.0001),as well as the mass(n=78;r=0.43;P<0.0001)and volume(n=78;r=0.41;P=0.0002)of ground-glass opacity,the mass(n=78;r=0.48;P<0.0001)and volume(n=78;r=0.47;P<0.0001)of consolidation in patient with low level of hyaluronan(HA<48.43 ng/mL).Furthermore,hyaluronan could directly cause mouse pulmonary lesions.Besides,hymecromone remarkably reduced HA via downregulating HAS2/HAS3 expression.Moreover,89%patients with hymecromone treatment had pulmonary lesion absorption while only 42%patients in control group had pulmonary lesion absorption(P<0.0001).In addition,lymphocytes recovered more quickly in hymecromone-treated patients(n=8)than control group(n=5)(P<0.05).These findings suggest that hymecromone is a promising drug for COVID-19 and deserves our further efforts to determine its effect in a larger cohort.

Global stability of a SEIR epidemic model with infectious force in latent period and infected period under discontinuous treatment strategy

We consider a SEIR epidemic model with infectious force in latent period and infected period under discontinuous treatment.The treatment rate has at most a finite number of jump discontinuities in every compact interval.By using Lyapunov theory for discontinuous differential equations and other techniques on non-smooth analysis,the basic reproductive number Ro is proved to be a sharp threshold value which completely determines the dynamics of the model.If Ro<1,then there exists a disease-free equilibrium which is globally stable.If Ro>1,the disease-free equilibrium becomes unstable and there exists an endemic equilibrium which is globally stable.We discuss that the disease will die out in a finite time which is impossible for the corresponding SEIR model with continuous treatment.Furthermore,the numerical simulations indicate that strengthening treatment measure after infective individuals reach some level is beneficial to disease control.

Effects of V Addition on Microstructural Evolution and Mechanical Properties of AlCrFe_(2)Ni_(2) High‑Entropy Alloys

The effects of vanadium addition on the microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of AlCrFe_(2)Ni_(2) high-entropy alloy(HEA)were investigated.The results showed that the AlCrFe_(2)Ni_(2)V_(0.2) HEA was composed of FCC phase,disordered BCC phase,and ordered BCC(B2)phase.With the increase in vanadium content,the formation of FCC phase was inhibited,and a transition from FCC phase to BCC phase occurred.The FCC phase disappeared completely when the value of x exceeds 0.4 in AlCrFe_(2)Ni_(2)V_(x) HEAs.Besides,the amplitude-modulated microstructure morphology transformed from a B2 phase matrix with dispersed BCC nano-phase into an alternating interconnected B2 and BCC phases.Vanadium element has the function of stabilizing BCC phase and B2 phase in AlCrFe_(2)Ni_(2)V_(x) alloys.The hardness of AlCrFe_(2)Ni_(2)V_(x) alloys increased from HV 332.4 to HV 590.7,while the yield strength increased from 765 to 1744.6 MPa with increasing vanadium content,which was mainly due to the decreasing content of FCC phase and the solid solution strengthening of vanadium element.At the same time,the compression ratio of the alloys decreased with the disappearance of the FCC phase.Among the alloys,the AlCrFe_(2)Ni_(2)V_(0.2) alloy possessed the most excellent comprehensive mechanical properties with yield strength,fracture strength,and compressive ratio 1231.1,2861.9 MPa,and 44.5%,respectively.

Evaluating a novel protective agent against radiation-induced acute intestinal injury

Objective:To develop and synthesize a novel derivative of ethyl pyruvate,named TZC02,and investigate its radioprotective effects against ionizing radiation(IR)-induced intestinal injury in mice.Methods:Male C57BL/6J mice weighing(20±2)g in the survival experiment were randomly divided into five groups(n=10 in each):control group,IR group,IR+TZC02(50 mg/kg)group,IR+TZC02(100 mg/kg)group,and IR+TZC02(200 mg/kg)group.Mice's survival rates were monitored for 7 d.In other experiments,the male mice were randomly divided into three groups(n=5 per group):control group,IR group,and IR+TZC02(100 mg/kg)group.TZC02 was intragastrically administered 1 h before 12 Gy abdominalγ-ray irradiation(ABI)and 24 h,48 h after irradiation,respectively.Three days after IR exposure,small intestinal tissues were collected and the number of small intestinal crypts was determined using hematoxylin&eosin(H&E)staining.Immunohistochemical analysis was used to assess the regenerative capacity of the small intestine(SI)and radiation-induced damage,stemness markers or DNA repair surrogates,including Ki67,lysozyme,and villus.The expressions of histone H2AX phosphorylation(γH2AX)and caspase-3 were evaluated through immunofluorescence analyses.Additionally,in vitro cultured small intestinal organoids were employed to investigate the effects of TZC02 on SI regeneration after irradiation.Results:The administration of TZC02 significantly improved the 7 d-survival rate of mice exposed to 12 Gy ABI(P<0.05).Compared to the IR group,TZC02 treatment attenuated the decrease of SI Ki67-positive cells[(59.60±6.33)vs.(37.70±7.82),t=11.89,P<0.0001]and Paneth cells[(9.90±1.37)vs.(5.50±1.71),t=6.02,P<0.001]in five crypts,and reduced structural damage to the SI[villus height,(349.49±60.17)μm vs.(294.72±40.09)μm;t=3.39;P<0.05].TZC02 also significantly decreased the crypt apoptosis detected by caspase-3[(10.75±1.26)vs.(29.83±2.56),t=13.39,P<0.0001]and DNA damage detected by gH2AX[(10.40±1.14)vs.(29.60±2.70),t=10.13,P<0.0001].The organoid survival 7 d post-irradiation further confirmed the protective effects of TZC02(area of organoids,(0.119±0.081)mm^(2)vs.(0.080±0.037)mm^(2);t=2.30;P<0.05).Conclusions:This study demonstrate that TZC02 can offer effective protection against IR-induced intestinal injury,suggesting its potential as a promising protective compound for patients treated with radiotherapy.

Enhanced phenol removal by permanganate with biogas residue biochar:catalytic role of in-situ formation of manganese dioxide and activation of biochar

Increased biogas residue related to the rapid development of anaerobic fermentation has become an urgent environmental problem.The pyrolysis of biogas residue into biochar is one of the most promising treatments.In this study,biochar derived from biogas residue was prepared,and the degradation efficiency of phenol by permanganate(KMnO_(4))increased from 25.3%to 73.4%in 60 min in the presence of biogas residue biochar(BRB).KMnO_(4) reacted with BRB to produce intermediate manganese dioxide(MnO_(2)),while BRB was activated.The specific surface area increased by 132.25%,and the oxygen-containing functional groups C=O,C−O,and COOH increased after the reaction.The generated MnO_(2) complexed with BRB to form MnO_(2)@BRB.The newly formed MnO_(2)@BRB catalyzed KMnO_(4) to remove phenol,which explains the high removal efficiency of phenol.A significant removal rate was also observed for antibiotics and chlorophenols,which suggested that the KMnO_(4)/BRB system has a relatively high ability to oxidize organic pollutants.In addition,the co-existing metal ions and the natural environment had little influence on the removal efficiency of the KMnO_(4)/BRB system.This work provides a novel technology for the resource utilization of biogas residue and improved organic pollutant removal efficiency of KMnO_(4) in the presence of BRB.