Thermodynamic modeling and phase diagram prediction of salt lake brine systems.Ⅰ. Aqueous Mg^2+–Ca^2+–Cl^- binary and ternary systems

Salt lake brine is a complex salt-water system under natural environment.Although many models can express the thermodynamic properties and phase equilibrium of electrolyte aqueous solution,the multi-temperature characteristics and predictability are still the goals of model development.In this study,a comprehensive thermodynamic model system is re-established based on the eNRTL model and some improvements:(1) new expression of long-range electrostatic term with symmetrical reference state is proposed to handle the electrolyte solution covering entire concentration range;(2) the temperature dependence of the binary interaction parameters is formulated with a Gibbs Helmholtz expression containing three temperature coefficients,the liquid parameters,which associated with Gibbs energy,enthalpy,and heat capacity contribution;and(3) liquid parameters and solid species data are regressed from properties and solubility data at full temperature range.Together the activity coefficient model,property models and parameters of liquid and solid offer a comprehensive thermodynamic model system for the typical bittern of MgCl2-CaCl2-H2 O binary and ternary systems,and it shows excellent agreement with the literature data for the ternary and binary systems.The successful prediction of complete phase diagram of ternary system shows that the model has the ability to deal with high concentration and high non-idealitv system,and the ability to extrapolate the temperature.

Integrated system of comprehensive utilizing the concentrated brine of Yuncheng salt-lake basing on salt-forming diagram

The comprehensive utilization and environment-friendliness of processes for recovering fresh water or valuable salt from seawater, salt-lakes, or mineral deposits are of utmost importance for sustainable development.One primitive sustainable process for recovering salt from sodium-sulfate-type brine in Yuncheng salt lake had been considered one of the greatest inventions of ancient China, however, the replaced process of mass extraction of single Na_2SO_4 in recent years, has reduced a large amount of residual brine.In this research, relying on the salt-forming diagram in the non-equilibrium state, the technical secrets of ancient salt processes were uncovered, and a new comprehensive utilization system was proposed and tested experimentally.The new system includes a vacuum salt-making process and a normal pressure kieserite process, which can gradually eliminate the existed waste liquid and aid in the sustainable development of the Yuncheng salt-lake.The continuous experiment of salt-making process running stably in the double salt region without double salt formation, which proves the feasibility of salt-forming diagram applied in industrial process.Thus salt-forming diagram would be extremely valuable to industry process design and control, especially, the treatment of concentrated brine.

Laser compression via fast-extending plasma gratings

A method is proposed for compressing laser pulses by fast-extending plasma gratings(FEPGs),which are created by ionizing a hypersonic wave generated by stimulated Brillouin scattering in a background gas.Ionized by a short laser pulse,the phonon forms a light-velocity FEPG to fully reflect a resonant pump laser.As the reflecting surface moves with the velocity of light,the reflected pulse is temporally overlapped and compressed.One-and two-dimensional fully kinetic particle-in-cell simulations with a laser wavelength of 1μm show that in this regime,a pump pulse is compressed from 10–40 ps to 7–10 fs(i.e.,a few optical cycles),with a two-dimensional transfer efficiency up to 60%.This method is a promising way to produce critical laser powers while avoiding several significant problems that arise in plasma-based compressors,including an unwanted linear stage,major plasma instabilities,and the need for seed preparation.

Editorial for the virtual special issue on HEDP and ICF target fabrication

Targets are an indispensable part of all inertial confinement fusion(ICF)and high-energy-density physics(HEDP)experiments:while a high-quality target does not guarantee the success of an experiment,a poor-quality one can definitely lead to failure.In ICF and HEDP experiments,the precision with which targets are fabricated is critical to obtaining successful results,and many crossdisciplinary scientific and technological challenges are involved in the fabrication process.

基线乙型肝炎核心抗体定量与慢加急性肝衰竭患者预后的相关性

目的分析基线乙型肝炎核心抗体定量(qHBcAb)与乙型肝炎病毒(HBV)相关慢加急性肝衰竭(HBV-ACLF)患者预后的相关性,及其对HBV-ACLF预后的预测价值。方法纳入2019年7月1日至2021年12月30日无锡市第五人民医院收治的HBV-ACLF患者91例(HBV-ACLF组),并纳入慢性乙型肝炎(CHB)患者50例(CHB组)及慢性HBV携带状态患者50例(HBV携带组)为对照,收集qHBcAb、血常规、生化、凝血功能、乙型肝炎表面抗原(HBsAg)、乙型肝炎e抗原(HBeAg)、HBV DNA等基线资料,进行回顾性分析。将qHBcAb、HBsAg和HBV DNA数据进行对数转换。采用Cox多因素回归分析qHBcAb水平与生存结局的相关性;随访90 d,用Kaplan-Meier法进行生存分析;用受试者工作特征(ROC)曲线评价qHBcAb对HBV-ACLF患者预后的预测价值。结果HBV-ACLF组基线qHBcAb水平为(4.83±0.42)IU/ml,高于CHB组[(4.59±0.54)IU/ml]及HBV携带组[(3.86±0.74)IU/ml](P均<0.05)。随访90 d后,HBV-ACLF组生存46例(50.5%),死亡45例(49.5%)。生存患者基线qHBcAb水平高于死亡患者[(4.93±0.22)IU/ml比(4.70±0.52)IU/ml,P<0.01]。生存和死亡患者在甲胎蛋白、国际标准化比值、凝血酶原时间、抗凝血酶Ⅲ活性、血小板计数、终末期肝病模型评分、是否合并肝性脑病的差异均有统计学意义(P均<0.05)。Cox多因素回归分析显示基线qHBcAb是患者90 d生存结局的独立影响因素(HR=0.027,95%CI 0.001~0.696,P<0.05)。基线qHBcAb水平预测肝衰竭患者90 d生存结局的ROC曲线下面积为0.639(95%CI 0.525~0.752,P<0.05),截断值为4.89 IU/ml。基线qHBcAb≥4.89 IU/ml患者累积生存率高于基线qHBcAb<4.89 IU/ml患者(P<0.05)。结论基线qHBcAb水平与HBV-ACLF患者的预后相关,可能作为预测HBV-ACLF临床结局的一种新型生物学标志物;当qHBcAb<4.89 IU/ml时,患者病死率较高。

Differential regulation of JAK1 expression by ETS1 associated with predisposition to primary biliary cholangitis

Primary biliary cholangitis(PBC)is an autoimmune liver disease characterized by the destruction of intrahepatic small bile ducts and progressive cholestasis,eventually leading to liver cirrhosis and hepatic failure without appropriate treatment(Terziroli Beretta-Piccoli et al.,2019).

Mapping of de novo mutations in primary biliary cholangitis to a disease-specific co-expression network underlying homeostasis and metabolism

Primary biliary cholangitis(PBC) is an autoimmune disease involving dysregulation of a broad array of homeostatic and metabolic processes. Although considerable single-nucleotide polymorphisms have been unveiled, a large fraction of risk factors remains enigmatic. Candidate genes with rare mutations that tend to confer more deleterious effects need to be identified. To help pinpoint cellular and developmental mechanisms beyond common noncoding variants, we integrate whole exome sequencing with integrative network analysis to investigate genes harboring de novo mutations. Prominent convergence has been revealed on a network of disease-specific co-expression comprised of 55 genes associated with homeostasis and metabolism. The transcription factor gene MEF2 D and the DNA repair gene PARP2 are highlighted as hub genes and identified to be up-and down-regulated, respectively, in peripheral blood data set. Enrichment analysis demonstrates that altered expression of MEF2 D and PARP2 may trigger a series of molecular and cellular processes with pivotal roles in PBC pathophysiology. Our study identifies genes with de novo mutations in PBC and suggests that a subset of genes in homeostasis and metabolism tend to act in synergy through converging on co-expression network, providing novel insights into the etiology of PBC and expanding the pool of molecular candidates for discovering clinically actionable biomarkers.

Multilayer dielectric grating pillar-removal damage induced by a picosecond laser

Multilayer dielectric gratings typically remove multiple-grating pillars after picosecond laser irradiation;however,the dynamic formation process of the removal is still unclear.In this study,the damage morphologies of multilayer dielectric gratings induced by an 8.6-ps laser pulse were closely examined.The damage included the removal of a single grating pillar and consecutive adjacent grating pillars and did not involve the destruction of the internal high-reflection mirror structure.Comparative analysis of the two damage morphological characteristics indicated the removal of adjacent pillars was related to an impact process caused by the eruption of localized materials from the left-hand pillar,exerting impact pressure on its adjacent pillars and eventually resulting in multiple pillar removal.A finite-element strain model was used to calculate the stress distribution of the grating after impact.According to the electric field distribution,the eruptive pressure of the dielectric materials after ionization was also simulated.The results suggest that the eruptive pressure resulted in a stress concentration at the root of the adjacent pillar that was sufficient to cause damage,corresponding to the experimental removal of the adjacent pillar from the root.This study provides further understanding of the laser-induced damage behavior of grating pillars and some insights into reducing the undesirable damage process for practical applications.

Nanosecond laser conditioning of multilayer dielectric gratings for picosecond–petawatt laser systems

Multilayer dielectric gratings(MLDGs)are crucial for pulse compression in picosecond-petawatt laser systems.Bulged nodular defects,embedded in coating stacks during multilayer deposition,influence the lithographic process and performance of the final MLDG products.In this study,the integration of nanosecond laser conditioning(NLC)into different manufacturing stages of MLDGs was proposed for the first time on multilayer dielectric films(MLDFs)and final grating products to improve laser-induced damage performance.The results suggest that the remaining nodular ejection pits introduced by the two protocols exhibit a high nanosecond laser damage resistance,which remains stable when the irradiated laser fluence is more than twice the nanosecond-laser-induced damage threshold(nanosecond-LIDT)of the unconditioned MLDGs.Furthermore,the picosecond-LIDT of the nodular ej ection pit conditioned on the MLDFs was approximately 40%higher than that of the nodular defects,and the loss of the grating structure surrounding the nodular defects was avoided.Therefore,NLC is an effective strategy for improving the laser damage resistance of MLDGs.