The emerging role of mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles to ameliorate hippocampal NLRP3 inflammation induced by binge-like ethanol treatment in adolescence

Our previous studies have reported that activation of the NLRP3(NOD-,LRR-and pyrin domain-containing protein 3)-inflammasome complex in ethanol-treated astrocytes and chronic alcohol-fed mice could be associated with neuroinflammation and brain damage.Mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles(MSC-EVs)have been shown to restore the neuroinflammatory response,along with myelin and synaptic structural alterations in the prefrontal cortex,and alleviate cognitive and memory dysfunctions induced by binge-like ethanol treatment in adolescent mice.Considering the therapeutic role of the molecules contained in mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles,the present study analyzed whether the administration of mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles isolated from adipose tissue,which inhibited the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome,was capable of reducing hippocampal neuroinflammation in adolescent mice treated with binge drinking.We demonstrated that the administration of mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles ameliorated the activation of the hippocampal NLRP3 inflammasome complex and other NLRs inflammasomes(e.g.,pyrin domain-containing 1,caspase recruitment domain-containing 4,and absent in melanoma 2,as well as the alterations in inflammatory genes(interleukin-1β,interleukin-18,inducible nitric oxide synthase,nuclear factor-kappa B,monocyte chemoattractant protein-1,and C–X3–C motif chemokine ligand 1)and miRNAs(miR-21a-5p,miR-146a-5p,and miR-141-5p)induced by binge-like ethanol treatment in adolescent mice.Bioinformatic analysis further revealed the involvement of miR-21a-5p and miR-146a-5p with inflammatory target genes and NOD-like receptor signaling pathways.Taken together,these findings provide novel evidence of the therapeutic potential of MSC-derived EVs to ameliorate the hippocampal neuroinflammatory response associated with NLRP3 inflammasome activation induced by binge drinking in adolescence.

Study of the Viscosity and Specific Gravity of the Ternary Used Frying Oil (UFO)-Bioethanol-Diesel System

Fossil fuels cover around 80% of global energy consumption. However, the problems linked to their use justify the choice of using biofuel. In order to reduce as much as possible, diesel rate, an increase in the number of additives may be considered. Thus, in this work, the study of the used frying oil (UFO), bioethanol and diesel ternary system was undertaken. It emerges from this study that the addition of bioethanol reduces the viscosity and the density of the ternary system and permits a 90% substitution rate for diesel between the UFO and bioethanol. Finally, the percentage of oil becomes 40% after adding alcohol compared to the binary diesel crude vegetable oil mixture where this rate is 30%.

Preparation and emission characteristics of ethanol-diesel fuel blends

The preparation of ethanol-diesel fuel blends and their emission characteristics were investigated. Results showed the absolute ethanol can dissolve in diesel fuel at an arbitrary ratio and a small quantity of water(0.2%) addition can lead to the phase separation of blends. An organic additive was synthesized and it can develop the ability of resistance to water and maintain the stability of ethanol-diesel-trace amounts of water system. The emission characteristics of 10%, 20%, and 30% ethanol-diesel fuel blends, with or without additives, were compared with those of diesel fuel in a direct injection(DI) diesel engine. The experimental results indicated that the blend of ethanol with diesel fuel significantly reduced the concentrations of smoke, hydrocarbon(HC), and carbon monoxide(CO) in exhaust gas. Using 20% ethanol-diesel fuel blend with the additive of 2% of the total volume, the optimum mixing ratio was achieved, at which the bench diesel engine testing showed a significant decrease in exhaust gas. Bosch smoke number was reduced by 55%, HC emission by 70%, and CO emission by 45%, at 13 kW/1540 r/min. However, ethanol-diesel fuel blends produced a few ppm acetaldehydes and more ethanol in exhaust gas.

Combination of biodiesel-ethanol-diesel fuel blend and SCR catalyst assembly to reduce emissions from a heavy-duty diesel engine

In this study, the efforts to reduce NOx and particulate matter （PM） emissions from a diesel engine using both ethanol-selective catalytic reduction （SCR） of NOx over an Ag/Al2O3 catalyst and a biodiesel-ethanol-diesel fuel blend （BE-diesel） on an engine bench test are discussed. Compared with diesel fuel, use of BE-diesel increased PM emissions by 14% due to the increase in the soluble organic fraction （SOF） of PM, but it greatly reduced the Bosch smoke number by 60%-80% according to the results from 13-mode test of European Stationary Cycle （ESC） test. The SCR catalyst was effective in NOx reduction by ethanol, and the NOx conversion was approximately 73%. Total hydrocarbons （THC） and CO emissions increased significantly during the SCR of NOx process. Two diesel oxidation catalyst （DOC） assemblies were used after Ag/Al2O3 converter to remove CO and HC. Different oxidation catalyst showed opposite effect on PM emission. The PM composition analysis revealed that the net effect of oxidation catalyst on total PM was an integrative effect on SOF reduction and sulfate formation of PM. The engine bench test results indicated that the combination of BE-diesel and a SCR catalyst assembly could provide benefits for NOx and PM emissions control even without using diesel particle filters （DPFs）.

Optimal Mixture Ratios of Biodiesel Ethanol Diesel for Diesel Engines

In this paper, we study the best-mixture ratio of biodiesel-ethanol-diesel for diesel engines. The simulation results show that the integrated indexes including engine power, cost-effectiveness and emission properties are rather better with different optimizing index when the ratio of bio-diesel, ethanol and diesel are 71.58:2.72:25.70 and 50:2.4127:47.5873.

Effect of ethanol addition on flame characteristics of waste oil biodiesel

Biodiesel is a kind of clean and renewable energy. The effect of ethanol addition on the flame characteristics of waste oil biodiesel is studied by using OH-PLIF technique from the perspective of OH radical evolution. Ethanol addition leads to the appearance of diffusion flame reaction interface ahead of schedule and shortens the diffusion flame height. The experimental results show a linear correlation between the flame height and the fuel flow rate for a given fuel and oxidant. The same conclusion is drawn from the theoretical analysis of the approximate model. In addition. ethanol addition makes the average OH signal intensity of flame at different fuel flow rate tend to be consistent and the fuel flow rate enlarge where the flame field shows the strongest oxidation performance. Average OH signal intensity begins to weaken at larger fuel flow rate, which indicates that fuel flow rate of fuels blended with ethanol can change in larger range and does not significantly affect the uniformity of combustion.

Miscibility of Ethanol in Diesel Fuels

The primary barrier to the use of ethanol in diesel fuel is the poor miscibility at lower temperatures. The miscibilities of ethanol in 19 diesel fuels having a wide variation in compositions were evaluated by testing their phase separation temperatures. The result shows that aromatic contents and intermediate distillate temperatures have a significant impact on miscibility limits. The FCC diesels, which contain up to 50% of aromatics, exhibit different phase behavior trends in comparison with straight-run diesels and other diesel fuels.

Experimental Study on the Performance and Emission of Chinese Small Agricultural Diesel Engine Fuelled with Methanol/Biodiesel/DTBP

Diesel engine alternative fuels, such as methanol and biodiesel, are beneficial to reduce diesel engine emission. In order to study the influence of methanol and biodiesel on the performance, economy and emission of small agricultural diesel engine, the physical-chemical properties(cetane number, lower heat value(LHV), viscosity, etc.) of methanol and biodiesel were analyzed. The methanol and biodiesel showed good complementary property to some extent. When a large proportion of methanol was added into biodiesel, the cetane number of the methanol/biodiesel blend will be greatly reduced. Since the cetane number of the blend fuel has great influence on the combustion process of diesel engine, after testing for blending ratio of methanol/biodiesel, the blend was prepared with 5%(BM5), 10%(BM10) and 15%(BM15) methanol, respectively. Di-Tert-Butyl Peroxide(DTBP) was chosen as a cetane number improver to be added into methanol/biodiesel blend. 0.25%, 0.50% and 0.75% of DTBP was added into BM15. The bench test was carried out on a 186 FA diesel engine to study the effect of methanol and DTBP on the engine performance and emissions. The results show that, at rated condition, compared with biodiesel, the NO;concentration of BM5, BM10 and BM15 is reduced by 5.02%, 33.85% and 21.24%, and smoke is reduced by 5.56%, 22.22% and 55.56%. However, the engine power is also reduced by 5.77%, 14.23% and 25.41%, and the brake specific energy consumption is increased by 3.31%, 7.78% and 6.37%. The addition of DTBP in methanol/biodiesel could recover the engine power to the level of diesel. DTBP shows good effect on the reduction of the brake specific energy consumption and NO_(x), CO, HC concentration, but a little increase of exhaust smoke.

Study of the Combustion Process inside an Ethanol-Diesel Dual Direct Injection Engine Based on a Non-Uniform Injection Approach

The use of ethanol is a promising method to reduce the emissions of diesel engines.The present study has been based on the installation of a gasoline electronic injection system in a single-cylinder diesel engine to control the amount of ethanol entering the cylinder during the compression(while diesel has been injected into the cylinder by the original pump injection system).The injection time has been controlled by crank angle signal collected by an AVL angle indicator.In the tests ethanol and diesel each accounted for half of the fuel volume,and the total heat energy supply of the fuel was equivalent to that of the diesel under the operating conditions of the original engine.A three-dimensional combustion model of the diesel engine has been implemented by using the CFD software FIRE.Simulations have been carried out assuming uniform and non-uniform injections rate for the different holes and the different results have been compared.According to these results,a non-uniform injection rate can produce early ignition and cause an increase in the maximum in-cylinder pressure and the maximum average incylinder temperature.Moreover,in such conditions NO emissions are larger while soot emission is slightly lower.

Fuel consumption study on introducing pyrolyzed DME or ethanol into diesel engine

The present work studied fuel consumption through experiments on a diesel engine. In order to obtain lower BSFC （brake specific fuel consumption）, DME （dimethyl ether） is heated and introduced into air intake, together with fueling emulsified fuel to diesel engine. Results show that BSFC can decrease about 10% and diesel fuel consumption alone can decrease 18%. High saving rate of BSFC up to 10% is also acquired using ethanol instead of DME. To achieve high saving rate of BSFC, the heating temperature of about 1000 K is needed for DME operation, while the diesel engine exhaust temperature of about 750 K is suitable for ethanol. Hydrogen produced in DME or ethanol pyrolysis and the combustion characters of emulsified fuel are considered as main reasons for the excellent fuel saving. Besides, the technique adopted in the present work is extremely easy to be utilized, and may be firstly adopted on diesel engines for power plants, trains, and ships etc.

A Study on Ethanolysis and Methanolysis of Coconut Oil for Enzymatically Catalyzed Production of Biodiesel

Biodiesel production by enzymatic catalysis has been the subject of much research for developing processes that can potentially compete with other types of catalysis. The objective of this study was to investigate the variables that influenced the transesterification of coconut oil catalyzed by immobilized lipase for biodiesel production. A full 24 factorial design with the variables tempera-ture (40&degC - 60&degC), enzyme concentration (3% - 7%), oil-ethanol ratio (1:6 - 1:10) and alcohol type (methanol-ethanol) was performed. The best conversion result (80.5%) was obtained using ethanol with a higher temperature, molar ratio and enzyme concentration. The obtained yields showed that the results attained with ethanol were more significant when compared with methanol.

Ethanol changes Nestin-promoter induced neural stem cells to disturb newborn dendritic spine remodeling in the hippocampus of mice

Adolescent binge drinking leads to long-lasting disorders of the adult central nervous system,particularly aberrant hippocampal neurogenesis.In this study,we applied in vivo fluorescent tracing using NestinCreERT2::Rosa26-tdTomato mice and analyzed the endogenous neurogenesis lineage progression of neural stem cells(NSCs)and dendritic spine formation of newborn neurons in the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus.We found abnormal orientation of tamoxifen-induced tdTomato+(tdTom^(+))NSCs in adult mice 2 months after treatment with EtOH(5.0 g/kg,i.p.)for 7 consecutive days.EtOH markedly inhibited tdTom^(+)NSCs activation and hippocampal neurogenesis in mouse dentate gyrus from adolescence to adulthood.EtOH(100 mM)also significantly inhibited the proliferation to 39.2%and differentiation of primary NSCs in vitro.Adult mice exposed to EtOH also exhibited marked inhibitions in dendritic spine growth and newborn neuron maturation in the dentate gyrus,which was partially reversed by voluntary running or inhibition of the mammalian target of rapamycinenhancer of zeste homolog 2 pathway.In vivo tracing revealed that EtOH induced abnormal orientation of tdTom+NSCs and spatial misposition defects of newborn neurons,thus causing the disturbance of hippocampal neurogenesis and dendritic spine remodeling in mice.

Test Research on the Knock of a Common-Rail Diesel Engine Fueled with Diesel-Methanol Dual-Fuel

Experiments were conducted on a diesel-methanol dual-fuel(DMDF)engine modified by a six-cylinder,turbocharged,inter-cooled diesel engine.According to the number of diesel injection,the experiments are divided to two parts:the single injectionmode and double injectionmode.The results show that,at the double injectionmode,themaximumof pressure rise rate is small and the engine runs smoothly,however,knock still occurswhen the cocombustion ratio(CCR)is big enough.Under knock status,the power density of the block vibration concentrating at some special frequencies rises dramatically,and the special frequency of single injection mode(about 4.1 kHz)is lower than that of double injection mode(7–9 kHz).The cylinder pressure oscillations of knock status are very different fromthe non-knock status.Under knock status,cylinder pressure oscillations become more concentrated and fiercer at some special frequencies,and the same as the block vibration.The special frequency of single injection mode(3–6 kHz)is lower than that of double injection mode(above 9 kHz).

Dispersion Performance of Methanol-Diesel Emulsified Fuel Prepared by High Gravity Technology

A new continuous process for preparing methanol-diesel emulsified fuel with an Impinging Stream-Rotating Packed Bed is proposed. The droplet size of dispersed phase(methanol) of the emulsified fuel has a significant effect on the combustion of methanol-diesel emulsified fuel. In this paper, the methanol-diesel emulsified fuel uses diesel as the continuous phase and methanol as the dispersed phase. The Sauter mean diameter of the dispersed phase of methanol-diesel emulsified fuel was characterized with microphotography and arithmetic method. The experimental result showed that the Sauter mean diameter of the dispersed phase, which was decreased with the augmentation of the high gravity factor, liquid flow rate and emulsifier dosage, was inversely proportional to the methanol content. The Sauter mean diameter of the dispersed phase can be controlled and adjusted in the range of 12—40 μm through the change of operating conditions. The correlative expressions of the Sauter mean diameter of emulsified fuel were obtained and the calculated values agreed well with the experimental values.

A reduced combustion mechanism of ammonia/diesel optimized with multi-objective genetic algorithm

For the deep understanding on combustion of ammonia/diesel,this study develops a reduced mechanism of ammonia/diesel with 227 species and 937 reactions.The sub-mechanism on ammonia/interactions of N-based and C-based species(N—C)/NOx is optimized using the Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II(NSGA-II)with 200 generations.The optimized mechanism(named as 937b)is validated against combustion characteristics of ammonia/methane(which is used to examine the accuracy of N—C interactions)and ammonia/diesel blends.The ignition delay times(IDTs),the laminar flame speeds and most of key intermediate species during the combustion of ammonia/methane blends can be accurately simulated by 937b under a wide range of conditions.As for ammonia/diesel blends with various diesel energy fractions,reasonable predictions on the IDTs under pressures from 1.0 MPa to5.0 MPa as well as the laminar flame speeds are also achieved by 937b.In particular,with regard to the IDT simulations of ammonia/diesel blends,937b makes progress in both aspects of overall accuracy and computational efficiency,compared to a detailed ammonia/diesel mechanism.Further kinetic analysis reveals that the reaction pathway of ammonia during the combustion of ammonia/diesel blend mainly differs in the tendencies of oxygen additions to NH_2 and NH with different equivalence ratios.

Recent advances in Ni-based catalysts for the electrochemical oxidation of ethanol

The electrochemical ethanol oxidation reaction(EOR) plays a crucial role in electrochemical hydrogen production and direct ethanol fuel cells, both vital for utilizing renewable energies. Ni-based catalysts are pivotal in enabling efficient EOR, leading to the formation of acetic acid/acetaldehyde or CO_(2). These can serve as alternative anodic oxidation reactions for oxygen evolution reaction(OER) in water electrolysis or the anodic reaction for direct ethanol fuel cells, respectively. This review explores recent advancements in EOR over Ni-based catalysts. It begins with an overview of EOR performance across various Ni-based catalysts, followed by an examination of the reaction chemistry, mechanism, and active sites.The review then delves into strategies for designing highly active Ni-based EOR catalysts. These strategies include promotion with transition metals, noble metals, nonmetals, and carbon materials, as well as creating amorphous structures, special morphologies, and single-atom catalysts. Additionally, it discusses the concept of self-supporting catalysts using three-dimensional porous substrates. Finally, the review highlights emerging methodologies that warrant further exploration, along with future directions for designing highly active and stable EOR catalysts.

Albizzia chinensis(Osbeck)Merr extract YS ameliorates ethanol-induced acute gastric ulcer injury in rats by regulating NRF2 signaling pathway

Background:Around the world,there is a high incidence of gastric ulcers.YS,an extract from the Chinese herb Albizzia chinensis(Osbeck)Merr,has potential therapeutic applications for gastrointestinal diseases.Here we elucidated the protective effect and underlying mechanism of action of YS on gastric ulcer in rats injured by ethanol.Methods:The ethanol-i nduced gastric ulcer rat model was used to assess the protective effect of YS.A pathological examination of gastric tissue was performed by H&E staining.GES-1 cells damaged by hydrogen peroxide were used to simulate oxidative damage in gastric mucosal epithelial cells.Endogenous NRF2 was knocked down using small interfering RNA.Immunoprecipitation was used to detect ubiquitination of NRF2.Co-i mmunoprecipitation was used to detect the NRF2-Keap1 interaction.Results:YS(10 and 30 mg/kg,i.g.)significantly reduced the ulcer index,decreased MDA level,and increased SOD and GSH levels in gastric tissues damaged by ethanol.YS promoted NRF2 translocation from cytoplasm to nucleus and enhanced the NQO1 and HO-1 expression levels in injured rat gastric tissue.In addition,YS regulated NQO1 and HO-1 via NRF2 in H_(2)O_(2)-i nduced oxidative injured GES-1 cells.Further studies on the underlying mechanism indicated that YS reduced the interaction between NRF2 and Keap1 and decreased ubiquitylation of NRF2,thereby increasing its stability and expression of downstream factors.NRF2 knockdown abolished the effect of YS on MDA and SOD in GES-1 cells treated with H_(2)O_(2).Conclusion:YS reduced the NRF2-Keap1 interaction,promoting NRF2 translocation into the nucleus,which increasing the transcription and translation of NQO1 and HO-1 and improved the antioxidant capacity of rat stomach.

Microchannel reactive distillation for the conversion of aqueous ethanol to ethylene

Here we demonstrate the proof-of-concept for microchannel reactive distillation for alcohol-to-jet application:combining ethanol/water separation and ethanol dehydration in one unit operation.Ethanol is first distilled into the vapor phase,converted to ethylene and water,and then the water co-product is condensed to shift the reaction equilibrium.Process intensification is achieved through rapid mass transfer-ethanol stripping from thin wicks using novel microchannel architectures-leading to lower residence time and improved separation efficiency.Energy savings are realized with integration of unit operations.For example,heat of condensing water can offset vaporizing ethanol.Furthermore,the dehydration reaction equilibrium shifts towards completion by immediate removal of the water byproduct upon formation while maintaining aqueous feedstock in the condensed phase.For aqueous ethanol feedstock(40%_w),71% ethanol conversion with 91% selectivity to ethylene was demonstrated at 220℃,600psig,and 0.28 h^(-1) wt hour space velocity.2.7 stages of separation were also demonstrated,under these conditions,using a device length of 8.3 cm.This provides a height equivalent of a theoretical plate(HETP),a measure of separation efficiency,of ^(3).3 cm.By comparison,conventional distillation packing provides an HETP of ^(3)0 cm.Thus,9,1 × reduction in HETP was demonstrated over conventional technology,providing a means for significant energy savings and an example of process intensification.Finally,preliminary process economic analysis indicates that by using microchannel reactive distillation technology,the operating and capital costs for the ethanol separation and dehydration portion of an envisioned alcoholto-jet process could be reduced by at least 35% and 55%,respectively,relative to the incumbent technology,provided future improvements to microchannel reactive distillation design and operability are made.

Multi-lump Kinetic Parameter Estimation and Simulation of Trickle-bed Reactor for Ultra-deep Hydrodesulfurization of Diesel

A three-lumping Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetic model was established based on the structures and reactivities of sulfur compounds.This model described the ultra-deep hydrodesulfurization(UDHDS)performance of diesel,reducing sulfur content from 10000μg/g to less than 10μg/g,with experimental and predicted data showing a discrepancy of less than 10%.The diesel UDHDS reaction was simulated by combining the mass transfer,reaction kinetics model,and physical properties of diesel.The results showed how the concentrations of H2S,hydrogen,and sulfur in the gas,liquid,and solid phases varied along the reactor length.Moreover,the study discussed the effects of each process parameter and impurity concentrations(H2S,basic nitrogen and,non-basic nitrogen)on diesel UDHDS.