Investigation the Influence of Phase Change Material Amount on a Hot-Water Stratification in Charging ode

Among the various techniques for enhancing the storage and consumption of energy in a thermal energy storage system,the establishment of thermal stratification in a hot-water container is an effective technology.The current study aims to assess the performance of the thermal stratification for hot-water containers using(ANSYS Fluent)R.1.0,2022,through the study of the impact of different numbers of paraffin-filled containers,namely 3,5,and 7,that are equivalent to 5,7,and 9 kg of paraffin,respectively.To validate the present numerical model,a comparison between the current study results and the experimental findings from the literature was conducted,and the results demonstrated that there was a good approval between these results.The results of this study depict that the profile temperature at the outlet of the container indicates an enhancement in the Richardson number and stratification number by 37.9%and 45.8%,respectively,when the charging process is finished.Furthermore,increasing the number of paraffin-filled containers from 5 to 9 results in a 29.9%improvement in charging efficiency,resulting in an improvement in storage efficiency.Finally,the results have proven that the 3D CFD approach is a highly beneficial tool to assess the effect of PCM mass on stratification performance in a hot-water container.

Changes in Soil Hot-Water Extractable C,N and P Fractions During Vegetative Restoration in Zhifanggou Watershed on the Loess Plateau

The study was conducted in Zhifanggou Watershed,Shaanxi Province,China,to evaluate the effect of different vegetation types on hot-water extractable C,N and P fractions,with the aim to determine whether hot-water extractable fractions could be used as indicators of soil quality change in Loess Plateau.The six vegetation types established in 1975 were（i） Robinia pseudoacacia L.,（ii） Caragana korshinkii Kom.,（iii） Pinus tabulaeformis Carr.,（iv） P.tabulaeformis-Amorpha fruticosa L.,（v） R.pseudoacacia-A.fruticosa,and（vi） grassland.A cropped hillslope plot and a Platycladus orientalis L.native forest plot were used as references.The results indicated that the conversion of native forest to cropland resulted in a significant decline in the hot-water extractable C,N and P fractions.Hot-water extractable C,N,and P increased when cultivated land was revegetated,but after 30 years the amount of hot-water extractable C,N,and P in revegetated fields was still much lower compared to native forest.Hot-water extractable fractions increased more under mixed-forest than under pure-forest stands.Furthermore,there was a significant correlation between the hot-water extractable fractions and soil chemical and microbiological properties.The results showed that hot-water extractable fractions could be used as indicators of soil quality change on the Loess Plateau.

Effects of hot-water extract of <i>Paecilomyces hepiali</i>on hypertension parameters in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

In this study, effects of hot water extract of Paecilomyces hepiali mycelia on hypertension parameters in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were investigated. The tested parameters included blood pressure, blood and urine biochemical composition, renin and angiotensin II levels in the blood. Prior to these tests, the extract was examined for toxicity. The fungus was cultivated in a solid medium composed of 40 g brown rice, 0.32 g glucose, 0.65 g sucrose, 2 g peptone and 65 ml corn steep liquor. No abnormality or harmful effects were observed in the toxicity test. Administration of a continuous-dose, once daily, to SHR for 27 weeks (from 13 weeks of age) decreased the systolic blood pressure (SBP) significantly. Levels of blood urea nitrogen, β-lipoprotein lipid peroxides and low density lipoprotein were significantly lower in the treated groups when compared to the control group. Urinary protein was significantly reduced in the middle and high dose groups. In comparison with the control group (0 mg/kg/10ml/day), significantly higher values were obtained for total cholesterol in groups that were given middle (170 mg/kg/10ml/day) and high (250 mg/kg/10ml/day) dosages. In all dosages (low, middle and high) the values for triglyceride were significantly higher than value found in the control group. In terms of angiotensin II levels, the value in the control group was markedly higher than values in the other groups. The results suggest that oral administration of hot water extract of P. hepiali mycelia has ability to control hypertension in rats.

The Early Hydration and Strength Development of High-strength Precast Concrete with Cement/Metakaolin Systems

To study the relationship between material composition, curing conditions and strength development, the study simulated high-strength precast concrete pile production, and a high-strength mortar up to 90 MPa was designed and a hot-water pool was built for concrete curing. The major point of the study was to achieve a high early strength by using cement/metakaolin systems without autoclave curing with high-pressure steam. By means of XRD and thermal analysis, the progress of the hydration of the cement pastes blended with metakaolin was characterized. The main results indicate that high strength can be obtained at early age by the use of metakaolin and thermal treatment （hot-water curing）. The improvement in strength of mortars with metakaolin can be explained by an increase in the amount of C-S-H and C-S-A-H hydrated phases and a decrease in the amount of calcium hydration（CH）. Further more, a decrease in Ca/Si ratio of the matrix was observed from the results of EDX analysis, which also leaded to an improvement of the compressive strength. These results are of great importance for the high-strength precast concrete manufacturing industry.

In vitro fungistatic activity of 36 traditional oriental medicines and their synergistic effect against Trichophyton rubrume

Objective: To investigate the fungistatic activity and synergistic effects of natural products and their constituents, including traditional oriental medicines(TOMs).Methods: Fungistatic activities of TOMs prepared by hot-water(115 ℃) or ethanol(70%; 40 ℃) extraction were determined by their minimum inhibitory concentration.To assess possible synergistic effects, minimum inhibitory concentrations of various combinations were evaluated.Results: By evaluating antifungal susceptibility of Trichophyton rubrum, which is a major causative fungus for several types of dermatophytosis, we confirmed that ethanol extracts were more active than hot-water extracts in 25 of the 36 TOMs, suggesting that the constituents with high hydrophobicity tend to contribute significantly to fungistatic activity.We selected four TOMs with high fungistatic activity, including Aucklandiae radix, Gentianae macrophyllae radix, Scutellariae radix, and Galla rhois, and their synergistic effects were investigated through the combination studies between TOMs or TOM-conventional drug terbinafine.In combinations between four TOMs, partial synergistic effects were observed in Aucklandiae radix–Galla rhois and Gentianae macrophyllae radix–Galla rhois combinations, as supported by the lowest fractional inhibitory concentration index value of 0.66 for both combinations.Furthermore, Galla rhois showed the strongest synergistic effect on growth inhibition of Trichophyton rubrumwith a fractional inhibitory concentration index value of 0.50 in combination with terbinafine.Conclusions: Our findings indicate that the combination of TOMs and TOM-terbinafine may be effective on treatment for chronic and recurrent dermatophytosis by improving fungistatic activity and led to decrease systemic toxicity in clinical practice.

The study of ice shelf-ocean interaction techniques and recent results

Although the importance to global oceanography of ice shelf-oceaaa interactions has been recognized for many years, only more recently has its role in the control of ice flow- from the interior, grounded ice sheet into the ocean been more clearly understood. The consequences for global sea level of increasing ice loss from the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets has prompted rapidly growing research efforts in this area. Here we describe the different techniques commonly employed in the field study of ice shelf-ocean interactions. We focus on techniques used by the British Antarctic Survey, primarily on Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf, and describe some recent results from instruments deployed both beneath the ice shelf and on its upper surface, which demonstrate variability at a broad range of time scales.

Effect of pH Control with Acetic Acid/Sodium Acetate Buffer on Hot-water Extraction of Poplar Wood

Poplar wood chips were extracted in an acetic acid/sodium acetate(SA/AA)buffer solution at 180ºC for 60 minutes,with a solid-to-liquid ratio of 1:6,to investigate the effect of pH on the extraction performance in terms of chemical compositions of the extract.The pH was controlled by varying the concentrations of sodium acetate and acetic acid in the buffer system.Results showed that the SA/AA system could promote the dissolution of hemicellulose,obtaining more oligosaccharides and monosaccharides,and could also inhibit the excessive decomposition of monosaccharides.When extracting poplar wood chips in a SA/AA system of pH=3.7,the yield of oligosaccharides was the highest,while the contents of furfural and hydroxymethyl furfural decreased by 25%and 30%,respectively,compared to conventional water extraction systems.Moreover,the amount of lignin extracted in the S/AA process was also higher than that in a conventional hot water extraction process.

Cherts from the Yangla copper deposit, western Yunnan Province: geochemical characteristics and relationship with massive sulfide mineralization

Four layers of cherts were found for the first time in the Yangla copper deposit, western Yunnan Province. The cherts possessed the following geochemical characteristics: 1 Low TiO2 and Al2O3 contents, but high ore-forming element (e.g. Cu, Au, Ag) contents; 2 low total REE contents and clear negative Eu anomalies when normalized to chondrite similar to the REE contents and distribution patterns of associated massive sulfide ores; 3 silicon isotopic compositions of cherts in the Yangla deposit being the same as cherts and geyserite of hot-water sedimentary origin; 4 lead and sulfur isotopic compositions of cherts in the Yangla deposit being similar to those of the massive sulfide ores in the Yangla deposit; 5 Rb-Sr isochron age of cherts from the Yangla deposit being identical with that of host strata. Hence, we conclude that the cherts in the Yangla deposit are of hot-water sedimentary origin, which have a close relationship with the massive sulfide ores. The discovery of hydrothermal cherts from the Yangla copper deposit provides further evidence for the hydrothermal exhalative origin of the massive sulfide deposits.

Effects of Maize Residue Quality and Soil Water Content on Soil Labile Organic Carbon Fractions and Microbial Properties

Investigating the effects of residue chemical composition on soil labile organic carbon （LOC） will improve our understanding of soil carbon sequestration. The effects of maize residue chemical composition and soil water content on soil LOC fractions and microbial properties were investigated in a laboratory incubation experiment. Maize shoot and root residues were incorporated into soil at 40% and 70% field capacity. The soils were incubated at 20 ℃ for 150 d and destructive sampling was conducted after 15, 75, and 150 d. Respiration, dissolved organic carbon （DOC）, hot-water extractable organic carbon （HEOC）, and microbial biomass carbon （MBC） were recorded, along with cellulase and β-glucosidase activities and community-level physiological profiles. The results showed that the cumulative respiration was lower in root-amended soils than in shoot-amended soils, indicating that root amendment may be beneficial to C retention in soil. No significant differences in the contents of DOG, HEOC and MBC, enzyme activities, and microbial functional diversity were observed between shoot- and root-amended soils. The high soil water content treatment significantly increased the cumulative respiration, DOC and HEOC contents, and enzyme activities compared to the low soil water content treatment. However, the soil water content treatments had little influence on the MBC content and microbial functional diversity. There were significantly positive correlations between LOC fractions and soil microbial properties. These results indicated that the chemical composition of maize residues had little influence on the DOC, HEOC, and MBC contents, enzyme activities, and microbial functional diversity, while soil water content could significantly influence DOC and HEOC contents and enzyme activities.

Integration of solid-oxide fuel cells and absorption refrigeration for efficient combined cooling,heat and power production

Combined cooling,heating and power(CCHP)systems are characterized by a substantially higher energy-utilization efficiency compared to standalone systems.In this study,an integrated system comprising a solid-oxide fuel cell(SOFC),hot-water storage tank(HWST)and absorption refrigeration(AR)cycle is considered.The SOFC model was developed in Aspen Plus®.It was used to determine the thermodynamic properties of the exhaust gas that was then used to provide heat for the HWST and to drive the AR cycle.Thermodynamic models for the AR cycles were developed in Engineering Equation Solver,considering LiBr-H2O and NH3-H2O as working fluids.The sensitivity analysis of a number of SOFC output parameters has been carried out.The most optimal case was characterized with the coefficient of performance(COP)and CCHP efficiency of 0.806 and 85.2%for the LiBr-H2O system,and 0.649 and 83.6%for the NH3-H2O system,respectively.Under such optimal operating conditions,the SOFC was characterized by the net electrical efficiency of 57.5%and the net power output of 123.66 kW.Data from the optimal solution were used to perform the thermodynamic study and sensitivity analysis to assess the influence of different absorption cycle operating conditions and to identify possible applications for the considered integrated systems.

Litopenaeus vannamei immunestimulated with Macrocystis pyrifera extract:improving the immune response against Vibrio campbellii

Objective:To examine the immune responses of Litopenaeus vannamei after different treatments with a hot water extract of Macrocystis pyrifera(M.pyrifera)and a subsequent challenge with Vibrio campbellii(V.campbellii).Methods:A total of 184 adult white shrimp that were infected with V.campbellii(1×10^(6) CFU/shrimp)were immunostimulate by the hot-water extract from M.pyrifera via either injection(10μg)or immersion(350 mg/L),the experimental controls were injected with either saline solution or V.campbellii(1×10^(6) CFU/shrimp).The bacterial DNA depuration rate,antimicrobial activity and total hemocyte count were evaluated in hemolymph samples at 2,6,12,24,48 and 72 h post-infection.Results:Injected shrimp(10μg M.pyrifera extract)demonstrated the best clearance of bacterial infection,with 82%survival at 72 h post-infection(cellular response).Hemolymph from the immersed organisms had the best antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli growth;specifically,the most efficient antimicrobial activity was observed at 24 h post-infection.Both types of immunostimulated shrimp had similar total hemocyte counts at 24 h post-infection(1.63-1.59 million/mL);however,after 72 h,injected shrimp had higher total hemocyte counts than immersed animals(2.59 v.s.0.56 million/mL).Conclusions:The injection of the M.pyrifera hot-water extract facilitated a more efficient response to V.campbellii infection due to the stimulation of the hemocytes of the shrimp.In other words,the cellular immune response was more efficient to eliminate bacterial infection than the humoral response in shrimp.

Enhancements of non-specific immune response in Mugil cephlus by seaweed extract against Vibrio alginolyticus(BRTR07)

Objective:To focus on the growth rate and feed utilization of fish by using trash fish feeds supplement with marine seaweeds.Methods:Selected seaweed was extracted using hot-water and its extract was mixed with trash fish feed at different concentrations(0.5%,1%and 2%for 1-30 days)and the non-specific immune response in fish was studied and challenged with Vibrio alginolyticus at 1×106 CFU/fish.The hot-water extract of seaweeds was analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.Results:The average body weight(5.320±0.018),percent weight gain(227.66±0.28),specific growth rate(2.080±0.015),hepatosomatic index(1.197±0.00)and viscerosomatic index(4.421±0.150)were significantly increased in the fish feed with seaweed containing 5%of Sargassum wightii(S.wightii)when compared with other seaweeds and control diet.Hot-water extract of S.wightii(1%)was significantly enhanced the immune response in fish when compared with other diets(0.5%and 2%).S.wightii showed good immunostimulation properties.Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry result showed that the hot-water extract of S.wightii seaweed contained fatty acids.Conclusions:Trash fish feed will reduce the production cost and also provide evidence that aqueous leaf extract of S.wightii(1%)was added to a formulated fish diet which could activate the non-specific immune response and disease resistance against Vibrio alginolyticus in Mugil cephalus.