Recent Progress of Aerosol Light-scattering Enhancement Factor Studies in China

Assessment of the radiative forcing of aerosols in models still lacks sufficient input data for aerosol hygroscopicity. The light scattering enhancement factor [ f(RH, λ)] is a crucial parameter for describing aerosol hygroscopic growth properties.In this paper, we provide a survey of f(RH, λ) studies in China for the past seven years, including instrument developments of humidified nephelometers, ambient f(RH, λ) measurements in China, f(RH, λ) parameterization schemes, and f(RH, λ)applications in aerosol measurements. Comparisons of different f(RH, λ) parameterizations are carried out to check their performance in China using field measurement datasets. We also summary the parameterization schemes for predicting f(RH, λ)with aerosol chemical compositions. The recently developed methods to observe other aerosol properties using f(RH, λ)measurements, such as calculating the aerosol hygroscopicity parameter, cloud condensation nuclei number concentration,aerosol liquid water content, and aerosol asymmetry factor, are introduced. Suggestions for further research on f(RH, λ) in China are given.

Enhancement Factors in Ozone Absorption Based on the Surface Renewal Model and its Application

Based on the Danckwerts surface renewal model, a simple explicit expression of the enhancement factor in ozone absorption with a first order ozone self-decomposition and parallel second order ozonation reactions has been derived. The results are compared with our previous work based on the film theory. The 2,4-dichlorophenol destruction rate by ozonation is predicted using the enhancement factor model in this paper.

CFD simulation with enhancement factor of sulfur dioxide absorption in the spray scrubber

A model describing the absorption process of SO2 into limestone slurry with a spray scrubber is presented. Both the physical performance of the spray liquid in the scrubber and the involved chemical reactions are analyzed in the model. A con- tinuous concentration change of H+ was solved by iterative coupling using Matlab, and it was found that there was a remarkable influence on the concentration of the other elements in the process of SO2 absorption. The calculations show that the enhancement factor exponentially grows with an increasing value of pH and logarithmically decays with an increasing value of the driving force. To verify the accuracy of the model, experiments were also carried out, and the results suggest that the model, after combining the physical performance of the spray and the enhancement factor, can more precisely describe SO2 absorption in a spray scrubber. Furthermore, a commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tool is used to perform several simulations which describe and clarify the effects of variables on SO2 absorption. The results of numerical simulation can provide a basis for further design and optimization of the scrubber.

Stimulated Brillouin Scattering Enhancement Factor Improvement in a 11.6-GHz-Linewidth 1.5-kW Yb-Doped Fiber Amplifier

The stimulated Brillouin scattering （SBS） threshold enhancement factor in a pure white noise linewidth broad- ening Yb-doped fiber amplifier （YDFA） with a short large mode area fiber is theoretically and experimentally studied. We demonstrate a 1064.08nm, 11.6 GHz finewidth, 1.5 k W output power YDFA with an SBS threshold enhancement of -57 （26 W SBS threshold with single frequency seed）. The output beam is near-diffraction lim- ited with a beam quality factor elM2 = 1.15 and a slope efficiency of up to 87%. No SBS or stimulated Raman scattering effects are observed in the whole power range. Further power sealing is limited by the available pump power in our system.

A Study on the Role of Tourism in Enhancing Personal Mental Health in the Post-Epidemic Era

With the advent of the post-epidemic era,a great wave of tourism has been ushered in everywhere.The relationship between tourism and mental health has become a hot topic in society.This paper investigates the enhancement of people’s mental health after tourism through social survey.Using Hangzhou as the sample collection site,this paper conducted a study on the role of tourism in enhancing personal mental health through descriptive analysis,factor analysis and structural equation modeling,and further specifically analyzed the role of mediating variables.The results showed that:(1)The purpose of tourism is to relax and relieve stress,and the effectiveness of tourism is mainly reflected in the alleviation of emotional conditions;(2)Factor Analysis reduced the dimensionality of personal mental health indicators,and finally obtained four factors,among which the comprehensive behavioral ability and physiological manifestation had the best improvement effect after tourism;(3)The structural equation model shows that the enhancing effect of tourism on mental health originates from the factor of inner psychological characteristic,and this factor works through two paths:Inner Psychological Characteristic-Social Adaptability-Physiological Manifestations-Enhancement of Mental Health by Tourism,and Inner Psychological Characteristic-Comprehensive Behavioral Ability-Enhancement of Mental Health by Tourism;(4)Tourism has an enhancing effect on personal mental health,and the enhancing effect is most significant among the middle-aged and young people who are unmarried and do not have children yet.These results have been reasonably analyzed and explained,and relevant suggestions are put forward.

Limits in Enhancement Factor in Near-Brewster Angle Reflection Pump-Probe Two-Dimensional Infrared Spectroscopy

In this work,we simulated 2D infrared spectroscopy(IR)spectroscopy in both transmission geometry and Brewster-angle reflection geometry.Light dispersion and the leakage of s-polarized light are considered in simulating the enhancement factor of the reflection mode.Our simulation shows that the dispersion in reflection will only alter the 2D IR lineshape slightly and can be corrected.Leaking spolarized light due to imperfectness of IR polarizers in the reflection geometry may limit the enhancement factor,but such limit is above what a typical experiment can reach.In the current experiment,the enhancement factor is mainly limited by the precision of incident angle,for which ordinary rotation stages are probably not adequate enough.Moreover,traditional energy ratio of pump and probe pulses,which is 9:1,may not be ideal and could be changed to 2:1 in the reflection geometry.Considering all the above factors,the enhancement on the order of 1000 is possible in the current experiment.Nevertheless,near-Brewster angle reflection will enhance both the signal and the noise caused by the signal itself,therefore this method only works if the noise is unrelated to the signal,particularly if the noise is caused by the fluctuation in the probe.It cannot improve the signal to noise ratio when the dominate noise is from the signal itself.The theoretical results here agree reasonably well with published experiment results and pave way for realizing even higher enhancement at nearer-Brewster angle.

Factors associated with failure of enhanced recovery after surgery program in patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy

Background: The enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol is an evidence-based perioperative care program aimed at reducing surgical stress response and accelerating recovery. However, a small propor- tion of patients fail to bene t from the ERAS program following pancreaticoduodenectomy. This study aimed to identify the risk factors associated with failure of ERAS program in pancreaticoduodenectomy. Methods: Between May 2014 and December 2017, 176 patients were managed with ERAS program fol-lowing pancreaticoduodenectomy. ERAS failure was indicated by prolonged hospital stay, unplanned read- mission or unplanned reoperation. Demographics, postoperative recovery and compliance were compared of those ERAS failure groups to the ERAS success group. Results: ERAS failure occurred in 59 patients, 33 of whom had prolonged hospital stay, 18 were readmitted to hospital within 30 days after discharge, and 8 accepted reoperation. Preoperative American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score of ≥III (OR = 2.736;95% CI: 1.276 6.939;P=0.028) and albumin (ALB) level of <35g/L (OR=3.589;95% CI: 1.403 9.181;P=0.008) were independent risk factors associated with prolonged hospital stay. Elderly patients (>70 years) were on a high risk of unplanned reoperation (62.5% vs. 23.1%, P=0.026). Patients with prolonged hospital stay and unplanned reoperation had delayed intake and increased intolerance of oral foods. Prolonged stay patients got off bed later than ERAS success patients did (65h vs. 46h, P =0.012). Unplanned reoperation patients tended to experience severer pain than ERAS success patients did (3 score vs. 2 score, P =0.035). Conclusions: Patients with high ASA score, low ALB level or age >70 years were at high risk of ERAS failure in pancreaticoduodenectomy. These preoperative demographic and clinical characteristics are important determinants to obtain successful postoperative recovery in ERAS program.

Experimental and Theoretical Studies of CO2 Absorption Enhancement by Nano-Al203 and Carbon Nanotube Particles

The influence of nano-particles on CO2 absorption was studied experimentally in a stirred thermostatic reactor. Nano-A1203 and carbon nanotube （CNT） particles which showed different hydrophobic properties were chosen for the investigation. The experimental results were compared with that of micron-size activated carbon （AC） and Al2O3 particles. From the results, no enhancement by micron-size A1203 was found, and with the increase of A1203 concentration, the enhancement factor decreased. However, nano-Al203 showed a weak enlaancement tor me COz absorption. AC and CNT particles all intensified the gas-liquid mass transfer effectively, yet the trend of the enhancement factor with stirring speed for the two particles was different. With increasing stirring speed, the enhancement factor of AC particles was decreased, wl＇iereas in CNT suspensions it was increased. The experimental phenomena demonstrated a difference in enhancement mechanism for different size particles. For nano-particles, besides the influence of adsorbability and hydrophobicity, the micro-convection caused by Brownian motion should be also taken into account. Considering the micro-convection effect, a theoretical model was developed to shed light on the absorption enhancement bv nano-oarticles.

Mass Transfer Enhancement of Propane Absorption into Dodecane-Water Emulsions

A one-dimensional unsteady heterogeneous parallel mass transfer(ODUHPMT) model was developed for the absorption enhancement of volatile organic compounds(VOC) by the dispersed droplets.An analytical solution for enhancement factor was obtained based on surface renewal theory and the Laplace domain transformation. The absorption rate of propane into water at different stirring speeds with the added micro dodecane droplets was investigated experimentally in a thermostatic stirred tank.The mass transfer flux across the gas-liquid interface and the enhancement factor were measured.The results showed that the dodecane has an obvious enhancement effect on propane absorption into water,the maximum enhancement factor reached 11.The enhancement factor increased with increasing dodecane volume fraction and decreased with increasing stirring speed.The experiment data agreed well with the model predictions and showed high prediction accuracy of ODUHPMT model.

Enhancement of CO2 Absorption under Taylor Flow in the Presence of Fine Particles

The physical absorption of CO2 in water containing different types of particles was studied in a micro-channel operated under Taylor flow. The maximum enhancement factors of 1.43-2.15 were measured for activated carbon （AcC） particles. The analysis shows that the enhancement effect can be attributed to the shuttle mechanism. Considering the separate contributions of mass transfer from bubble cap and liquid film, a heterogeneous enhance- ment model is developed. According to this model, the enhancement factors Ecap, EFilm and Eov are mainly determined by mass transfer coefficient gL （gL Cap and KL Film）, adsorptive capacity of particles m, and coverage fraction of particles at gas-liquid interface （. With both effects of particle-to-interface adhesion and apparent viscosity included, the model nredicts the enhancement effect of AcC varticles reasonably well.

The Enhancement of CO2 Chemical Absorption by K2CO3 Aqueous Solution in the Presence of Activated Carbon Particles

The enhancement of chemical absorption of CO2 by K2CO3/H2O absorbents in the presence of activated carbon （AC） particles was investigated. The results show that the gas absorption rates can be enhanced significantly in the presence of AC particles, and the maximum enhancement factor 3.7 was observed at low stirring intensities. The enhancement factor increased rapidly with the solid loading during the initial period of absorption and then be- came mild gradually to a maximum value. Both the liquid-solid contact area and the probability of solid particles residing at the gas-liquid interface decreased with the increase of the particle size, leading to a negative effect on the enhancement of mass transfer. The influence of the particles on gas absorption decreased with the reaction rate. The stirring speed changed the interfacial coverage and mass transfer rate on the liquid side and consequently affected the mass transfer between the gas and liquid phases; the enhancement factor decreased with the stirring intensity. A heterogeneous two-zone model was proposed for predicting the enhancement factor and the calculated results agreed well with the experimental data.

Role of neurotrophic factors in enhancing linear axonal growth of ganglionic sensory neurons in vitro

Neurotrophins play a major role in the regulation of neuronal growth such as neurite sprouting or regeneration in response to nerve injuries. The role of nerve growth factor, neurotrophin-3, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in maintaining the survival of peripheral neurons remains poorly understood. In regenerative medicine, different modalities have been investigated for the delivery of growth factors to the injured neurons, in search of a suitable system for clinical applications. This study was to investigate the influence of nerve growth factor, neurotrophin-3 and brain-derived neurotrophic factor on the growth of neurites using two in vitro models of dorsal root ganglia explants and dorsal root ganglia-derived primary cell dissociated cultures. Quantitative data showed that the total neurite length and tortuosity were differently influenced by trophic factors. Nerve growth factor and, indirectly, brain-derived neurotrophic factor stimulate the tortuous growth of sensory fibers and the formation of cell clusters. Neurotrophin-3, however, enhances neurite growth in terms of length and linearity allowing for a more organized and directed axonal elongation towards a peripheral target compared to the other growth factors. These findings could be of considerable importance for any clinical application of neurotrophic factors in peripheral nerve regeneration. Ethical approval was obtained from the Regione Piemonte Animal Ethics Committee ASLTO1(file # 864/2016-PR) on September 14, 2016.

Mass Transfer Enhancement of Gas Absorption by Adding the Dispersed Organic Phases

Mass transfer enhancement of gas absorption by adding a dispersed organic phase has been studied in this work. Various dispersed organic phases （heptanol, octanol, isoamyl alcohol, heptane, octane, and isooctane） were tested respectively in the experiment. According to the theoretical model and experimental data, the overall volumetric mass transfer coefficient and enhancement factor were obtained under different dispersed organic phase volume fraction and stirring speed. The experimental results indicate that gas-liquid mass transfer is enhanced at different level by adding a dispersed organic phase. The best performance of enhancement were achieved with the dispersed organic phase volumetric fraction of 5% and under an intermediate stirring speed of 670 r·min^-1. Among the organic phases tested in the experiment, alcohols show better performance, which gave 20% higher enhance-ment of overall volumetric mass transfer coefficient than adding alkanes.

xperimental Study of Heat Transfer Enhancement and Friction Loss Induced by Inserted Rotor-assembled Strand （I） Water

The single-phase pressure drop and heat transfer in a rotor-assembled strand inserted tube were measured using water as the working fluid.Experiment using a smooth tube was carried out to calibrate the experimental system and the data reduction method.In the experiment,fixed mounts were used to eliminate the entrance effect. The experimental results of smooth tube show that employment of fixed mounts leads to a visible bias of friction factor at relative low Reynolds numbers,although it does not significantly affect the Nusselt numbers.The measured data of inserted tube reveal that rotor-assembled strand can significantly improve heat transfer with the Nusselt number increased by 101.6%-106.6%and the overall heat transfer coefficient increased by 58.1%-67.4%within the Reynolds number range of 20000 to 36000.Meanwhile,friction factor increases by 52.2%-84.2%within the same Reynolds number range.The correlations of Nusselt number and friction factor as function of the Reynolds number and Prandtl number were determined through multivariant linear normal regression.

Controlling factors of remaining oil distribution after water flooding and enhanced oil recovery methods for fracturecavity carbonate reservoirs in Tahe Oilfield

Based on comprehensive analysis of core, well logging, seismic and production data, the multi-scale reservoir space, reservoir types, spatial shape and distribution of fractures and caves, and the configuration relationship with production wells in fracture-cavity carbonate reservoirs were studied systematically, the influence of them on the distribution of residual oil was analyzed, and the main controlling factors mode of residual oil distribution after water flooding was established. Enhanced oil recovery methods were studied considering the development practice of Tahe oilfield. Research shows that the main controlling factors of residual oil distribution after water flooding in fracture-cavity carbonate reservoirs can be classified into four categories: local high point, insufficient well control, flow channel shielding and weak hydrodynamic. It is a systematic project to improve oil recovery in fracture-cavity carbonate reservoirs. In the stage of natural depletion, production should be well regulated to prevent bottom water channeling. In the early stage of waterflooding, injection-production relationship should be constructed according to reservoir type, connectivity and spatial location to enhance control and producing degree of waterflooding and minimize remaining oil. In the middle and late stage, according to the main controlling factors and distribution characteristics of remaining oil after water flooding, remaining oil should be tapped precisely by making use of gravity differentiation and capillary force imbibition, enhancing well control, disturbing the flow field and so on. Meanwhile, backup technologies of reservoir stimulation, new injection media, intelligent optimization etc. should be developed, smooth shift from water injection to gas injection should be ensured to maximize oil recovery.

Experimental Study of Heat Transfer Enhancement and Friction Loss Induced by Inserted Rotor-assembled Strand （II） Lubricant Oil 22

The paper described experimental investigation of heat transfer and single-phase pressure drop through tubes with different rotor-assembled strands inserted in the Reynolds number range of 800-9000 with lubricant as working fluid. In the experiment, fixed mounts were employed to eliminate the entrance effect. The experimental results showed that the employment of fixed mounts led to a visible bias of friction factor in the laminar regime while it could not affect the Nusselt numbers significantly. Experiment for the tube inserted with rotors-assembled strand showed remarkable improvement for heat transfer with the Nusselt number increased by 200%-225% in the laminar regime and 125%-160% in the transitional regime. Meanwhile, the friction factor increased inevitably by 200%-300% within the same range of Reynolds number. The comparison of different rotor-assembled strands in-serted tubes and plain tube showed that the heat transfer benefited from the increase of the diameter of rotor-assembled strand with the same lead and the decrease of the lead of rotor-assembled strand, so does the friction factor. Based on experimental data and thorough multivariant linear normal regression method, the correlations of average Nusselt number and friction factor are established.

Interaction between the Wilms tumour factor-1 element in the promoter of Amh and a downstream enhancer is required for a strong expression of the gene in pre-pubertal sertoli cells

Amh (anti-Müllerian hormone) is a single copy gene which is expressed strongly in Sertoli cells in the foetal testis and participates in the onset of sexual differentiation. Its promoter driving the expression of a reporter gene (d2EGFP) has been used to analyse the role of certain defined putative elements and a downstream enhancer element in gene expression. These experiments were carried out in vitro using a line of pre-pubertal mouse Sertoli cells, transienly transfected with circular DNA constructs with variously mutated promoter elements. A downstream enhancer element, situated immediately 3’ of the polyadenylation (PA) signal for Amh, has been inserted in an equivalent position in the d2EGFP construct. When the Amh promoter is unmodified, the downstream enhancer (DE) is positively associated with a large increase in EGFP expression. This is at least partly the consequence of an increased rate of expression by individual cells. Experiments using variously truncated Amh promoters indicate that an upstream region (-214 to -336) may play a minor role in facilitating enhancement. However mutation of the Wilms tumour factor-1 element, situated between the tata box and the start of translation, results in an almost complete suppression of enhancement.

（Dis）Economies of Scale in Business Software Systems Development and Enhancement Projects

In the software engineering literature, it is commonly believed that economies of scale do not occur in case of software Development and Enhancement Projects （D＆EP）. Their per-unit cost does not decrease but increase with the growth of such projects product size. Thus this is diseconomies of scale that occur in them. The significance of this phenomenon results from the fact that it is commonly considered to be one of the fundamental objective causes of their low effectiveness. This is of particular significance with regard to Business Software Systems （BSS） D＆EP characterized by exceptionally low effectiveness comparing to other software D＆EP. Thus the paper aims at answering the following two questions： （1） Do economies of scale really not occur in BSS D＆EP？ （2） If economies of scale may occur in BSS D＆EP, what factors are then promoting them？ These issues classify into economics problems of software engineering research and practice.

Gas Absorption Enhancement of Carbon Dioxide into Ca(OH)_2 Slurries

Chemical absorption of CO2 into aqueous slurries of Ca(OH)2 was studied in a stirred thermostatic reactor. The influence of solid loading and stirring speed on absorption rate were investigated experimentally, and the results show that the enhancement factor increases with particle content due to the increase of reactive particles in the gas-liquid interfacial region. The absorption process was controlled by the diffusion of gas molecules in slurry. The influence of stirring intensity on enhancement factor is an integration of gas-liquid and liquid-solid mass transfer variation. A novel prediction model of enhancement factors was proposed with the partition of interface into two various zones, and the prediction values by the presented model are in agreement with the experimental data.

Overexpression of GATA binding protein 4 and myocyte enhancer factor 2C induces differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into cardiac-like cells

BACKGROUND Heart diseases are the primary cause of death all over the world.Following myocardial infarction,billions of cells die,resulting in a huge loss of cardiac function.Stem cell-based therapies have appeared as a new area to support heart regeneration.The transcription factors GATA binding protein 4(GATA-4)and myocyte enhancer factor 2C(MEF2C)are considered prominent factors in the development of the cardiovascular system.AIM To explore the potential of GATA-4 and MEF2C for the cardiac differentiation of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells(hUC-MSCs).METHODS hUC-MSCs were characterized morphologically and immunologically by the presence of specific markers of MSCs via immunocytochemistry and flow cytometry,and by their potential to differentiate into osteocytes and adipocytes.hUC-MSCs were transfected with GATA-4,MEF2C,and their combination to direct the differentiation.Cardiac differentiation was confirmed by semiquant itative real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunocytochemistry.RESULTS hUC-MSCs expressed specific cell surface markers CD105,CD90,CD44,and vimentin but lack the expression of CD45.The transcription factors GATA-4 and MEF2C,and their combination induced differentiation in hUC-MSCs with significant expression of cardiac genes i.e.,GATA-4,MEF2C,NK2 homeobox 5(NKX2.5),MHC,and connexin-43,and cardiac proteins GATA-4,NKX2.5,cardiac troponin T,and connexin-43.CONCLUSION Transfection with GATA-4,MEF2C,and their combination effectively induces cardiac differentiation in hUC-MSCs.These genetically modified MSCs could be a promising treatment option for heart diseases in the future.