Three Great Reformers of the Roman Army

Rome was famous because of its strong military force and it dominate the Mediterranean Sea.However,it was facing severe shortage of soldiers for a long time during 150 BCE.This problem had enormously effect on the Roman society and political life such as the appearance of slavery in Rome and the use of violence in Rome.The reasons why Rome had shortage f soldiers were related to its own military system and political system.The three great reformers,Tiberius Gracchus,Caius Gracchus and Caius Marius tried their best to solve the problem.Gracchus brothers failed but Marius succeed.Experiences we can learn from these reforms will also be mentioned.

Upcycling municipal solid waste to sustainable hydrogen via two-stage gasification-reforming

As global municipal solid waste(MSW)quantities continue to escalate,serious socio-environmental challenges arise,necessitating innovative solutions.Waste-to-hydrogen(WTH)via two-stage gasification-reforming(TSGR)presents an emergent technology for MSW upcycling,offering to ease waste management burdens and bolster the burgeoning hydrogen economy.Despite early initiatives to advance TSGR technology,a cohesive and critical analysis of cutting-edge knowledge and strategies to enhance hydrogen production remains lacking.This review aggregates literature on MSW upcycling to hydrogen via TSGR,with a focus on optimizing process control and catalytic efficiency.It underscores technological avenues to augment hydrogen output,curtail catalyst costs,and refine system performance.Particularly,the review illuminates the potential for integrating chemical and calcium looping into TSGR processes,identifying opportunities,and pinpointing challenges.The review concludes with a summary of the current state of techno-economic analysis for this technology,presenting outstanding challenges and future research directions,with the ultimate goal of transitioning WTH from theoretical to practical application.

Chemical looping reforming of the micromolecular component from biomass pyrolysis via Fe_(2)O_(3)@SBA-16

To solve the problems of low gasification efficiency and high tar content caused by solid–solid contact between biomass and oxygen carrier in traditional biomass chemical looping gasification process.The decoupling strategy was adopted to decouple the biomass gasification process,and the composite oxygen carrier was prepared by embedding Fe_(2)O_(3) in molecular sieve SBA-16 for the chemical looping reforming process of pyrolysis micromolecular model compound methane,which was expected to realize the directional reforming of pyrolysis volatiles to prepare hydrogen-rich syngas.Thermodynamic analysis of the reaction system was carried out based on the Gibbs free energy minimization method,and the reforming performance was evaluated by a fixed bed reactor,and the kinetic parameters were solved based on the gas–solid reaction model.Thermodynamic analysis verified the feasibility of the reaction and provided theoretical guidance for experimental design.The experimental results showed that the reaction performance of Fe_(2)O_(3)@SBA-16 was compared with that of pure Fe_(2)O_(3) and Fe_(2)O_(3)@SBA-15,and the syngas yield was increased by 55.3%and 20.7%respectively,and it had good cycle stability.Kinetic analysis showed that the kinetic model changed from three-dimensional diffusion to first-order reaction with the increase of temperature.The activation energy was 192.79 kJ/mol by fitting.This paper provides basic data for the directional preparation of hydrogen-rich syngas from biomass and the design of oxygen carriers for pyrolysis of all-component chemical looping reforming.

Optimizing the sulfur-resistance and activity of perovskite oxygen carrier for chemical looping dry reforming of methane

Perovskite oxides has been attracted much attention as high-performance oxygen carriers for chemical looping reforming of methane,but they are easily inactivated by the presence of trace H_(2)S.Here,we propose to modulate both the activity and resistance to sulfur poisoning by dual substitution of Mo and Ni ions with the Fe-sites of LaFeO_(3)perovskite.It is found that partial substitution of Ni for Fe substantially improves the activity of LaFeO_(3)perovskite,while Ni particles prefer to grow and react with H_(2)S during the long-term successive redox process,resulting in the deactivation of oxygen carriers.With the presence of Mo in LaNi_(0.05)Fe_(0.95)O_(3−σ)perovskite,H_(2)S preferentially reacts with Mo to generate MoS_(2),and then the CO_(2)oxidation can regenerate Mo via removing sulfur.In addition,Mo can inhibit the accumulation and growth of Ni,which helps to improve the redox stability of oxygen carriers.The LaNi_(0.05)Mo_(0.07)Fe_(0.88)O_(3−σ)oxygen carrier exhibits stable and excellent performance,with the CH_(4)conversion higher than 90%during the 50 redox cycles in the presence of 50 ppm H_(2)S at 800℃.This work highlights a synergistic effect in the perovskite oxides induced by dual substitution of different cations for the development of high-performance oxygen carriers with excellent sulfur tolerance.

Methanol steam reforming for hydrogen production driven by an atomically precise Cu catalyst

Plasmon-induced hot-electron transfer from metal nanostructures is being intensely pursed in current photocatalytic research,however it remains elusive whether molecular-like metal clusters with excitonic behavior can be used as light-harvesting materials in solar energy utilization such as photocatalytic methanol steam reforming.In this work,we report an atomically precise Cu_(13)cluster protected by dual ligands of thiolate and phosphine that can be viewed as the assembly of one top Cu atom and three Cu_(4)tetrahedra.The Cu_(13)H_(10)(SR)_(3)(PR’_(3))_(7)(SR=2,4-dichlorobenzenethiol,PR’_(3)=P(4-FC_(6)H_(4))_(3))cluster can give rise to highly efficient light-driven activity for methanol steam reforming toward H_(2)production.

Research on the Reform of the Process-Tracking Ideological and Political Assessment System in Applied Universities:Taking the Personal Finance Course as an Example

Using the Xi’an Mingde Institute of Technology students as the teaching object and the Personal Finance course as an example,we explore the reform of the ideological and political assessment system of process-tracking courses in applied universities.The article analyzes the feasibility of applying the curriculum ideological and political assessment system in college courses and compares the traditional assessment system.It also proposes that applying curriculum ideological and political assessment to the college curriculum assessment system will help improve students’understanding of the“value guidance”in curriculum ideological and political education and enhance the teaching effect.

Molecular simulation study on the evolution process of hydrate residual structures into hydrate

The clathrate hydrate memory effect is a fascinating phenomenon with potential applications in carbon capture,utilization and storage(CCUS),gas separation,and gas storage as it can accelerate the secondary formation of clathrate hydrate.However,the underlying mechanism of this effect remains unclear.To gain a better understanding of the mechanism,we conducted molecular dynamic simulations to simulate the initial formation and reformation processes of methane hydrate.In this work,we showed the evolution process of hydrate residual structures into hydrate cages.The simulation results indicate that the residual structures are closely related to the existence of hydrate memory effect,and the higher the contribution of hydrate dissociated water to the hydrate nucleation process,the faster the hydrate nucleation.After hydrate dissociation,the locally ordered structures still exist after hydrate dissociation and can promote the formation of cluster structures,thus accelerating hydrate nucleation.Additionally,the nucleation process of hydrate and the formation process of clusters are inseparable.The size of clusters composed of cup-cage structures is critical for hydrate nucleation.The residence time at high temperature after hydrate decomposition will affect the strength of the hydrate memory effect.Our simulation results provide microscopic insights into the occurrence of the hydrate memory effect and shed light on the hydrate reformation process at the molecular scale.

Reform of Hospitality English Teaching Based on the Educational Concept of Outcome-Based Education(OBE)

The Outcome-Based Education(OBE)educational concept,proposed by renowned American educator Spady,aims to guide students in mastering learning laws and ultimately achieving expected learning outcomes.The application of OBE educational concept in Hospitality English curriculum not only can effectively enhance the learning effect but also promote the reform of the Hospitality English curriculum,thus improving students’learning enthusiasm.Therefore,taking the Hospitality English curriculum as an example,this paper points out the existing problems in the teaching of this course and suggests the reform measures based on the OBE teaching concept,hoping to provide guidelines for related educational work.

Influencing factors analysis of hard limestone reformation and strength weakening under acidic effect

Roof disaster has always been an important factor restricting coal mine safety production.Acidic effect can reform the rock mass structure to weaken the macroscopic strength characteristics,which is an effective way to control the hard limestone roof.In this study,the effects of various factors on the reaction characteristics and mechanical properties of limestone were analyzed.The results show that the acid with stronger hydrogen production capacity after ionization(pK_(a)<0)has more prominent damage to the mineral grains of limestone.When pKa increases from−8.00 to 15.70,uniaxial compressive strength and elastic modulus of limestone increase by 117.22%and 75.98%.The influence of acid concentration is manifested in the dissolution behavior of mineral crystals,the crystal defects caused by large-scale acid action will lead to the deterioration of limestone strength,and the strength after 15%concentration reformation can be reduced by 59.42%.The effect of acidification time on limestone has stages and is the most obvious in the initial metathesis reaction stage(within 60 min).The key to the strength damage of acidified limestone is the participation of hydrogen ions in the reaction system.Based on the analytic hierarchy process method,the influence weights of acid type,acid concentration and acidification time on strength are 24.30%,59.54% and 16.16%,respectively.The research results provide theoretical support for the acidification control of hard limestone roofs in coal mines.

Machine learning-driven optimization of plasma-catalytic dry reforming of methane

This study investigates the dry reformation of methane(DRM)over Ni/Al_(2)O_(3)catalysts in a dielectric barrier discharge(DBD)non-thermal plasma reactor.A novel hybrid machine learning(ML)model is developed to optimize the plasma-catalytic DRM reaction with limited experimental data.To address the non-linear and complex nature of the plasma-catalytic DRM process,the hybrid ML model integrates three well-established algorithms:regression trees,support vector regression,and artificial neural networks.A genetic algorithm(GA)is then used to optimize the hyperparameters of each algorithm within the hybrid ML model.The ML model achieved excellent agreement with the experimental data,demonstrating its efficacy in accurately predicting and optimizing the DRM process.The model was subsequently used to investigate the impact of various operating parameters on the plasma-catalytic DRM performance.We found that the optimal discharge power(20 W),CO_(2)/CH_(4)molar ratio(1.5),and Ni loading(7.8 wt%)resulted in the maximum energy yield at a total flow rate of∼51 mL/min.Furthermore,we investigated the relative significance of each operating parameter on the performance of the plasma-catalytic DRM process.The results show that the total flow rate had the greatest influence on the conversion,with a significance exceeding 35%for each output,while the Ni loading had the least impact on the overall reaction performance.This hybrid model demonstrates a remarkable ability to extract valuable insights from limited datasets,enabling the development and optimization of more efficient and selective plasma-catalytic chemical processes.

Engineering oxygen vacancies on Tb-doped ceria supported Pt catalyst for hydrogen production through steam reforming of long-chain hydrocarbon fuels

Steam reforming of long-chain hydrocarbon fuels for hydrogen production has received great attention for thermal management of the hypersonic vehicle and fuel-cell application.In this work,Pt catalysts supported on CeO_(2)and Tb-doped CeO_(2)were prepared by a precipitation method.The physical structure and chemical properties of the as-prepared catalysts were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction,scanning electron microscopy,transmission electron microscopy,Raman spectroscopy,H_(2)temperature programmed reduction,and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.The results show that Tb-doped CeO_(2)supported Pt possesses abundant surface oxygen vacancies,good inhibition of ceria sintering,and strong metal-support interaction compared with CeO_(2)supported Pt.The catalytic performance of hydrogen production via steam reforming of long-chain hydrocarbon fuels(n-dodecane)was tested.Compared with 2Pt/CeO_(2),2Pt/Ce_(0.9)Tb_(0.1)O_(2),and 2Pt/Ce_(0.5)Tb_(0.5)O_(2),the 2Pt/Ce_(0.7)Tb_(0.3)O_(2)has higher activity and stability for hydrogen production,on which the conversion of n-dodecane was maintained at about 53.2%after 600 min reaction under 700℃at liquid space velocity of 9 ml·g^(-1)·h^(-1).2Pt/CeO_(2)rapidly deactivated,the conversion of n-dodecane was reduced to only 41.6%after 600 min.

Steam reforming of acetic acid over Ni/biochar of low metal-loading:Involvement of biochar in tailoring reaction intermediates renders superior catalytic performance

Biochar is a reactive carrier as it may be partially gasified with steam in steam reforming,which could influence the formation of reaction intermediates and modify catalytic behaviors.Herein,the Ni/biochar as well as two comparative catalysts,Ni/Al_(2)O_(3) and Ni/SiO_(2),with low nickel loading(2%(mass))was conducted to probe involvement of the varied carriers in the steam reforming.The results indicated that the Ni/biochar performed excellent catalytic activity than Ni/SiO_(2) and Ni/Al_(2)O_(3),as the biochar carrier facilitated quick conversion of the -OH from dissociation of steam to gasify the oxygen-rich carbonaceous intermediates like C=O and C-O-C,resulting in low coverage while high exposure of nickel species for maintaining the superior catalytic performance.In converse,strong adsorption of aliphatic intermediates over Ni/Al_(2)O_(3) and Ni/SiO_(2) induced serious coking with polymeric coke as the main type(21.5%and 32.1%,respectively),which was significantly higher than that over Ni/biochar(3.9%).The coke over Ni/biochar was mainly aromatic or catalytic type with nanotube morphology and high crystallinity.The high resistivity of Ni/biochar towards coking was due to the balance between formation of coke and gasification of coke and partially biochar with steam,which created developed mesopores in spent Ni/biochar while the coke blocked pores in Ni/Al_(2)O_(3) and Ni/SiO_(2) catalysts.

Ethanol steam reforming over Ni/ZSM-5 nanosheet for hydrogen production

Compared to reforming reactions using hydrocarbons,ethanol steam reforming(ESR)is a sustainable alternative for hydrogen(H_(2))production since ethanol can be produced sustainably using biomass.This work explores the catalyst design strategies for preparing the Ni supported on ZSM-5 zeolite catalysts to promote ESR.Specifically,two-dimensional ZSM-5 nanosheet and conventional ZSM-5 crystal were used as the catalyst carriers and two synthesis strategies,i.e.,in situ encapsulation and wet impregnation method,were employed to prepare the catalysts.Based on the comparative characterization of the catalysts and comparative catalytic assessments,it was found that the combination of the in situ encapsulation synthesis and the ZSM-5 nanosheet carrier was the effective strategy to develop catalysts for promoting H_(2) production via ESR due to the improved mass transfer(through the 2-D structure of ZSM-5 nanosheet)and formation of confined small Ni nanoparticles(resulted via the in situ encapsulation synthesis).In addition,the resulting ZSM-5 nanosheet supported Ni catalyst also showed high Ni dispersion and high accessibility to Ni sites by the reactants,being able to improve the activity and stability of catalysts and suppress metal sintering and coking during ESR at high reaction temperatures.Thus,the Ni supported on ZSM-5 nanosheet catalyst prepared by encapsulation showed the stable performance with~88% ethanol conversion and~65% H_(2) yield achieved during a 48-h longevity test at 550-C.

Regulating crystal phase of TiO_(2) to enhance catalytic activity of Ni/TiO_(2) for solar-driven dry reforming of methane

Ni/TiO_(2) catalyst is widely employed for photo-driven DRM reaction while the influence of crystal structure of TiO_(2) remains unclear.In this work,the rutile/anatase ratio in supports was successfully controlled by varying the calcination temperature of anatase-TiO_(2).Structural characterizations revealed that a distinct TiO_(x) coating on the Ni nanoparticles(NPs)was evident for Ni/TiO_(2)-700 catalyst due to strong metal-support interaction.It is observed that the TiOx overlayer gradually disappeared as the ratio of rutile/anatase increased,thereby enhancing the exposure of Ni active sites.The exposed Ni sites enhanced visible light absorption and boosted the dissociation capability of CH4,which led to the much elevated catalytic activity for Ni/TiO_(2)-950 in which rutile dominated.Therefore,the catalytic activity of solar-driven DRM reaction was significantly influenced by the rutile/anatase ratio.Ni/TiO_(2)-950,characterized by a predominant rutile phase,exhibited the highest DRM reactivity,with remarkable H_(2) and CO production rates reaching as high as 87.4 and 220.2 mmol/(g·h),respectively.These rates were approximately 257 and 130 times higher,respectively,compared to those obtained on Ni/TiO_(2)-700 with anatase.This study suggests that the optimization of crystal structure of TiO_(2) support can effectively enhance the performance of photothermal DRM reaction.

State-Owned Capital Participation in Private Enterprises:A Perspective of Debt Financing

This study takes debt financing as the entry point and explores the impact of state-owned capital participation in private enterprises from the perspectives of“unarticulated rules”and“articulated rules”.The study finds that state-owned capital participation significantly reduces the debt financing costs of private enterprises and expands the scale of their debt financing.This conclusion remains valid after a series of endogeneity and robustness tests.Further analysis of the mechanism reveals that state-owned capital participation improves the debt financing of private enterprises through multiple channels:Enhancing their social reputation,mitigating the“statistical bias”they face,optimizing their information quality,and reducing the“shareholder-creditor”agency problems.This paper conceptualizes these benefits as the“complementary advantages of heterogeneous shareholders”.This not only constructs a theoretical framework for“reverse mixed-ownership reform”but also better narrates the Chinese story of“mixed-ownership reform”by adopting a more universally applicable theory of equity structure.Additionally,the paper supplements existing research on the macro-and meso-level relationship between the government and the market by exploring the government’s positive role at the micro-level.

Effect of Calcination Temperature on the Microstructure and Surface Properties of a Cu/ZnO Catalyst Derived from Zn_(3)Cu_(2)(OH)_(6)(CO_(3))_(2)

The Cu/ZnO catalyst formed upon the calcination of aurichalcite has a uniform distribution of ZnO,which can delay the sintering of Cu species at high temperatures.In this study,aurichalcite possessing a nearly pure phase was prepared using the ammonium complex dissociation precipitation method,and the effect of calcination temperature on the structure and surface properties of the derived Cu/ZnO catalyst was studied.The results show that the calcination temperature determines the particle size and crystallization degree of the Cu/ZnO catalyst and the surface properties of the corresponding copper oxide and reduced copper.Low-temperature calcination is more conducive to reducing the particle size of the Cu/ZnO catalyst,increasing the specific surface area,and generating abundant defect characteristics on the surface,which is key to obtaining highly dispersed copper and copper-specific surface area catalysts by subsequent reduction.Additionally,the Cu/ZnO catalyst derived using a 300℃or 400℃calcination proved to have a higher specific activity per gram of copper than a commercial Cu/Zn/Al catalyst.The discovery in this study opens up a new method for the convenient preparation of a high-temperature resistant Cu/Zn methanol reforming catalyst.

Pt nanoclusters modified porous g-C_(3)N_(4)nanosheets to significantly enhance hydrogen production by photocatalytic water reforming of methanol

For the use of green hydrogen energy,it is crucial to have efficient photocatalytic activity for hydrogen generation by water reforming of methanol under mild conditions.Much attention has been paid to gC_(3)N_(4)as a promising photocatalyst for the generation of hydrogen.To improve the separation of photogenerated charge,porous nanosheet g-C_(3)N_(4)was modified with Pt nanoclusters(Pt/g-C_(3)N_(4))through impregnation and following photo-induced reduction.This catalyst showed excellent photocatalytic activity of water reforming of methanol fo r hydrogen production with a 17.12 mmol·g^(-1)·h^(-1)rate at room temperature,which was 311 times higher than that of the unmodified g-C_(3)N_(4).The strong interactions of Pt-N in Pt/g-C_(3)N_(4)constructed effective electron transfer channels to promote the separation of photogenerated electrons and holes effectively.In addition,in-situ infrared spectroscopy was used to investigate the intermediates of the hydrogen production reaction,which proved that methanol and water eventually turn into H_(2)and CO_(2)via formaldehyde and formate.This study provides insights for understanding the photocatalytic hydrogen production in the water reforming of methanol.

Malignant glaucoma treated by low-dose laser cycloplasty: a 1-year multicenter prospective noncomparative study

AIM:To report a one-year clinical outcomes of low-dose laser cycloplasty(LCP)among malignant glaucoma patients.METHODS:In this prospective,multicenter,noncomparative clinical study,participants with malignant glaucoma were recruited and underwent LCP at eight ophthalmic centers in China.Patients were followed up at 1wk,1,3,6,and 12mo.Intraocular pressure(IOP),number of glaucoma medications,anterior chamber depth(ACD),and complications were recorded.Anatomical success was defined as the reformation of the anterior chamber based on slit-lamp biomicroscopy.Recurrence was defined by the presence of a shallow orflat anterior chamber after initial recovery from treatment.RESULTS:A total of 34 eyes received LCP.Mean IOP and medications decreased from 36.1±11.5 mm Hg with 3.3±1.5 glaucoma medications pre-treatment to 20.9±9.8 mm Hg(P<0.001)with 2.9±1.6 medications(P=0.046)at 1d,and 17.4±6.7 mm Hg(P<0.001)with 1.3±1.7 medications(P<0.001)at 12mo.The ACD increased from 1.1±0.8 mm at baseline to 1.7±1.0 mm and to 2.0±0.5 mm at 1d and 12mo,respectively.A total of 32(94.1%)eyes achieved initial anatomical success.During follow-up,2(5.9%)eyes failed and 8(23.5%)eyes relapsed,yielding a 12-month anatomical success rate of 64.3%.Complications including anterior synechia(8.82%),choroidal/ciliary detachment(5.88%)and hypopyon(2.94%)were observed within 1wk.CONCLUSION:LCP is simple,safe,and effective in reforming the anterior chamber in malignant glaucoma.

Using Aspen HYSYS to Develop a Custom Molecule-based Reformer Model

A new continuous catalytic reforming model was configured by using a molecule-based reactor module. Themodel was based on the Sinopec Research Institute of Petroleum Processing Co., Ltd. continuous catalytic reformer fullmodel, and was reduced to a size of 157 naphtha molecules (C1−C12) that underwent 764 reactions. The new model inheritedthe advantages of the original model, and had better solving performance and flexibility owing to support by the AspenHYSYS environment. Typical commercial plant data were selected for model validation, which showed advantages in theaccuracy of detailed predictions and the range of its application. In addition, the solving time was reduced from minutes toseconds. Therefore, the simplified model proved to be feasible for industrial application.

The"4+4"Medical Doctor(MD)Pilot Program at PUMC:Implementation,Performance,and Prospects

Peking Union Medical College(PUMC)launched the"4+4"Medical Doctor(MD)pilot program in 2018,admitting students with non-medical backgrounds from top universities,aligning with national medical talent training policies to foster diverse and eager learners in medicine.On the occasion of the graduation of the first class of the"4+4"MD pilot class at PUMC in 2023,we reviewed the teaching reform in the pilot program and carried out a systematic survey and interviews with students,faculties,and management staff of the pilot class.This article reports on the measures taken by the pilot class at PUMC in enrollment and curriculum setting,and demonstrates the achievements of the pilot class in terms of student academic background structure,knowledge acquisition and skill learning,scientific research ability,and course evaluation.The results indicated that the pilot class had met the national demand for the"Medicine+X"talent training model.More specifically,with a diverse academic backgrounds,the pilot class graduates had academic levels comparable to the eight-year medical education graduates,and their scientific research abilities were satisfactory.The pilot program at PUMC will optimize the curriculum setting,strengthen the construction of faculty,learning resources,and teaching facilities,and reform the academic evaluation methods,thus deepening the reform of medical education and improving the"4+4"MD program as a novel medical education model.