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With the rapid development of modern communication technology, it has become a core problem in the field of communication to find new ways to effectively modulate signals and to classify and recognize the results of automatic modulation. To further improve the communication quality and system processing efficiency, this study combines two different neural network algorithms to optimize the traditional signal automatic modulation classification method. In this paper, the basic technology involved in the communication process, including automatic signal modulation technology and signal classification technology, is discussed. Then, combining parallel convolution and simple cyclic unit network, three different connection paths of automatic signal modulation classification model are constructed. The performance test results show that the classification model can achieve a stable training and verification state when the two networks are connected. After 20 and 29 iterations, the loss values are 0.13 and 0.18, respectively. In addition, when the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is 25dB, the classification accuracy of parallel convolutional neural network and simple cyclic unit network model is as high as 0.99. Finally, the classification models of parallel convolutional neural networks and simple cyclic unit networks have stable correct classification probabilities when Doppler shift conditions are introduced as interference in practical application environment. In summary, the neural network fusion classification model designed can significantly improve the shortcomings of traditional automatic modulation classification methods, and further improve the classification accuracy of modulated signals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work presented an electrochemical anode method with different electrolyte concentrations and heat posttreatment to control the stoichiometry and structure of Cu2−xS electrocatalysts. X‐ray diffraction, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy were employed to characterize the composition and morphology, whereas the electrocatalytic activity was evaluated by linear scanning voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The results showed that the electrochemical method successfully synthesized thin flake‐shaped Cu7S4, which exhibited optimal performance at the electrolyte concentration of 0.45 mol L1 with maximum turnover frequency of 0.786 s−1, maximum mass activity of 0.539 A g−1, minimum charge transfer resistance of 0.156 Ω cm−2, and minimum overpotential of 154 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2. In the Cu7S4 structure, Cu2+ and S2− were coordinated in a CuS4 tetrahedral structure, whereas Cu+ and S2− were coordinated in a CuS3 triangular structure. Heat posttreatment could change the stoichiometry from 1.75 to 1.8 and improve the electrochemical performance. In the Cu9S5 structure, the CuS3 triangular structure had disappeared. Under the same conditions, the overvoltage was only 128 mV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A numerical simulation model of a natural ventilation greenhouse is helpful for improving the production and quality of greenhouse crops in tropical areas. Field experiments show that the mean coefficient of variation of indoor light intensity in four seasons was lower than 10.0%. The highest indoor temperature reached 39.3 °C during summer, while the average indoor temperature ranged from 24 °C to 26 °C in the other three seasons. The average relative humidity in the greenhouse ranged from 76% to 87% annually, which was higher and more stable than that in the external environment. A three-dimensional steady-state numerical model of the greenhouse was established based on computational fluid dynamics. Under natural ventilation conditions, the maximum error between the simulated value and the measured value of the temperature in each measuring point was 5.90%. And the average relative error between the simulated and measured values was 3.0% in the range of 0.7−1.5 m of crop cultivation height. Finally, a numerical simulation of adding side windows and expanding the vents was carried out. The results show that these methods can homogenize the airflow distribution in the greenhouse and improve the utilization efficiency of natural ventilation without more mechanical system operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A diamond-like amorphous Fe-Co-PO x catalyst is created through a controllable amorphization engineering. It showcases wonderful OER activity, reaching a potential of 270 mV at 10 mA cm−2, and can operate as an anode stably at 200 mA cm−2 for 300 h with little degradation in overall water splitting. Studies observe that the unique amorphous structure, abundant oxygen vacancies, and the synergistic effect of Fe and Co species are the keys to gain excellent water splitting performance. [Display omitted] • An amorphous FeCo-PO x is constructed by hydrothermal and phosphating treatments. • The catalyst owns a diamond-like morphology and abundant oxygen vacancies. • The catalyst exhibits excellent OER and overall water splitting activity and stability. • The synergy of rich oxygen vacancy and amorphous structure are the key to improve performance. Strategically tuning the composition and structure of transition metal phosphates (TMPs) holds immense promise in the development of efficient oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts. However, the effect of crystalline phase transformation for TMPs on the catalytic OER activity remains relatively uncharted. In this study, we have deftly orchestrated the reaction process of anion-etched precursor to induce the amorphization process of FeCo-PO x from crystalline to amorphous states. The as-obtained amorphous FeCo-PO x (A-FeCo-PO x) exhibited an optimized OER performance with a low overpotential of 270 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2, which could be attributed to the flexibility of its amorphous structure and the synergistic effect of oxygen vacancies. Moreover, when incorporated into an overall water splitting (OWS) device configured as A-FeCo-POx(+)||Pt/C(–), it displayed long-term solid stability, sustaining operation for 300 h at a current density of 200 mA cm−2. This work not only provides valuable insights into understanding the transformation from crystalline to amorphous states, but also establishes the groundwork for the practical utilization of amorphous nanomaterials in the field of water splitting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In view of the weak generalization of traditional event recognition methods, the limitation of dependence on field knowledge of expert, the longer train time of deep neural network, and the problem of gradient dispersion, the neural network joint model, Conv-RDBiGRU, integrated residual structure was proposed. Firstly, text corpus is preprocessed by word segmentation and stop words processing and uses word embedding to form the matrix of word vectors. Then, local semantic features are extracted through convolution operation, and deep context semantic features are extracted through RDBiGRU. Finally, the learned features are activated by softmax function and the recognition results are output. The novelty of work is that we integrate residual structure into recurrent neural network and combine these methods and field of application. The simulation results show that this method improves precision and recall of Chinese emergency event recognition, and the F-value is better than other methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Abstract The mixing of binary droplets is of paramount importance in microfluidic systems. In order to reveal the mixing mechanism of two free droplets suspended in the immiscible phase, we have developed a novel experimental setup to study the internal mixing in coalescing droplets with varying interfacial tension differences and droplet sizes. It is confirmed that the interfacial energy of droplets supports the jet flow and liquid bridge expansion during the coalescence of droplets. The increase of interfacial tension difference can increase the intensity of jet flow accompanied with slower liquid bridge expansion, which enhances the mixing of droplets. The decrease of droplet size can increase the initial velocity of jet flow. However, the intensity of jet flow decreases due to the rapid expansion of the liquid bridge, which results in weaker internal mixing. On this basis, a Reynolds number incorporating the jet velocity and droplet size is proposed to characterize the vortex size, which represents the degree of droplet mixing. This study presents an effective approach for enhancing the mixing of droplets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrocoalescence behavior of surfactant-laden droplet pairs in oil under a DC electric field was investigated in this paper. The characteristic parameters such as coalescence time, liquid bridge diameter and contact angle were analyzed for varying surfactant concentrations and electric capillary numbers. The results show that the horizontal electrocoalescence of two identical droplets with the same physical properties is symmetrical. Moreover, the surfactant has a significant influence on the pressure difference at the liquid bridge, which results in a variation of the liquid bridge growth and coalescence time. The pressure difference between the droplet and the liquid bridge is significantly dependent on the initial contact angle, which is determined by the electric capillary number Ca and surfactant concentration. The theoretical analysis and experimental results show that the large initial contact angle restrains the growth of the liquid bridge in the initial coalescence stage. Considering the effect of the initial contact angle, a characteristic time is proposed to describe the evolution of the liquid bridge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the performance and solve the restrictions of UV/chlorine process (e.g., the narrow pH application range and high disinfection by-products (DBPs) formation), a Fe2+ assisted advanced oxidation process with electrochemically generated chlorine (UV/E-Cl/Fe2+) was proposed for carbamazepine (CBZ) degradation, which eliminated CBZ (5 mg/L) within 4 min under the optimal conditions. Compared with UV/electro-generated chlorine (UV/E-Cl) and anodic oxidation-chlorination/Fe2+ (AO-Cl/Fe2+) processes, the apparent first-order kinetics constant in UV/E-Cl/Fe2+ increased by 2.56 and 3.18 times respectively, and the energy consumption was lower (1.15 kWh/m3-log). Simultaneously, the pH application range could be expanded to 9, and DBPs formed in this process were 17.1% less than those in UV/E-Cl. Through quenching tests, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) experiments, measurement of •OH concentration, quantification of methyl phenyl sulfoxide (PMSO) and benzosulfone (PMSO 2) and processes comparison, possible CBZ degradation pathways and mechanism of UV/E-Cl/Fe2+ were proposed, in which Fe(IV) played the dominant role in the early stage, while the production of radicals (i.e., •OH and Cl•) was enhanced with the increase of chlorine generation, accelerating the CBZ removal. Furthermore, this process demonstrated wide application prospect in treating various contaminants and real wastewaters. In conclusion, this study offers an effective and energy-efficient method for organic pollutants degradation. [Display omitted] • UV/E-Cl/Fe2+ process was proposed to degrade pollutants efficiently. • UV/E-Cl/Fe2+ showed better pollutants and TOC removal and less DBPs formation than UV/E-Cl. • Fe(IV) and radicals (.•OH and Cl•) dominated carbamazepine (CBZ) removal by UV/E-Cl/Fe2+. • Degradation pathway and mechanism of CBZ by UV/E-Cl/Fe2+ process were proposed. • UV/E-Cl/Fe2+ system showed cost-effective application perspective at wide pH till 9. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A dual-cathode peroxi-coagulation (PC) process and pilot device was first proposed. • It enhanced the oxidative degradation of pollutants in PC process at neutral pH. • It promoted the Fe(II) recycling cycle and greatly reduced iron sludge production. • The improved PC process could produce •OH and O 2 •- more efficiently. • Improved PC process showed application prospect in decentralized sewage treatment. An improved dual-cathode peroxi-coagulation (PC) process using natural air diffusion electrode (NADE) and HNO 3 modified carbon felt (MCF) was first proposed to improve the removal efficiency of organic pollutants in neutral and alkaline wastewater and reduce the formation of iron sludge. The improved PC process does not require any additional oxidants or catalysts, nor does it need to adjust the pH of the wastewater in advance but can directly treat actual wastewater, achieving a target pollutant (C 12 H 14 N 4 O 2 S, sulfamethazine) removal of 87%-100% within 60 min and TOC removal of 46–76% within 240 min with the corresponding energy consumption below 0.02 kWh gTOC-1. Compared with the conventional PC process, this improved process could produce hydroxyl radical (•OH) and superoxide radical (O 2 •-) more efficiently, which greatly increased the SMT removal rate constant by 3–4 times and oxidative removal proportion of organic pollutants from 42 ∼ 47% to 85 ∼ 90%. Thanks to the Fe(II) regeneration capacity of MCF to promote iron circulation, the yield of •OH was 4.1 times higher while the iron sludge production was less than a quarter when compared with that of conventional PC. The improved PC process illustrated better purification performance and lower energy consumption for actual wastewaters such as pharmaceutical wastewater, surface water and rural decentralized domestic sewage than the conventional PC process. Our work elucidated the mechanism of promoting Fe(II) regeneration through MCF cathode under alkaline conditions to enhance •OH production and O 2 •- oxidation, showing a good environmental application prospect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel UV/E-Cl&H 2 O 2 process was proposed to degrade pollutants cost-effectively. • UV/E-Cl&H 2 O 2 showed better pollutants and TOC removal performance than UV/E-Cl and UV/E-H 2 O 2. • Radicals, especially OH and Cl, dominated carbamazepine (CBZ) removal by UV/E-Cl&H 2 O 2. • Degradation pathway and mechanism of CBZ by UV/E-Cl&H 2 O 2 process were proposed. • UV/E-Cl&H 2 O 2 system showed great stability and wide application perspective. To promote the performance of traditional UV/chlorine and UV/H 2 O 2 processes, the novel UV based advanced oxidation process with electrochemical co-generation of chlorine and H 2 O 2 (UV/E-Cl&H 2 O 2) was for the first time used for degradation of carbamazepine (CBZ), a refractory antiepileptic drug with resistance to photodegradation and microbial degradation. Compared with UV/E-Cl and UV/E-H 2 O 2 processes, the apparent first-order rate constant of CBZ degradation by UV/E-Cl&H 2 O 2 process increased by 3.87 and 5.84 times respectively with a lower energy consumption (1.12 kWh/m3-log). Meanwhile, the disinfection by-products (DBPs) formation by the novel process was 21.4% less than that by UV/E-Cl process. Under the optimal condition of initial pH 7, applied current 600 mA and 15 mM NaCl, the UV/E-Cl&H 2 O 2 process could almost completely eliminate CBZ within 4 min and obtain 57.8% TOC removal in 1 h. The mechanism of UV/E-Cl&H 2 O 2 was investigated through processes comparison, quenching experiments, EPR analysis and determination of OH concentration. The generated radicals (i.e., OH and reactive chlorine species), especially OH, played a major role in CBZ removal. Besides, the possible degradation pathways of CBZ were proposed and the stability of UV/E-Cl&H 2 O 2 process for CBZ removal was certified based on ten consecutive runs. The degradation of typical pollutants (sulfamethazine, rhodamine B, methylene blue, atrazine and phenol) and treatments in three kinds of real wastewater confirmed the wide application feasibility of the novel process. In summary, this study provides a novel efficient and energy-saving process for removing organic pollutants with promising perspectives.. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Evolution of droplet approach can be described by Re = 60Ca/Oh2. • A more precise equation for droplet approach is proposed. • Evolution of bridge expansion for different regimes are determined. The electrocoalescence of droplets in a viscous fluid is resisted by viscous and inertial forces. In this paper, the effects of these forces on the droplet approaching and liquid bridge expansion are investigated. The results show that the approaching of droplets can be described by the equation Re = 60Ca/Oh2. In addition, we propose a modified equation for the approaching of droplets, which is in better agreement with experimental data. In the initial stage of liquid bridge expansion, the dimensionless number Oh is used to identify different regimes, which is collapsed into a unified expression by using a characteristic time. In this way, evolution of the liquid bridge in different regimes is described. Moreover, it is found that larger liquid bridge width in the viscous regime can result in a slower expansion in the later stage. This study deepens the understanding of the kinetics of droplet electrocoalescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The optimum phenylalanine (Phe) requirement for hybrid grouper (Epinephelusfuscoguttatus ♀ × Epinepheluslanceolatus ♂) juveniles was determined through an 8-week growth trial. A total of seven isoenergetic (340 kcal per 100 g of dry matter), isonitrogenous, and isolipidic diets were made, containing 8.2 (Phe 8.2), 9.2 (Phe 9.2), 10.1 (Phe 10.1), 11.2 (Phe 11.2), 13.3 (Phe 13.3), 15.2 (Phe 15.2), and 17.3 g/kg (Phe 17.3), respectively. Triplicate tanks of juvenile fish (about 16.7 g/fish) were fed each experimental diet twice daily until apparent satiation. The results indicated that different dietary Phe levels significantly influenced weight gain percentage (WG), feed efficiency (FE), protein efficiency ratio (PER), as well as, productive protein value (PPV). Fish fed Phe 8.2 had the lowest WG or PPV among all experimental treatments. Furthermore, the optimal dietary Phe level increased fold height, width, enterocyte, and microvillus height of fish. The Phe 10.1 group exhibited higher growth hormone (GH) expression in the pituitary compared to other groups. Expression of hepatic insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and growth hormone receptor 1 (GHR1) displayed a similar pattern of variation to that of GH. The Phe 13.3 group had lower expression of S6 kinase 1 (S6K1) and target of rapamycin (TOR) than other groups. In addition, fish fed Phe 10.1 had lower levels of nuclear factor erythroid 2 (Nrf2) and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) in the head kidney, and Cu/Zn-superoxide (Cu/ZnSOD) dismutases in the midgut compared to fish fed other Phe levels. Generally, optimal Phe content in the diet of hybrid grouper was estimated to be 12.7 g/kg of dry matter (27.3 g/kg of dietary protein), and at this level, the feed utilization, gut micromorphology, and immunity of fish were also elevated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Droplets banding is critical to emulsion separation under ultrasonic irradiation as it can greatly improve the separation efficiency. In this paper, the formation process of droplets banding under ultrasonic standing waves was precisely captured by high-speed microscopic photography; by processing the images, the droplets banding characteristics, including the banding formation time and banding interval, were extracted. Then the effects of acoustic intensity, frequency, droplet size, and physical properties of oil and water on the droplets banding characteristics were discussed in details. The results show that the range of acoustic intensities, within which the droplets banding can form, increases with the increase of the frequency; a maximum allowable acoustic intensity exists for banding formation, which also increases with the frequency. The banding formation time, which increases with increasing oil viscosity but decreases with droplet size, is found to be hardly affected by the oil-water interfacial tension. In addition, the banding interval is only related to the frequency, which closely corresponds to the half wavelength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is aimed at evaluating the effects of dietary protein-to-energy ratios on the growth, immunological response, antioxidative capacity, liver and intestinal histology, and growth-related gene expression of hybrid yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco ♀ × Pelteobagrus vachelli ♂). Eight diets were formulated to form different protein/energy ratios of 84, 88, 90, 93, 95, 96, 99, and 103 mg/kcal (P/E84, P/E88, P/E90, P/E93, P/E95, P/E96, P/E99, and P/E103), respectively. These diets contain different levels of gross energy (GE), ranging from 4.13 to 4.76 kcal g-1. Seven hundred and twenty healthy fish (17.15 ± 0.02 g) were randomly dispersed into 24 rectangular fiberglass tanks with 8 treatments in triplicate groups. The fish fed a P/E ratio of 95 mg/kcal demonstrated the best growth and feed utilization. A significant (P < 0.05) increase in percent weight gain (WG%) and specific growth rate (SGR) was seen as the dietary P/E ratio ameliorated from P/E84 to P/E95, followed by a decreased pattern in these parameters. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) and daily feed intake (DFI) were significantly impacted by dietary P/E ratios (P < 0.05). Additionally, an optimum P/E ratio improved intestinal morphology. However, low or high P/E ratio diets can cause oxidative stress, impaired liver function, and significantly reduced nonspecific immunity. The expression of target of rapamycin (TOR) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF1) genes in the liver was considerably influenced by dietary protein-to-energy ratios (P < 0.05). Based on the statistical analysis of WG% against the dietary P/E ratio, the optimal P/E ratio for the studied species was estimated to be 92.92 mg/kcal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A six-week feeding trial was carried out to evaluate the effects of different dietary Myo -inositol (MI) levels on growth, feed efficiency, immunity, and antioxidant properties of juvenile hybrid grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus ♀ × E. lanceolatus ♂) fed low-fishmeal diets. Seven experimental diets were made to contain 50, 100, 169, 241, 309, 386, and 459 mg/kg of MI (analyzed values, dry matter basis), being abbreviated as MI-50, MI-100, MI-169, MI-241, MI-309, MI-386, and MI-459, and each MI treatment had three replicates. Twelve fish (average initial body weight: 18.7 ± 0.1 g) were allocated to each replicate, being hand-fed their diets to apparent satiation on 8:00 am and 16:30 pm. The results indicated that within the range of 50–241 mg/kg dietary inositol, weight gain percentage (WG%), feed efficiency (FE) and protein efficiency ratio (PER) were increased with the increasing of MI, and above the 241 mg/kg, they were dropped, especially at 386 and 459 mg/kg. According to the broken-line regression analysis conducted to assess the relationship between WG% and dietary MI levels, the optimum MI dose was 267.9 mg/kg (dry weight) in the low-fishmeal diet of hybrid grouper. Condition factor (CF), viscerosomatic index (VSI), hepatosomatic index (HSI), and intestinal index (ISI) were significantly (P < 0.05) affected by dietary MI levels, varying with a similar trend as WG%. Fish fed MI-241 had the highest values of serum lysozyme (LZM), hepatic total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) as well as the relative mRNA level of hepatic insulin-like growth factor-Ⅰ (IGF-Ⅰ) among all treatments. In conclusion, optimum dietary MI requirement for the maximal growth of hybrid grouper was 267.9 mg/kg, and suitable dietary MI supplementations improve growth, immunity, and antioxidant properties of juvenile hybrid grouper fed low-fishmeal diets. • An optimal MI content of 267.9 mg/kg is recommended in the low-fishmeal diets of hybrid grouper. • Suitable MI supplementations improve growth, immunity and antioxidant properties of fish. • Dietary MI levels exceeded 368 mg/kg have a negative impact on fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Optimal acoustic parameters highly depend on emulsion properties. • Moderate acoustic cavitation facilitates droplet coalescence at low frequencies. • Droplets aggregate into bandings to enhance separation in high frequency USWs. • Optimization rules for acoustic parameters of ultrasonic separation are given. Ultrasound is an emerging and promising method for demulsification, which is highly affected by acoustic parameters and emulsion properties. Herein, a series of microscopic and dehydration experiments are carried out to investigate the parameter optimization of ultrasonic separation. The results show that the optimal acoustic parameters highly depend on the emulsion properties. For low frequency ultrasonic standing waves (USWs), mechanical vibrations not only facilitate droplet collision and coalescence, but also disperse the surfactant absorbed on the interface to decrease the interfacial strength. Therefore, low frequency ultrasound is suitable for separating emulsions with high viscosity and high interfacial strength. Increasing the energy density to produce moderate cavitation can increase demulsification efficiency. However, excessive cavitation results in secondary emulsification. In high frequency USWs, the droplets migrate directionally and form bandings, thereby promoting droplet coalescence. Therefore, high frequency ultrasound is favorable for separating emulsions with low dispersed phase content and small droplet size. Increasing the energy density can accelerate the aggregation of droplets, however, excessive energy density causes acoustic streaming that disturbs the aggregated droplets, resulting in reduced demulsification efficiency. This work presents rules for acoustic parameter optimization, further advancing industrial applications of ultrasonic separation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the influence of gravity, the liquid film formed after the vortex tool in the inclined pipeline has the characteristics of being thin on top and thick at the bottom. Besides, the liquid film is affected by the tangential force. • Liquid unloading mechanism of vortex tools is explained. • Structural optimization progress of vortex tools is reviewed. • Technology application of surface vortex tools is summarized. • Liquid unloading model of swirl annular flow is proposed. The paper presents an in-depth review of the liquid unloading by vortex tools in the low production gas wells or hilly pipelines from the perspective of liquid unloading mechanism analysis, experiments and numerical simulation, and technology application. Moreover, future research directions are suggested that can promote future applications. The review points out that optimizing the vortex tools should take into account the liquid unloading capacity and pressure drop. The challenges are also discussed. Specifically, it is necessary to: 1. establish a liquid unloading model of vortex flow by considering the gravity in the inclined pipe; and 2. predict the effective operating distance between the vortex tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Droplet response mode depends on electric capillary number and viscosity ratio. • Liquid bridge growth is dominated by interface tension instead of electric stress. • Dimensionless liquid bridge radius is linear with the conical angle. Deformation and coalescence behaviors of water droplets in viscous fluid under a direct current electric field are investigated with experiments and numerical simulations. An electro-hydrodynamic model is developed based on fluid dynamics equations and electrostatic equations. A coupled level set and volume of fluid method is proposed to capture the dynamic interface. The numerical results are validated to be in good accordance with classic results in the literature. The effects of electric capillary number Ca and viscosity ratio λ on droplet deformation and coalescence are systematically analyzed. Two different droplet response modes are obtained, namely overdamping response and underdamping response. The conversion of response modes is discussed with the (Ca, λ) phase diagram. Moreover, the distributions of electric field and flow field before and after the droplets contact are compared and analyzed. Numerical results show the time evolution of liquid bridge is dominated by the interfacial tension and viscosity of continuous phase. The electric stress is extremely weak at the liquid bridge and has a slight influence on evolution of liquid bridge. The correlation formula between dimensionless liquid bridge radius and conical angle during the growth of liquid bridge is regressed. These results are helpful for the optimization of electro-coalescence process. Image, graphical abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) perform crucial roles in biological process involving complex mechanisms. However, information regarding their abundance, characteristics and potential functions linked to fish skin color is limited. Herein, Illumina sequencing and bioinformatics were conducted on black, white, and red skin of Koi carp (Cyprinus carpio L.). Results: A total of 590,415,050 clean reads, 446,614 putative transcripts, 4252 known and 72,907 novel lncRNAs were simultaneously obtained, including 92 significant differentially expressed lncRNAs and 722 mRNAs. Ccr_lnc5622441 and Ccr_lnc765201 were up-regulated in black and red skin, Ccr_lnc14074601 and Ccr_lnc2382951 were up-regulated in white skin, and premelanosome protein a (Pmela), Pmelb and tyrosinase (Tyr) were up-regulated in black skin. The expression patterns of 18 randomly selected differentially expressed genes were validated using the quantitative real-time PCR method. Moreover, 70 lncRNAs acting on 107 target mRNAs in cis and 79 lncRNAs acting on 41,625 target mRNAs in trans were investigated. The resulting co-expression networks revealed that a single lncRNA can connect with numerous mRNAs, and vice versa. To further reveal their potential functions, Gene Ontology (GO) terms and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways were analyzed, and membrane, pigment cell development, cAMP signaling, melanogenesis and tyrosine metabolism appear to affect skin pigmentation. Additionally, three lncRNAs (Ccr_lnc142711, Ccr_lnc17214525 and Ccr_lnc14830101) and three mRNAs (Asip, Mitf and Tyr) involved in the melanogenesis pathway were investigated in terms of potential functions in embryogenesis and different tissues. Conclusions: The findings broaden our understanding of lncRNAs and skin color genetics, and provide new insight into the mechanisms underlying lncRNA-mediated pigmentation and differentiation in Koi carp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Effect of droplet banding on demulsification process is analyzed. • Optimal acoustic intensity and treatment time are obtained. • Acoustic cavitation threshold in emulsions is achieved by spectral analysis. • Range of oil-water properties suitable for ultrasonic separation is determined. Abstract This paper focuses on the application range and optimal parameters for separating water-in-oil (W/O) emulsions using ultrasonic standing waves (USWs). Firstly, the effect of droplet bandings on the demulsification process is theoretically analyzed. The formation of droplet bandings coincides with droplet sedimentation when horizontal irradiation is applied, which improves the separation efficiency. On this basis, the effects of acoustic parameters and oil-water properties on demulsification are analyzed in detail. It is shown that ultrasonic treatment is an efficient demulsification method, and that maximum demulsification efficiency can be achieved by optimizing the acoustic intensity and treatment time. Excessive acoustic intensity causes acoustic cavitation in low-frequency USWs and acoustic streaming in high-frequency USWs, resulting in a low separation efficiency. Acoustic cavitation also causes secondary emulsification, dispersing tiny oil droplets into separated water. In addition, ultrasonic separation is significantly affected by oil-water properties. The demulsification efficiency of W/O emulsions decreases with increasing oil viscosity and decreasing oil-water interfacial tension. Ultrasonic treatment has significant advantages for separation of emulsions with low water content and interfacial tension. This study presents an in-depth analysis of ultrasonic separation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development of the strategy to regulate the acidic properties of solid superacids had been attracting widespread attention in the acidic catalysis-related fields. In the present work, an HCl-promoted SO 4 2−/TiO 2 solid composite superacid was synthesized by incorporation of hydrogen chloride into sulfated titania (SO 4 2−/TiO 2). The Brønsted acid strength of HCl-promoted SO 4 2−/TiO 2 was significantly increased compared with that of SO 4 2−/TiO 2. Friedel-Crafts alkylation reaction results of HCl-promoted SO 4 2−/TiO 2 showed an increase by 27% in reaction rate and decreased byproduct selectivity (1% versus 10% for HCl-promoted SO 4 2−/TiO 2 and SO 4 2−/TiO 2 , respectively). Structural characterizations demonstrated that HCl had the synergetic effect with induced titanium ion of HCl-promoted SO 4 2−/TiO 2 to form a new type of Brønsted acidic site. The configuration of enhanced Brønsted acidic site verified by DFT calculations was more liable to release the proton than that of conventional Brønsted acidic site, consequently increasing the Brønsted acid strength of HCl-promoted SO 4 2−/TiO 2. Hydrogen chloride is incorporated into sulfated titania to synthesize a HCl-promoted SO 4 2−/TiO 2 solid composite super-strong acid. Synergistic effect of hydrogen chloride with induced titanium endows HCl-promoted SO 4 2−/TiO 2 with enhanced Brønsted acid strength. [Display omitted] • HCl was incorporated into sulfated titania to prepare a solid composite acid. • HCl-promoted SO 4 2−/TiO 2 possessed the enhanced Brønsted acid strength. • Synergetic effect between HCl and induced titanium site was analyzed. • Configuration of a novel Brønsted acid site was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The separation characteristics of W/O emulsion were investigated under ultrasonic standing wave field in this paper. The effects of the irradiation time, acoustic intensity, frequency, oil viscosity, and oil-water interfacial tension on the separation characteristics of emulsion were studied in details. It was proved that there existed an optimal irradiation time, acoustic intensity and oil-water interfacial tension to achieve the maximum separation efficiency in ultrasonic treatment process. Excessive long irradiation time had little effect on improving the dehydration rate of emulsion but rather increased unnecessary processing time. Excessive high acoustic intensity caused the occurrence of acoustic cavitation phenomenon. The acoustic cavitation would cause the aggregated droplets to be dispersed by oscillating bubbles or even emulsified again by high speed micro jets. The acoustic cavitation threshold is effectively and accurately obtained by a spectral analysis method. The micro acoustic streaming which resulted from the attenuation of acoustic energy occurred with the increase of frequency. It sheared the aggregated droplets, destroyed the stable droplets banding and reduced the separation efficiency of emulsion. The excess surfactant adsorbed on the oil-water interface resulted in the increase of the interfacial film strength, which hindered the coalescence process of droplets and reduced the separation efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Timely and accurate fault location for a 35-kVhigh-reliability distribution network is one of the key technologies to improve the safety and efficiency of distribution network operations. A novel fault location method of 35-kV high-reliability distribution network is proposed in this paper. First, the distributed multipoint fault location model is established based on the power structure of a 35-kV high-reliability distribution network. The distribution of voltage and current traveling waves along the lines is comprehensively considered in this model. Secondly, we analyze the influence of noise interference, analog-digital conversion frequency, and conversion bits on the location accuracy. The simulation method of noise and analog-digital conversion is proposed based on simulated samples. Then, a wavelet filter is used to reduce the influence of noise on the calibration of the traveling wave arrival time, and matrix modulus of S transform is used to identify the arrival time for the wave. Finally, the simulation model of a 35-kV high-reliability distribution network is established to analyze the location accuracy in the case of single-phase to ground via resistance, two-phase short-circuit to ground via resistance, and three-phase short-circuit faults. The simulation results indicate that the proposed method has high location accuracy under the above fault conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]