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To investigate the impact of curing environments on the mechanical properties of coal gangue cementation (CGC), various curing methods were established, including standard bag curing, standard curing, natural sealing curing, natural curing, water curing, and varying curing ages. By examining the uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) and stress–strain relationship of CGC by applying axial loads, the influence mechanism was analyzed in terms of both physical and chemical reactions. Furthermore, a mechanistic structural model was established to illustrate the impact of the curing environment on the mechanical properties of CGC. The primary substances and reasons affecting the mechanical properties of CGC were analyzed through the use of scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques. Evaluation of influence factors on CGC mechanical properties by grey correlation degree. The findings indicate that curing temperature, humidity, and carbonization are the principal factors influencing the UCS. Maintaining constant temperature and humidity while isolating CO2 is conducive to improving the UCS. The hydration products, such as needle-like ettringite and white fibrous calcium silicate hydrogel, fill the internal voids of CGC and are the primary substances affecting UCS. The hydration products formed during standard curing and natural curing of CGC can undergo carbonation with CO2 to form CaCO3, which interacts with ettringite and hydrated calcium silicate to provide strength support for CGC. However, beyond a certain age, CO2 will progressively diminish the UCS; the larger the contact area and the longer the exposure time to the gel materials in CGC, the faster the UCS decreases.

The aims of this study were to explore the significant chemical changes in functional components induced by the traditional processing method and evaluate whether this method based on nine cycles of steaming and drying can effectively enhance the medicinal effects of Polygonatum cyrtonema rhizome. A global analysis on dynamic changes in secondary metabolites during nine processing cycles was performed, and the significantly differentially accumulated secondary metabolites were initially identified based on the secondary metabolome. Unsupervised principal component analysis (PCA), hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA), and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLA-DA) on secondary metabolites clearly showed that processing significantly increased the global accumulation of secondary metabolites in processed P. cyrtonema rhizomes compared to unprocessed crude rhizomes. The first six processing cycles induced drastic changes in the accumulation of functional components, while the last three did not induce further changes. The accumulations of most functional components were significantly enhanced after the first three cycles and stabilized after six cycles; meanwhile, the first three cycles also led to numerous new components. However, the enhancing effects were unavoidably reversed or weakened under continued processing lasting 6–9 cycles. Furthermore, continued processing also reduced the contents of a small number of original components to undetectable levels. Processing induced some significantly enriched Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways, among which the first three processing cycles enhanced the synthesis of various secondary metabolites and significantly affected the metabolisms of amino acids. In conclusion, this study not only reveals that processing can effectively enhance the medicinal effects, by two main mechanisms including enhancing chemical synthesis and inducing structural transformation of functional components, but also provides theoretical guidance for the optimization of the traditional processing method based on nine cycles of steaming and drying for achieving optimal effects on enhancing the medicinal effects of P. cyrtonema rhizome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to understand the functional component compositions of traditional herbal health beverages made from Polygonatum cyrtonema rhizomes and to reveal the pharmacodynamic chemical basis for their claimed health benefits. Two traditional methods, rhizome decoction and rhizome infusion, were used to make health herbal beverages, including "Huangjin" tea and "Huangjin" wine, respectively. The secondary metabolites of "Huangjin" beverages were investigated and compared by widely targeted metabolomics. The results clearly showed that the major functional components in "Huangjin" beverages were phenolic acids, flavonoids, and alkaloids. The "Huangjin" wine has a greater variety of flavonoids and alkaloids than "Huangjin" tea, and the functional components in "Huangjin" wine were more abundant than those in "Huangjin" tea. Homoisoflavones and amide alkaloids were the dominating flavonoids and alkaloids in "Huangjin" wine, respectively. Continuous rhizome infusion could not increase the content of functional components in "Huangjin" wine. In conclusion, this study not only provides primary evidence to support the claimed health benefits of "Huangjin" beverages but also suggests that making traditional herbal beverages by rhizome infusion has superior health benefits than making them by rhizome decoction, which is attributed to the higher yields of functional components extracted by Chinese liquor than hot water. Therefore, Chinese liquor shows advantages in its use as a superior binary ethanol–water solvent in making herbal health beverages to enhance the solubility of poorly water-soluble functional components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of infrared and visual image fusion is to amalgamate the salient and complementary features of the infrared and visual images into a singular informative image. To accomplish this, we introduce a novel local-extrema-driven image filter designed to effectively smooth images by reconstructing pixel intensities based on their local extrema. This filter is iteratively applied to the input infrared and visual images, extracting multiple scales of bright and dark feature maps from the differences between continuously filtered images. Subsequently, the bright and dark feature maps of the infrared and visual images at each scale are fused using elementwise-maximum and elementwise-minimum strategies, respectively. The two base images, representing the final-scale smoothed images of the infrared and visual images, are fused using a novel structural similarity- and intensity-based strategy. Finally, our fusion image can be straightforwardly produced by combining the fused bright feature map, dark feature map, and base image together. Rigorous experimentation conducted on the widely used TNO dataset underscores the superiority of our method in fusing infrared and visual images. Our approach consistently performs on par or surpasses eleven state-of-the-art image-fusion methods, showcasing compelling results in both qualitative and quantitative assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shape of coarse aggregate is an important factor determining the performance of concrete, and it also affects the whole mixing process. This article selected four typical coarse aggregates and simulated the motion behavior of the coarse aggregate and mortar in a dual horizontal axis mixer using discrete element software, EDEM. The mixing motion of coarse aggregates with different shapes and mortar was studied using average velocity, contact rate, and dispersion coefficient as indicators. The results show that the largest average speed in the mixing process was achieved with the spherical coarse aggregate. Flat coarse aggregates have the highest velocity in the vertical direction, while ellipsoidal coarse aggregates have the lowest velocity. The spherical coarse aggregate mixes best with mortar while the ellipsoidal coarse aggregate mixes worst with mortar. The results of the study could provide strategies for the concrete mixing process considering the shape of the aggregate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to further study the problems of urban engineering geological environment, taking Jinan as an example, the environmental engineering geological problems are divided into four aspects: primary environmental engineering geological problems, secondary environmental engineering geological problems, the influence of human activities and the restriction of spring water on engineering construction. A multi-level, multi-objective and multi factor evaluation index system suitable for environmental engineering geology is established. The mathematical model is established by using analytic hierarchy process and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method to evaluate the primary environmental engineering geological problems, secondary environmental engineering geological problems, the impact of human activities and the restrictive effect of spring water on engineering construction. The mathematical model is established by using Nemero index method to comprehensively evaluate the environmental engineering geological problems in Jinan, and the suitability zoning of engineering construction is carried out.

Specific aim To examine the effects of pressure-controlled inverse ratio ventilation (PCIRV) and volume-control ventilation (VCV) on arterial oxygenation, pulmonary function, hemodynamics, levels of surfactant protein A (SP-A), and tumor necrosis factor-[alpha] (TNF-[alpha]) in obese patients undergoing gynecological laparoscopic surgery. Methods Sixty patients, body mass index (BMI) [greater than or equal to]30 kg/m.sup.2, scheduled for elective gynecological laparoscopic surgery were enrolled in the study. Patients were randomly allocated to receive either PCIRV with an inspiratory-expiratory (I:E) ratio of 1.5:1 (PCIRV group n = 30) or VCV with an I:E ratio of 1:2 (VCV group n = 30). Ventilation variables, viz. tidal volume (V.sub.T), dynamic respiratory-system compliance (C.sub.RS), driving pressure ([DELTA]P = V.sub.T/C.sub.RS), arterial blood oxygen partial pressure/fraction of inspiration oxygen (PaO.sub.2/FiO.sub.2) and arterial blood carbon dioxide partial pressure (PaCO.sub.2), were measured. Hemodynamic variables, viz. mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), and serum levels of SP-A and TNF-[alpha], were also measured. Results When compared to patients in the VCV group, patients in the PCIRV group had higher V.sub.T, dynamic C.sub.RS, and PaO.sub.2/FiO.sub.2, and lower [DELTA]P and PaCO.sub.2 at 20 and 60 min after the start of pneumoperitoneum (p < 0.05). Patients in the PCIRV group had lower SP-A and TNF-[alpha] levels at 24 and 48 h after surgery than those in the VCV group (p < 0.05). Conclusion In obese patients undergoing gynecological laparoscopic surgery, PCIRV can improve ventilation, promote gas exchange and oxygenation, and is associated with decreased levels of SP-A and TNF-[alpha]. These effects demonstrate improved lung protection provided by PCIRV in this patient population., Author(s): Lili Xu [sup.1] [sup.2] , Jianjun Shen [sup.1] , Min Yan [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) Department of Anesthesiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, 0000 0004 [...]

Skin wounds are particularly susceptible to bacterial infection, which seriously affects skin healing. Therefore, wound dressing with antibacterial properties is urgently needed for skin trauma treatment. Here, we have designed a hydrogel dressing by utilizing a multilayered upconversion nanocomposite that is constructed by the upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) coated with a mesoporous silica-loaded zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) photosensitizer. The nanocomposite can produce singlet oxygen for photodynamic therapy under 980 nm excitation by luminescent energy resonance transfer between UCNPs and ZnPc, which endows the antibacterial activity during the wound healing process. Furthermore, by utilizing the non-toxic active ester of polyethylene glycol as the cross-linking agent, the nanocomposite is assembled in chitosan to generate the hydrogel dressing, whereas chitosan is considered an ideal material for promoting wound healing. The experiments show that the dressing has good antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Meanwhile, in vivo experiments demonstrate that the antibacterial hydrogel dressing can effectively reduce inflammation and significantly accelerate wound healing due to its low toxicity, deep tissue penetration, good biocompatibility, and strong antibacterial capacity. Such a photodynamic hydrogel dressing designed here would provide a practical application pathway for photodynamic sterilization and treating emergencies as a total solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]