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Methyl carbonate (EMC) and Diethyl carbonate (DEC), as excellent solvents for lithium-ion electrolytes, are synthesized by transesterification, and consecutive reaction seriously complicate optimization and control issues. Process synthesis, parameters optimization and advanced control are crucial points that should be addressed for this ill-conditioned and highly nonlinear system, which is the motivation and novelty of present work. With single-objective and multi-objective genetic algorithm, intensified processes for EMC and DEC production were optimized respectively with heterogeneous catalyst. And reactive dividing wall column achieved 23% and 13% total annualized cost reductions compared with reactive distillation for two target carbonates. Based on optimal steady-state solution, intelligent fuzzy logic and model predictive control of EMC and DEC production is conducted to clarify their respective strengths in intensified process with consecutive reaction. Sequential optimization for parameters of FLC was carried out with Integral of Squared Error (ISE) as objective. Finally, control performance of FLC and LPMC are compared with that under PID control, and results show that overshoot and transition time under FLC and LMPC are obviously mitigated, along with evident reduction in ISE. [Display omitted] • Process intensification realized for high-purity EMC and DEC production by embedding heterogeneous RD and RDWC. • Optimization carried out with effective single or multi objective genetic algorithm. • Intelligent fuzzy logic control and model predictive control developed for series intensified processes. • FLC and MPC shows superiority for controlling ill-conditioned system with high nonlinearity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As excellent solvents of lithum-ion electrolyte, ethyl-methyl carbonate (EMC) and diethyl carbonate (DEC) are synthesized through transesterification of dimethly carbonate (DMC) and ethanol. Process intensification, optimization and the corresponding control scheme of the synthesized process are essential when sustainability is becoming a necessity. In the present work, the intensified flowsheet for EMC and DEC production process was firstly proposed and optimized with conventional reactive distillation (RD) and reactive dividing wall column (RDWC), respectively. Compared with RD process, RDWC could achieve 25.3% and 8.2% total annualized cost reduction for EMC and DEC production process, respectively. And carbon dioxide emission could be decreased by 29.4% and 11.7% by further integrating RD and separation column into RDWC arrangement for DEC and EMC production. Then multi-loop PI control schemes were developed as benchmark and linear model predictive controller was designed to handle the persistent feed disturbance. The superiorities of model-based controllers for the strongly interactive and coupled system are demonstrated by the dynamic response comparisons in terms of settling time, overshoot and integral of squared error (ISE), especially for the controlled variables with poor control performance under conventional multi-loop PI control structure. To summarize, the comprehensive control performance index-ISE with MPC is reduced by 55.9%–99.1%, as compared to those under PI control strategy. • Sustainable processes were realized by RD and RDWC for EMC and DEC production. • Optimization was conducted for series sustainable processes with genetic algorithm. • RDWC shows superiority in energy efficiency enhancement and CO 2 emission reduction. • Controllability investigation for sustainable processes with novel control strategy. • Model predictive control shows to be effective for strongly coupled system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is not a rare complication of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP) in children. We sought to determine the incidence of PE in children with MPP who underwent clinically indicated CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) and to evaluate the risk factors for PE. All 106 children with MPP who were clinically suspected of having PE and who underwent CTPA were retrospectively enrolled from June 2018 to December 2021. The clinical features, laboratory data, and radiological parameters were recorded (e.g., lung consolidation involved and the Qanadli score). A Cox proportional hazards model and area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used to evaluate the risk factors and prognostic discriminatory capacity for PE. PE was detected in 26 of 106 (24.5 %) children (mean age, 6.2 years ± 3.3 years; 53 boys). Sixteen of the 26 (61.5 %) children with PE were boys. The mean age of the children with PE was 8.1 ± 2.9 years, and the mean Qanadli score was 15.3 ± 10.2. Children with PE had higher D-dimer levels (9.3 ± 7.1 mg/Lvs. 3.6 ± 3.8 mg/L) and a greater frequency of lung lobe consolidation (25 (96.2 %) vs. 64 (80.0 %)) (all P < 0.05). For children with MPP, age (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.96 (95 % CI1.04, 3.71; P = 0.037), D-dimer level (HR = 1.52, 95 % CI: 1.03, 2.24; P = 0.029), and bilateral lung consolidation (HR = 2.41, 95 % CI: 1.03, 5.58; P = 0.043) were found to be independent predictors of PE. Clinical and CT radiological predictors could be used to predict PE in children with MPP. The use of risk factor assessment as a tool has the potential to guide more appropriate use of CTPA in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the wear and melt erosion behavior of tin-plated copper alloy contacts are investigated under fretting at current loads ranging from 0.1 to 12.5 A. Three typical variations in the average values of contact resistance and contact temperature with fretting cycles are recorded and interpreted explicitly. The material melt erosion in the contact interface is observed clearly at currents higher than 5 A due to substantial Joule heat. The increment of contact temperature together with the distortion of transient friction force are considered as the degradation characteristics in the fretting. The produced scars and oxides between the contact interface eventually lead to the electric circuit disconnection. The distinct physical mechanism of contact interface fretting wear and melt erosion at high current loads is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies with high morbidity and mortality. Beta-1,3-galactosyltransferase 5 (b3galt5) plays crucial roles in protein glycosylation, but its function in HCC remains unclear. Here, we investigated the role and underlying mechanism of b3galt5 in HCC. We found that b3galt5 is highly expressed and associated with a poor prognosis in HCC patients. In vitro studies showed that b3galt5 promoted the proliferation and survival of HCC cells. We also demonstrated that b3galt5 deficiency suppressed hepatocarcinogenesis in DEN/TCPOBOP-induced HCC. Further investigation confirmed that b3galt5 promoted aerobic glycolysis in HCC. Mechanistically, b3galt5 promoted glycolysis by activating the mTOR/p70s6k pathway through O-linked glycosylation modification on mTOR. Moreover, p70s6k inhibition reduced the expression of key glycolytic enzymes and the glycolysis rate in b3galt5-overexpressing cells. Our study uncovers a novel mechanism by which b3galt5 mediates glycolysis in HCC and highlights the b3galt5-mTOR/p70s6k axis as a potential target for HCC therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A highly interconnected sponge (HIS) with a tunable porous structure was developed for durable, efficient desalination. By balancing the water supply speed and heat loss, an optimal efficiency (∼95%) and high evaporation rate (∼3.9 kg m−2h−1) were achieved. The low cost ($0.125 m−2), mechanical tunability, and salt-resistance properties demonstrate the practical applicability of the HIS evaporator. [Display omitted] • Highly interconnected sponge with high tunability of the porous structure. • Minimized heat loss and rapid water supply were simultaneously realized. • Solar evaporation rate as high as ∼3.9 kg m−2h−1 was achieved under 1 sun. • High efficiency, low cost and superior durability benefit its practical application. Solar steam generation (SSG) has been recognized as one of the most sustainable approaches for seawater desalination. However, its practical implementation is limited by the complicated preparation strategy, insufficient evaporation performance, and poor mechanical durability. Here, we propose a simple and effective method for preparing a highly interconnected sponge (HIS) for sustainable desalination. The porous structure of HIS evaporator can be tuned by simply adjusting the emulsion concentration, which allowed for optimization of water supply and heat management, resulting in an excellent evaporation rate of 3.87 kg m−2h−1. The HIS also demonstrated outstanding mechanical durability and long-term stability. Furthermore, the entire material cost of the HIS evaporator was only $0.125 m−2, more than an order of magnitude lower than those of previously reported evaporators. The high efficiency, durability, low cost, and storability of the HIS demonstrate its broad prospect for commercial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photocatalytic technology has been considered to be an ideal approach to solve the energy and environmental crises, and TiO2 is regarded as the most promising photocatalyst. Compared with bare TiO2, TiO2 based p-n heterojunction exhibits a much better performance in charge separation, light absorption and photocatalytic activity. Herein, we developed an efficient method to prepare p-type TiO2 quantum dots (QDs) and decorated graphitic carbonitrile (g-C3N4) nanocomposites, while the composition and structure of the TiO2@g-C3N4 were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy characterizations. The characterization results reveal the surface decorated TiO2 quantum dots is decomposed by titanium glycerolate, which exhibits p-type conductivity. The presence of p-n heterojunction over interface is confirmed, and photoluminescence results indicate a better performance in transfer and separation of photo-generated charge carriers than pure semiconductors and type-II heterojunction. Moreover, the synergy of p-n heterojunction over interface, strong interface interaction, and quantum-size effect significantly contributes to the promoted performance of TiO2 QDs@g-C3N4 composites. As a result, the as-fabricated TiO2 QDs@g-C3N4 composite with a p/n mass ratio of 0.15 exhibits improved photo-reactivity of 4.3-fold and 5.4-fold compared to pure g-C3N4 in degradation of organic pollutant under full solar spectrum and visible light irradiation, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]