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Gasification and combustion are two common methods for Zhundong (ZD) coal utilization. In the present study, it was intended to investigate the thermal transformation of Na in ZD coal at the Lurgi fixed bed gasifier (Lurgi) and circulating fluidized bed boiler (CFBB). To this end, raw coal samples before gasification and gasified slags were gathered from Lurgi, and the raw coal before combustion, burned slag, and fly ash were collected from CFBB. The occurrence form of Na was analyzed by extraction experiments, and the samples were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma‐optical emission spectrometry (ICP‐OES), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The obtained results revealed that insoluble Na in Lurgi slag exceeded 90% under the high‐pressure gasification process. It was found that the high temperatures and high in Lurgi intensify the conversion of sodium to Na2Ca3Si2O8 and NaAlSiO4. The performed analyses revealed that the insoluble Na content in CFBB slag and fly ash was above 92%, and Na2SiO3 and NaAlSi3O8 were the main sodium minerals in CFBB solid residue. It was found that 76.64% of the initial Na content of raw coal in Lurgi migrated into slag after the gasification process, which was 7.05% higher than the sum of slag and fly ash in CFBB after combustion. During the sodium thermal transformation in Lurgi and CFBB, high pressures significantly reduce the release of gaseous Na from coal ash so more Na was retained in slag. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • N-doping enriched MgO-modified biochar (MBC) was prepared by Mg(NO 3) 2 activation. • Mg(NO 3) 2 activation method enhance the N doping degree of biochar. • Higher N doping degree facilitate the AF transmit in the pore of biochar. • The MBC exhibit excellent Acid fuchsin adsorption performance from wastewater. Developing efficient biochar (BC) adsorbent for pollution removal has been a long-term exploration. However, the negative charge surface of pristine BC seriously impedes the transfer of anionic dye through the pore of BC and results in low adsorption capacity. Herein, N-doping enriched porous MgO-modified biochar (MBC) was successfully prepared through a facile nitrate activation method for anionic acid fuchsin (AF) removal. The N-doped group of secondary amine in MBC changes the surface charge of BC and facilitate the AF adsorption onto MgO. The as-prepared MBC exhibited superior adsorption capacity of 328 mg⋅g−1. The adsorption process was well aligned with the Freundlich and pseudo-second-order kinetics models indicating a hybrid physicochemical adsorption mechanism. Further mechanism investigation indicates that N-doped group, MgO and functional groups in biochar matrix primarily contribute to AF adsorption. The mechanism includes: electrostatic attraction, π-π interaction, hydrogen bonding and pore filling. This research provides an environmentally friendly nitrate activation strategy for BC, which overcomes the inherent defects of BC in negative charge surface and provides a facile way of biomass valorization for pollution removal from the aquatic environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a subtype of stroke and results in neurological deficits in patients without any effective treatments. Artemisinin (ART), a well‐known antimalarial Chinese medicine, exerts multiple essential roles in the central and peripheral nervous system due to its antioxidative and anti‐inflammation properties. Neural cell adhesion molecule L1 (L1CAM, L1) is considered to be implicated in neural development, functional maintenance, and neuroprotection during disease. However, whether these two essential molecules are neuroprotective in ICH remains unclear. Methods: Therefore, the present study investigated the influence of ART on the recovery of neurological deficits in a mouse model of ICH induced by collagenase and the underlying mechanism. Results: It was revealed that ART is capable of upregulating L1 expression to alleviate brain edema, reduce oxidative stress, and inhibit inflammation to alleviate ICH‐induced brain injury to improve the neurological outcome in mice suffering from ICH. Conclusion: These results may lay the foundation for ART to be a novel candidate treatment for ICH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In multi-project management, effectively allocating limited resources to projects is crucial for ensuring the success of the project portfolio and timely delivery. There are two approaches to managing renewable resources based on project execution environment and resource characteristics: resource sharing and resource dedication. This study explores a novel resource dedication-transfer policy, where renewable resources are dedicated to each project during execution and can be transferred to other projects once the corresponding project is completed. Additionally, real-world multi-project scheduling often faces uncertainties, with the most common issue being varying durations of activities. To address this, a hierarchical multi-objective optimization model is proposed under the resource dedication-transfer policy. This model aims to allocate dedicated resources to the project portfolio at a tactical level and schedule individual activities at an operational level. The specific objectives include minimizing the total weighted tardiness of all projects, minimizing the total fluctuating costs of resources, and maximizing solution robustness in the presence of activity duration variabilities. The proposed solution methodologies include an adjusted large neighborhood search (ALNS) and a customized NSGA-II algorithm. Both algorithms employ a hybrid coding scheme of "project-buffer-resource-activity" list to represent feasible solutions. Specially, the ALNS introduces new destroy-repair neighborhood operators and a hypervolume-based selection criterion to enhance its performance. Experimental results demonstrate that while both algorithms have their advantages for small-scale instances, the ALNS is more effective for large-scale instances. Finally, the derived Pareto solutions from the proposed method are further evaluated through a simulation of multi-project execution under different levels of activity duration variabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-phase Mn1-xZnxFe2O4 (x=0.2, 0.5, 0.8) hollow ceramic microspheres (MnZn-HCMs) was one-step prepared using self-reactive quenching method. Material parameters of three MnZn-HCMs were studied by SEM and XRD, and electromagnetic properties were investigated by vibrating sample magnetometer and vector network analyzer. The results showed that the phase composition of three MnZn-HCMs presents single-phase, with particle size distribution of 20-60 μm; when x was equal to 0.2 or 0.8, the surface of HCMs showed a large number of nanolamellar crystal with crossing, connecting or laminating each other, and for 0.5, a large quantity of nano-isometric crystal was formed. Thanks to special surface structure and micron-particle size, three MnZn-HCMs exhibited superparamagnetic. With the content of Zn increases, the saturated magnetization (Ms) decreases first and then increases, meanwhile, the coercivity (Hc) decreases gradually. In the 0.1-18 GHz range, due to nano-lamellar structure could enhance the interfacial polarization and space charge polarization, Mn0.8Zn0.2Fe2O4 HCMs and Mn0.2Zn0.8Fe2O4 HCMs have higher real part of permittivity (ϵ') value than Mn0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 HCMs. Owing to higher conductivity, the value of imaginary part of permittivity (ϵ") of Mn0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 HCMs was the highest in 0.1-0.8 GHz range, however, with the frequency increases, the ϵ" of Mn0.8Zn0.2Fe2O4 HCMs and Mn0.2Zn0.8Fe2O4 HCMs increased significantly resulting from orientation polarization and interfacial polarization, which was greater than Mn0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 HCMs. Due to the higher Ms, the value of imaginary part of permeability (μ") of Mn0.2Zn0.8Fe2O4 HCMs and Mn0.8Zn0.2Fe2O HCMs was greater than Mn0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 HCMs. Moreover, the μ"-f curve reveals a broad resonance peak of Mn0.8Zn0.2Fe2O4 HCMs ranging from 0.1 to 8 GHz, which maybe relate to its thick nano-lamellar crystal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nanofiber absorbing materials have been research hotspots of high-performance absorbing materials in recent years, owning to its unique surface effect and aeolotropism. As the simplest and effective method of preparing nanofiber, electrospinning has been applied to prepare wave absorbing materials. Many fruitful researches have been done by this means. In this paper, the types and characteristics of absorbing materials prepared by electrospinning are introduced, and the morphology of nanofiber is summarized. In the end, the developing trend and the issues to be resolved of wave absorbing materials prepared by electrospinning are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nanofiber absorbing materials have been research hotspots of high-performance absorbing materials in recent years, owning to its unique surface effect and aeolotropism. As the simplest and effective method of preparing nanofiber, electrospinning has been applied to prepare wave absorbing materials. Many fruitful researches have been done by this means. In this paper, the types and characteristics of absorbing materials prepared by electrospinning are introduced, and the morphology of nanofiber is summarized. In the end, the developing trend and the issues to be resolved of wave absorbing materials prepared by electrospinning are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium–Zinc ferrite hollow microspheres (LiZn FHMs) doped with La and Mg were synthesized by Fe + Zn + Fe 2 O 3 + O 2 + Li 2 CO 3 reactive system based on self-reactive quenching technology. Influence of La and Mg doping on the surface morphology, phase structure and microwave absorption properties of LiZn FHMs were investigated. The results show that the surface morphology of LiZn FHMs changes little and are still composed of unnoticeable multi-shape crystal grains, whether they are doped or not. The phases are mainly made up of Fe 3 O 4 , Fe 2 O 3 , Li 0.435 Zn 0.195 Fe 2.37 O 4 and Li 0.5 Fe 2.5 O 4 without doping. The phases remain unchangeable after Mg doping, while LaFeO 3 appears in the phase components after La doping. When LiZn ferrites are without doping, their minimum reflectivity at 4 mm is −14 dB at 7.5 GHz, and the effective absorption frequency band less than −10 dB is 6.4–8.6 GHz, with the bandwidth of 2.2 GHz. Compared with that without doping, the minimum reflectivity increases after Mg doping, and the effective absorption frequency band less than −10 dB disappears. After La doping, the minimum reflectivity is −30.2 dB at 6.2 GHz, and the effective absorption frequency band is 4.7–7.7 GHz, with the bandwidth of 3 GHz. It is found from the present investigations that the microwave absorption properties are improved after La doping, and those of LiZn FHMs after Mg doping are reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fault-tolerance plays an important role in improving the reliability of multiple earth-observing satellites, especially in emergent scenarios such as obtaining photographs on battlefields or earthquake areas. Fault tolerance can be implemented through scheduling approaches. Unfortunately, little attention has been paid to fault-tolerant scheduling on satellites. To address this issue, we propose a novel dynamic fault-tolerant scheduling model for real-time tasks running on multiple observation satellites. In this model, the primary-backup policy is employed to tolerate one satellite’s permanent failure at one time instant. In the light of the fault-tolerant model, we develop a novel fault-tolerant satellite s cheduling algorithm named FTSS. To improve the resource utilization, we apply the overlapping technology that includes primary-backup copy overlapping (i.e., PB overlapping) and backup-backup copy overlapping (i.e., BB overlapping). According to the satellites characterized with time windows for observations, we extensively analyze the overlapping mechanism on satellites. We integrate the overlapping mechanism with FTSS, which employs the task merging strategies including primary-backup copy merging (i.e., PB merging), backup-backup copy merging (i.e., BB merging) and primary-primary copy merging (i.e., PP merging). These merging strategies are used to decrease the number of tasks required to be executed, thereby enhancing system schedulability. To demonstrate the superiority of our FTSS, we conduct extensive experiments using the real-world satellite parameters supplied from the satellite tool kit or STK; we compare FTSS with the three baseline algorithms, namely, NMFTSS, NOFTSS, and NMNOFTSS. The experimental results indicate that FTSS efficiently improves the scheduling quality of others and is suitable for fault-tolerant satellite scheduling. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Al + Fe 2 O 3 + BaO 2 and NaNO 3 as the reactive system and the foaming agent, respectively, are used to prepare barium ferrite hollow microspheres (BFHMs) by self-reactive quenching technology based on flame spraying technology, self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) technology and quick chilling technology. Effects of NaNO 3 on the particle size, morphology, phase structure and microwave absorption properties of BFHMs are investigated through SEM, XRD, particle size analyzer, high-speed camera and vector network analyzer. The results show that, after adding 10 wt.% NaNO 3 , the average particle size of BFHMs decreases initially from 28 μm to 6 μm, as well as the particle distribution gets narrower. Micro-nano lamellar crystals appear on the surface of BFHMs, with the dimension ranging from 500 nm to 2 μm. BaFe 2 O 4 and Fe 3 O 4 , which have spinel structures, can be seen in XRD, and they are beneficial for microwave absorption properties. The real part ( ɛ ′), imaginary part ( ɛ ″) of permittivity, and the imaginary part of permeability ( μ ″) increases in 0.5–18 GHz. The real part ( μ ′) of permeability increases in 0.5–10.3 GHz, while decreases in 10.3–18 GHz. The microwave absorption properties are improved greatly, and the minimum reflectivity decreases from −3.1 dB to −9.8 dB. The reasons for improvement of microwave absorption properties after adding NaNO 3 foaming agent may be the decreasing of the particle size of BFHMs, the appearance of ferrites (BaFe 2 O 4 and Fe 3 O 4 ) with spinel structure and special micro-nano tabular crystals. Magnetoplumbite-type barium ferrites (BaFe 12 O 19 ) hollow microspheres are obtained after heat-treatment and the microwave absorption properties are further improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, most tasks submitted to earth observation satellites (EOSs) are with deadlines, to satisfy users' timing requirements. Besides, tasks are normally submitted dynamically, with uncertainties of tasks number and submission times. In this paper, we establish a multi-objective mathematic programming model for dynamic real-time scheduling of EOSs. To improve user's revenue and resource utilization, a task dynamic merging strategy is proposed. With the dynamic merging in place, plus consideration of retracting and rearranging some scheduled tasks to make room for incorporating the newly arrived tasks, we present a novel dynamic real-time scheduling algorithm—DMTRH. To demonstrate the superiority of our DMTRH, we conduct extensive experiments by simulations to compare DMTRH with two algorithms—RHTSS and STI. The experimental results indicate that DMTRH improves the scheduling quality of others and is suitable for dynamic real-time scheduling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] High-speed photography used for flame field partition and flight combustion behaviors. [•] Relationship between intrinsic characteristics of HMCMs and flame characters was investigated. [•] Relationship between intrinsic characteristics and absorbing properties was established. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Scheduling plays a significant role in improving observation effectiveness of distributed imaging satellites. Although extensive satellite scheduling algorithms have been proposed, none of them focuses on dynamic scheduling for emergency tasks. In this paper, a novel multi-objective dynamic scheduling model for emergency tasks on distributed imaging satellites is established for the first time. To improve user's satisfaction ratio and resource utilization, we propose the task merging strategy: establishing a task merging graph (TMG) model and proposing a task merging algorithm—CP-TM based on clique partition. In addition, a rehabilitation technique is suggested to overcome the disadvantage that task merging will make tasks have less imaging opportunities. To further enhance the schedulability, the task backward shift in the waiting sequence is considered in our study. Furthermore, a novel dynamic scheduling algorithm called TMBSR-DES is presented, which comprehensively considers task merging, backward shift, and rehabilitation. To demonstrate the superiority of our TMBSR-DES, we conduct extensive experiments by simulations to compare TMBSR-DES with three existing algorithm—RBHA, RTSSA, and LSA, as well as three baseline algorithms—BS-DES, TMR-DES, and TMBS-DES. The experimental results indicate that TMBSR-DES outperforms the others and is suitable for emergency task scheduling. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Al-TiO-FeO-MnO-Fe-Sucrose-Epoxy Resin as reaction system and self-reactive quenching technology which combines flame thermal spraying, self-propagating high-temperature synthesis and rapid solidification, were used to prepare three kinds of hollow multiphase ceramic microspheres (HMCMs) in different feeding gas (N, O) and dimension (coarse, fine). The characteristic results of three kinds of HMCMs indicated that various process parameters containing feeding gas and initial agglomerate size in this study can result in the change of surface organization, composition, morphology, and dimension. Investigation of microwave electromagnetic (EM) characteristics of three kinds of HMCMs showed that intrinsic characteristics play an important role in the determining the resulting properties. At 10-14.5 GHz, No. 3 HMCMs possess weak absorption intensity and narrow effective bandwidth (<−10 dB) owing to smaller dimension, but in higher-frequency band (14.5-17 GHz), an obvious absorption peak appears due to good EM match and nano-effects. Compared with No. 1 (O coarse) and No. 3 (O fine) HMCMs, enhanced absorption intensity and effective bandwidth (<−10 dB) were observed in No. 2 (N coarse) HMCMs. Enhancements of absorption intensity and effective bandwidth are associated with extra nitride (AlN, FeN), partial open microspheres, M-hexagonal crystal and micro-nano thick dendrite. No. 2 HMCMs presented excellent microwave-absorption property, with the minimum reflectivity ( R) of −27.7 dB at 12.9 GHz. The effective bandwidth (<−10 dB) could reach to 4.1 GHz (10.9-15 GHz). This may be ascribed to the increased conductance loss, multiple scattering, magnetocrystalline anisotropy, and shape anisotropy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Al–TiO2–Fe–Fe2O3–MnO2, as the main reaction system, was selected to prepare the agglomerate powders containing energy (APCE) on 50–90μm by balling, drying, carbonating, grinding and sieving. Self-reactive quenching technology, which is integrated with flame spraying, self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) and rapid solidification, was used to spray and melt the APCE. Flight combustion of the APCE was analyzed by high-speed photography, water quenching, collisions and Gibbs free energy graph, and surface morphologies of quenching products were characterized by SEM. The results show that the APCE goes through three stages, which mean heat storage (0–80mm, 66–72ms), heat releasing (80–240mm, 73–83ms) and after combustion (240–400mm, 84–99ms), to form hollow ceramic droplets which decisively affect the quality of hollow multiphase ceramic microspheres. Collisions and burst may be the main reasons to produce flame retrogression and affect the particle size distribution of hollow multiphase ceramic microspheres simultaneously. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Fe-Fe2O3-BaCO3-sucrose-epoxy resin and O2 as reaction system and feeding gas, respectively, were used to prepare M-type BaFe12O19 hollow ceramic microspheres (BaM HCMs) absorbent by self-reactive quenching technology which combines flame thermal spraying, self-propagating high temperature synthesis (SHS), and rapidly solidification. The morphologies and phase composition before and after heat treatment of HCMs were studied by SEM, XRD, and EDS, and microwave absorption properties were also analyzed. The results showed that before heat treatment, the phase was composed of Fe3O4, Fe2O3, BaFe2O4, and BaCO3. And thick dendrite, eutectic of dendrite and amorphous and amorphous were formed on the surface of HCMs. After heat treatment, high purity single BaM HCMs was obtained, and the surface was transformed into nanolamella, micro-nano isometric grain, eutectic of nanolamella and isometric grain, and hexagonal crystal. Absorption test result showed that at 0.5-18 GHz, both ε′ and ε″ of HCMs reduced obviously, but the μ″ increased by heat treatment. Therefore, the minimum reflectivity and bandwidth less than −10 dB were improved to −22.1 dB and 5.7 GHz (12.3-18 GHz), respectively. The improvement of electromagnetic match resulted by obvious reduction of permittivity, and the magnetocrystalline anisotropy, shape anisotropy, and various polarizations generated from special surface morphologies may be the main reasons to make microwave absorption properties better. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bubble formation and detachment in liquid cross-flow widely existed in industrial systems. In this work, an integrated theoretical model based on a global force balance on the bubble detaching from a wall orifice in high liquid cross-flow is established to give a comprehensive description of bubble detaching process. The bubble detachment diameter are predicted by the model, and the effect of variation forces acing on bubble surface caused by liquid velocity, air flow rate and orifice diameter on bubble detachment is analyzed. Predictions of the theoretical model compare well with the previous experiment. In the horizontal direction, the liquid inertia force is the main detaching force, and the liquid drag force plays an important role in the early stage of bubble detachment. Because of the different liquid flow rate, the resultant force change has great influence on bubble detachment. However, due to the difference of gas flow rate and orifice diameter, the change of resultant force has little effect on bubble detachment. The relationship between gas–liquid momentum ratio, orifice diameter and bubble detachment diameter is fitted. When the ratio is less than 0.2, the liquid inertia force and drag force caused by liquid velocity has a great influence on bubble detachment diameter. When the ratio is greater than 0.2, the effect of liquid velocity is gradually weakened, and the bubble detachment becomes difficult due to the increase of air flow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurately monitoring micro-level strain within pavements poses a significant challenge in contemporary road engineering, limiting the effectiveness of early-stage pavement health diagnostics. Addressing this critical gap, this study introduces an innovative ultra-low detection limit sensor, specifically designed for intricate pavement health monitoring. It pivots on the unique structural design of a well-ordered 3D conductive network, where the self-assembly effect of microsphere arrays ingeniously mitigates the prevalent issue of nanofiller agglomeration within polymer matrices. The study highlights the significant role of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) length in shaping the structure of conductive networks, revealing that while longer CNTs lead to less uniform microsphere assemblies, they significantly enhance the bridging effect crucial for conductive pathways. To balance these traits, surface chemical modifications were strategically applied, effectively enhancing microsphere organization and dispersion, thereby elevating the conductive and sensing performance. The optimized sensor stands out for the ultra-low detection limit of 0.0005% (5 uε), significantly surpassing those of current strain sensors. Moreover, it exhibits remarkable sensitivity, evidenced by a gauge factor of 13.2, along with swift response and recovery times of 19 ms and 26 ms respectively, and impressive durability, enduring over 100,000 loading-unloading cycles. Field tests under diverse vehicular loads and speeds further validate the sensor's accuracy in capturing dynamic responses within pavement structures, a key factor in proactive pavement maintenance and management. Hence, this advancement shows promise in contributing to the development of safer and more resilient road networks, playing a beneficial role in the significant progress of intelligent transportation and sustainable infrastructure management. • An ultra-low detection limit sensor was developed for pavement health monitoring. • Self-assembled conductive microsphere array was proposed to enhance performance. • Surface chemical modification was strategically applied to enhance the conductive network. • New sensor significantly outperforms traditional methods in detecting micro-level strain. • Demonstrated effectiveness in real-world tests under varying vehicular loads and speeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To obtain the reduction characteristics of NH 3 on Fe 2 O 3 in coal ash, and verify that the injected ammonia-bearing reductant led to slagging during SNCR, the slag sample was collected at the flue gas temperature range of 720 °C–780 °C in a medium temperature separation circulating fluidized bed boiler (MTS-CFBB). The XRF, XRD were used to determine the elemental distribution and mineral composition. The reduction reaction of CO, NH 3 with Fe 2 O 3 was calculated by HSC Chemistry 6.0 to obtain the reduction ability. Moreover, the mineral transformation in coal ash was studied by the tube furnace under N 2 and N 2 -NH 3 atmosphere. The results indicated that the contents of Fe 2 O 3 in the three layers of slag sample were 16.36%, 16.00%, and 12.63% respectively from outside to inside, which were higher than that in burned coal ash. The NH 3 has stronger reduction ability as compared to CO reacting with Fe 2 O 3 and Fe 3 O 4 at the temperature range of 720 °C–780 °C. With the reacting temperature increasing, the added NH 3 led to more Na and O release, lower decomposed temperature of CaSO 4. The NH 3 reduced the Fe3+ in coal ash to form the Fe 3 O 4 , FeO or other Fe2+ contained compounds at the high-temperature. The formed Fe2+ contained compounds with low melting temperature played a glue role to promote the slagging process. At last, the slagging mechanism caused by injected ammonia-bearing reductant under the SNCR condition was established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The content of alkaline earth metals in Zhundong (ZD) coal ash has a great effect on its melting characteristics. Herein, the influence of MgO content on a silicate microstructure was studied using molecular dynamics simulation under the conditions of 40 mol% high calcium and 20 mol% low calcium. Moreover, the theoretical results were verified by the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy analysis of synthetic coal ash. In the MgO–CaO–Al2O3–SiO2 system, the results showed that the average bond lengths of Si–O and Al–O in the system are 1.61 and 1.75 Å, respectively, under the high calcium condition. With an increase in MgO content, Q4 with a high degree of polymerization was depolymerized and changed into Q1, Q2 and Q3 with a low degree of polymerization; Ot decreased, Ob increased first and then decreased, and Onb increased. Under the low calcium condition, the average bond lengths of Si–O and Al–O were 1.61 and 1.76 Å, respectively. When the content of MgO increased, Q4 was depolymerized into Q2 and Q3, Ot decreased, Onb increased, and Ob only increased by 1%. Compared with Si4+, Mg2+ easily attacks Al3+, and the degree of damage to the [AlO4]5− tetrahedron is greater. By comparing the distribution of oxygen and the degree of polymerization in the high calcium and low calcium systems, it was concluded that MgO more easily destroys the silicate networks of ash under the condition of high calcium CaO content of 40 mol%, which changes the viscosity and combustion characteristics of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents information on a study which designed and implemented an experimental extended multilevel decision feedback equalization (M2DFE) read channel. Discussion on M2DFE; Principles of the detector; Components of M2DFE hardware; Bit-error-rate (BER) of the experimental detector.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most prevalent malignant tumor worldwide. Within HCC's tumor microenvironment, focal adhesion kinase (FAK) plays a critical role. Regulatory T cells (Treg) modulate the polarization of tumor-associated macrophages , but the relationship between FAK, Treg cells, and macrophages remains underexplored. Phellinus linteus (PL) shows promise as a treatment for HCC due to its pharmacological effects. This study aimed to explore the relationship between FAK and Treg-macrophages and to assess whether PL could exert a protective effect through the FAK process in HCC. Initially, C57BL/6-FAK−/− tumor-bearing mice were utilized to demonstrate that FAK stimulates HCC tumor development. High dosages (200 μM) of FAK and the FAK activator ZINC40099027 led to an increase in Treg (CD4+CD25+) cells, a decrease in M1 macrophages (F4/80+CD16/32+, IL-12, IL-2, iNOS), and an increase in M2 macrophages (F4/80+CD206+, IL-4, IL-10, Arg1, TGF-β1). Additionally, FAK was found to encourage cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition while inhibiting apoptosis in HepG2 and SMMC7721 cells. These effects were mediated by the PI3K/AKT1/Janus Kinase (JAK)/ signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), and mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK)/Jun N-terminal Kinase (JNK) signaling pathways. Furthermore, PL exhibited a potent antitumor effect in vivo in a dose-dependent manner, reducing FAK, Treg cells, and M2 macrophages, while increasing M1 macrophages. This effect was achieved through the inhibition of the PI3K/AKT/JAK/STAT3, and p38/JNK pathways. Overall, our findings suggest that FAK promotes HCC via Treg cells that polarize macrophages toward the M2 type through specific signaling pathways. PL, acting through FAK, could be a protective therapy against HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, molecular and genetic research hotspots of gastric cancer have been investigated, including microRNAs, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and messenger RNA (mRNAs). The study on the role of lncRNAs may help to develop personalized treatment and identify potential prognostic biomarkers in gastric cancer. The RNA-seq and miRNA-seq data of gastric cancer were downloaded from the TCGA database. Differential analysis of RNA expression between gastric cancer samples and normal samples was performed using the edgeR package. The ceRNA regulatory network was visualized using Cytoscape. KEGG pathway analysis of mRNAs in the ceRNA network was performed using the clusterProfiler package. CIBERSORT was used to distinguish 22 immune cell types and the prognosis-related genes and immune cells were determined using Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazard analyses. To estimate these nomograms, we used receiver operating characteristic and calibration curve studies. The ceRNA regulation network of gastric cancer was built in this study, and the genes in the network were analyzed for prognosis. A total of 980 lncRNAs were differentially expressed, of which 774 were upregulated and 206 were downregulated. A survival study identified 15 genes associated with gastric cancer prognosis, including VCAN-AS1, SERPINE1, AL139002.1, LINC00326, AC018781.1, C15orf54, hsa-miR-145. Monocytes and Neutrophils were associated with the survival rate of gastric cancer. Our research uncovers new ceRNA network for the detection, treatment, and monitoring of gastric cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the influence of soft rock with high geostress, large deformation is prone to occur during tunnel construction. Since it relies on the Yuntunbao Tunnel of the Chengdu − Lanzhou Railway, regarding the large deformation of soft rock, a control concept was proposed in this study through theoretical and on-site investigations and testing; the large deformation control technology involved an advanced support, which is a combination of yielding and resistance and coordinated bearing, with a corresponding support system. The applicability levels of two and three phases of a large deformation tunnel were compared and analyzed. The research results showed that with large deformation, the presupport of forepoling umbrellas could effectively control the settlement of the tunnel crown and ensure the stability of the excavation face in the soft rock tunnel. By assembling long bolts, double-layer initial supports, and grouting behind the supports, the problems of rock intruding the limit and the initial support failure of large deformation tunnels could be effectively solved. Relative to the two phases, although the construction process of the three phases was more complex, the cumulative deformation of the tunnel was only 63 − 70% of that of the two phases; this phenomenon was more conducive for controlling tunnel deformation. The stress of the steel frame at the tunnel spandrel was smaller than that of the two phases. Consequently, three phases were more suitable for constructing large deformation tunnels in soft rock strata. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• High-Performance Flexible strain sensor was developed based on PDMS/PS/CNT nanocomposite. • Robust orientation-3D conductive network was constructed by self-assembled microsphere arrays. • PS microsphere arrays assisted the CNT dispersion during self-deployment. • Surface functionalization enabled strong interfacial interaction and stable properties. Flexible strain sensors prepared by self-sensing nanocomposites using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as the matrix material and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as the conductive filler have received widespread attention due to their structural flexibility, outstanding weatherability and biocompatibility. Nevertheless, the high sensitivity, stable signal output, and durability are still limited by the uniform dispersion of the CNTs inside. In this paper, a novel preparation method different from direct dispersion was explored, in which CNTs were assembled on the surface of polystyrene (PS) microspheres to assist in CNT dispersion during the self-deployment of microspheres arrays. The free CNTs acted as a bridge to connect the conductive microspheres in the orientation-3D conductive network, which were essential for forming abundant conductive pathways. As numerous conductive fillers were added to the system to enhance conductivity, the self-alignment effect of the microsphere arrays was significantly inhibited, and it failed to assist well in the dispersion. Therefore, the covalent bonding strategy was employed to improve the dispersion and construct strong interfacial interaction, providing impressive electrical conductivity, structural stability, and outstanding durability and thermal stability. The PDMS/PS-C/CNT-N composites prepared with aminated CNT (CNT-N) and carboxylated PS microspheres (PS-C) showed better performance in sensitivity, achieving a gauge factor of over 70, a wide sensing range of 0–124%, and fast response of 330 ms and fast recovery of 190 ms. The developed sensory film was used as an intelligent sensor to monitor traffic flow information. It has been proved that not only the vehicle configuration can be accurately identified, but also the speed can be precisely back-calculated. It opens up new territory to develop high-performance flexible strain sensors for accurate, long-term, and stable acquisition of traffic flow information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of the transportation industry has led to an increasing number of overloaded vehicles, which reduces the service life of asphalt pavements. Currently, the traditional vehicle weighing method not only involves heavy equipment but also has a low weighing efficiency. To deal with the defects in the existing vehicle weighing system, this paper developed a road-embedded piezoresistive sensor based on self-sensing nanocomposites. The sensor developed in this paper adopts an integrated casting and encapsulation technology, in which an epoxy resin/MWCNT nanocomposite is used for the functional phase, and an epoxy resin/anhydride curing system is used for the high-temperature resistant encapsulation phase. The compressive stress-resistance response characteristics of the sensor were investigated by calibration experiments with an indoor universal testing machine. In addition, the sensors were embedded in the compacted asphalt concrete to validate the applicability to the harsh environment and back-calculate the dynamic vehicle loads on the rutting slab. The results show that the response relationship between the sensor resistance signal and the load is in accordance with the GaussAmp formula. The developed sensor not only survives effectively in asphalt concrete but also enables dynamic weighing of the vehicle loads. Consequently, this study provides a new pathway to develop high-performance weigh-in-motion pavement sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the relationship between miR-122-5p and DUSP4 and their effects on gastric cancer (GC) cell mobility and invasiveness. Methods: Abnormally expressed miRNAs and mRNAs were analyzed using microarrays. The miR-122-5p and DUSP4 mRNA expression levels in GC tissues and cells were determined by RT-qPCR. The target relationship between miR-122-5p and DUSP4 was validated by dual luciferase reporter assay. GC cell mobility and invasiveness were respectively observed by wound healing assay and transwell invasion assay. Western blot and immunohistochemistry were used for detection of the expressions of DUSP4 protein and MMP2 and MMP9 proteins related to cell invasion and migration. The migration and invasion abilities of gastric cancer cells in vivo were evaluated according to the number of lung metastatic nodules in mice. Results: The expression of miR-122-5p in GC tissues and cells was significantly down-regulated, whereas DUSP4 expression was up-regulated. Bioinformatics prediction strategies and dual luciferase reporter assay verified the binding sites of miR-122-5p on 3′UTR of DUSP4 and the target relationship between miR-122-5p and DUSP4. Overexpression of miR-122-5p and knockdown of DUSP4 in BGC-823 cells observantly suppressed GC cell mobility and invasiveness, whereas downregulation of miR-122-5p expression promoted cell metastasis. MiR-122-5p inhibited GC cell mobility and invasiveness and pulmonary tumor metastasis via downregulation of DUSP4. Conclusion: MiR-122-5p restrained migration and invasion abilities of GC cells by repressing DUSP4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The MECOM gene encoding a zinc finger protein that functions as a transcription factor, was located on chromosome 3q26, and rearrangements of MECOM often cause its overexpression in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We identified H2AFY as a novel fusion gene partner of MECOM in an elderly male AML patient with cryptic 3q26 rearrangement using the whole transcriptome sequencing, who carried out abnormal karyotype of 46,XY,t(3;5)(q27;q31),add(14)(p11). We validated the existence of the unreported H2AFY-MECOM fusion gene by RT-PCR and Sanger DNA sequencing, and detected mutations of NRAS and BCOR in this patient. In addition, we found abnormally elevated expression of MECOM in this patient by quantitative-polymerase chain reaction (RQ-PCR). Further research is needed to investigate functional characterizations of this novel fusion in the development of AML. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Depolymerization mechanism of Na 2 O is illustrated by FTIR and MD. • Increase of Na 2 O can lead to a reduced degree of polymerization. • The added Na+ attacks [SiO4]4− and [AlO4]5−, increases the ratio of O nb. • Increase of free O2− enter into the network structure and attach to Si4+and Al3+. Na 2 O is the basic alkali metal oxide in Zhundong (ZD) coal, the content of Na 2 O directly affects the ash fusion temperatures (AFTs) of coal ash. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation were used to study the structural characteristics of synthetic coal ash under Na 2 O concentration of 1–13 mol%. Both FTIR experiments and MD simulation show that Na+ attacks the tri-coordinate oxygen (O t) and the bridge oxygen (O b) formed by [SiO 4 ]4− and [AlO 4 ]5− tetrahedron structure, generates more non-bridge oxygen (O nb), the shelf-like network structure(Q4) in fused coal ash is depolymerized to form layered silicate structure (Q3), chain or cyclic silicate structure (Q2, Q1). O(Al, Al, Si) and O(Al, Al, Al) in O t decreased their trend by 3% each, Si–O–Si was reduced from 12% to 7%. Al–O–Si was reduced from 36% to 29%. The intricate structures are gradually depolymerized into plain structures, which leads to the decrease of AFTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of microscopic processes in modified asphalt is crucial for road engineering but has been challenged by difficulties and means limitations. The phase field model, on the other hand, can accurately simulate and track the evolution of the microscopic phase state of modified asphalt with respect to time, and by simulating the interactions and distribution of different asphalt components, we can predict the asphalt microscopic processes under different conditions. This paper reviews the application of phase field theory to microscopic phase separation, self-healing and fracture behavior of asphalt, and concludes with a brief summary and outlook on the current problems in the application of phase field theory to modified asphalt. • The phase field theory can accurately model and track the evolution of the microscopic phase state of modified bitumen over time, providing insight into the phase separation process. • Allen-Cahn kinetics and Navier-Stokes equations coupled with evolving phase field variables are used to simulate the self-healing process of asphalt. • The interactions and distribution of different components of asphalt are modeled by phase field theory to predict the fracture properties of asphalt under different conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We have carefully proofread the whole manuscript to fix minor typos. • Each algorithm has been correctly labeled as "Algorithm" • The experimental results and their corresponding explanations have been updated. This paper addresses a new multi-commodity unpaired pickup and delivery vehicle routing problem in which each vehicle is allowed to visit each customer more than once for both pickup and delivery of each commodity. It is a complex variant of the classical capacitated vehicle routing problem and comes from resource transfer among different plants in a distributed manufacturing environment. Notably, the pairing decisions of pickup and delivery for each commodity and the routing decisions among customers are interdependent, and they need to be made simultaneously and collaboratively. Firstly, a mixed integer programming model is developed, and then new valid inequalities are derived to improve the linear programming relaxation. Afterwards, a branch-and-cut algorithm is proposed by exploring different branching strategies and tailored separation algorithms. Computational results based on real-case instances from an automobile manufacturing company demonstrate that the costs are considerably reduced by considering the multiple visits compared to the single visit of each customer. In addition, our proposed branch-and-cut algorithm outperforms a manual solution method adopted by the company in practice and two solution methods in the literature. Furthermore, two adaptations of our branch-and-cut algorithm also perform better than two state-of-the-art algorithms in solving two closely-related problems in terms of solution quality and computation time. Sensitivity analyses with respect to vehicle capacity, vehicle duration, and vehicle speed are conducted to derive several valuable managerial insights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Electric field-tunable nanocomposites with aligned CNTs for pavement monitoring. • CNT alignment optimized using electric field, environmental, and material parameters. • Developed sensors exhibit high sensitivity, rapid response and exceptional durability. • Unique dual-sensing capability tracks both strain and temperature without interference. • Field tests reveal pioneering abilities in assessing dynamic pavement behaviors. As urban societies increasingly rely on road infrastructures, the health of pavements becomes a pressing concern. Accurate in-situ monitoring is essential for early detection and maintenance, with tensile strain and temperature being pivotal health indicators. While traditional sensors, such as resistive strain gauges and fiber Bragg gratings, offer solutions, they face challenges in durability and sensitivity. This study introduces electric field-tunable self-sensing nanocomposites with aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) networks in an epoxy matrix as a promising solution for precise pavement health assessment. Through meticulous examination of electric field, environmental, and material parameters, an optimal alignment of CNTs was achieved. Optimization led to sensors that excel in capturing minute strains, showcasing impressive attributes like a gauge factor over 8, rapid response and recovery times of 8 ms and 7 ms respectively, and exceptional durability withstanding 20,000 loading–unloading cycles. Another distinctive feature is the dual-sensing capability, enabling concurrent monitoring of strain and temperature without mutual interference. In real-world applications, the developed sensors actively monitor dynamic pavement responses under moving rollers and vehicles at varied loading models. This innovative approach promises significant advancements in the realm of pavement health monitoring, addressing existing challenges and opening avenues for next-generation pavement sensor development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The reason of metal tube skin appeared on a superheater of boiler with SNCR was analyzed. • The reduction properties of Fe 2 O 3 by NH 3 was studied under high temperature. • The transformation of Fe based compounds under SNCR condition was demonstrated. • The mechanism of tube explosion was established from crack generation to detachment under SNCR condition. Amino compounds were injected into a boiler at high-temperature area usually to realized De-NOx. However, amino compounds were highly corrosive. The metal tube skin of stage III superheater in a medium temperature separation circulating fluidized bed boiler (MTS-CFBB) was investigated to verify the corrosion effect of amino compounds on the boiler tube wall. The sodium salt which was found in the inner layer of the metal tube skin indicated that large area cracking occurred at the metal tube during the operation process; and further indicated that the corrosion rate of the tube wall was speedy. Meanwhile, the tube furnace experimental system and the reaction equations module in HSC Chemistry 6.0 were used to obtain the reduction properties of NH 3 on Fe 2 O 3 at high temperature. The weight loss rate of Fe 2 O 3 under N 2 -NH 3 atmosphere increased from 3.3 wt% to 5.5 wt%, when the temperature rose from 600 °C to 900 °C, and the weight loss rate of samples did not increase any more with the temperature rising to 1000 °C. The injected NH 3 reduced the Fe 3 O 4 to form FeO quickly at 810 °C. With the thermal stress caused by the boiler load adjustment and start up or shut down, the looser FeO formed at the interior of tubes, and then, the different expansion coefficient of Fe based compounds led to the extensive cracking. In summary, NH 3 generated by SNCR was the main reason for corrosion happened on the tubes at high-temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

20-Hydroxyecdysone (20E) is known to have numerous pharmacological activities and can be used to treat diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. However, the protective effects of 20E against endothelial dysfunction and its targets remain unclear. In the present study, we revealed that 20E treatment could modulate the release of the endothelium-derived vasomotor factors NO, PGI 2 and ET-1 and suppress the expression of ACE in TNF-α-induced 3D-cultured HUVECs. In addition, 20E suppressed the expression of CD40 and promoted the expression of SIRT6 in TNF-α-induced 3D-cultured HUVECs. The cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA), drug affinity responsive target stability (DARTS) and molecular docking results demonstrated that 20E binding increased SIRT6 stability, indicating that 20E directly bound to SIRT6 in HUVECs. Further investigation of the underlying mechanism showed that 20E could upregulate SIRT6 levels and that SIRT6 knockdown abolished the regulatory effect of 20E on CD40 in TNF-α-induced HUVECs, while SIRT6 overexpression further improved the effect of 20E. Moreover, we found that 20E could reduce the acetylation of NF-κB p65 (K310) through SIRT6, but the catalytic inactive mutant SIRT6 (H133Y) did not promote the deacetylation of NF-κB p65, suggesting that the inhibitory effect of 20E on NF-κB p65 was dependent on SIRT6 deacetylase activity. Additionally, our results indicated that 20E inhibited NF-κB via SIRT6, and the expression of CD40 was increased in HUVECs treated with SIRT6 siRNA and NF-κB inhibitor. In conclusion, the present study demonstrates that 20E exerts its effect through SIRT6-mediated deacetylation of NF-κB p65 (K310) to inhibit CD40 expression in ECs, and 20E may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. [Display omitted] • 20E modulates endothelium-derived vasomotor factors release and suppresses ACE expression in TNF-α-induced 3D-cultured ECs. • 20E increases SIRT6 expression, stabilizes SIRT6 protein and promotes its activity by direct binding to SIRT6 in HUVECs. • 20E inhibits endothelial inflammation via SIRT6-mediated NF-κB p65 (K310) deacetylation to suppress CD40 expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The melting tendency of biomass ash would be reduced by increasing reacting pressure. • The ash weight loss ratio at 1000 °C reduced from 18.1 % at 0.1 MPa to 4.3 % at 4 MPa. • Amount of KCl crystals were detected in ash which burned at 1000 °C and 2 MPa. The transformation characteristics of inorganic elements in biomass ash are crucial for the efficient and continuous operation of gasifiers. Cotton straw ashes produced initially at 500 °C were heated under different temperatures and pressures, and then the resulting ash samples were analyzed by XRF, XRD, and SEM-EDS. The results indicated that increasing reacting temperature aggravated ash melting and the ash loss rose linearly, reaching up to 18.1 % at 1000 °C and 0.1 MPa. Reversely, high pressure effectively declined ash loss and melting degree. Under 2 MPa and 4 MPa, the weight loss at 1000 °C was only 8.0 % and 4.3 %, respectively. High pressure decreased ash loss by inhibiting the decomposition and vaporization of low-temperature minerals (K 2 SO 4 , Na 8 Al 6 Si 6 O 24 SO 4 , CaCl 2, and CaSi 2) and promoting the reactions among minerals in ash. At 1000 °C, KCl was present in ash, and its content rose with increasing pressure at the same temperature. The SEM-EDS images revealed that the structure of ash varied from melted to adhesion with increasing pressure at 1000 °C. KCl particles were present in large ash particles at 1000 °C and 2 MPa. As the temperature increased from 700 °C to 1000 °C, K 2 O content decreased more than 5.0 %, while that of CaO increased 6.0 % at 0.1 MPa. At 4 MPa, the K 2 O and CaO increased and reduced 0.6 %, respectively. Compared to atmospheric pressure, pressurization significantly reduced the release of inorganic elements from ash. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new metal-organic quadrangular macrocycle Co(III) complex was achieved via self-assembly by comprising anthracene moieties as fluorophores, while the tridentate N 2 O units containing amide groups as guest binding sites and communicators, for specific responses to adenosine-5′-triphosphate disodium over the other disodium 5′-ribonucleotides and inorganic phosphate anions. The M 4 L 4 structure of macrocycle Co(III) complex was further confirmed by the crystal analysis of comparison. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The influence of heating rate on pure oxygen combustion index is weak. • Under pure oxygen atmosphere, the larger coke particle (<500 μm) ignited first. • Activation energy is less affected by changes in coke particle size at oxygen saturation. Non-isothermal thermogravimetry technique was used to analyze three groups of coke samples (S-ZD, M-ZD, and L-ZD) of varying particle sizes. The effect of particle size on kinetic parameters was studied in a pure oxygen atmosphere. The ignition (T i), peak (T p), and burnout (T f) temperatures and the flammability (C) and combustion characteristic (S n) indexes were determined by varying the heating rate (β). The activation energy (E α) was evaluated following the Flynn–Wall–Ozawa (FWO) and Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose (KAS) methods. T i , T p , T f , C , and S n correlated positively with the increase in β in a pure oxygen atmosphere. The order of ignition was L-ZD > M-ZD > S-ZD, and the E α values for the S-ZD, M-ZD, and L-ZD samples were 98.49, 98.35, and 95.17 kJ·mol−1 (FWO) and 90.32, 90.92, and 89.25 kJ·mol−1 (KAS), respectively. Particle size exerted little effect on the kinetics of coke combustion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the idea that time-effect deformation can be regarded as a state vector indicating the characteristics of concrete dams, a hydrostatic seasonal state (HSS) model is proposed for improving the accuracy of the data analysis of concrete dams. According to the theory of non-stationary time series, the state equation of the HSS model is represented for objectively extracting the time-effect deformation from monitoring data of total deformation and to interpret its evolution accurately. In this study, the HSS model is applied to an arch dam case, and it is estimated by using the expectation-maximisation algorithm. The results illustrate that the HSS model can efficiently estimate the time-effect deformation from monitoring data of total deformation. Compared with the hydrostatic seasonal time model, the proposed HSS model shows an improvement in fitting precision and prediction ability. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

• Iron existed in the form of excluded minerals in Zhundong coal was found. • The spherical particles in the raw coal were the main source of the coal ash. • The slagging mechanism of high iron Zhundong coal on water-wall was proposed. Due to the wide region of Zhundong mining area, the coal properties of different mines are quite different. In this paper, a Zhundong coal containing red and cyan spherical particles (named as RP and CP) which can be observed by naked eye was studied. To better understand the characteristics of coal and spherical particles, the raw coal with spherical particles was directly ground for density classification, and then ashed. Besides, the raw coal was also separated according to the macroscopic appearance, and then the separated samples were ground and then burned at different temperature. The results showed that 91.57% of the coal mass was contained in classes with density less than 1.50 g/cm3, but the ash mass only occupied 46.74% of the total ash mass. On the contrary, the mass ratio of pulverized coal which density greater than 1.50 g/cm3 was occupied 8.43%, but its ash content was more than half of the total ash content. Iron was the main element in CP and RP ashes, but there was still a high iron content (reached 6.58%) in the ash of the coal without CP and RP. Finally, the slagging mechanism of high iron Zhundong coal on water-wall during combustion process was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The wear mechanism of 20G at different erosion conditions was analyzed. • The coupling characteristics between erosion wear and ammonia gas high temperature corrosion was studied. • The ammonia gas atmosphere promoted the erosion wear. The phenomenon of erosion wear and high temperature corrosion will lead to thinning of tube wall, and serious tube burst will occur after long operation in circulating fluidized bed boiler. To obtain the effect on tubes by erosion wear and ammonia gas high temperature corrosion, a high-temperature gas–solid erosion wear test facility was used to simulate the SNCR conditions. This paper mainly studies the erosion wear characteristics, ammonia gas high temperature corrosion characteristics and coupling characteristics under different erosion speeds, erosion angles and heating temperatures. The results showed that the main erosion wear mechanism of 20G (SA106B of United States Standard) is cutting wear at low erosion angle, while deformation wear is the main action, and crack is the supplementary action at high erosion angle. The impingement velocity is varied from 29 to 43 m/s, the mass loss is varied from 0.0343 g to 0.1367 g. Erosion velocity plays an important role in affecting the wear of the specimen, while there is little effect of heating temperature on the wear of the material. In the studying of coupling characteristics, it is found that ammonia gas increases the critical temperature of the material. Furthermore, ammonia gas can accelerate the wear of specimens, but erosion wear is still the main cause of tube burst in fluidized bed boiler. In boiler operation, measures to prevent erosion wear should be taken to restrain coupling erosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the combustion process of Zhundong coal, many factors had obvious influence on slagging process. In this paper, the influence of particle system on slag formation and shedding process was evaluated. Two slags were sampled at two CFBBs super heaters which temperatures were similar and the ash particles size and concentration were different. The collected slags were separated, and the inner layer was analyzed by XRF, XRD, and Nano-CT. The results suggested that the area ratio of particles smaller than 2 μm to the region area was above 80% in each region, indicating that the inner layer was dominated by fine particles. Furthermore, the proportion of particles decreased in each region of two slags with the increase of particle size. The influence of particle system on the slag formation and shedding process was proposed. The accumulation of small particles was the cause of slag formation, while large particles had great influence on slag shedding. The presence of large particles increased the porosity and reduced the contact area between particles, the binding force between the particles was weaker than that between particles and tubes. Therefore, the fracture location of two slags was different, which made the internal surface presented different appearances. • The effect of ash particle size in gas on slagging and shedding was studied in CFBB. • The 3D structure of the slag was reconstructed by the Nano-CT technology firstly. • The large particles in slag weakened the binging force between ash particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nie, Q.; Sheng, X.; Zhang, N.; Wang, J.-J.; Shang, Y.-G., and Hu, F.-H., 2019. Construction of a nautical knowledge graph based on multiple data sources. In: Gong, D.; Zhu, H., and Liu, R. (eds.), Selected Topics in Coastal Research: Engineering, Industry, Economy, and Sustainable Development. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 94, pp. 223–226. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. To automatically recognize the nautical chart symbol is a difficult task; the first recognize step works well by the image recognition methods based on deep neural networks, however, these symbols usually have their own domain meanings which are different from their common meanings; a feasible method to improve the task is using domain knowledge to describe the domain meanings of these symbols. This paper proposes an automatic nautical knowledge graph construction method based on multiple data sources. The data sources adopted include structured data like data in relational databases, semi-structured data like data from web pages, and unstructured data like text. The author uses different methods to extract knowledge from these three types of data sources, including the rule-based method, wrapper method and machine learning method, etc. Then the author tests the proposed method by using it to establish a knowledge graph for the nautical industry. The established knowledge graph contains about 1,500 concepts and over 250 million hyponymy relations, about 80 million entities and about 30 million relations among the entities; and the average precision of these knowledge is above 0.9. The experimental result proves that the proposed method is precise and efficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a malignant tumor originating from the superior mucosal epithelium of the nasopharynx. However, effective therapies for NPC are still required. Reducing Hedgehog signaling pathway has been shown to suppress tumor growth. In this study, we attempted to explore whether Jervine (JV), an inhibitor of Hedgehog signaling, had anti-cancer effects on NPC, and the underlying mechanisms. Our findings showed that JV treatments markedly reduced the proliferation of NPC cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase was significantly enhanced by JV, along with evident DNA damage. Moreover, JV treatment effectively induced apoptosis in NPC cells through improving Caspase-3 activation. Furthermore, ROS production and mitochondrial impairments were detected in JV-incubated NPC cells with elevated releases of Cyto-c from mitochondria. JV also dramatically triggered autophagy through blocking AKT/mTOR and increasing AMPK signaling pathways. Intriguingly, we showed that JV-induced apoptosis was mainly via an autophagy-dependent manner. In addition, the expression levels of SHH, PTCH1, SMO and GLI1 were markedly suppressed in NPC cells, demonstrating the hindered Hedgehog signaling. Importantly, we found that JV-induced apoptosis and autophagy were closely associated with the blockage of Hedgehog signaling. Our in vivo studies confirmed the anti-cancer effects of JV on NPC through inducing autophagy, as evidenced by the markedly reduced tumor growth rate and weight without side effects and toxicity. Taken together, JV may be a promising and effective agent for human NPC treatment through repressing Hedgehog signaling pathway and inducing autophagic cell death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect mechanism of biomass pelletization on the property of bio-char, combustion kinetics and mechanism of pellet remain unclear. Therefore, in this work combustion behavior and kinetics of typical biomass pellets were investigated using TGA and Distributed Activation Energy Model. The bio-chars, from the pellets and raw biomasses, were also characterized in detail, to deeply understand the combustion mechanism of biomass pellet. The results showed that the activation energies of devolatilization stage of the pellet combustion were 118.1–230.2 kJ/mol, higher than that of raw biomasses, however, the activation energy decreased to 201.4–222.4 kJ/mol, for char combustion stage of pellet combustion, lower than the raw biomass. The compact physical structure of the biomass pellet caused by pelletization suppressed the mass and heat diffusion and thus enhanced the activation energy of devolatilization stage. The pelletization also suppressed the deoxygention, polymerization and aromatization reactions during the devolatilization stage, which caused higher reactivity of the pellet char than raw biomass char. This was the main reason for the lower activation energy of the pellet char combustion stage. Thus, the controlling factor of biomass pellet combustion is mass and heat diffusion for devolatilization stage, on the contrary, it was chemical reactions for char combustion stage. • Combustion kinetics and mechanism of biomass pellet were studied. • Activation energy of devolatilization stage of pellet was higher than that of raw biomass. • It was opposite for char combustion stage. • The controlling factors for devolatilization stage was mass and heat diffusion. • The controlling factors for char combustion stage was chemical reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]