Search

[Display omitted] • Stability of different acid sites on ZSM-5 by steaming treatment was investigated. • Change of BASs was related to the distributed frameworks of Al and EFAl species. • The presence of EFAl and metal species improve stability of zeolitic frameworks. • Effects of steaming treatment of ZSM-5 on their MTA performance were investigated. • Reduction of Al pairs sites may suppress the hydrogen transfer aromatization process. In this contribution, the effects of the steaming treatment on the acidity and aluminum structure of ZSM-5 were systematically investigated by using different types of zeolite catalysts. The relationships between the acid properties and the catalytic performance of the methanol-to-aromatics (MTA) reaction were also elucidated. The results revealed that different kinds of acid sites showed varied stability during the steaming treatment. Especially for Brønsted acid sites (BAS), the reduction of the acid site was highly related to the stability of different distributed framework Al sites (Al single > Al pairs) and the existence of non-framework species ("neutralization" by the EFAL and ZnO). Additionally, the presence of the extra-framework aluminum (EFAl) and metal compensation ions could enhance the stability of the zeolite framework Si-O(H)-Al. Besides, it was found that the reduction degree in the content of the Zn-LAS (LAS = Lewis acid sites) was less than the Al-LAS. The effects of steaming treatment on acid properties over zeolites with different particle sizes were also explored. Furthermore, the catalytic performance for the MTA reaction showed that the stability of the ZSM-5 catalyst was significantly enhanced after the steaming treatment. Moreover, the reduction in the proportion of the Al pairs sites may inhibit the hydrogen-transfer aromatization process of alkenes, while the increase of the Al single species enhanced the cracking process of higher olefins, leading to the reduction of aromatics selectivity and the increase of light olefins selectivity, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Biogas engine-driven heat pump air conditioner is a new-style system which includes biogas engine-driven heat pump, primary heat exchanger, second heat exchanger, sprayed room and fans, pumps, etc. In summertime, the air can be reheated by the waste heat water from the biogas engine in the system, while the air can be reheated and humidified by the waste heat water in winter. Reducing or displacing electrical heating requirements can achieve the great opportunity for significant energy savings. This paper, therefore, aims to improve the energy performance of the AC system by using the waste heat from the biogas engine. The mathematic model was used to research the BHPAC. Explicitly, we investigated the influence of various factors including the outdoor air temperature and humidity in summer and winter. Results show that the biogas engine-driven heat pump air conditioner can save more energy than the electrical power heat pump. In summer, the minimum for percentage of primary energy saving for BHPAC is over 25%. With the outdoor air dry-bulb temperature and the relative humidity rises, the saving energy percentage rises. In winter, the minimum for percentage of primary energy saving for BHPAC is 37%. The more the outdoor air relative humidity of the outdoor air decreases, the more the BHPAC saves energy. It is proved that the system which is a highly actively fully utilizing energy technology has good partial load characteristic and good effects of energy saving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The main functions of the heat-pump air conditioning system driven by gas engine (GEHPAC) are to maintain the room temperature and control the humidity of the room. In summertime, the air can be reheated by the waste heat water from the gas engine, while the air can be reheated and humidified by the waste heat water in winter. Reducing or displacing electrical heating requirements can achieve the greatest opportunity for significant energy savings. This paper, therefore, aims to improve the energy performance of the AC system by using the waste heat from the gas engine. The mathematical model for the second heat exchanger, the sprayed room, the mixed air, was used to research the GEHPAC. Explicitly, we investigated the influence of various factors including the outdoor air temperature and humidity in summer and winter. Results from the analysis show that the GEHPAC can save more energy than the electricity engine heat pump. The GEHPAC runs beautifully in part load mode. PERx is higher in winter than in summer. The maximum PERx is over 1.6 in summer, while over 1.9 in winter. The GEHP which can control the room humidity can be used in more areas than the common GEHP. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Postoperative delirium (POD) significantly impacts patient outcomes after acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) surgeries. This study investigates the role of Neuronal Pentraxin 2 (NPTX2) as a potential biomarker for POD in ATAAD patients. Methods: This secondary analysis involved ATAAD patients from a prospective observational study. Serum NPTX2 levels were measured preoperatively and immediately postoperatively using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Delirium was assessed using the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) or CAM for the ICU (CAM-ICU). Statistical analyses included the Pearson Correlation Coefficient and multivariate logistic regression to evaluate the association between NPTX2 levels and POD. Results: Among the 62 patients included, 46.77% developed POD. Patients with POD had significantly lower preoperative and postoperative serum NPTX2 levels. The Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that postoperative NPTX2 had a strong predictive capability for POD (AUC = 0.895). The optimal cutoff for postoperative NPTX2 in predicting POD was less than 421.4 pg/mL. Preoperative NPTX2 also demonstrated predictive value, albeit weaker (AUC = 0.683). Conclusion: Serum NPTX2 levels, both preoperatively and postoperatively, are promising biomarkers for predicting POD in ATAAD patients. These findings suggest that NPTX2 could be instrumental in early POD detection and intervention strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Delirium is the most common neurological complication after cardiac surgery with adverse impacts on surgical outcomes. Advanced age is an independent risk factor for delirium occurrence but its underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Although increased A1 astrocytes and abnormal hippocampal networks are involved in neurodegenerative diseases, whether A1 astrocytes and hippocampal network changes are involved in the delirium‐like behavior of aged mice remains unknown. In the present study, a mice model of myocardial ischemia–reperfusion mimicking cardiac surgery and various assessments were used to investigate the different susceptibility of the occurrence of delirium‐like behavior between young and aged mice and the underlying mechanisms. The results showed that surgery significantly increased hippocampal A1 astrocyte activation in aged compared to young mice. The high neuroinflammatory state induced by surgery resulted in glutamate accumulation in the extrasynaptic space, which subsequently decreased the excitability of pyramidal neurons and increased the PV interneurons inhibition through enhancing N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate receptors' tonic currents in the hippocampus. These further induced the abnormal activities of the hippocampal neural networks and consequently contributed to delirium‐like behavior in aged mice. Notably, the intraperitoneal administration of exendin‐4, a glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonist, downregulated A1 astrocyte activation and alleviated delirium‐like behavior in aged mice, while IL‐1α, TNF‐α, and C1q in combination administered intracerebroventricularly upregulated A1 astrocyte activation and induced delirium‐like behavior in young mice. Therefore, our study suggested that cardiac surgery increased A1 astrocyte activation which subsequently impaired the hippocampal neural networks and triggered delirium development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regular nanoarrays are ideal structures for supercapacitors; however, they often require multiple operations during their preparation. Therefore, it is very important to obtain such structures easily and quickly. In addition, the synergy between elements is crucial for the composition design of electrode materials. In this study, NiCoSe2@CC electrode materials were successfully obtained by electrodeposition using flexible carbon cloth as a collector and having efficient synergy between the Ni and Co elements to meet the demand for flexible devices. The regular microstructure and highly efficient synergistic composition enabled the electrode material to exhibit a capacitance of 3150 mF cm−2 and to maintain 85% cycle retention after 2500 cycles. Furthermore, this was matched with an activated carbon (AC) electrode to prepare a flexible solid-state asymmetric supercapacitor. A specific capacitance of 78 F g−1 was exhibited at a current density of 0.25 A g−1, and this could be maintained at 85% at 30 mA cm−2 during 5000 cycles of testing, showing promising application potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Many studies have shown that magnetic fields (MF) inhibit tumor growth and influence the function of immune system. However, the effect of MF on mechanism of immunological function in tumor-bearing mice is still unclear. Methods: In this study, tumor-bearing mice were prepared by subcutaneously inoculating Balb/c mice with hepatocarcinoma cell line H22. The mice were then exposed to a low frequency MF (0.4 T, 7.5 Hz) for 30 days. Survival rate, tumor growth and the innate and adaptive immune parameters were measured. Results: MF treatment could prolong survival time (n = 28, p<0.05) and inhibit tumor growth (n = 9, p<0.01) in tumor-bearing mice. Moreover, this MF suppressed tumor-induced production of cytokines including interleukin-6 (IL-6), granulocyte colony- stimulating factor (G-CSF) and keratinocyte-derived chemokine (KC) (n = 9–10, p<0.05 or 0.01). Furthermore, MF exposure was associated with activation of macrophages and dendritic cells, enhanced profiles of CD4+ T and CD8+ T lymphocytes, the balance of Th17/Treg and reduced inhibitory function of Treg cells (n = 9–10, p<0.05 or 0.01) in the mice model. Conclusion: The inhibitory effect of MF on tumor growth was related to the improvement of immune function in the tumor-bearing mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We previously found that the low frequency magnetic fields (LF-MF) inhibited gastric and lung cancer cell growth. We suppose that exposure to LF-MF may modulate immune function so as to inhibit tumor. We here investigated whether LF-MF can inhibit the proliferation and metastasis of melanoma and influence immune function.Methods: The effect of MF on the proliferation, cell cycle and ultrastracture of B16-F10 in vitro was detected by cell counting Kit-8 assay, flow cytometry, and transmission electron microscopy. Lung metastasis mice were prepared by injection of 2 × 105 B16-F10 melanoma cells into the tail vein in C57BL/6 mice. The mice were then exposed to an LF-MF (0.4 T, 7.5 Hz) for 43 days. Survival rate, tumor markers and the innate and adaptive immune parameters were measured.Results: The growth of B16-F10 cells was inhibited after exposure to the LF-MF. The inhibition was related to induction of cell cycle arrest and decomposition of chromatins. Moreover, the LF-MF prolonged the mouse survival rate and inhibited the proliferation of B16-F10 in melanoma metastasis mice model. Furthermore, the LF-MF modulated the immune response via regulation of immune cells and cytokine production. In addition, the number of Treg cells was decreased in mice with the LF-MF exposure, while the numbers of T cells as well as dendritic cells were significantly increased.Conclusion: LF-MF inhibited the growth and metastasis of melanoma cancer cells and improved immune function of tumor-bearing mice. This suggests that the inhibition may be attributed to modulation of LF-MF on immune function and LF-MF may be a potential therapy for treatment of melanoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stanford type A Aortic dissection (TAAD) is a deadly cardiovascular disease but the relationship between inflammatory cytokines and disease pathogenesis is still unclear. Observation of the changes of different chemokines may help to explore the etiology of TAAD much further. Clinical data was collected from TAAD patients (TAAD group) and healthy controls (HC group) in our institute between October 2013 and December 2014. Blood sample was harvested from each subject of two groups. The expression levels of eighty chemokines were examined by protein array technology. Then we tested the expressions of macrophage inflammatory protein 1β (MIP-1β), epithelial neutrophil activating peptide 78 (ENA-78), interleukin 16 (IL-16), interferon inducible protein 10 (IP-10), and FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (Flt-3) ligand by using luminex technology. Osteopontin (OPN) and monocyte chemotaxis protein (MCP) levels were analyzed by ELISA kits. The mean age of TAAD group is 49.9 ± 11.2 and 48.7 ± 9.9 in HC group, respectively. 76.0% of TAAD patients and 72.0% of healthy controls were male. MIP-1β and ENA-78 expression in TAAD group were significantly lower than that in HC group, while significant increasing IL-16 level was found. Plasma levels of OPN in TAAD group increased remarkably compared with HC group, but MCP-1 and MCP-2 expression significantly decreased. No correlation was shown between serum CRP levels and plasma level of these cytokines by using Spearman analysis. ROC analysis showed that OPN could be indicators for TAAD diagnosis with sensitivity of 0.92 and specificity of 0.99. Our results provide a reasonable way to focus on the chemokines in understanding the pathogenesis of human TAAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]