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The technique of directly converting solar energy into electricity using PV modules is distributed photovoltaic (PV) power generation. It is frequently used in a system and is referred to as a distributed PV power system. The system generates power in the surrounding areas and connects to the neighbouring utility grid. A distributed energy storage (DES) system is a bundled solution that stores energy for future use. In the short term, one of the most significant problems with solar power storage is that the batteries utilized for the application are still costly and giant. The more power requires the bigger battery must be. Further research revealed that maximizing solar and wind energies minimizes greenhouse gas emissions and lower the total cost of energy. The ability to store energy is crucial in balancing because it makes the grid more adaptable and stable. The mission of energy conservation and energy storage (ECES) aims to help integrate energy-storage technology research, production, deployment, and integration to improve the energy efficiency of all energy systems and enable the increased use of renewable energy in place of fossil fuels. Storage benefits are examined in terms of distribution transformer loads and storage support during energy fluctuations from renewable energy. However, the results show that the methodology’s recommended framework is successful and obtained with enhanced performance with a reliability of 95.6%. The proposed technique improves the Reliability analysis ratio of 95.4%, Performance analysis comparison ratio of 98.6%, accuracy analysis ratio of 91.3%, ECES model’s efficiency is estimated at 95.6%.

Aqueous zinc-manganese dioxide batteries (Zn-MnO2) are gaining considerable research attention for energy storage taking advantages of their low cost and high safety. Polymorphic MnO2 (α, β, γ, δ, λ, and amorphous) has been extensively studied, but reports of akhtenskite MnO2 (e-MnO2) are limited and the performance of e-MnO2-based ZIBs existing is not very excellent. Here, e-MnO2 was synthesized and applied to the cathode material of Zn-ion batteries. It exhibits a high specific capacity of 465 mAh g−1 at 0.2 C, high energy density (620 Wh kg−1) and excellent cycle stability (the capacity increases from 312 to 435 mAh g−1 after 150 cycles at 1 C). Its good electrochemical performance laid a solid foundation for its further research and large-scale use in zinc-ion batteries.

Roasting temperature plays an important role in the chemical reaction of vanadium‑titanium magnetite. In order to investigate the effect of roasting temperature on pellet motion characteristics, a non-cohesive and multi-element particle model of discrete element method (DEM) was constructed. On this basis, different diameter pellets (dp = 20.38 mm, 25.02 mm, 29.67 mm, 35.52 mm) with different roasting temperature (298 K ≤ T ≤ 1473 K) were selected to explore the effects on pellet velocity distribution, discharge mass flow rate, wall pressure and average voidage. Our results reveal a large change in the movement characteristics of pellets involving chemical reactions during high-temperature production. The mean voidage is negatively correlated with the diameter. The minimum deviations of pellet velocity distribution and discharge mass flow rate at different roasting temperature were 20.16% and 21%, respectively, and the maximum deviations of wall pressure and average voidage were 63.47% and 7.0%, respectively.

Poster-Abstract

Poster-Abstract

In this work, a non-cohesive and multi-element particle model of discrete element method (DEM) was constructed, which was used in combination with experiments to investigate the particle flow characteristics in retangular hopper equipped with the screw discharging machine. On this basis, different diameter pellets (dp = 20 mm, 25.02 mm) with various sphericities (φ = 0.868, 0.985, 1) and particle size distribution (a = 0:1, 0.1:0.9, 0.15:0.85, 0.2:0.8) were selected to examine the effects of sphericity and particle size distribution on the distribution of particle average velocity, motion distance and voidage. Our results showed that as the a increased, the particle average vertical velocity was first decreased and then increased. The motion distance of particles at 1/2 bed height was relatively stable. Furthermore, the average voidage of cylindrical particles was the largest and that of ellipsoidal particles was the smallest. Finally, the specific position of the lag of particle motion is revealed.

Based on the porous media and local non-equilibrium thermodynamics theory, a two-dimensional steady numerical model of the annular cooler was established, in the condition that the moving speed of the bed was defined in the model. The modified Ergun formula and experimental Nusselt number were used to accurately describe the gas flow and gas–solid heat transfer process in the sinter bed. The reliability of the calculation model was verified by comparing with the experimental data. The parameters such as the cooling air volume distributed per kg of sinter, sinter bed height, waste heat recovery sector length and inlet air temperature were discussed. The further exergy which considers the pressure resistance was put forward as an optimization criterion, and the optimal parameter combination was obtained by the orthogonal experiments. The results show that the exergy increased with sinter bed height and inlet air temperature. Meanwhile, there are optimal parameter values for cooling air volume and length of waste heat recovery sector, which are 2.05 m3/kg and 56 m respectively. Finally, according to orthogonal experiment, when the annular cooler is in the optimal working condition, the exergy of the system reaches to 217.57 MJ/h, which is 32.04% higher than the standard condition. The results would provide some guidelines for the designs and optimization of operation parameters for the sinter cooling process.

Infection with Schistosoma causes aberrant expression of host microRNAs (miRNAs), and normalizing the levels of dysregulated miRNAs can attenuate pathology. Here, we show that the host miRNA, miR-96, is markedly upregulated during the progression of hepatic schistosomiasis. We demonstrate that elevation of miR-96 induces hepatic fibrosis in infected mice by suppressing the expression of its target gene, Smad7. We show that infection with Schistosoma induces the expression of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1), which in turn upregulates the expression of miR-96 through SMAD2/3-DROSHA-mediated post-transcriptional regulation. Furthermore, inhibition of miR-96 with recombinant adeno-associated virus 8 (rAAV8)-mediated delivery of Tough Decoy RNAs in mice attenuated hepatic fibrosis and prevented lethality following schistosome infection. Taken together, our data highlight the potential for rAAV8-mediated inhibition of miR-96 as a therapeutic strategy to treat hepatic schistosomiasis., Graphical Abstract

The average voidage, radial voidage and axial voidage distribution in ellipsoidal pellets bed layer were studied by experiments and Discrete Element Method (DEM) Simulation. A series of experiments were used to determine the collision parameters of DEM model. The influence of the bed geometry factor on the average voidage and the radial voidage of the bed layer were investigated, the distribution of axial voidage in the bed was observed under different bed height conditions. The results show that the pellet diameter and cylinder diameter are the critical factor affecting the bed voidage distribution. With the bed geometry factor increasing, the average voidage of the bed gradually decreased. When D/dp > 50, the average voidage of the bed approaches to a constant (0.292). The damped oscillation of the radial voidage distributes from the wall toward the center of bed, and there is a maximum value near the wall. When the total height of the bed is constant, ignoring the influence of edge effect, the axial voidage increased gradually and eventually tends to be constant. With the gradual increase of the bed height, the change rate of the voidage and the axial voidage at the same height gradually decreased.

Schistosomiasis remains a serious parasitic disease, which is characterized by granulomatous inflammation and hepatic fibrosis. MicroRNAs derived from parasites can regulate host genes and cell phenotype. Here, we showed that a miRNA derived from S. japonicum (Sja-miR-1) exists in the hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) of mice infected with the parasite and up-regulates the expression of collagens and α-SMA by targeting secreted frizzled-related protein 1 (SFRP1). A vector-mediated delivery of Sja-miR-1 into naive mice led to hepatic fibrogenesis in the mice. Accordingly, inhibition of Sja-miR-1 in the infected mice led to reduction of the parasite-induced hepatic fibrosis. The mechanism behind the Sja-miR-1-mediated activation of HSC could be through targeting SFRP1 to regulate the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. These findings reveal that parasite-derived small non-coding RNAs are implicated in cross-species regulation of host pathological process and persistent inhibition of Sja-miR-1 may provide a therapeutic potential for the parasite diseases.

Background and aims To date, conflicting data exist as to whether hepatitis B virus (HBV) has the ability to induce innate immune responses. Here, we investigated cellular changes after the first contact between HBV and primary human hepatocytes (PHH) in vitro and in vivo. Approach and results The exposure of PHH to HBV particles resulted in nuclear translocation of NFκB, followed by the expression and secretion of inflammatory cytokines (IL [interleukin] 1B, IL6, and TNF [tumor necrosis factor]). Ultraviolet irradiation of viral particles suppressed HBV infectivity but not the induction of cytokines in PHH, suggesting that the inoculum contains the immune-inducing agent. Purified HBV particles on the whole, which were prepared from HBV DNA-positive and protein-rich fractions after heparin column separation, still had immune-inducing capacity in PHH. The HBV-induced gene expression profile was similar to that induced by toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) ligand Pam3Cys, but different from those induced by the viral sensors TLR3 or TLR7-9. Treatment of PHH with both HBV particles and Pam3Cys led to phosphorylation of ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase), JNK, and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases as well as NFκB (nuclear factor kappa B). Finally, HBV-induced gene expression could be neutralized by TLR2-specific antibodies. Of note, pretreatment with an HBV entry inhibitor attenuated the TLR2-mediated response to HBV, suggesting a receptor binding-related mechanism. In liver-humanized uPA/severe combined immunodeficient (SCID)/beige mice challenged with HBV in vivo, immune induction could only marginally be seen. Conclusions PHHs are able to sense HBV particles through TLR2, leading to an activation of anti-HBV immune responses in vitro. These findings challenge the previously described stealth properties of HBV.

In this work, the effect of water-soluble lignin on the enzymatic saccharification of alkali-pretreated wheat straw was investigated using soluble fraction (WAL) and sulfomethylated insoluble fraction (SAL) of alkaline lignin from the pretreatment spent liquor as additives. Results showed the total sugar recovery was improved for pretreated solids but was inhibited for bleached substrate with adding a certain amount of WAL or SAL. The interaction between adsorption domain of cellulase and water-soluble lignin was considered to be the potential reason for reducing the non-productive adsorption of residual lignin to cellulase. SAL was more efficient on enhancing the enzymatic saccharification than WAL, and the effect of WAL and SAL on glucan recovery was rather different from that of xylan recovery. Based on the obtained results, a strategy to improve the enzymatic saccharification of lignocellulosic biomass by adding water-soluble lignin prepared from alkali pretreatment spent liquor was proposed.

In this work, the oxidation properties of low-iron vanadium-titanium magnetite with high vanadium and titanium in a laboratory muffle furnace was investigated. XRD, SEM, and TG-DSC method are emplo...

Schistosomiasis is a serious parasitic disease in humans, which can lead to liver fibrosis and death. Accumulating evidence indicated that targeting the deregulated microRNAs (miRNAs) could mitigate disease outcomes. Here, we showed that progressive hepatic schistosomiasis caused elevation of miR-21 and efficient and sustained inhibition of miR-21 by using highly hepatic tropic adeno-associated virus serotype 8 (rAAV8), which protected mice against lethal schistosome infection through attenuation of hepatic fibrosis (HF). We demonstrated an additive role of interleukin (IL)−13 and transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) in up-regulating miR-21 expression in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) by activation of mothers against decapentaplegic (SMAD) proteins. Furthermore, down-regulation of miR-21 in HSCs reversed HF by enhancing SMAD7 expression, thus repressing TGF-β1/Smad and IL-13/Smad pathways. Conclusion: This study suggests the mechanism of IL-13-mediated schistosomiasis HF by up-regulation of miR-21 and highlights the potential of rAAV8-mediated miR-21 inhibition as a therapeutic intervention for hepatic fibrotic diseases, such as schistosomiasis. (Hepatology 2015;61:2008–2017)

Sinter vertical cooler, as a new type of sinter waste heat efficient recycling device, is facing great potential and rare opportunities for development. The structural and operating parameters greatly affect the subsequent utilization of waste heat. In the present work, the 3-D model has been improved, and the novelty is that a convection term is added to the energy equation of the solid phase to achieve the steady-state heat transfer condition in gas solid state. The reliability of the mathematical model was verified by the experimental data. Four main parameters were investigated based on exergy, energy consumption and dimensionless exergy consumption. The results show that, when the other parameters are constant, the optimal cooling gas mass flow rate is 85 kg/s based on the maximum exergy. The greatest impact on dimensionless exergy consumption is cooling section diameter, followed by cooling gas mass flow rate, cooling section height and sinter mass flow rate. The structural and operating parameters have a monotonous effect not only on the exergy but also the energy consumption. These results should be helpful for understanding the flow and heat transfer process in the sinter vertical cooler for waste heat recovery engineering.

Cancer‑testis antigens (CTAs) are a group of tumor‑associated antigens restricted to male germ cells under normal physiological conditions. CTAs are expressed in certain types of tumors and thus are a novel target for immunotherapy. Nuclear RNA export factor 2 (NXF2) is a CTA of which the expression pattern, regulation and clinical significance are unclear. In the present study, following treatment with a demethylating agent, decitabine, NXF2 expression was detected in the majority of the NXF2‑negative acute leukemia cell lines, but not in healthy donor samples. This finding was confirmed by western blot analysis. Eight primary acute leukemia bone marrow samples were treated with decitabine in vitro, and results showed that NXF2 expression was significantly upregulated. In another nine acute myeloid leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome patients, it was noted that the expression of NXF2 was upregulated in all patients following the first cycle of decitabine, which suggested that NXF2 was activated by decitabine treatment in vivo. Furthermore, NXF2 expression in acute leukemia cells was demonstrated to be regulated by CpG island hypermethylation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate that NXF2 is activated by demethylation in acute leukemia cells in vitro and in vivo. NXF2 may therefore serve as a novel target for immunotherapy against acute leukemia.

t(8;21) is one of the most frequent chromosomal translocations occurring in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and is considered the leukemia-initiating event. The biologic and clinical significance of microRNA dysregulation associated with AML1/ETO expressed in t(8;21) AML is unknown. Here, we show that AML1/ETO triggers the heterochromatic silencing of microRNA-193a (miR-193a) by binding at AML1-binding sites and recruiting chromatin-remodeling enzymes. Suppression of miR-193a expands the oncogenic activity of the fusion protein AML-ETO, because miR-193a represses the expression of multiple target genes, such as AML1/ETO, DNMT3a, HDAC3, KIT, CCND1, and MDM2 directly, and increases PTEN indirectly. Enhanced miR-193a levels induce G1 arrest, apoptosis, and restore leukemic cell differentiation. Our study identifies miR-193a and PTEN as targets for AML1/ETO and provides evidence that links the epigenetic silencing of tumor suppressor genes miR-193a and PTEN to differentiation block of myeloid precursors. Our results indicated a feedback circuitry involving miR-193a and AML1/ETO/DNMTs/HDACs, cooperating with the PTEN/PI3K signaling pathway and contributing to leukemogenesis in vitro and in vivo, which can be successfully targeted by pharmacologic disruption of the AML1/ETO/DNMTs/HDACs complex or enhancement of miR-193a in t(8;21)–leukemias.

Lack of immunogenicity of cancer cells has been considered a major reason for their failure in induction of a tumor specific T cell response. In this paper, we present evidence that decitabine (DAC), a DNA methylation inhibitor that is currently used for the treatment of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and other malignant neoplasms, is capable of eliciting an anti-tumor cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) response in mouse EL4 tumor model. C57BL/6 mice with established EL4 tumors were treated with DAC (1.0 mg/kg body weight) once daily for 5 days. We found that DAC treatment resulted in infiltration of IFN-γ producing T lymphocytes into tumors and caused tumor rejection. Depletion of CD8(+), but not CD4(+) T cells resumed tumor growth. DAC-induced CTL response appeared to be elicited by the induction of CD80 expression on tumor cells. Epigenetic evidence suggests that DAC induces CD80 expression in EL4 cells via demethylation of CpG dinucleotide sites in the promoter of CD80 gene. In addition, we also showed that a transient, low-dose DAC treatment can induce CD80 gene expression in a variety of human cancer cells. This study provides the first evidence that epigenetic modulation can induce the expression of a major T cell co-stimulatory molecule on cancer cells, which can overcome immune tolerance, and induce an efficient anti-tumor CTL response. The results have important implications in designing DAC-based cancer immunotherapy.