Search

Thermal energy storage in long-distance heating supply pipelines can improve the peak shaving and frequency regulation capabilities of combined heat and power (CHP) units participating in the power grid. In this study, a one-dimensional numerical model was established to predict the thermal lag in long-distance pipelines at different scale levels. The dynamic response of the temperature at the end of the heating pipeline was considered. For the one-way pipe lengths of 10 km, 15 km and 20 km, the response times of the temperature at the distal end were 2.33 h, 2.94 h and 3.54 h, respectively. The longer the flow period, the further the warming-up time is delayed. An optimization scheduling approach was also created to illustrate the peak shaving capabilities of a CHP unit combined with a long-distance pipeline thermal energy storage component. It was demonstrated that the maximum heating load of the unit increased up to 503.08 MW, and the heating load could be expanded in the range of 17.88 MW to 203.76 MW at the minimum electric load of the unit of 104.08 MW. Finally, the particle swarm optimization method was adopted to guide the operating strategy through a whole day to meet both the electric power and heating power requirements. For the optimized case, the comprehensive energy utilization efficiency and the exergy efficiency increase to 64.4% and 56.73%. The thermal energy storage applications based on long-distance pipelines were simulated quantitively and proved to be effective in promoting the operational flexibility of the CHP unit.

Fumonisin B1 (FB1) is a common mycotoxin contamination in agricultural commodities being considered as a significant risk to human and livestock health, while the mechanism of FB1 immunotoxicity are less understood, especially in chicken. Given that extracellular traps as a novel defense mechanism of leukocytes play an important role against foreign matters, in this study we aimed to investigate the effects of FB1 on chicken heterophil extracellular traps (HETs) formation. Our result showed that FB1 induced HETs release in chicken heterophils observed via immunostaining, and it was concentration-dependent during 10 to 40 μM. Moreover, in 40 μM FB1-exposed chicken heterophils, reactive oxygen species (ROS) level was increased, while catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity and glutathione (GSH) content were decreased. Simultaneously, FB1 (40 μM) activated ERK and p38 MAPK signaling pathways via increasing the phosphorylation level of ERK and p38 proteins. However, pretreatment of SB202190, U0126, and diphenyleneiodonium chloride (DPI) did not change FB1-triggered ROS production and HETs formation, suggesting FB1-induced HETs was a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase, p38, and extracellular regulated protein kinases (ERK) signaling pathways-independent process. Inhibition of peptidyl arginine deiminase 4 (PAD4) enzyme and P2 × 1 receptor showed their vital role in 40 μM FB1-triggered HETs. This study reported for the first time that 40 μM FB1 induced the release of HETs in heterophils, and it was related to ROS production, PAD4, and P2 × 1, but was independent of NADPH oxidase, p38 and ERK signaling pathways, which might provide a whole novel perspective of perceiving and understanding the role of FB1 in immunotoxicity.

Ektaphelenchus joyceae was repeatedly isolated from pine packaging woods imported from Korea and Japan to China. They are morphologically and morphometrically very similar and are characterized by having a total body length range of 539-718 μm, cuticle with fine transverse annuli and three lines in lateral fields, slightly offset lip region with six equally sized lips, hemizonid and excretory pore well posterior to metacorpus, 14.2-18.0 μm longstylet with visible lumen and lacking knobs, simple intestine ending in a blind sac, no visible rectum and anus, monodelphic-prodelphic reproductive system with small spheroid sperm cells inside the spermatheca, short post-vulval uterine sac (PUS) and lacking males. The recovered populations agreed well with the type population based on morphometric data and morphology of females. The molecular phylogenetic analyses were performed using small, large and internal transcribed spacer regions of ribosomal RNA genes for the first time and the feeding habit of the species was also observed and documented.

Mastitis is an inflammation of mammary gland, which directly affects the milk production performance and causes huge economic losses in the dairy industry. During mastitis, the blood-milk barrier (BMB) loses its integrity and aggravates the severity of mastitis. Exogenous DNase I has been exerted protective effects in different model of tissue injury. Here, we designed a study to investigate the effects of DNase I on inflammation and BMB in a mice model of Staphylococcus aureus-induced mastitis. In the model, we found that DNase I treatment significantly alleviated the inflammatory response through decrease of inflammatory cells in mammary alveoli, MPO activity and cytokines in mammary gland. Furthermore, immunofluorescent staining and western blotting demonstrated that exogenous DNase I obviously reduced BMB permeability and changed the expression of tight junction proteins to support the re-establishment of the barrier integrity. Mechanismly, DNase I treatment inhibited NF-κB and enhanced AKT signaling pathways. Therefore, our results indicate that DNase I may be an effective treatment for attenuating mastitis., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

It is well-established that lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) is the first identified histone demethylase. Based on its demethylase enzymatic activity, LSD1 plays a pivotal role in vast range of cellular processes and cancers, but the understanding of its effects on inflammation is relatively limited. Using in vivo models of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation and in vitro assays in mouse mammary epithelial cells, we identified the novel regulatory roles and underlying mechanisms of LSD1 on LPS-induced mastitis. Mammary gland and cells were collected for the following experiments after treatment. Histological changes were determined by H&E. Western blot analysis was used to detect the protein expression. ELISA and real-time PCR were used to evaluate protein and mRNA expression of inflammatory genes. Our results showed that LPS treatment resulted in a significant increase in LSD1 protein expression. GSK-LSD1 is a selective inhibitor of LSD1 enzyme activity. Treatment of mice with GSK-LSD1 inhibited LSD1 activity, reduced inflammatory cells recruitment to tissues and attenuated LPS-induced damage in mammary gland. Mechanistic investigations suggested that LSD1 inhibition led to the increase of histone H3K4me2 and H3K9me2. Furthermore, GSK-LSD1 inhibition of LSD1 further inhibited nuclear factor κ-B (NF-κB) signaling cascades, and subsequently inhibited the production of cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β) in mammary gland. Taken together, our data reveal LSD1 as a potential regulator of inflammation and improve our understanding of epigenetic control on inflammation., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)