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The existing grape drying technology and equipment often have problems such as poor hygiene conditions, high drying costs, and large drug residues. Therefore, the market urgently needs grape drying equipment with low energy consumption, high efficiency, and a green-clean processing process. To solve the above problems, a piece of integrated drying equipment combining the two technologies of air impingement blanching and air impingement drying for multi-layer grape material drying is designed. The dried product quality is directly affected by the airflow field distribution. Therefore, obtaining good airflow distribution and airflow velocity uniformity in the drying chamber via parametric studies is essential to ensure uniform drying of products. Since parametric and optimization investigations by physical experiments are usually expensive and time-consuming, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) being a flexible and less expensive tool can be employed to perform such studies. In the current work, the airflow velocity distribution and uniformity of the drying material room are analyzed by Ansys Fluent software. The airflow velocity non-uniformity coefficient is used to evaluate airflow uniformity. Results show that the original design has poor uniformity and needs to be optimized. The influence of air inlet chamber deflection device and material truck airflow baffles on the flow field of the material drying room is investigated to improve the uniformity of airflow distribution. Considering drying efficiency and uniformity, drying material room structure with the addition of deflection device design with the structural parameters of L = 50 mm and θ = 76°, airflow baffle design with the structural parameters of h = 0 mm, θ2 = 20° is chosen as the final optimized design. After optimization, the velocity of airflow between material layers has improved overall, and the maximum difference of average airflow velocity between material layers has been reduced from 0.73 m/s to 0.69 m/s, improving the drying uniformity of dried materials. In comparison to other drying equipment, the current integrated drying equipment combing air impingement blanching and drying has the advantages of being efficient and energy-saving, suitable for large-scale drying of grapes with better drying quality. The current results could guide the drying equipment design for grapes and develop the grape drying industry with high-dried quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Airflow velocity uniformity in material drying room used in steam blanching and hot-air vacuum drying equipment is crucial for obtaining a good drying quality of fruits and vegetables. To analyze the airflow velocity uniformity and give the optimization design for improving the airflow uniformity, CFD method is used for the flow field analysis of material drying room and the velocity non-uniformity coefficient is used as the evaluation indicator for the velocity uniformity. Results show that the airflow velocity distribution in the material drying room at the original inlet airflow distribution chamber is relatively uneven and the airflow velocity non-uniformity coefficient in drying area is 34 %. For reducing the airflow velocity non-uniformity, the airflow velocity distribution of three structural modification directions with 12 designs in total are analyzed and compared. The minimum airflow velocity non-uniformity coefficient for adding a spoiler model, reducing the closed end width and adding nozzle baffles are 17.1 %, 30.2 %, 10.4 %, respectively. Through comparison, adding the nozzle baffle with a width of 11 mm at the rear end of each nozzle outlet is considered as the optimal designs to conduct the experimental validation. Experimental validation results shows the the relative error between the simulated value and the measured value is within 10 %, proving that the CFD prediction results is reliable and the research results can give a theoretical reference for the designers to evaluate and optimize the structure of inlet airflow distribution chamber for improving the airflow uniformity in drying area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at improving the cooling of motor annular water jacket, the effects of different water jacket designs and pump rotation speed and epoxy resin filling on the flow field characteristics and motor temperature distribution were studied. Results show that uneven flow distribution leads to high temperature of motor coil and large temperature gradient. The optimized water jacket has better flow, uniform flow distribution of long and short paths, higher utilization rate of coolant, and the coil temperature is 2 °C lower than that of original model. On the basis of optimized water jacket, when epoxy resin filling methodology and pump rotation speed increased to 5000 r/min are applied, the coil temperature can be reduced by 16 °C compared with the original model. From the cooling performance optimization results in current case, the improvement order from the smallest to the biggest is the optimization of motor water jacket flow field, optimization of motor water jacket system flow rate, and the epoxy resin filling. To meet the cooling demands of motor, the comprehensive effects from the aspects of reducing coolant system resistance, increasing pump speed, epoxy resin filling and other effective technologies are ought to be considered for all case studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The comprehensive performance evaluation procedure and overall performance evaluation indices for the four cylinder engine cooling systems are proposed in this work and the four cylinder engine cooling system with two different flow patterns are investigated. Coolant velocity distributions of nose bridge area sections of cylinder head water jacket and plane section of cylinder block water jacket in series flow pattern cooling system meet the coolant flow velocity requirements of 1.5 m/s in high-temperature area. Coolant velocity distributions of water jacket in parallel flow pattern cooling system is relatively lower and not meet the velocity requirements of 1.5 m/s. Through the improvement of pump performance, the system coolant flowrate in parallel flow pattern cooling system can be increased to 90 L/min. After velocity uniformity improvement of water jacket, the coolant velocity distributions in parallel flow cooling system become more uniform. Coolant velocity and heat transfer coefficient of high temperature area both meet the design requirements of coolant velocity 1.5 m/s and heat transfer coefficients of 5000 W/(m2·K). The cooling performance for the engine with parallel flow pattern cooling system is significantly improved and meets the cooling design requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving an optimal cooling of the generator unit is indispensable for high working performance. In this work, computational fluid dynamics analysis on the flow field of the conventional type and silent type of the S688CCS series generator unit is conducted, and design optimization of the generator unit with poor cooling is studied based on flow field analysis results. Flow field simulation results indicate that the total cooling air quantity of the silent type generator unit is lower than that of the conventional type generator unit, and the cooling air quantity of the radiator is also lower than that of the conventional type generator unit, which is not conductive for the cooling of the silent type generator unit. The flow field optimization is achieved by adopting the single variable control method to improve the structure of the fan cover, silent components for silence, adjacent structure, and air inlet grille. The corresponding structure optimization scheme is put forward. After optimization, the air quantity for the cooling radiator of the silent type generator unit is 44.33% higher than that of its original structure, and the total cooling air quantity is higher than that of the conventional type generator unit. The research results in this work can provide a theoretical basis for the design of the cooling air flow path of generator units for achieving an optimal cooling performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving an optimal cooling of the generator unit is indispensable for high working performance. In this work, computational fluid dynamics analysis on the flow field of the conventional type and silent type of the S688CCS series generator unit is conducted, and design optimization of the generator unit with poor cooling is studied based on flow field analysis results. Flow field simulation results indicate that the total cooling air quantity of the silent type generator unit is lower than that of the conventional type generator unit, and the cooling air quantity of the radiator is also lower than that of the conventional type generator unit, which is not conductive for the cooling of the silent type generator unit. The flow field optimization is achieved by adopting the single variable control method to improve the structure of the fan cover, silent components for silence, adjacent structure, and air inlet grille. The corresponding structure optimization scheme is put forward. After optimization, the air quantity for the cooling radiator of the silent type generator unit is 44.33% higher than that of its original structure, and the total cooling air quantity is higher than that of the conventional type generator unit. The research results in this work can provide a theoretical basis for the design of the cooling air flow path of generator units for achieving an optimal cooling performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In current research, the hydraulic performance prediction and optimization of an engine cooling water pump was conducted by computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analysis. Through CFD simulation, the pump head, shaft power and efficiency for the original pump at volume flow rate 25 L/min and impeller rotating speed 4231 r/min were 3.87 m, 66.7 W and 23.09% respectively. For improving hydraulic performance, an optimization study was carried out. After optimization, four potential optimized designs were put forward. The efficiency of the optimized design No.1 for engine cooling water pump was nearly 6% higher than that of the original pump model; and the head of the optimized design No.2 for engine cooling water pump was 9% higher than that of the original pump model. Under the condition of maintaining the pump head and considering comprehensive improvement effect, the optimized design No.3 was considered as the best design and selected as the test case for validating the optimum design. The hydraulic performance predictions for this optimum engine cooling water pump agreed well with experimental data at design condition with relative discrepancies of 2.9% and 5.5% for the pump head and pump efficiency, respectively. It proved that performance prediction calculation model and the automatic optimization model were effective. This research work can provide theoretical basis for the design, development and optimization of engine cooling water pump. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theoretical analysis and performance evaluation is of great significance to give guidance for engineers designing a better muffler cover of general purpose engine with higher success rate and less experiment trails. Therefore, in order to construct a accurate numerical prediction of muffler temperature analysis accounting for the effects of boundary conditions on temperature results calculation, CFD technology was adopted and the muffler cover of general purpose engines at three different starter states were chosen to carry out this research. Simulation results showed that the simulation results of muffler cover temperature increased with the increase of radiation emissivity and thermal status, and became more consistent with experimental values with the increase of prism layers. The temperature distributions and boundary radiosity distributions of muffler cover for different starter were basically the same. Average temperature of muffler cover was between 60 and70°C under three kinds of starter conditions, and the temperature distribution was reasonable, proving that the design of muffler cover was feasible.The temperature numerical results were basically consistent with the experimental results, and the relative error was within 10%, which indicated that prediction value can be reliable when all boundary conditions were set reasonably and physical-mathematical models was solved with right calculation methods. The research results in this paper can provide a theoretical basis for the early-design and developing of muffler cover for general purpose engine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Food materials with high moisture content were prone to occur drying shrinkage-deformation during dying process. In-depth understanding of drying shrinkage-deformation mechanism for food materials was crucial for optimizing drying parameters as well as for obtaining better quality dried foods. Therefore, the main aim of the present work was to investigate the drying shrinkage-deformation mechanism of apple slices during process of heat and mass transfer. Hot air drying experiment of freshed apple slices was conducted and the shrinkage-deformation values of apple slices were obtained by image analysis. Simultaneously, Heat-mass transfer coupled with stress-strain mathematical model were constructed and solved by COMSOL Multiphysics software. Results showed that the mathematical models of heat-mass transfer and stress-strain can be used to simulate the hot-air drying process of apple slices effectively, and the maximum relative errors of simulated value and experimental value were less than 10%. Temperature distribution and moisture distribution of apple slices during hot-air drying process were uniform. The maximum value of thermal stress and moisture stress were occurred at the middle period of the whole drying process; and the moisture stress during the whole drying process of apple slices were higher than thermal stress, which indicated that moisture stress was the main factor causing the drying shrinkage deformation of apple slices. Highlights • The heat-mass transfer and stress-strain mechanism are analyzed for creating the mathematical model. • The drying shrinkage-deformation of apple slices are obtained experimentally by image processing technology. • The heat-mass transfer and stress-strain mathematical model are numerically solved by COMSOL Multiphysics software. • Experimental and predicted values are in close agreement with each other. • Moisture stress is the main factor causing the drying shrinkage-deformation of apple slices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drying shrinkage occurs accompanying with heat-moisture transfer during drying process of high-moisture porous media and forming mechanism of drying shrinkage is complicated and influenced by micro-pore structure characteristics of porous media. In order to explore the forming mechanism of shrinkage caused by drying, the pore-scale modeling of heat-moisture and stress-strain distributions for high-moisture porous media was directly established considering the effect of micro-pore structure characteristics of porous media in drying process and analyzed using self-developed pore network simulation algorithm. Simulation results indicated that the drying curves (moisture vs drying time, average temperature vs drying time, and shrinkage vs drying time) were in a good agreement with hot-air drying experimental measurement using apple slices as the typical representation of high-moisture porous media. The phenomenon of dry spots, wet spots, irregular drying front, and irregular asymmetric shrinkage were reflected through pore network simulation. Capillary stress was a key factor affecting drying shrinkage and capillary stress was negative related to the porosity of materials and positive related to the coordination number of materials. Capillary stress produced by materials with uniform diameter distribution was larger, followed by the distribution of normal distribution materials and experimental materials. The findings in current elucidate the mechanism of drying shrinkage and provide insights into drying optimization of high-moisture porous media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A host–guest self-assembly nanoprobe MTB was constructed for NO 2 – and FA detection. • MTB can report FA, NO 2 –, and FA/NO 2 – with different optical signals. • MTB was successfully adopted to detect FA and NO 2 – in real foods samples. Nitrite (NO 2 –) and formaldehyde (FA) are practice common food hazards, seriously threatening human health. Herein, for the first time a de novo nanoprobe, named MTB, with a single response group exhibiting different optical signals for NO 2 –/FA was reported, which had the following characteristics: i) An adamantane-labeled small molecule NI-adH grafted with polycyclodextrin (Poly-β-CD) to form MTB with excellent water-solubility and biocompatibility. ii) O -phenylenediamine (OPD) with photoinduced electron transfer (PET) played both a fluorescence quencher and as NO 2 –/FA trappers. Interestingly, fixed on pH6.0, OPD rapidly reacted with NO 2 – forming triazoles, inhibiting the PET effect and releasing bright fluorescence at 530 nm. While adding FA, OPD ultrafast formed Schiff-base, and MTB absorption red-shifted from 452 nm to 545 nm. Moreover, MTB exhibited excellent selectivity, high sensitivity (21.8 nM/17.1 nM), and rapid response towards (60 s/65 s) NO 2 –/FA. Impressively, MTB has been successfully adopted to detect NO 2 –/FA in real foods with satisfactory results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to obtain the optimized technological parameters of hot air-vacuum combined drying of lettuce, the effects of hot air temperature, intermediate conversion moisture content, slice thickness and vacuum degree (four influence factors) on lettuce drying were explored. The drying time and rehydration ratio of lettuce were the experimental indices, and the relationships between the experimental indices and the influence factors were analyzed by using the response surface methodology. The regression mathematical models were established. The optimized technological parameters of hot air and vacuum combined drying are 50C hot air temperature, 40% intermediate conversion moisture content (w.b.), 20 kPa vacuum degree and 5 mm slice thickness. Practical Applications Combined drying is widely used in food, which is considered as an effective method to achieve energy conservation and shelf life. The objective of this paper was using response surface methodology to obtain optimized hot air vacuum drying parameters for lettuce. The significance of this research can improve the drying efficiency, provide a reference for other fruits and vegetables' drying process optimization and provide a technical basis for the drying of lettuce and the designing of related equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the problem of multilayer physical structure for the skeleton of porous media, a multiscale and multilayer structural model of heat and mass transfer processes for drying of grain packing porous media was established by applying the pore network method and multiscale theory. An experimental study on rice drying was conducted in order to validate this model. The simulation and experimental results indicated that the established model could explain the mechanical properties of rice drying well. The rate of heat transfer was faster than the rate of mass transfer and there was a higher moisture gradient inside the rice grain. The diffusion coefficient of rice embryo played an important role in the drying process, and whose effect on drying was larger than the diffusion coefficient of rice hull and chaff. The moisture was imprisoned effectively inside the rice when the diffusion coefficient of rice embryo was very small. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A three-dimensional model of the steam ejector heat pump for the dryer section of the paper machine was developed by applying the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) technique, which provided the pressure and velocity distributions of fluid flow in heat pump. The results indicated that the fluid velocity field in heat pump has an incomplete axially symmetrical distribution. The entrainment ratio of the heat pump initially increases rapidly with the increase of the ejected steam inlet pressure and then decreases after the inlet pressure exceeds one certain value. There exists a critical value for the mixed fluid pressure under the given operating conditions. The optimal ratio of the diameter of constant area mixing section to the steam nozzle throat diameter is about 3.4 and the optimal ratio of length to diameter of constant area mixing section L/D m is 6. An optimal divergence angle of diffuser was observed under different diffuser length. There is an optimized steam nozzle position under the given operating condition where the maximum of entrainment ratio was observed. The CFD technique is found to be an efficient alternative to predict the ejector performance and the conclusions of the research can provide a beneficial reference for structural optimization design of ejector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sulfur dioxide (SO 2) and nitric oxide (NO), known as sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides, are toxic air pollutants and seriously threaten human health. Herein, for the first time, a robust dual-response fluorescent sensor CGT with two different emission fluorophores and dual well-known response-group for visual bisulphites (HSO 3 -) and nitrites (NO 2 -) detection was reported. Specifically, once CGT was incubated with HSO 3 - firstly, the color of the test solution changed to dark yellow with no-fluorescence emission, following added NO 2 -, the color of the test solution changed to yellow with a bright cyan emission. However, NO 2 - was added firstly, the color of the test solution changed to dark purple with a white emission, and then added HSO 3 -, the color of the test solution changed to yellow with a bright cyan emission. Furthermore, CGT showed high sensitivity and selectivity toward HSO 3 - and NO 2 - detecting with good detection limits as low as 20.17 nM and 4.14 nM, respectively. Impressively, CGT showed good detection capability in complex aqueous samples and was successfully used for the detection of HSO 3 - and NO 2 - in biosystems. Thus, the experimental results indicated CGT as a powerful novel visual detecting tool for HSO 3 - and NO 2 - detecting in complex acid rain and biosystems. [Display omitted] • A dual-response fluorescent sensor CGT was constructed for NO and SO 2 detecting. • CGT contained a xanthane fluorophore and a naphthalimide fluorophore, connected by FRET strategy. • CGT can report HSO 3 -, NO 2 -, and HSO 3 -/NO 2 - with three different sets of fluorescence signals. • CGT was successfully adopted to detect endogenous HSO 3 - and NO 2 - in acid rain and biosysytems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early diagnosis and assessment of the therapeutic effect of arthritis requires a reliable bioanalytical method to quantitatively and selectively detect the biomarkers peroxynitrite (ONOO−) in inflammatory diseases. Compared with previously reported probes for the specific detection of ONOO−, molecular engineering based on ONOO−-activated multicolor fluorescence nanoprobes will have the advantages of providing multi-channel information and be more suitable for bioimaging in multicomponent complex environments. Herein, for the first time, a fluorescent nanoprobe (CSU-FT) based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), which can be activated by ONOO−, was constructed for multicolor fluorescence imaging, diagnosis and treatment of arthritis in inflammatory mice. Specifically, an energy transfer scaffold was constructed by conjugation of a near-infrared (NIR) xanthane fluorophore with a rhodamine B fluorophore and multicolor by ONOO−-modulated, which was then grafted onto sodium chondroitin sulfate (CSNa) to form CSU-FT through self-assembly. This nanoprobe shows a fast response time (<20s), outstanding selectivity and excellent detection limits as low as 11.7 nM. Interestingly, CSU-FT has been successfully used for intracellular multichannel imaging of endogenous ONOO− production as well as for diagnosis and treatment in a mice model of arthritis with impressive results, revealing practical application in physiological and pathological connection between ONOO− and arthritis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a vital endogenous gaseous transmitter molecule involved in the regulation of various physiological and pathological processes in living biosystems. In order to investigate the biological function of CO, many technologies have been developed to monitor the level of endogenous CO in biosystems. Among them, the fluorescence detection technology based on the fluorescent probe has the advantages of high sensitivity, excellent selectivity, simple operation, especially non-invasive damage to biological samples, and the possibility of real-time in situ detection, etc., which is considered to be one of the most effective and applicable detection techniques. Therefore, in the last few years, a lot of work has been carried out on the design, synthesis and in vivo fluorescence imaging studies of CO fluorescent probes. Furthermore, using fluorescent probes to detect the changes in CO concentrations in living cells and tissues as well as in organisms has been one of the hot research topics in recent years. However, it is still a challenge to rationally design CO fluorescent probe with excellent optical performance, structural stability, low background interference, good biocompatibility, and excellent water solubility. Therefore, this review focuses on the research progress of CO fluorescent probes in the detection mechanism and biological applications in recent years. However, this popular and leading topic has rarely been summarized comprehensively to date. Thus, the research progress of CO fluorescent probes in recent years is reviewed in terms of their design concept, detection mechanism, and their biological applications. In addition, the relationship between the structure and performance of the probes was also discussed. More significantly, we hope that more excellent optical properties fluorescent probes for gaseous transmitter molecule CO detection and imaging will overcome the current problems of high biotoxicity and limited water solubility in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A novel TP ratiometric reversible fluorescent sensor NPXH was constructed by TP-FRET for detecting of HSO 3 −/FA. • NPXH contains three parts: a donor TP-fluorophore, an acceptor deep red dye, and an oxonium group as the responsive site. • NPXH showed high sensitivity for HSO 3 − detection as well as extreme LOD as low as 7.48 nM. • NPXH was successfully applied to detect HSO 3 − in real food samples and animal models and recovered by FA. Bisulfite (HSO 3 −) and formaldehyde (FA) are hazardous environmental pollutants that pose serious risks to human health. Herein, we report for the first time a novel TP-FRET-based TP-ratiometric reversible fluorescence sensor NPXH , which is based on combining TP naphthalimide fluorophore with a deep red-emitting xanthene fluorophore via a nonconjugated linker, for reversible detection of bisulfite/formaldehyde. In presence of HSO 3 −, NPXH shows a significant ratio enhancement (∼6-fold) in I 535 /I 630 , ultra-fast response (less than 8 s) and super low detection limit (7.48 nM). In addition, the fluorescence signal of NPXH is easily and rapidly recovered by FA within 1 min. More impressively, NPXH has shown excellent detection capability in food and water samples and has been successfully applied to HSO 3 −/FA detection in liver tissue, zebrafish and mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Presents an approach to user knowledge acquisition with dynamic user requirements. • Using nature language processing technology to transform text form solutions into data. • Recommendation system is used to help users to improve their solutions. • Extraction of user knowledge and decision of product model based on the rough set theory. As the world increasingly moves towards a knowledge-based economy, user requirements become an important factor for enterprises to drive product collaborative design evolution. To map user requirements to the product model, user requirements are generally extracted into knowledge that can be used for design decisions. However, because users are interest-driven participants and not professional design engineers, the effect of user knowledge acquisition is not ideal. There are significant challenges for rapid knowledge acquisition with dynamic user requirements. This paper presents an approach to user knowledge acquisition in the product design process, which obtains the tangible requirements of users under the premise that users are adequate for participation. In this approach, the typical information flow is divided into four stages: submission, interaction, knowledge discovery, and model evolution. In the submission stage, natural language processing technology is used to transform text form solutions into data, so that computer technology can be applied to manage large-scale user requirements. In the interaction stage, users are helped to improve their solutions by the iterative recommendation process. In the knowledge discovery stage, after less concerned partial solutions are removed and vacant items are predicted to be supplemented, the final collection of user design information is obtained. Finally, based on rough set theory, design knowledge can be extracted to support the decision of the product model. The washing machine design project is used as a case study to explain the implementation of the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-quality baijiu yeast – modified Sporidiobolus johnsonii A (MSJA) suffers from the problem of weak vitality, thus failing to combine high efficiency and high survival rate drying. Therefore, in this study, we firstly designed a real-time sampling experiment of MSJA spray drying process, and based on this, we established a New CFD model (N-CFD model) that can accurately simulate the variation of the spray drying process of microorganisms such as MSJA. Then, a new spray drying air inlet mechanism of "high-temperature cyclone in the center L-type guide plate + medium-temperature laminar flow in the peripheral holes and slots" was invented. Finally, the parametric scanning simulation was carried out to optimize the flow angle θ of the L-type guide plate using the N-CFD model. The results show that, firstly, the N-CFD model can accurately simulate the temperature distribution (P1 = 0.05) and the motion of drying particles in the drying tower. Secondly, the optimized new air inlet mechanism with the L-type guide plate flow angle θ = 47° can even out the temperature and particle distribution in the drying tower, which meets the "two-stage theory of spray drying." Finally, under the premise of ensuring the drying efficiency, the survival rate of MSJA spray drying was increased from 42.6% to 82.24%, which achieved the objectives of low sticking wall, high efficiency and high survival rate of spray drying MSJA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyclone separator, used as the biogas pretreatment equipment, was taken as the research object in this study. In order to improve the separation rate of biogas impurity particles, the influence of six different structural parameters of the cyclone separator on the particle separation rate was analyzed by a single factor control method. It was found that the gas inlet rectangular section size had significant influence on the particle separation rate, followed by the diameter of the gas outlet duct. However, the height of the cylinder and cone, the insertion depth of gas outlet duct, and the diameter of the down-comer tube had limited effects on the particle separation rate. The best improvement scheme was that the diameter of the gas outlet duct was 138 mm, and the gas inlet rectangular section was 130 × 56 mm2. The particle separation rate of 10 μm and above was greater than 98%, and the pressure drop at this time was 2.213 kPa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The MH+EOD effectively addresses the non-uniformity inherent in microwave drying processes. • MH+EOD pretreatment enhanced the exchange of ethanol and water, and increased the puffing power in the CO 2 -EPD process. • The effect of different pretreatment methods (no treatment, hot air pretreatment, MH, EOD, MH+EOD) on the quality of the potato CO2-EPD was compared and analyzed. • The effects of microwave power, microwave time, ethanol concentration and ethanol soaking time on potato puffing and drying quality were analyzed. To enhance the drying quality of potato slices, this investigation employed a microwave heating (MH) combined with ethanol osmotic dehydration (EOD) pretreatment strategy to improve the quality of explosion puffing drying (EPD). This paper systematically investigated the effects of different pretreatment methods (no treatment, HAD, MH, EOD, MH+EOD) on the quality and physicochemical properties of potato slices subjected to CO 2 -EPD. The results showed that after MH and EOD pretreatments, the internal pores of the potato slices exhibited a uniform porous structure. The MH+EOD+CO 2 -EPD treatment demonstrated superior expansion, crispness, hardness, and color, with higher retention rates of vitamin C and protein. The measurements were an expansion ratio of 2.15, hardness of 1290.01 g, crispness of 745.94 g, ΔE of 6.54, protein content of 1.99 g/100 g, and VC content of 17.33 mg/100 g. Additionally, the study explored the effects of microwave power, microwave drying time, ethanol concentration, and ethanol soaking time on the expansion ratio, hardness, crispness, protein content, VC content, and color. MH+EOD+CO 2 -EPD is an environmentally sustainable and efficient solution with potential for widespread industrial application to enhance processing quality and economic benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thiophenol and hydrosulphite are a group of toxic environmental pollutants, which contaminate land, water and food exhibiting a serious risk to human health. Herein, we reported a xanthene dye-based sensor (DSF) with dual well-known response sites for visual detecting PhSH and HSO 3 -. Specifically, when DSF reacted with PhSH firstly, the color of the solution changed to blue with bright red fluorescence emission. After added with HSO 3 -, the color of the solution became yellow, and emitted yellow fluorescence signal. However, DSF was first added with HSO 3 -, the color of the solution changed to purple with no-fluorescence emission, and then PhSH was added, the color of the solution changed to yellow with a bright yellow fluorescence. Notably, DSF exhibited high sensitivity and selectivity for PhSH and HSO 3 - detection with a very low detection limits of 2.27 nM and 22.91 nM, respectively. More importantly, DSF could detect PhSH and HSO 3 - in water, real-food and biological systems. Therefore, the experimental results showed DSF as a robust new logical monitoring tool for the detection of PhSH and HSO 3 - in water, real-food samples and biological systems. [Display omitted] • A dual-site sensor DSF was developed firstly to simultaneously detect PhSH and HSO 3 -. • DSF exhibited logical detecting PhSH and HSO 3 - with a LOD of 2.27 nM and 22.91 nM, respectively. • DSF successfully detects PhSH and HSO 3 - in living cells and mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is one of the important gaseous signalling molecules, which plays key roles in various critical biological processes. In this work, we report a novel two-photon near-infrared (TP-NIR) fluorescent probe (MNIR-H2S) for the sensing of mitochondrial H2S in living cells, tissues, zebrafish and nude mice. Using a xanthene dye as a TP-excitation (810 nm) NIR-emission (668 nm) fluorophore, a well-known H2S response moiety with a robust intramolecular charger transfer (ICT) effect can quickly respond to H2S and effectively quench the fluorescence intensity, and an oxonium cation structure serves as a mitochondria-targeting site. Notably, MNIR-H2S displays high sensitivity, high selectivity, low cytotoxicity, powerful mitochondrial localization ability, deep tissue penetration, and a very minimal imaging background. Biological imaging results show the biological application of MNIR-H2S as a robust new tool for use in H2S imaging in biological systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Two fluorescent probes (CM-PhSH , CM-Ratio-PhSH) were constructed for PhSH detection. • CM-Ratio-PhSH becomes ratiometric probe by introducing a nitro group on CM-PhSH. • These two probes were successfully used for PhSH detection and imaging in the environment and food. Thiophenol (PhSH), a highly reactive aromatic thiol, plays an essential role as a common industrial raw material in food, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. In this work, we designed and constructed two fluorescent probes CM-PhSH and CM-Ratio-PhSH by a rational strategy. Specifically, coumarin fluorophores with excellent optical properties were modified, and olefinic unsaturated bonds served as reaction sites for the detection of PhSH. Based on this, the introduction of the nitro group at specific positions of the CM-PhSH changed the fluorescence emission of the CM-Ratio-PhSH , eventually obtaining a novel ratiometric fluorescent probe CM-Ratio-PhSH for PhSH detection. Surprisingly, these two probes exhibited advantages such as high specificity and low limit of detection (LOD) for CM-PhSH 32.3 nM and CM-Ratio-PhSH 40.2 nM, respectively. Furthermore, subsequent experiments demonstrated CM-PhSH and CM-Ratio-PhSH could be successfully used for highly selective and rapid detection of PhSH in aqueous solutions, live cells, and complex food samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spin flash drying equipment is widely used in chemical, food and other fields. Drying process consumes large amounts of energy and reduction in operating cost will be extremely beneficial for the industry. Therefore, in order to improve the efficiency of spin flash dryer. A three-dimensional CFD model of the drying process was established by computational fluid dynamics, and the flow field characteristics and heat transfer mechanism of the drying process were obtained. We studied the specific effects of different parameters on the drying process, and verified the results with calcium carbonate as raw material. The experimental results are basically consistent with the simulation results. The velocity, temperature and pressure in the drying chamber near the wall are greater than those in the central region, which generally decrease with height. The speed of the cutter set has a large effect on the tangential and radial velocity, but the influence on the pressure drop is not significant. Meanwhile the temperature and velocity of inlet air have a greater impact on distribution of flow field and material drying, the variable structure improves the stability of the drying process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium (Cd), a widespread and highly toxic environmental contaminant, has seriously impacted the growth of rice and the quality of its products. Hence, it is crucial to monitor and employ robust means to reduce Cd levels in rice, and selenium (Se) has been proven to chelate cadmium ion (Cd2+) in rice with rational use. Herein, for the first time, the reported selenocysteine (Sec) probe NN-Sec and the newly designed Cd2+ probe SCP were chosen as visualization tools to monitor Sec-inhibited Cd2+ uptake in rice. Specifically, reduced fluorescence of rice precultured with Cd2+ was observed by SCP after Se application, while similarly decreased fluorescence of rice pretreated with Se was observed by NN-Sec after Cd2+ addition. The diminished fluorescence indicated the formation of Cd-Se complexes reduced the Cd2+ content in rice. Additionally, it was Cd2+ and Se that entered the rice causing the fluorescence generation, as demonstrated by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). To conclude, the two probes successfully visualized Se inhibited Cd2+ uptake in rice, which could provide a robust tool for supporting the development of novel organic fertilizers and reagents to reduce Cd2+ content in rice and the environment. [Display omitted] • Fluorescent probes for visualizing selenium inhibition of cadmium uptake in rice. • A Cd2+ fluorescent probe and a Sec fluorescent probe for rice imaging. • The content of Cd2+ in Se treated rice was decreased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluorescence imaging plays an increasingly important role in biomedicine field due to its superior sensitivity and selectivity along with dynamic, real-time, in situ monitoring the occurrence and development of biological events. Therefore, it is crucial to construct a near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent molecule with excellent optical properties. Herein a NIR robust out mitochondria-targeting dye NN has been designed, synthesized and characterized, whose fluorescence properties are easily adjusted by changing the substitution position of the nitro group at the benzene ring in this fluorescent dye. NN was a unique fluorescence-enhanced nitro dye with high fluorescence quantum yields∼0.17, a large Stokes shift∼120 nm and stable chemical structure. Encouraged by this, a novel fluorescent probe NN - Sec based on intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) was constructed by grafting NN with a selenocysteine (Sec) recognition group 2,4-dinitrobenzenesulfonyl (DNBS), and it exhibited a targeted ability with great sensitivity and selectivity. Subsequently, the probe was used for NIR imaging in living cells and mice, and deep imaging results further illustrate its potential application in biosystems. The successful design of NN and NN - Sec offer a valuable theoretical basis and technical support for investigating the occurrence and development of Sec-related diseases. • A novel NIR fluorescent dye NN bearing nitro was reported with an enhanced fluorescence quantum yields. • The recognition group 2,4-dinitrobenzenesulfonyl of Sec was grafted with dye NN to synthesize fluorescent probe NN-Sec. • ANN-Sec can detect Sec in live cells and mice by high sensitivity and selectivity, accompanied by bright NIR emission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Construction of a new turn-on NIR fluorescent sensor NIR-Se for selective detection of Sec. • NIR-Se responses to Sec rapidly with high selectivity and sensitivity over biothiols during 60 s. • NIR-Se has a good imaging resolution in selenium-enriched foods and biosystems. As a naturally occurring amino acid, selenocysteine (Sec) plays a key role in a variety of cellular functions and Se-enriched foods. In this work, a robust water soluble fluorescence turn-on near-infrared (NIR) sensor NIR-Sec was constructed for Sec detection over biothiols in Se-enriched foods. Specifically, NIR-Sec contains a readily prepared water soluble NIR dicyanoisophorone fluorophore and a well-known response-site 2,4-dinitrobenzenesulfonyl moiety with strong intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) effect to quench the fluorescence intensity of NIR fluorophore. Upon addition of Sec, the NIR dicyanoisophorone fluorophore was released and a bright red emission at 663 nm was observed. Moreover, NIR-Sec toward Sec exhibited rapid response time (∼1 min), a large stoke shift (183 nm), and high selectivity and sensitivity (LOD: 52 nM). Impressively, NIR-Sec was successfully employed to detect and image Sec in Se-enriched foods and shrimp, indicating NIR-Sec could provide a robust tool for investigating the role of Sec in complex real-food samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To understand the entangled relationship between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and arthritis, it is of great interest to urgently need an effective bioanalytical method to detect biomarker peroxynitrite (ONOO-) of arthritis in vivo. In contrast to the previously reported ONOO- fluorescent probes, multicolor fluorescent probe could be applied to complex environments for multi-component analysis and provide multichannel imaging results. However, multicolor fluorescent probes for ONOO- detecting have not been reported so far. Herein, an ONOO--activated multicolor fluorescent probe (MULTI-ONOO) based on FRET was developed for quantitative detecting and visualization of ONOO- levels in arthritis. This probe mainly contained an acceptor (near-infrared xanthane fluorophore) and a donor (naphthalimide fluorophore). In the presence of ONOO-, the oxonium ion undergoes a strong nucleophilic response between ONOO- and xanthane to generate coumarin (CM) and naphthimide (NP) fluorophores with multicolor signal output. Impressively, MULTI-ONOO has a rapid response time (~20 s) and outstanding detection limits as low as 11.6 nM. Finally, this probe was successfully adopted to detect endogenous ONOO- in living cells, arthritis tissues and rat model. Thus, this ONOO--activated multicolor probe could provide a robust tool for investigating the role of ONOO- between in different inflamed diseases. [Display omitted] • A biomarker-activated multicolor probe MULTI-ONOO was constructed for arthritis detecting. • MULTI-ONOO contained a NIR xanthane fluorophore and a naphthalimide fluorophore. • MULTI-ONOO has a rapid response time (~20 s) and outstanding LOD as low as 11.6 nM. • MULTI-ONOO was successfully adopted to detect endogenous ONOO in arthritis rat model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel nanosensor NIRCD-Ca was constructed by supramolecular self-assembly for visualization of Ca2+. • NIRCD-Ca contains three parts: a guest NIR-fluorophore, a host supramolecular equipped, and a calcium ion chelating site. • NIRCD-Ca exhibited high sensitivity for detecting Ca2+ as well as extreme LOD as low as 9.7 nM. • NIRCD-Ca was successfully applied to detect Ca2+ in mice with NIR-emission. Calcium ion (Ca2+) has proven to be the second messenger that is directly related to diverse normal biochemical functions and pathological processes. Thus, understanding the critical functions and dynamics of endogenous Ca2+ at cellular and animal levels is highly demanded. However, reliable fluorescence detecting and imaging strategies are usually challenging to achieve with high sensitivity, low background signal, and high imaging resolution for Ca2+ detecting and imaging analysis in vivo. Inspired by supramolecular self-assembly strategy, we herein report a novel supramolecular near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent nanosensor (NIRCD-Ca) for Ca2+ detecting and imaging analysis in vitro and in vivo with three parts: a guest NIR-fluorophore was labeled an adamantane moiety, a host supramolecular equipped with β-CD polymers, and a calcium ion chelating site of O,O'-Bis(2-aminophenyl)ethyleneglycol-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (BAPTA) as a fluorescence quenching moiety by photoinduce electron transfer effect (PET-effect). In the present work, NIRCD-Ca exhibits excellent water solubility and biocompatibility, very low background fluorescence with a significant ∼18-fold fluorescence intensity enhancement in the presence of Ca2+, superb resolution for mice imaging by NIR-emission, as well as extreme low detection line as low as 9.7 nM. All these features are favorable for detecting of Ca2+ in complex biological samples and applying for NIR imaging of Ca2+ in mouse model directly with satisfactory sensitivity, suggesting that the NIRCD-Ca is an ideal effective nanosensor for Ca2+ detecting and imaging analysis in biosystems. Furthermore, the nanosensor NIRCD-Ca has potentiality to become an essential detection technique for the investigation of signaling pathways involving Ca2+ in biosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]