Search

The catalytic conversion of ortho-hydrogen (o-H2) to para-hydrogen (p-H2) serves as a crucial step in the storage of liquid hydrogen. A variety of iron-cobalt bimetallic catalysts (FCO) were synthesized using a precipitation method, incorporating diverse levels of Co doping into Fe-based catalysts. The effects of Co doping on the crystal structure, porosity, and magnetism of FCO catalysts were studied by XRD, N2 physical adsorption, FTIR, XPS, and VSM analyses. The efficiency of ortho-para hydrogen conversion over FCO at 77 K was evaluated. It was found that the catalyst's lag coefficient was significantly improved by Co doping, leading to an increase of magnetic moment. The catalyst of FCO-5 with a Fe/(Fe + Co) molar ratio of 0.5 exhibited the highest activity in ortho-para hydrogen conversion. The corresponding conversion rate, outlet p-H2 content, and the reaction rate constant were 99.2%, 49.7% and 291.7 mol·L−1·s−1, respectively, under a gas hourly space velocity of 5400 h−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a widely used support, TiO2 has often been combined with Pd to form highly sensitive gas-chromic materials. Herein, we prepared a series of Pd/TiO2 catalysts with different Pd content (from 0.1 to 5 wt.%) by the impregnation method for their utilization in fast room-temperature CO detection. The detection was simply based on visible color change when the Pd/TiO2 was exposed to CO. The sample with 1 wt.% Pd/TiO2 presented an excellent CO gasochromic character, associated with a maximum chromatic aberration value of 90 before and after CO exposure. Systematic catalyst characterizations of XPS, FT-IR, CO-TPD, and N2 adsorption–desorption and density functional theory calculations for the CO adsorption and charge transfer over the Pd and PdO surfaces were further carried out. It was found that the interaction between CO and the Pd surface was strong, associated with a large adsorption energy of −1.99 eV and charge transfer of 0.196 e. The color change was caused by a reduction in Pd2+ to metallic Pd0 over the Pd/TiO2 surface after CO exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work aimed to assess microbial inoculants (Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Lentilactobacillus buchneri), chemical additives (natamycin and hexanoic acid), and their combination on fermentation characteristics and aerobic stability in total mixed ration (TMR) silage. The TMR consisted of 30% water bamboo shell (WBS), 10% alfalfa, 20% rice straw, and 40% concentrate. There were six treatments as follows: (1) deionized water (control, CON). (2) lactic acid bacteria (Lactiplantibacillus plantarum + Lentilactobacillus buchneri; LPB, 1 × 106 cfu/g FW). (3) natamycin (NT, 0.02 g/kg FW). (4) hexanoic acid (HA, 0.02 g/kg FW). (5) lactic acid bacteria + natamycin (SLNT, 0.02 g/kg FW). (6) lactic acid bacteria + hexanoic acid (SLHA, 0.02 g/kg FW). After fermentation, laboratory silos (10 L) were opened to assess fermentation quality, followed by a 6-day aerobic stability test. The results showed that all silages were well fermented with high lactic acid (LA) content, low ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N), and negligible butyric acid (BA) levels. Among all silages, SLNT silage exhibited the greatest LA, acetic acid (AA) levels, LAB counts, and the lowest pH and NH3-N. For aerobic stability, all additives significantly (p < 0.05) enhanced aerobic stability, delayed (p < 0.05) the decrease in LA and water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) and the increase in pH, and significantly (p < 0.05) minimized yeast proliferation. The SLNT silage showed the best aerobic stability, with SLHA, NT, HA, and LPB following. In conclusion, SLNT is recommended as the optimal additive in improving the fermentation quality and aerobic stability of TMR silage, with SLHA, NT, HA, and LPB following. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study we aimed to evaluate the postoperative safety of cytoreductive surgery (CRS) combined with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) for the treatment of peritoneal surface malignancies (PSM), and analyzed the risk factors and pathogen resistance associated with bloodstream infections. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the incidence of postoperative bloodstream infections in 1500 patients undergoing CRS and HIPEC for PSM. We utilized univariate and multivariate analyses to screen for independent risk factors associated with postoperative bloodstream infections in CRS combined with HIPEC. Results: Among the 1500 cases of individuals undergoing CRS combined with HIPEC, 207 cases (13.8%) experienced bloodstream infections. A total of 233 strains of pathogens were isolated and cultured, consisting of 151 gram-positive cocci, 52 gram-negative bacilli, and 30 fungi. Coagulase-negative staphylococci (SCN) were the gram-positive cocci (54.94%), while Klebsiella pneumoniae subsp. Pneumoniae (7.30%) and Escherichia coli (5.58%) dominated the Gram-negative bacilli. Candida albicans was the predominant fungus. Staphylococci exhibited high sensitivity to tigecycline, linezolid, vancomycin, and quinupristin/dalfopristin. However, K. pneumoniae and E. coli were resistant to imipenem. Furthermore, five parameters were associated with the development of bloodstream infections: age (P = 0.040), surgical history (P = 0.033), prior tumor treatment (P < 0.001), tumor tissue type (P = 0.034), and completeness of cytoreduction (CC) score (P = 0.004). Among these, age (P = 0.013), prior tumor treatment (P = 0.001), tumor tissue type (P = 0.032), and CC score (P = 0.002) emerged as independent risk factors for postoperative bloodstream infections in patients undergoing CRS combined with HIPEC. Conclusion: Postoperative bloodstream infections in patients with PSM undergoing CRS combined with HIPEC are predominantly attributed to SCN, K. pneumoniae subsp. Pneumoniae, and C. albicans. Notably, Enterobacteriaceae exhibited resistance to carbapenem. Independent risk factors for postoperative infections in PSM include age, prior tumor treatment, tumor tissue type, and completeness of cytoreduction score. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silage quality and aerobic stability are the key factors affecting the utilization efficiency of silage feed, and ensiling density stands as the fundamental principle of silage making. The experiment presented here evaluates the effects of ensiling density on the silage quality and aerobic stability of alfalfa silage. In this experiment, alfalfa was harvested, wilted, chopped, and subsequently packed into 10 L laboratory silos. The ensiling densities were set to 800 g/L, 700 g/L, and 600 g/L, respectively, with three replicates in each group. Sampling and analysis were carried out at 45 days of silage and 8 days of aerobic exposure. The results showed that ensiling density significantly (p < 0.05) affected the content of ammonia nitrogen, Flieg score, the counts of yeast, and mold. After 45 days of ensiling, 800 g/L silage had the highest contents of dry matter, water-soluble carbohydrates, crude protein, lactic acid, and total organic acids, and the lowest pH and ammonia nitrogen compared to the 700 g/L and 600 g/L silage (p < 0.05). The Flieg score of 800 g/L silage was higher than those of the 700 g/L and 600 g/L silage. The counts of yeast and mold of 800 g/L silage was significantly lower than those of the 700 g/L and 600 g/L silage. During aerobic exposure, a consistent decrease in lactic acid and an increase in pH were observed among all silages. The aerobic stability of 800 g/L silage (156 h) was significantly higher than that in the 700 g/L (136 h) and 600 g/L silage (111 h). It was suggested that the increasing ensiling density above 800 g/L was an effective method to improve both the silage quality and the aerobic stability of alfalfa silage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study combined applied PICRUSt2 and BugBase tools to evaluate the effects of these two strains on the fermentation characteristics, microbial community, potential microbial risk and hygienic quality of whole-crop corn (WCC) silage. Fresh WCC harvested at the dough stage was ensiled with distilled water (CON), Leuconostoc lactis (LS) and Weissella confusa (WA) for 2, 4, 8, 15 and 30 days. After ensiling, all WCC silages presented desirable fermentation with high lactic acid and Lactobacillus proportions, low pH and ammonia nitrogen levels and absent butyric acid. Ensiling decreased the complexity of bacterial co-occurrence networks, and the Lc. lactis and W. confusa inoculation further decreased the complexity. The inoculation of W. confusa suppressed the most pathogenic pathways and related modules associated with zoonosis. In bacterial phenotype predicted analysis, although CON had lower proportions of 'Potentially pathogenic' than fresh material, this undesirable phenotype declined to negligible levels via LS and WA inoculation. Even for well-fermented WCC silages, the risk of pathogens remained after 30 days of ensiling. Therefore, WA could be developed as a promising fast start-up inoculant for reducing pathogenic contamination and improving hygienic quality of silage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Cu-based catalyst was developed for one-step solvent-free synthesis of aviation biofuel from biomass-derived ketones, including acetone, cyclopentanone, cyclohexanone, and 2-pentanone. Under the optimal working conditions, the conversion rate of acetone, cyclopentanone, cyclohexanone and 2-pentanone of 100% can be achieved by using Cu/Al2O3. 79.7 c% maximum carbon yield of liquid hydrocarbons with 89.5% selectivity of aviation biofuel was obtained under the conditions of 1.0 MPa H2, 280 °C, and 2 h−1 WHSV. The effects of the calcination temperature on the acidity and basicity of the catalyst, as well as the valence and dispersion of Cu species, were investigated. Based on DFT calculations and in situ DRIFTS results, the preferred adsorption of carbonyl groups and efficient dissociation of hydrogen on Cu+ increased the local concentration of H and feedstock on the catalyst surface, accelerating the rate-determining step that predominated on Cu0. The synergistic effect of Cu0 and Cu+ enhanced the formation of aviation biofuel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing deep learning methods cannot achieve satisfactory ship license plate (SLP) recognition due to the harsh marine environment, such as foggy weather, unstable ship state and small targets. Therefore, a convolutional recurrent neural network (CRNN)‐based method is proposed for accurate SLP image recognition. Overall, the suggested method improves a CRNN recognition model by SLP image enhancement and data augmentation. The SLP image enhancement employs dark channel prior and Hough transform line detector to address the fog/blurriness and tilt issues existing in SLP images. As separate and joint operations, the two enhancements contribute to data augmentation for CRNN recognition. Preprocessing algorithms, including adaptive histogram equalization and image edge padding, are used to improve and unify the enlarged dataset for augmenting the CRNN model. As a final step, correction of the CRNN recognition results is made according to the character rule of SLPs, using an edit‐distance algorithm to match against a pre‐established SLP dictionary. A variety of real SLP images were collected to build an SLP image dataset for verification. The experimental results indicate that our method can reach an SLP recognition accuracy of ∼93%$\sim 93\%$, which is significantly superior to other text‐based deep learning methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ensiling density has significant importance for the quality and preservation of silage. Appropriate ensiling density could improve the nutritional value, extend the storage time of silage and reduce the risk of mold and spoilage. This work aimed to evaluate the effect of ensiling densities on the fermentation quality and aerobic stability of rice straw. The rice straw was obtained after threshing, then chopped and ensiled into a 10 L laboratory silo with three ensiling densities (high density at 700 g/L, medium density at 600 g/L and low density at 500 g/L). Five silos per density were opened after 3, 5, 7, 14, 30 and 60 days of ensiling, and then, the fermentation quality and aerobic stability were analyzed. During ensiling, high density had the highest lactic acid content, and the lowest pH and ammonia nitrogen. There was no difference (p > 0.05) in the propionic acid, butyric acid and ethanol contents among all silage, and the contents of propionic acid and butyric acid were trace amounts. On day 60 of ensiling, the Flieg's point of high density and medium density were higher than the low density. During aerobic exposure, the continuous lactic acid decrease and pH increase were observed in all silage. The aerobic bacteria and yeasts count in the high density and medium density were lower than that in the low density. The aerobic stability of the high density (26 h) and the medium density (24 h) were higher than that of the low density (13 h). It was suggested that if the ensiling density is higher than 600 g/L, it could effectively improve the fermentation quality and aerobic stability of rice straw. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adsorption of volatile gasoline components at oil terminal by using metal organic frameworks (MOFs) is a prospective technology in reducing environment pollution and increasing oil resource recovery. In this study, a typical MOF of HKUST‐1 was facile prepared by solvothermal method and tested in the adsorption of volatile gasoline components. Isobutylene was selected as a model compound. The effects of preparation parameters Cu2+/H3BTC molar ratios, Cu2+ precursors, and solvent compositions on the structure of HKUST‐1 and its subsequent adsorption performance were systematically studied. The synthesized samples were characterized by XRD, SEM, and N2 physisorption. It was found that the HKUST‐1 prepared by using DMF as the unique solvent obtained the highest specific surface area (1076.7 m2/g) and the largest pore volume (0.90 cm3/g). Furthermore, the maximum isobutylene adsorption capacity of 31.9 mg/g was found on the HKUST‐1 which prepared under the conditions of Cu2+/H3BTC = 2, Cu (CH3COO)2 as the Cu2+ precursor, and a solvent composition of DMF:EtOH:H2O = 0:4:3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work aimed to evaluate the effect of lactic acid bacteria, natamycin and hexanoic acid on the fermentation quality, aerobic stability and in vitro digestibility of total mixed ration (TMR) silages containing water bamboo sheath leaves. The treatments were as follows: (1) no additives (control, C), (2) lactic acid bacteria (L), (3) natamycin (N), (4) hexanoic acid (H), (5) lactic acid bacteria + natamycin (LN), (6) lactic acid bacteria + hexanoic acid (LH). Silos were opened and silages were evaluated to assess fermentation quality, aerobic stability and in vitro digestibility. All TMR silages were well-preserved as indicated by dominant lactic acid content, low ammonia nitrogen/total nitrogen, trace propionic acid and negligible butyric acid contents. All additives improved the fermentation quality and in vitro digestibility, evidenced by higher lactic acid/acetic acid ratio, lactic acid, acetic acid, water-soluble carbohydrate contents and lactic acid bacteria count, and lower pH, aerobic bacteria and yeast counts. The LN had the highest lactic acid, acetic acid, lactic acid/acetic acid ratio, in vitro gas production and in vitro digestibility. During aerobic exposure, the LN silage had the highest lactic acid and acetic acid contents, and the lowest pH among all TMR silages. The LN and LH prolonged aerobic stability, reaching 85.5 and 81.5 h, respectively. The LN is recommended to improve the fermentation quality, aerobic stability and in vitro digestibility of TMR prepared with water bamboo sheath leaves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Steam reforming of bio‐oil is a promising green hydrogen production technology. Experimental and theoretical calculations have been carried out to study the performance of Co/Al2O3 catalysts doped with tungsten (1–10 wt%) for bio‐oil model compound acetic acid steam reforming. The maximum acetic acid conversion of 95.4 % and H2 yield of 93.5 % were obtained over the 15Co‐5W/Al2O3 catalyst under the optimized reaction conditions of temperature=550 °C, steam to carbon ratio=5 and the gas hourly space velocity of 15,780 h−1. The feeding capacity of the catalyst was improved by 2.3 times by the addition of 5 wt% W compared to that of the non‐W‐added Co/Al2O3 catalyst. Catalyst characterizations by BET, XRD, H2‐TPR, XPS, HRTEM, and SEM were performed. The results showed that high activities were maintained over 20 h on the 15Co‐5W/Al2O3 catalyst. A little filamentous coke was formed on the spent catalyst surface, and the agglomeration rate of active Co was relatively low. Density functional theory calculations confirmed that the adsorptions of CH3COOH and H2O on the catalyst were enhanced by the addition of W. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To establish a survival prognostic model for pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) treated with cytoreductive surgery (CRS) plus hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) based on Bayesian network (BN). Methods: 453 PMP patients were included from the database at our center. The dataset was divided into a training set to establish BN model and a testing set to perform internal validation at a ratio of 8:2. From the training set, univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify independent prognostic factors for BN model construction. The confusion matrix, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the area under curve (AUC) were used to evaluate the performance of the BN model. Results: The univariate and multivariate analyses identified 7 independent prognostic factors: gender, previous operation history, histological grading, lymphatic metastasis, peritoneal cancer index, completeness of cytoreduction and splenectomy (all p < 0.05). Based on independent factors, the BN model of training set was established. After internal validation, the accuracy and AUC of the BN model were 70.3% and 73.5%, respectively. Conclusion: The BN model provides a reasonable level of predictive performance for PMP patients undergoing CRS + HIPEC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study evaluated the effects of growth stage and storage time on fermentation characteristics, bacterial communities and their functionality in alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) silage. Alfalfa was harvested at initial flowering (10–20% bloom, AL1) and full flowering (> 80% bloom, AL2) stages, respectively. The harvested alfalfa was ensiled in 15 L plastic silos. Triplicate silos were sampled after 1, 3, 7, 15, 30 and 60 days of ensiling, respectively. Fermentation products were analyzed on each sampling day. The bacterial communities and their functional potential after 3 and 60 days were analyzed by high-throughput sequencing technique and PICRUSt2 method. Results: AL2 had better fermentation quality than AL1 with lower pH, ammonia nitrogen and butyric acid concentrations and higher lactic acid concentrations on day 60. AL2 had higher abundances of Weissella and Lactobacillus after 3 days, and lower abundances of Enterobacter and Enterobacteriaceae on day 60 compared to AL1. In metabolic pathway analysis, ensiling promoted the carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism, and inhibited the signal transduction and membrane transport. In enzyme analysis, AL2 had lower abundances of nitrite reductase (NADH) and ornithine decarboxylase than AL1 on day 60. In phenotype analysis, AL2 had higher proportions of facultatively anaerobic and lower proportions of anaerobic, potentially pathogenic and gram negative than AL1 on day 60. Conclusions: High throughput sequencing technique combined with PICRUSt2 can be successfully used to describe the changes of bacterial communities and their functionality in silage. This approach can improve our understanding of the silage microbiology to further regulate the fermentation products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different additives on the fermentation quality and bacterial community of silage prepared from fresh-cut whole-plant quinoa (WPQ). Fresh-cut WPQ without wilting process was directly ensiled with one of the following additives: (i) untreated (control); (ii) fibrolytic enzyme (E); (iii) molasses (M); (iv) LAB inoculant (L); (v) a combination of fibrolytic enzyme and LAB inoculant (EL); and (vi) a combination of molasses and LAB inoculant (ML). The fermentation quality and bacterial community after 60 days of ensiling were analysed. The results showed that control silage was dominated by enterobacteria (>50%), with high pH value (5.25), acetic acid (77.9 g/kg DM) and NH3–N production (261 g/kg TN). Adding E, EL and ML shifted the fermentation pattern towards increased intensity of lactic acid production, as indicated by increased lactic acid content (>62.4 g/kg DM), lactic/acetic acid ratio (>1.12) and relative abundance of Lactobacillus (>62.0%), and decreased pH value (<4.73), contents of acetic acid (<60.7 g/kg DM) and NH3-N (<179 g/kg TN) and the relative abundance of enterobacteria. The results suggested that treatments of E, EL and ML could be the feasible solutions for improving the fermentation quality and protein preservation of silage prepared from fresh-cut WPQ. The results of this study could be beneficial for producing high-quality WPQ silage in aeras where wilting is hard to conduct before ensiling. WPQ silage was prone to acetic acid-type fermentation dominated by enterobacteria. Adding E, EL and ML improved the lactic acid fermentation and protein preservation of fresh-cut WPQ silage. This study provided feasible solutions for producing high-quality WPQ silage under adverse climate conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the effect of fibrolytic enzymes, cellulolytic fungi and lactic acid bacteria on the fermentation quality, structural carbohydrate composition and in vitro digestibility of rice straw silage. This experiment followed a completely randomised block design; four treatments were designed: (1) distilled water (control, CON); (2) fibrolytic enzymes (2.0 g/kg fresh weight (FW), E); (3) Trichoderma reesei (4400 U/kg FW, F); (4) Enterococcus faecium Y83 (1 × 106 cfu/g FW, Y83). All additives were diluted with distilled water and sprayed onto the rice straw (20 mL/kg FW). The rice straw was placed into a laboratory silo (10 L) after uniformly mixing and stored at ambient temperature (17–22 °C) ensiling for 3, 7, 14, 30 and 60 days. The fermentation quality in treated silages was improved compared to the CON, as indicated by lower pH, propionic acid, acetic acid and ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) contents. Furthermore, Y83 had the lowest (p < 0.05) pH and highest (p < 0.05) lactic acid content after 60 days of ensiling. Y83 significantly (p < 0.05) decreased the neutral detergent fibre content compared with CON, E and F. In addition, E and Y83 had significantly (p < 0.05) higher in vitro dry matter digestibility and in vitro neutral detergent fibre digestibility than CON and F. Overall, Y83 can be used as a promising inoculant for improving the fermentation quality of rice straw silage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of sorbic acid, ethanol, previously fermented juice and their combined additives on fermentation quality and residual water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) of napiergrass (Pennisetum purpureum) were herein investigated. There were two experiments in total. The treatments of experiment 1 were as follows: control (no addition); sorbic acid at 0.1%, S; molasses at 1.0%, M; previously fermented juice at 5 mL/kg, P; SP; SM; SPM. The treatments of experiment 2 were as follows: control (no addition); ethanol at 1.5%, E; molasses at 1.0%, M; previously fermented juice at 5 mL/kg, P; EM; EP; EPM. The laboratory silos (10 L) were kept at room temperature (~25 °C), and opened after 120 days of ensiling and the chemical compositions of silage were analyzed. Sorbic acid addition significantly (p < 0.05) decreased the silage pH and increased the residual WSC and lactic acid (LA) contents as compared with control. Ethanol addition decreased pH, acetic acid (AA) and volatile fatty acids (VFAs) contents, and increased the ratio of LA/AA, LA and residual WSC contents. Molasses addition increased ratios of LA/AA and enhanced WSC content used by lactic acid bacteria (LAB). The PFJ addition increased AA and ammonia nitrogen/total nitrogen (AN/TN) and decreased the LA contents. Comparing the fermentation quality among all silages in the present study, the combined additives SM and EM performed best in improving the silage quality of napiergrass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the process of detecting the paint film thickness of offshore wind turbine towers, there are problems such as the risk of high-altitude and the changeable working environments, which pose a great threat to the safety of operators. In response to the above problems, a crawler-type climbing-robot system for measuring paint film thickness of offshore wind turbine towers is developed. Firstly, the robot structure is designed by adopting modular design idea. Secondly, the kinematics analysis of the robot's facade steering is carried out, and the kinematics model of the robot's instantaneous steering is established. On this basis, considering the influence of hydrodynamic force and track deformation, a dynamic model of multi-track coordinated motion is established. Then, the kinematics and dynamics of the robot are simulated and calculated by Matlab. The robot control system is designed according to the requirements of multi-module cooperative operation. Finally, a robot prototype is developed based on the theory and simulation, and the robot is verified through the experimental platform and the offshore wind power field experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Printing and dyeing wastewater is one of the difficult wastewater to treat because of its complex composition, difficult degradation, high color and high concentration of organic matter. At present, photocatalysis, a chemical treatment method, is playing an increasingly important role in the field of printing and dyeing wastewater treatment. To improve the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of TiO2 on printing and dyeing wastewater, F−N‐TiO2/AC composite photocatalysts were prepared by loading titanium dioxide (TiO2) particles onto activated carbon (AC) using an impregnation‐hydrothermal method and co‐doping with fluorine and nitrogen. The characterization results showed that the TiO2 particles were loaded onto the surface and pores of AC, which increased the specific surface area of the composite and the average particle size of the TiO2 particles was reduced by the co‐doping of fluorine and nitrogen. Using methyl orange solution to simulate dye wastewater, the highest degradation efficiency (100 %) of methyl orange was achieved via F−N‐TiO2/AC composite photocatalysts when the F/TiO2 molar ratio was 0.3 and N/TiO2 molar ratio was 0.5. The rate of adsorption reaction for methyl orange by F−N‐TiO2/AC followed the pseudo second‐order kinetic. The effects of the catalyst dosage, environmental pH and interferences in water on the degradation efficiency of the F−N‐TiO2/AC composite photocatalyst were then investigated. The photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange is well fitted by a first‐order kinetic model and the degradation rate is 0.09616 min−1, which is about 6 times higher than that of TiO2/AC composites. Meanwhile, the F−N‐TiO2/AC composite photocatalyst had good recycling performance and the degradation efficiency toward methyl orange was still >80 % after five times of repeated use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to increase the effective electrochemically active area of electrocatalyst materials and improve their electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance, nano-porous Ni–Co alloys were prepared by rapid solidification and dealloying methods. After that, bimetallic sulfides (NiCo2S4) were formed in situ by vapor deposition, then Ru and RuS2 which have excellent intrinsic catalytic activity were adhered to the NiCo2S4 surface by a solvothermal method. Meanwhile, the Ru content was regulated to prepare the NiCo2S4/Ru electrode which was used to figure out the best component and structure for hydrogen evolution. Research shows that when the Ru content reaches 60% (wt/%), the Ru element formed a three-dimensional network flake structure and covered the NiCo2S4 surface. The active area for the reaction (Cdl = 27.6 mF cm−2) and electron transfer ability (Rct = 0.487 Ω cm−2) were increased because of the formation of the heterostructure and surface modification. At a current density of 50 mA cm−2, the NiCo2S4/Ru (60%) composite electrode possessed fast HER kinetics with a hydrogen evolution overpotential of 70 mV and a Tafel slope of 76 mV dec−1, whose electrocatalytic properties are much better than those of NiCo2S4/RuS2 with the same Ru content. The NiCo2S4/Ru (60%) catalyst exhibited superior stability with a small increase in overpotential of just 10 mV after chronopotentiometry tests for 12 h at 10 mA cm−2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we have investigated the effect of different supports (activated carbon (AC), α-Al 2 O 3 , ZSM-5 and SiO 2) on the plasma-catalytic synthesis of ammonia (NH 3) from N 2 and H 2 over Ru-based catalysts in a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma reactor. Compared with the NH 3 synthesis using plasma alone, the presence of the Ru-based catalysts in the DBD reactor significantly enhanced the NH 3 production and energy yield by 163%–387.6% with a sequence of Ru/AC > Ru/ZSM-5 > Ru/α-Al 2 O 3 > Ru/SiO 2. The effect of different operating parameters on the plasma-catalytic NH 3 synthesis over Ru/AC was also examined. N 2 adsorption-desorption experiment, X-ray diffraction analysis and temperature-programmed desorption of CO 2 were performed to get insights into the structure-performance relationships between the plasma-catalytic NH 3 synthesis and Ru-based catalysts with different supports. Both textural properties and the basicity of the Ru/AC catalyst contributed to the enhanced NH 3 production in the hybrid plasma-catalytic system. [Display omitted] • Plasma-catalytic ammonia synthesis over Ru-based catalysts was investigated. • The effect of different supports on the plasma-catalytic ammonia production was evaluated. • Coupling of plasma with Ru-based catalysts significantly enhanced ammonia production and energy yield. • Ru/AC showed the highest ammonia concentration and energy yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

aims to demonstrate clinicopathological characteristics and immunohistopathological phenotypes of pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) originated from ovaries. Methods: The primary origin of PMP was explored by reviewing H&E sections retrospectively and performing a series of immunohistochemical staining on CK7, CK20, CDX2, CEA, Villin, SATB2, CA125, ER, PR, and MUC. Results: Among 310 PMP patients, a few originated from extra-appendix, whereas eight cases were of ovarian origin (2.6%), including three teratoma-associated ovarian mucinous tumors and five primary ovarian mucinous tumors with spontaneous or iatrogenic rupture, respectively. Most peritoneal metastases were acellular mucin or low-grade mucinous carcinoma peritonei (6/8, 75%), while the rest were high-grade mucinous carcinoma peritonei (2/8, 25%). Tumors were positive for CK20, CDX2, CEA, and Villin. SATB2 was specifically diffuse positive in teratoma-associated ovarian mucinous tumors, and negative in primary ovarian mucinous tumors. Differential expression of MUC was observed in these tumors. Conclusion: PMP of ovarian origin is extremely rare. The precise diagnosis requires serial sections of the appendix or suspicious tissue to exclude appendiceal mucinous neoplasms, as well as comprehensive analysis of clinical features, surgical findings, histopathological characteristics, and immunohistochemistry on specific biomarkers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer has become the number one killer. The most difficult part of cancer treatment is the treatment of metastasis, particularly the peritoneal metastasis, generally referred to as peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC). Internationally, the integrated treatment strategy of cytoreductive surgery (CRS) plus hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) has been developed to be the standard treatment for PC. Although the development in this field has been relatively slow, as a result of the hard work put in over the last 20 years, there has been outstanding progress and gratifying achievements in both the diagnosis and treatment of PC in China. Our center (Department of Peritoneal Cancer Surgery, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University) focuses on the research in diagnostic methods for PC, CRS+HIPEC, and management of perioperative adverse events. Based on these, "Chinese expert consensus on cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy for peritoneal malignancies" is developed. Our center that is the pioneering center for this treatment in China has accumulated a wealth of experiences and achievements with more than 1000 cases of CRS+HIPEC. Additionally, our center establishes a nationwide professional training program to promote and standardize the practice of CRS+HIPEC gradually. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The solid-liquid phase equilibria for the ternary system 2-methyl-4-nitroaniline + 2-methyl-6-nitroaniline + ethyl acetate was determined experimentally by the method of isothermal solution saturation at temperatures of (293.15, 303.15 and 313.15) K under the pressure of 101.2 kPa. Based on the obtained solubility data, the isothermal phase diagrams of the system were constructed. At each temperature, there are two pure solid phases formed, which correspond to pure 2-methyl-4-nitroaniline and pure 2-methyl- 6-nitroaniline, which was confirmed by Schreinemakers' wet residue method and X-ray powder diffraction. The crystallization regions of pure 2-methyl-4-nitroaniline and pure 2-methyl-6-nitroaniline increased with decreasing temperature. The crystalline region of 2-methyl-4-nitroaniline was larger than that of 2-methyl-6-nitroaniline at a fixed temperature. The solubility data were correlated with the NRTL and Wilson models. The values of the root-mean-square deviations are 5.01 × 10-3 for the NRTL model, and 6.43 × 10-3 for the Wilson model. The solid-liquid equilibria, phase diagrams and the thermodynamic models for the ternary system can provide the foundation for separating 2-methyl-6-nitroaniline or 2-methyl-4-nitroaniline from its mixtures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The preferential solvation parameters ( δx ) of Boscalid in solvent mixtures of ethanol (1) + ethyl acetate (2), and isopropanol (1) + ethyl acetate (2) were derived from their available solubility data by means of the inverse Kirkwood-Buff integrals method. The values of δx vary non-linearly with the solvent (1) proportion in the two solvent mixtures. For the ethanol (1) + ethyl acetate (2) system, the values of δx are negative in ethanol-rich and ethyl acetate-rich mixtures, but positive in intermediate compositions; for the isopropanol (1) + ethyl acetate (2) system, the values of δx are positive in ethyl acetate-rich mixtures and in intermediate compositions, but negative in isopropanol-rich mixtures. The δx values are positive indicating that Boscalid is preferentially solvated by ethyl acetate. The magnitude of the preferential solvation of Boscalid by ethyl acetate is higher in isopropanol (1) + ethyl acetate (2) mixtures than in ethanol (1) + ethyl acetate (2) mixtures at 298.15, 308.15 and 313.15 K. The ethyl acetate action may be related to the disordered structure of ethanol or isopropanol molecules around the polar moieties of Boscalid, which increases the solvation, with maximum values near x = 0.40-0.45 for the two solvent mixtures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C-C primary carboxylic acids were selected as model compounds to observe the nature and stability of bio-oil adsorption in zeolite HZSM-5 via DFT-D2 theoretical calculation. Adsorptions with and without solvents of water, dimethyl sulfoxide, methanol, and ethanol were studied. The most stable adsorption configuration is hydrogen bonding (HB) through the carbonyl oxygen of acid over the Brønsted acid site of zeolite with the strong energies range from −133.2 to −154.8 kJ/mol. Partial transfer of the Brønsted proton to the acid was observed. Strength of intramolecular-zeolite acid site interaction increases in the order: carbonyl oxygen HB > hydroxyl oxygen HB > CH physisorption. The vdW interactions increase notably with the size of the acids. The adsorption energies are significantly reduced by solvation effect. Graphical Abstract: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work, ethanol has been selected as a model compound to represent the typical alcohols found in bio-oil. A stable Ni/CeO2catalyst has been designed for the production of hydrogen from catalytic steam reforming of ethanol in a continuous-flow fixed-bed reactor. The influence of reaction temperature, liquid hourly space velocity, and steam-to-carbon ratio were investigated. The Ni/CeO2catalyst performed with high activity for 30 h at optimal conditions and did not show any deactivation. Using density functional theory, the elementary reactions involved in the decomposition of ethanol on the Ni(111) surface have been systematically calculated. The optimal pathway for the ethanol steam reforming reaction process on the surface of the catalyst is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Graphene has aroused widespread attention as a new type of adsorbents due to its outstanding ability for the removal of various pollutants from aqueous solutions. This review summarizes the application of graphene-based nanomaterials as an advanced adsorbent for the removal of inorganic pollutants including anionic and cationic type. The adsorption properties, mechanisms, isotherms, kinetics, thermodynamics and regeneration of adsorbents are all summarized, and the further research trends on graphene-based nanomaterials in the removal of pollutants are also given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Steam reforming of bio-oil derived from the fast pyrolysis of biomass is an economic and renewable process for hydrogen production. The main objective of the present work has been to investigate the effects of the preparation method of Ni/AlO catalysts on their performance in hydrogen production by bio-oil steam reforming. The Ni/AlO catalysts were prepared by impregnation, co-precipitation, and sol-gel methods. XRD, XPS, H-TPR, SEM, TEM, TG, and N physisorption measurements were performed to characterize the texture and structure of the catalysts obtained after calcination and after their subsequent use. Ethanol and bio-oil model compound were selected for steam reforming to evaluate the catalyst performance. The catalyst prepared by the co-precipitation method was found to display better performance than the other two. Under the optimized reaction conditions, an ethanol conversion of 99% and a H yield of 88% were obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]