Search

This study aimed to explore the interactions between microbubbles and microwave ablation (MWA). The study employed custom‐made phantoms (in vitro) and white New Zealand rabbits (in vivo). MWA was performed with or without microbubbles in the phantoms (2 × 105particles mL−1) and rabbit livers (intravenous injection of 0.05 mL/kg SonoVue). During the MWA, K‐type thermocouple probes were used to monitor the MWA‐induced temperature increase. Contrast‐enhanced ultrasound imaging (CEUS) was used to monitor and analyze the microbubbles signal intensity. After MWA, the ablation‐zone volumes were evaluated and compared between the groups with and without microbubbles. In both the phantom models and rabbits, microbubbles showed no significant influence on MWA, including the ablation range and MWA‐induced temperature increase. In phantoms and rabbit livers filled with microbubbles, MWA caused the formation of a gradually expanding microbubble‐defect region over the ablation time. An increase in the temperature caused microbubble destruction. Microbubbles had no significant influence on MWA. However, MWA induced the destruction of microbubbles in a temperature‐dependent manner. Thus, the poor thermotolerance of microbubbles is a non‐negligible barrier when using CEUS to monitor the ablation range during MWA in real‐time.

The semicontinuous antisolvent crystallization process of pyraclostrobin was investigated utilizing an integrated microfluidic device that encompasses both microfluidic channels and an agitated crystallizer. We successfully regulated the crystal morphology as quasi-spherical particles and narrowed the particle size distribution compared with that of the raw materials. We explored the impact of ultrasound powers, initial concentration, antisolvent content, and stirring rate on crystal morphology. Our innovative approach involves precisely manipulating the stirring rate and solvent content, resulting in diverse crystal morphologies. Notably, we unveil two distinct mechanisms governing the formation of spherical particles, which can be attributed to the variability in the oil droplet sizes. Our apparatus and approach enable the efficient screening of spherical particles, advocating minimal reagent consumption. This achievement holds the potential to be scaled across a variety of fields ranging from pharmaceuticals to material science.

Motivated by the difficulty of accurately determining the inflow parameters in icing wind tunnels and flight tests, the Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method, a commonly used Bayesian inference method, is explored to solve the inverse problem with the help of an icing software. The icing software, SJTUICE, is used to produce ice shapes for inversion and serves as the prediction tool in the iterations of the inversion problem. The influence of prior estimation of different icing parameters on the convergence and accuracy of the inversion problem is discussed. The feasibility of the MCMC method in inferring the inflow condition in terms of rime ice and glaze ice is assessed. Generally, fast convergence and good accuracy in terms of single inflow parameter inversion can be easily achieved. However, the number of iterations required increases rapidly with the number of inflow parameters in the MCMC method.

Exploring stable and durable cathodes for cost-effective reversible aqueous batteries is highly desirable for grid-scale energy storage applications, but significant challenges remain. Herein, we disclosed an ultrastable Cu2+intercalation chemistry in mass-produced exfoliated NbS2nanosheets to build ultralong lifespan aqueous batteries with cost advantages. Anisotropic interplanar expansion of NbS2lattices balanced dynamic Cu2+incorporation and the highly reversible redox reaction of Nb4+/Nb(4−δ)+couple were illuminated by operando synchrotron X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive X-ray absorption spectroscopy, affording an extraordinary capacity of approximately 317 mAh g–1at 1 A g–1and a good stability of 92.2% capacity retention after 40000 cycles at 10 A g–1. Impressively, a budget NbS2||Fe hybrid ion cell involving an aqueous electrolyte/Fe-metal anode is established and provides a reliable energy supply of 225.4 Wh kg–1at 750 W kg–1, providing insights for building advanced aqueous battery systems for large-scale applications.

Millettia speciosa(M. speciosa) Champ (MSC) is a healthy food type with medicinal and edible homology, which is now considered a clinically significant anti-rheumatoid arthritis medicine. However, there is currently no standardized or generally accepted research strategy by which we can assess M. speciosa. Thus, it is essential to develop novel theories, strategies and evaluation methods for the scientific quality control of M. speciosa. Herein, our use ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC)-MS/MS analysis identified 12 common bioactive components absorbed into MSC serum. Next, network pharmacology analysis exhibited that 5 MSC components may be those active components in treating rheumatoid arthritis and may be considered potential quality markers. These 5 components were then quantified using a fast UPLC approach, based on the quality marker of measurability, showing that lenticin can be regarded as the MSC quality marker. The cumulative study findings, based on systematic assessment of chemical composition both in vivoand in vitro, and the potential efficacy of M. speciosa, provide a novel approach for M. speciosaquality control.

This article addresses the quantized sampled-data (QSD) synchronization for inertial neural networks (INNs) with heterogeneous time-varying delays, in which the sampled-data control and state quantization effect have been considered. By utilizing a proper variable substitution to transform the original system into a first-order differential system, choosing a new Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional (LKF) containing both the continuous terms and the discontinuous terms, and applying Jensen inequality and an improved reciprocally convex inequality to estimate the derivative of the LKF, the sufficient conditions for QSD synchronization for INNs are newly obtained in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs), and the desired QSD controllers are designed by solving a set of LMIs. Finally, three numerical examples are provided to validate the effectiveness and benefit of the proposed results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To better explore coal macromolecular models from the extraction aspects, the behaviors of free radicals during the solvent extraction of superfine pulverized coal were studied. The electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) method was employed to characterize the extracts and extraction residues (ERs) from the pyridine (PY) and tetrahydrofuran (THF) extraction processes. The EPR parameters of different paramagnetic centers were analyzed through the peak deconvolution, and the detailed extraction mechanisms were discussed. The result suggests that the particle size and polarity of the reagent have the combined influences on the free-radical characteristics during the extraction process. Compared to the raw coals (rcs), the free-radical concentrations of the ER show a similar level, while these are 1 order of magnitude lower for the extracts (about 6 to 9% of rcs). In addition, PY with higher polarity is prone to attack the non-covalent interactions like hydrogen bonds, which can extract more abundant molecule components connected by charge-transfer forces, resulting in 35.42% higher spin concentrations compared to the THF extracts. On the other hand, THF with an affinity with oxygen-containing groups can loosen the coal structure, which extracts more stable oxygenated compounds. In addition, THF can effectively target the π–π interactions, and the paramagnetic centers on these aromatic clusters can be better preserved due to the steric hindrance effect. The study sheds light on better elucidation of coal macromolecular structures, which provides support on better understanding coal pyrolysis and liquefaction behaviors.