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We constructed three new MOFs, discussed their structure and explored their photocatalytic and electrocatalytic performance.

A newly hybrid algorithm is proposed based on the combination of seeker optimization algorithm and particle swarm optimization. The hybrid algorithm is based on a double population evolution strategy, and the populations of individuals are evolved from the seeker optimization algorithm and the particle swarm optimization separately. The populations of individuals employ an information sharing mechanism to implement coevolution. The hybrid algorithm enhances the individuals’ diversity and averts fall into the local optimum. The hybrid algorithm is compared with particle swarm optimization, the simulated annealing and genetic algorithm, the dragonfly algorithm, the brain storming algorithm, the gravitational search algorithm, the sine cosine algorithm, the salp swarm algorithm, the multi-verse optimizer, and the seeker optimization algorithm, then 15 benchmark functions, five proportional integral differential control parameters models, and six constrained engineering optimization problems are selected for optimization experiment. According to the experimental results, the hybrid algorithm can be used in the benchmark functions, the proportional integral differential control parameters optimization, and in the optimization constrained engineering problems. The optimization ability and robustness of the hybrid algorithm are better.

ObjectivesPhage therapy has shown a great promise for the treatment of multidrug-resistant bacterial infections. However, the lack of a thorough and organized understanding of phage-body interactions has limited its clinical application.MethodsHere, we administered different purified phages (Salmonellaphage SE_SZW1,Acinetobacterphage AB_SZ6, andPseudomonasphage PA_LZ7) intravenously to healthy animals (rats and monkeys) to evaluate the phage-induced host responses and phage pharmacokinetics (PK) with different intravenous (IV) doses in healthy animals. The plasma and the organs were sampled after different IV doses to determine the phage biodistribution, the phage-induced cytokines, and antibodies. The potential side effects of phages on animals were assessed.ResultsA non-compartment model revealed that the plasma phage titer gradually decreased over time following a single dose. Repeated doses caused that the plasma phage titer at 5 minutes dropped 2-3 Log10compared to the first dose regardless of phage types in rats. Host innate immune responses were activated including the upregulated expression (>10-fold) of TNF-αand splenic enlargement following repeated doses. Phage-specific neutralization antibodies in animals receiving phages were detected. Similar results were obtained from monkeys.ConclusionsThe mammalian bodies were well-tolerant to the administered phages. The animal responses to the phages and the phage biodistribution profiles could have a significant impact on the efficacy of phage therapy.

To improve the seeker optimization algorithm (SOA), an elastic collision seeker optimization algorithm (ECSOA) was proposed. The ECSOA evolves some individuals in three situations: completely elastic collision, completely inelastic collision, and non-completely elastic collision. These strategies enhance the individuals’ diversity and avert falling into the local optimum. The ECSOA is compared with the particle swarm optimization (PSO), the simulated annealing and genetic algorithm (SA_GA), the gravitational search algorithm (GSA), the sine cosine algorithm (SCA), the multiverse optimizer (MVO), and the seeker optimization algorithm (SOA); then, fifteen benchmark functions, four PID control parameter models, and six constrained engineering optimization problems were selected for the experiment. According to the experimental results, the ECSOA can be used in the benchmark functions, the PID control parameter optimization, and the optimization constrained engineering problems. The optimization ability and robustness of ECSOA are better.

After thermal desorption, the total amount of heavy metals (HMs) is enriched in baghouse filter dust. To further understand the related environmental impact, the leaching characteristics under various conditions must be explored. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the leaching characteristics of seven HMs in the dust generated in the direct-fired thermal desorption process and to compare the differences in heavy metal leaching characteristics in the soil before and after thermal desorption. The leaching characteristics and bioaccessibility of seven HMs—arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn)—were analyzed in dust and in soil before and after thermal desorption. The activity of HMs in dust was strong. Therefore, environmental effects and effects on human health should be considered in the treatment of soil and dust after thermal desorption.

This article comes up with a complex-valued encoding seeker optimization algorithm (CSOA) base on the multi-chain method for the constrained engineering optimization problems. The complex value encoding and a multi-link strategy are leaded by the seeker optimization algorithm (SOA). The complex value encoding method is an influential global optimization strategy, and the multi-link is an enhanced local search strategy. These strategies enhance the individuals’ diversity and avert fall into the local optimum. This article chose fifteen benchmark functions, four PID control parameter models, and six constrained engineering problems to test. According to the experimental results, the CSOA algorithm can be used in the benchmark functions, PID control parameters optimization, and optimization constrained engineering problems. Compared to particle swarm optimization (PSO), simulated annealing base on genetic algorithm (SA_GA), gravitational search algorithm (GSA), sine cosine algorithm (SCA), multi-verse optimizer (MVO), and seeker optimization algorithm (SOA), the optimization ability and robustness of CSOA are better.

Jatropha curcas biodiesel was taken as the research object, studied the single and compound effects of oxidation degree and temperature on kinematic viscosity of biodiesel, and established a mathematical model. The results indicate that the kinematic viscosity of biodiesel decreases gradually with the increase of temperature, and the mathematical model affected by the single factor of temperature is η = e(A + Bt + Ct2) . The kinematic viscosity of biodiesel increases with the increase of oxidation time. The regression equation between kinematic viscosity and conductivity is established as follows: η = A + Bμ. It is found that the influence of temperature on the kinematic viscosity of biodiesel is much greater than that of oxidation, and the higher the temperature, the lower the influence of oxidation on the kinematic viscosity of biodiesel. Through the analysis of the influence weight of two factors and the change rate of kinematic viscosity, it is found that with the increase of temperature, the effect of conductivity on the change rate of kinematic viscosity of biodiesel is positive, but the influence decreases gradually. The relationship between kinematic viscosity, temperature and oxidation

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in soil is a key factor affecting the bioavailability of heavy metals, but very few studies have focused on the role of DOM in the use of soil amendments to mitigate heavy metal accumulation in crops. Here, eleven materials were added to cadmium (Cd)-contaminated paddy soil in greenhouse pot trials; rice was grown and harvested, the chemodiversity of post-harvest soil DOM was characterized using Fourier-Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry, and the specific associations between soil DOM traits and water-extractable soil Cd concentration were identified at the molecular level. The results showed that the endogenous release caused by altering soil pH had a greater effect on soil DOM concentration than did the exogenous chemical input due to the application of organic amendments, which in turn contributed to the chemodiversity of DOM. After one season of rice cultivation, soil DOM molecules were mainly dominated by relatively low molecular weight heteroatom-free lignins. C/N, C/H ratios of organic materials influenced DOM molecular fingerprint patterns, and soil pH and redox potential were the main driving forces affecting the chemodiversity of DOM. Furthermore, the low molecular weight, high saturation, low aromaticity, and heteroatom-free DOM molecules are more likely to dissolve Cd from the soil solid phase, thus increasing the potential risk of Cd to the environment. The results provide critical information about amendments-induced changes in DOM chemodiversity and will inform the selection of appropriate soil amendments.

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignant tumors all over the world. And recurrence and metastasis are still the main causes of low survival rate for advanced GC. USP1 has been shown overexpressed in multiple cancers, which indicate its important biomarker in tumorigenesis and development. Our study is aimed at defining the exact role of USP1 on GC metastasis and the underlying mechanism. USP1 was firstly found overexpressed in GC tissues and relatively high-expression levels conferred poor survival rates. Then, real-time cellular analysis (RTCA) showed that USP1 knockdown inhibited GC metastasis both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanically, we demonstrated that USP1 promoted GC metastasis via upregulating ID2 expression and further confirmed that USP1 stabilized ID2 expression through deubiquitinating ID2 in GC. In conclusion, our study showed that USP1 promoted GC metastasis via stabilizing ID2 expression, which provides a potential biomarker and therapy target for GC.

Recently, enterprises and industries associated with intense pollution have been relocated in China, leaving behind abandoned polluted sites. Consequently, stabilization has attracted unprecedented attention and rapid development. However, too much focus has been placed on practicality and short-term effectiveness, whereas long-term effectiveness and sustainability concerns have been overlooked. The present study reports the findings of a national survey administered to stakeholders involved in soil stabilization projects over a decade to determine the pollution characteristics of industrial sites and current utilization status of stabilization technologies in China. One-hundred and fifty soil stabilization projects surveyed revealed that among 29% of chemical industry remained sites, 96.7% of the sites were heavily polluted with heavy metals and metalloids, mainly in the forms of lead, arsenic, and chromium. Our analyses of soil reuse methods revealed that landfilling was the primary strategy of soil disposal following stabilization and remediation. In addition, the reuse of treated soils is preferred to landfill waste treatment. Therefore, from the perspective of economy and reducing landfill loads, environmental management measures should be adopted based on the development objectives of different regions to avoid the failure of stabilization treatments and reapplication and over-repair problems, with the aim of establishing an evaluation method of "site-specific, analysis-specific" evaluation method.

International audience; The effect of cannabidiol (CBD), a high-affinity agonist of the transient receptor potential vanilloid-2 (TRPV2) channel, has been poorly investigated in human brain microvessel endothelial cells (BMEC) forming the blood−brain barrier (BBB). TRPV2 expression and its role on Ca 2+ cellular dynamics, trans-endothelial electrical resistance (TEER), cell viability and growth, migration, and tubulogenesis were evaluated in human primary cultures of BMEC (hPBMEC) or in the human cerebral microvessel endothelial hCMEC/D3 cell line. Abundant TRPV2 expression was measured in hCMEC/D3 and hPBMEC by qRT-PCR, Western blotting, nontargeted proteomics, and cellular immunofluorescence studies. Intracellular Ca 2+ levels were increased by heat and CBD and blocked by the nonspecific TRP antagonist ruthenium red (RR) and the selective TRPV2 inhibitor tranilast (TNL) or by silencing cells with TRPV2 siRNA. CBD dose-dependently induced the hCMEC/D3 cell number (EC 50 0.3 ± 0.1 μM), and this effect was fully abolished by TNL or TRPV2 siRNA. A wound healing assay showed that CBD induced cell migration, which was also inhibited by TNL or TRPV2 siRNA. Tubulogenesis of hCMEC/D3 cells in 3D matrigel cultures was significantly increased by 41 and 73% after a 7 or 24 h CBD treatment, respectively, and abolished by TNL. CBD also increased the TEER of hPBMEC monolayers cultured in transwell, and this was blocked by TNL. Our results show that CBD, at extracellular concentrations close to those observed in plasma of patients treated by CBD, induces proliferation, migration, tubulogenesis, and TEER increase in human brain endothelial cells, suggesting CBD might be a potent target for modulating the human BBB.

The contamination of soil by lead (Pb) is a serious and widespread problem in China, especially in mining areas. This paper summarized the available data regarding Pb-contaminated soils around various metal mines in China. Based on these data, the Pb concentration in the soil and its temporal and spatial changes were analyzed. Potential ecological hazards and adult lead models were also used to estimate ecological and health risks. The results indicated that the concentration of Pb was closely related with the type of mine. Compared with other types of mine, soil around lead-zinc (Pb-Zn) and tin (Sn) mines with high Pb contents in the metallic ores and high pollutant emission coefficient were more strongly polluted by Pb. The characteristic spatial and temporal variations of Pb pollution status in China were clarified, and the results showed that the concentration was high in the southern, southwestern, and central regions of China where many mining areas were located, and the mean value passed a turning point in 2012. Ecological risk assessments indicated that some areas around mines were at considerable to high risk, and the risk was relatively severe in Pb-Zn mining areas. According to the adult lead model, Pb-Zn mines had a greater impact on blood Pb concentration than the other types of mine.

Cadmium (Cd) pollution in mining areas is the most important challenge for soil environment management in China. Assessing the actual Cd pollution risk in various mining areas and identifying the core areas requiring supervision can provide a basis for government departments and industries to carry out detailed further investigations in key areas. In this study, we collated published data on metal mine circumjacent soil contaminated by Cd in China from 2002 to 2020 to conduct a comprehensive study on soil cadmium pollution and ecological and health risks in mining areas. The temporal and spatial variations of Cd concentrations and the pollution source were investigated. Results indicated that the Cd concentration in soil was strongly associated with the types of mining area. The Cd pollution in the circumjacent soil of lead-zinc and tungsten mines with high heavy metal pollution discharging coefficient was more serious than the soil around other mines. Identification of temporal and spatial variations for soil Cd in China indicated that the high Cd concentrations were found in the central, southern, and southwestern regions of China, and the distribution of mining activities in these regions are relatively concentrated. Meanwhile, a temporal turning point in the mean soil Cd concentration occurred in these regions in 2012, which indicated that the heavy metal control management policy implemented by the government was effective. The ecological risk of soil Cd pollution around mining areas was moderate to high. Health risk assessment showed that some regions adjacent mining areas had a high non-carcinogenic risk, notably, lead-zinc and tungsten mining areas were more serious. Supervision should focus on reducing ecological risks and protecting the safety of agricultural products rather than concentrating on health risks. The research results provide a reference for the priority management of contaminated soil in mining areas.

Using diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) is a recently developed alternative method of rapidly evaluating the bioavailability of metals in soil. However, the method has found only limited application in systematic assessment of the bioavailability of cadmium (Cd) in red limestone paddy soils treated with different soil amendments. Of the four methods compared for estimating Cd content of rice grains from plants grown in such soils of central China treated with eleven different soil amendments in pot culture, Cd content of DGT-labile soil was significantly correlated to Cd concentrations in brown rice (R = 0.447, p 0.01). The other three methods involved CaCl

Metal pollution in urban soils due to smelting and electroplating has become a severe problem in China. In this study, the concentration, chemical fraction, and leaching behavior of typical metals (Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb) in soil samples from ten metallurgical sites were studied. The results show that some of the soils were polluted with Cu and most were heavily polluted with multiple metals, especially Zn, Cd, and Pb. The average concentration of Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb was 498, 4145, 89, and 5091 mg/kg, respectively. Chemical fractionation revealed that Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb were mainly present in the acid-soluble fraction in polluted soils, but predominated in the residual fraction in unpolluted soils, demonstrating that allogenic metals in the soils were mostly present in the more labile fractions. Toxicity characteristic leaching procedure results were in agreement with the chemical fractionation study, indicating that the higher the total metal content, the higher the leachability, mobility, bioavailability, and potential toxicity to the environment, especially groundwater. Use of chemical fractionation results instead of total metal concentrations would provide better insight into the distribution and binding forms of metals for better assessment of their mobility and bioavailability. The study would provide much more important information for developing better remediation strategies for contaminated sites.

Lithium (Li) is the most widely used mood stabilizer in treating patients with bipolar disorder. However, more than half of the patients do not or partially respond to Li therapy, despite serum Li concentrations in the serum therapeutic range. The exact mechanisms underlying the pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PK-PD) relationships of lithium are still poorly understood and alteration in the brain pharmacokinetics of lithium may be one of the mechanisms explaining the variability in the clinical response to Li. Brain barriers such as the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier (BCSFB) play a crucial role in controlling blood-to-brain and brain-to-blood exchanges of various molecules including central nervous system (CNS) drugs. Recent in vivo studies by nuclear resonance spectroscopy revealed heterogenous brain distribution of Li in human that were not always correlated with serum concentrations, suggesting regional and variable transport mechanisms of Li through the brain barriers. Moreover, alteration in the functionality and integrity of brain barriers is reported in various CNS diseases, as a cause or a consequence and in this regard, Li by itself is known to modulate BBB properties such as the expression and activity of various transporters, metabolizing enzymes, and the specialized tight junction proteins on BBB. In this review, we will focus on recent knowledge into the role of the brain barriers as key-element in the Li neuropharmacokinetics which might improve the understanding of PK-PD of Li and its interindividual variability in drug response.

The exothermic efficiency of microwave heating an electrolyte/water solution is remarkably high due to the dielectric heating by orientation polarization of water and resistance heating by the Joule process occurred simultaneously compared with pure water. A three-dimensional finite element numerical model of multi-feed microwave heating industrial liquids continuously flowing in a meter-scale circular tube is presented. The temperature field inside the applicator tube in the cavity is solved by COMSOL Multiphysics and professional programming to describe the momentum, energy and Maxwell’s equations. The evaluations of the electromagnetic field, the temperature distribution and the velocity field are simulated for the fluids dynamically heated by single- and multi-feed microwave system, respectively. Both the pilot experimental investigations and numerical results of microwave with single-feed heating for fluids with different effective permittivity and flow rates show that the presented numerical modeling makes it possible to analyze dynamic process of multi-feed microwave heating the industrial liquid. The study aids in enhancing the understanding and optimizing of dynamic process in the use of multi-feed microwave heating industrial continuous flow for a variety of material properties and technical parameters.

Amorphous nanoparticles have attracted a large amount of interest due to their superior catalytic activity and unique selectivity. The Ni-B amorphous nanoparticles were synthesized from aqueous reduction of NiSO4 by sodium borohydride in microscale interface at room temperature. The size, morphology, elemental compositions, and the chemical composition on the surface of Ni-B amorphous nanoparticles were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). All the results showed that the synthesized particles are Ni-B amorphous nanoparticles with uniform in size distribution and having good dispersion. The mean particle diameter of Ni-B amorphous nanoparticles was around 9 nm. The present work provides an alternative synthesis route for the Ni-B amorphous nanoparticles.

The soil moisture regime can affect the release of heavy metals in soil. In the previous studies, slightly polluted soils or artificially contaminated soil samples were considered to investigate the effect of soil moisture. We used highly smelter-contaminated and aged soils to study the release of typical heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb) induced by water incubation in batch experiments with characterization via speciation and X-ray diffraction analyses (XRD). The results show that the leachable concentrations of the heavy metals increased slightly in the first 30 days, decreased drastically between 30 and 90 days, and immobilized relatively constant thereafter. The fluctuation was ascribed to the changes of soil Eh and pH, the reductive dissolution of crystalline iron oxides, the formation of new amorphous iron oxides, the absorption of dissolved organic matter and the precipitation of metal sulfide. Speciation analysis indicated that a proportion of the soil heavy metals was transformed from an exchangeable fraction to a less labile fraction after water incubation. And the presence of a lead iron oxide phase and the peak increasing of zinc sulfide were observed via XRD analyses. Finally, water incubation restrained the release of heavy metals after 180 days of incubation, and reduced the leachability of Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb by as much as 1.61%–7.21% for soil A and 0.43%–3.36% for soil B, respectively. The study findings have implications for the formulation of risk control and management strategies for heavy metals in smelter-contaminated soils.

International audience; Variability in drug response to lithium (Li+) is poorly understood and significant, as only 40% of patients with bipolar disorder highly respond to Li+. Li+ can be transported by sodium (Na+) transporters in kidney tubules or red blood cells, but its transport has not been investigated at the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Inhibition and/or transcriptomic strategies for Na+ transporters such as NHE (SLC9), NBC (SLC4), and NKCC (SLC12) were used to assess their role on Li+ transport in human brain endothelial cells. Na+-free buffer was also used to examine Na+/Li+ countertransport (NLCT) activity. The BBB permeability of Li+ evaluated in the rat was 2% that of diazepam, a high passive diffusion lipophilic compound. Gene expression of several Na+ transporters was determined in hCMEC/D3 cells, human hematopoietic stem-cell-derived BBB models (HBLEC), and human primary brain microvascular endothelial cells (hPBMECs) and showed the following rank order with close expression profile: NHE1 > NKCC1 > NHE5 > NBCn1, while NHE2-4, NBCn2, and NBCe1-2 were barely detected. Li+ influx in hCMEC/D3 cells was increased in Na+-free buffer by 3.3-fold, while depletion of chloride or bicarbonate had no effect. DMA (NHE inhibitor), DIDS (anionic carriers inhibitor), and bumetanide (NKCC inhibitor) decreased Li+ uptake significantly in hCMEC/D3 by 52, 51, and 47%, respectively, while S0859 (NBC inhibitor) increased Li+ influx 2.3-fold. Zoniporide (NHE1 inhibitor) and siRNA against NHE1 had no effect on Li+ influx in hCMEC/D3 cells. Our study shows that NHE1 and/or NHE5, NBCn1, and NKCC1 may play a significant role in the transport of Li+ through the plasma membrane of brain endothelial cells.

In this study, groups of batch experiments were designed to identify the characteristics of alum sludge for arsenic (As) adsorption. Air-dried alum sludge (moisture content 13.9%) collected from a water treatment works in Xi’an, China, was subjected to artificial As-rich wastewater adsorption tests using As2O3 as a model As source. Adsorption behaviours were investigated and the results have shown that the Langmuir adsorption isotherm well fits the experimental data (R2 = 0.94957–0.99365). The maximum adsorption capacities range from 0.61 to 0.96 mg-As/g when the pH of the As solution was varied from 9.0 to 4.0. The prospects in China for the outcome of this study are discussed. This promising low-cost technique can eradicate As contamination in China.

The clean utilization of the CuCl residue containing chloride produced from zinc hydrometallurgy residue is very important for the recycling of valuable metals. In order to strengthen the process of dechlorination, a new method of microwave roasting under the atmosphere of steam and oxygen was put forward. It was demonstrated that the dechlorination rate of CuCl residue by microwave roasting was higher than that of conventional roasting by tubular resistance furnace under the same conditions (temperature, holding time and atmosphere). After roasting at a temperature of 450 °C for 80 min under a gas flow rate of 150 mL/min in microwave filed, the dechlorination rate of CuCl residue was as high as 97%, increasing 18% compared to that of conventional roasting using tubular resistance furnace. The chatacterization of phases variation of CuCl residue in microwave field by means of XRD, SEM-EDS and Raman spectroscopy indicated that the process of dechlorination by microwave roasting under the atmosphere of steam and oxygen was much more efficient than conventional roasting.

International audience; The purpose of the present work was to study the change in morphine metabolic ratio in obese subjects before and after Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB) and to identify clinical and/or biological factors associated with this change. The pharmacokinetics (PK) of oral morphine (30mg), morphine-3-glucuronide (M3G) and morphine-6-glucuronide (M6G) was performed in patients before (n=25; mean BMI=43.2 (35.4-61.9)kg/m2), 7-15days (n=16) and 6 months after RYGB (n=19; mean BMI=32.3 (25.4-46.0)kg/m2). Morphine Cmax and AUC0-inf were significantly increased and morphine Tmax significantly shortened at 6 months after RYGB compared with preoperative data, indicating an important increase in the rate and extent of morphine absorption. The morphine metabolic ratio 0-inf M3G+M6G/Morphine, decreased significantly from the preoperative to 6 months postoperative period with an average of -26% (range -74%; +21%; p=0.004), but not in the immediate post-operative period. The change in morphine metabolic ratio was associated with a change in BMI, fat mass in kg, and triglyceride levels (rho=0.5, p≤0.04). The degree of change in several markers of low-grade inflammation, or the level of liver steatosis and fibrosis before surgery, was not associated with the change in morphine metabolic ratios. Our findings indicate that RYGB-induced weight loss significantly decreases morphine metabolic ratio, arguing for an effect of morbid obesity on glucuronidation. With glucuronide exposure at 6 months similar to preoperative values, a higher morphine AUC0-inf should encourage reducing morphine dosage in patients undergoing RYGB and chronically receiving immediate-release oral morphine.

Due to the long time in vehicular cabins, people have high exposure to the airborne volatile organic compounds (VOCS), which will lead to negative effects on human health. In order to analyze the influencing factors of in-car VOCS pollution concentrations, 38 taxis were investigated on the static and closed conditions. The interior air of taxis was collected through activated Tenax adsorption tubes, and the air samples were analyzed with thermally desorbed gas chromatograph. The average concentrations of in-car benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes, styrene, butyl acetate, undecane, and total VOCS (TVOC) were 82.7, 212.3, 74.7, 182.3, 24.7, 33.5, 61.3, and 1,441.7 μg/m(3), respectively. Furthermore, the VOCS and TVOC concentrations increase with the rise of in-car temperature and relative humidity, and decrease with the increase of car age and total mileage. In addition, the VOCS and TVOC concentrations are higher in vehicles with small cabins than in ones with big cabins, and change with different sampling sites and various vehicular grades. Finally, according to the multiple linear regression analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis, car age is the most important factor influencing airborne VOCS and TVOC pollution concentrations in vehicular cabins, followed by interior temperature and total mileage.

Microwave-absorbing characteristics of carbothermic reduction products of ilmenite and oxidized ilmenite were investigated by the method of microwave cavity perturbation and XRD. Results show that there is a great change of microwave-absorbing characteristics of reduction product from oxidized ilmenite by microwave heating at temperatures of 1000 oC, 1050 °C and 1100 °C. Microwave-absorbing characteristics of reduction products from ilmenite by microwave heating at temperatures of 1000 °C and 1050 °C become strong, the increasing of diffraction intensity of the characteristic peak of FeTi2O5 from 850 CPS to 1250 CPS is the main reason for the great change of microwave-absorbing characteristics of reduction products in the temperature range of 1000 C-1050 °C. Microwave-absorbing characteristics of reduction product from ilmenite by microwave heating is greater than that of reduction product from oxidized ilmenite by microwave heating.

Solar energy refrigeration is very attractive for low-temperature grain storage because the cooling load of low-temperature grain storage is roughly in phase with solar energy availability. In this study, a solar-powered adsorption chiller was developed with aim of developing an alternative refrigeration device for low-temperature grain storage. The solar-powered adsorption chiller was put into experimental operation during summer and autumn. Test results show that the solar-powered adsorption chiller can produce a cooling capacity about 66–90 W per m2 collector area. Its daily solar-cooling COP (coefficient of performance) is about 0.1–0.13 under the climatic conditions of daily solar radiation being about 16–21 MJ/m2·day. With appropriate ventilation appliance, this kind of solar-powered adsorption chiller could be considered as an alternative for low-temperature grain storage in most areas of China.

A solar-powered adsorption chiller with heat and mass recovery cycle was designed and constructed. It consists of a solar water heating unit, a silica gel-water adsorption chiller, a cooling tower and a fan coil unit. The adsorption chiller includes two identical adsorption units and a second stage evaporator with methanol working fluid. The effects of operation parameter on system performance were tested successfully. Test results indicated that the COP (coefficient of performance) and cooling power of the solar-powered adsorption chiller could be improved greatly by optimizing the key operation parameters, such as solar hot water temperature, heating/cooling time, mass recovery time, and chilled water temperature. Under the climatic conditions of daily solar radiation being about 16–21 MJ/m2, this solar-powered adsorption chiller can produce a cooling capacity about 66–90 W per m2 collector area, its daily solar cooling COP is about 0.1–0.13.

For solar thermal utilization, one of the main objectives is to improve system performance for reducing collector areas. In this article, the optimum heat source temperature for maximizing solar cooling coefficient of performance (COP) of a novel solar adsorption air-conditioning system (SAACS) is investigated theoretically. A mathematical model for the energy balance of the SAACS is developed. The optimum heat source temperature for the SAACS with two types of solar collector is determined by numerical simulation. The simulation results reveal that the solar cooling COP of the SAACS with evacuated tube collector can exceed 0.25 with optimum heat source temperature. Moreover, the SAACS can run with high efficiency in a wide heat source temperature range when the solar radiation is more than 700 W/m2.