Evaluation of the susceptibility of coal to spontaneous combustion by a TG profile subtraction method

Yulong Zhang,Sheng Xue,Junfeng Wang,Yue Wu,Zhengfeng Li,Liping Chang 한국화학공학회 2016 Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol.33 No.3

−It is imperative to have an in-depth understanding of the intrinsic reaction between coal and oxygen during low-temperature oxidation, as the reaction is the main source responsible for the self-heating and spontaneous combustion of coal. As low-temperature oxidation of coal involves a series of physical and chemical process and many parallel reactions, it is difficult to directly investigate the intrinsic reaction between coal and oxygen by conventional analytical method. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to investigate the intrinsic reaction between coal and oxygen based on the mass change. By means of the subtraction analysis method of TGA, the TG-subtraction curves were obtained by subtracting the TG-N2 curves from the TG-air curves. The results indicate that a TG-subtraction curve can better reflect the intrinsic reaction of coal oxidation than a TG-air curve by eliminating the influence of evaporation of water and thermal decomposition of inherent oxygen-containing groups. In terms of the rate of mass increase, the intrinsic reactions can be divided into three stages: slow oxidation stage, advanced oxidation stage and rapid oxidation stage. The activation energy at each of the stages, obtained by Coats and Redfern’s model, can be used to as a technical parameter to evaluate the proneness of coal spontaneous combustion. The optimum experiment conditions were also developed to study low-temperature coal oxidation with the subtraction method of TGA.

Catabolite Control Protein A of Streptococcus suis Type 2 Contributes to Sugar Metabolism and Virulence

Yulong Tang,Wei Wu,Xiaoyan Zhang,Zhongyan Lu,Jianshun Chen,Weihuan Fang 한국미생물학회 2012 The journal of microbiology Vol.50 No.6

Catabolite control protein A (CcpA) is the major transcriptional regulator in carbon catabolite repression in several Gram-positive bacteria. We attempted to characterize the role of a CcpA homologue of Streptococcus suis type 2 in sugar metabolism and virulence. Addition of glucose or sucrose to the defined medium significantly reduced the activity of raffinose-inducible α-galactosidase, cellobiose-inducible β-glucosidase, and maltose-inducible α-glucosidase of the wildtype strain by about 9, 4, and 2-3 fold, respectively. Deletion of ccpA substantially derepressed the effects of repressing sugars on α-galactosidase or β-glucosidase activity. The ccpA deletion mutant showed reduced expression of virulence genes sly and eno (P<0.05), decreased adhesion to and invasion into endothelial cells (P<0.05), and attenuated virulence to mice with significant reduction of death rate and bacterial burden in organs, as compared to the wild-type strain. Both the in vitro and in vivo defect phenotypes were reversible by ccpA complementation. Thus, this study shows that CcpA of S. suis type 2 plays an important role in carbon catabolite repression and virulence.

Multi-Index Seismic Capacity Evaluation of Buckling-Restrained Braced Frames

Yulong Feng,Jing Wu,Xiaoning Cai,Shao-ping Meng 한국강구조학회 2018 International Journal of Steel Structures Vol.18 No.2

The seismic capacity of a structure is determined by the performance index that reaches its ultimate bearing or deformation capacity fi rst. This paper presents a multi-index seismic capacity evaluation method for accurately evaluating the seismic capacity of a structure. The normalized response curves of several indices are concurrently plotted to form a multi-index seismic capacity evaluation fi gure, in which the seismic capacity and demand values that correspond to various indices can be determined by vertical and horizontal threshold lines. Based on an incremental dynamic analysis (IDA), a 6-story buckling-restrained braced frame (BRBF) and a series of comparable 6-story steel frames are analyzed using the proposed method to verify the method and investigate the seismic behavior of BRBFs. The results show that the seismic performance of buckling-restrained braces is not the only factor that determines the seismic capacity of BRBFs and indicate that the multiindex seismic capacity evaluation method can eff ectively identify the critical index of a structure and the weakest links that restrict the structural seismic capacity.

Preparation of solid acid catalyst packing AAO/SBA-15-SO3H and application for dehydration of xylose to furfural

Derun Hua,Mingde Yang,Yulong Wu,PanPan Li,Yu Chen,Jie Dang,Quanhua Xie,Ji Liu,Xiao-yin Sun 한국공업화학회 2013 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.19 No.4

The solid acid catalyst packing AAO/SBA-15-SO3H was prepared by the co-condensation and grafting method with porous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) as support. FT-IR, SEM and TEM were applied to characterize the prepared samples. Results showed that catalysts prepared by two methods both contained active centers, and SBA-15 nanorod arrays grow inside a porous alumina membrane AAO and are perpendicular to the substrate. Their catalytic performances were tested for dehydration of xylose to furfural. The conversion of xylose and selectivity of furfural were 90% and 74% on the AAO/SBA-15-SO3H(C) catalyst prepared by the co-condensation method, respectively. The deactivation and regeneration of the AAO/SBA-15-SO3H(C) catalyst for the dehydration of xylose were also investigated,the activity of catalyst treated by 30 wt.% H2O2 almost was recovered.

Role of Interleukin-4 (IL-4) in Respiratory Infection and Allergy Caused by Early-Life Chlamydia Infection

( Shujun Li ),( Lijuan Wang ),( Yulong Zhang ),( Long Ma ),( Jing Zhang ),( Jianbing Zu ),( Xuecheng Wu ) 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2021 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.31 No.8

Chlamydia pneumoniae is a type of pathogenic gram-negative bacteria that causes various respiratory tract infections including asthma. Chlamydia species infect humans and cause respiratory infection by rupturing the lining of the respiratory which includes the throat, lungs and windpipe. Meanwhile, the function of interleukin-4 (IL-4) in Ch. pneumoniae respiratory infection and its association with the development of airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) in adulthood and causing allergic airway disease (AAD) are not understood properly. We therefore investigated the role of IL-4 in respiratory infection and allergy caused by early life Chlamydia infection. In this study, Ch. pneumonia strain was propagated and cultured in HEp-2 cells according to standard protocol and infant C57BL/6 mice around 3-4 weeks old were infected to study the role of IL-4 in respiratory infection and allergy caused by early life Chlamydia infection. We observed that IL-4 is linked with Chlamydia respiratory infection and its absence lowers respiratory infection. IL-4R α2 is also responsible for controlling the IL-4 signaling pathway and averts the progression of infection and inflammation. Furthermore, the IL-4 signaling pathway also influences infection-induced AHR and aids in increasing AAD severity. STAT6 also promotes respiratory infection caused by Ch. pneumoniae and further enhanced its downstream process. Our study concluded that IL-4 is a potential target for preventing infection-induced AHR and severe asthma.

Dietary Supplementation with Acanthopanax senticosus Extract Modulates Cellular and Humoral Immunity in Weaned Piglets

Kong, Xiangfeng,Yin, Yulong,Wu, Guoyao,Liu, Hejun,Yin, Fugui,Li, Tiejun,Huang, Ruilin,Ruan, Zheng,Xiong, Hua,Deng, Zeyuan,Xie, Mingyong,Liao, Yiping,Kim, Sungwoo Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2007 Animal Bioscience Vol.20 No.9

This study was conducted to test the hypothesis that dietary supplementation with an herbal extract of Acanthopanax senticosus (AS) enhances the immune response in weaned piglets. Sixty piglets weaned at 21 days of age were randomly assigned to 3 treatment groups representing the addition of 0 or 1 g/kg of the AS extract or 0.2 g/kg of colistin (an antibiotic) to maize- and soybean meal-based diets (n = 20 per group). On days 7, 14 and 28 after initiation of the addition, total and differential counts of leucocytes, proliferating activity of peripheral lymphocytes, serum levels of immunoglobulins (Ig) and cytokines and the spleen index were determined. The AS extract decreased (p<0.05) the number of neutrophils on days 7 and 28 in comparison with the control group and reduced (p<0.05) serum interleukin-$1{\beta}$ level on day 28 compared with the other 2 groups. Dietary supplementation with the AS extract increased (p<0.05) the lymphocyte/leukocyte ratio on day 28 compared with the control group and increased the proliferating activity of lymphocytes on days 14 and 28 compared with the other 2 groups. The AS extract increased (p<0.05) the serum content of IgG on day 7 and of IgG and IgM on day 28 compared with the other 2 groups, as well as increasing the serum content of tumor necrosis factor on day 7 and spleen index on days 7 and 28 compared with the control group. Collectively, these findings suggest that the AS extract as a dietary additive enhances the cellular and humoral immune responses of weaned piglets by modulating the production of immunocytes, cytokines and antibodies.

Expression Patterns of Circular RNAs from Primary Kinase Transcripts in the Mammary Glands of Lactating Rats

Chun-lei Zhang,Hui Wu,YanHong Wang,YuLong Zhao,XingTang Fang,CaiFa Chen,Hong Chen 한국유방암학회 2015 Journal of breast cancer Vol.18 No.3

Purpose: Circular RNAs (circRNAs), a novel class of RNAs, perform important functions in biological processes. However, the role of circRNAs in the mammary gland remains unknown. The present study is aimed at identifying and characterizing the circRNAs expressed in the mammary gland of lactating rats. Methods: Deep sequencing of RNase R-enriched rat lactating mammary gland samples was performed and circRNAs were predicted using a previously reported computational pipeline. Gene ontology terms of circRNA-producing genes were also analyzed. Results: A total of 6,824 and 4,523 circRNAs were identified from rat mammary glands at two different lactation stages. Numerous circRNAs were specifically expressed at different lactation stages, and only 1,314 circRNAs were detected at both lactation stages. The majority of the candidate circRNAs map to noncoding intronic and intergenic regions. The results demonstrate a circular preference or specificity of some genes. DAVID analysis revealed an enrichment of protein kinases and related proteins among the set of genes encoding circRNAs. Interestingly, four protein-coding genes (Rev3l, IGSF11, MAML2, and LPP) that also transcribe high levels of circRNAs have been reported to be involved in cancer. Conclusion: Our findings provide the basis for comparison between breast cancer profiles and for selecting representative circRNA candidates for future functional characterization in breast development and breast cancer.

Dietary Supplementation with Acanthopanax senticosus Extract Modulates Gut Microflora in Weaned Piglets

Yin, Fugui,Yin, Yulong,Kong, Xiangfeng,Liu, Yulan,He, Qinghua,Li, Tiejun,Huang, Ruilin,Hou, Yongqing,Shu, Xugang,Tan, Liangxi,Chen, Lixiang,Gong, Jianhua,Kim, Sung Woo,Wu, Guoyao Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2008 Animal Bioscience Vol.21 No.9

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of Acanthopanax senticosus extract (ASE) as a dietary additive on gut microflora in weaned piglets. A total of sixty pigs were weaned at 21 d of age (BW = $5.64{\pm}0.23kg$) and allocated on the basis of BW and litter to three dietary treatments in a randomized complete block design. The dietary treatments were: control group (basal diet), antibiotics group (basal diet+0.02% colistin), and ASE group (basal diet+0.1% ASE). On d 7, 14 and 28 after consuming the experimental diets, five piglets per group were sacrificed and then the contents from the jejunum, ileum and cecum were collected to determine changes in the microbial community by using a polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) technique and estimating the contents of Lactobacillus and E. coli by in vitro culturing methods. The results showed that the ASE promoted the microflora diversity in the cecum. Enumeration of bacteria in the gut contents showed that the number of Lactobacillus increased (p<0.05), while that of E. coli decreased (p<0.05) when compared with the other 2 groups as the days of age progressed post-weaning. These findings suggested that the ASE, as a substitute for dietary antimicrobial products, could improve the development of the normal gut microflora and suppress bacterial pathogens, and effectively promote a healthy intestinal environment.

Synergistic photocatalysis of bimetal mixed ZIFs in enhancing degradation of organic pollutants: Experimental and computational studies

Weihao Zhu,Yuanfeng Wu,Guiyun Yi,Xiaoxiao Su,Qiangsheng Pan,Shengbin Shi,Olayinka Oderinde,Guomin Xiao,Chuanxiang Zhang,Yulong Zhang 한국공업화학회 2023 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.119 No.-

The present work is aimed at studying the synergistic catalysis of the bimetal ZIFs containing Co and Znmetal ions prepared by solvothermal method in the degradation of organic pollutants under ambientconditions. The bimetal mixed ZIFs were further characterized by some techniques such as XRD, SEM,TG-DTG, XPS, UV–vis, ESR, and N2-adsorption. Interestingly, the sample prepared with equal metal ions(1Zn:1Co) showed the highest catalytic performance for methylene blue (MB) degradation (94.10 %). Thismay be associated with the interaction between cobalt and zinc within the adjacent lattice, which makethe MB molecule to be easily adsorbed and degraded on empty electron orbit. Furthermore, the highestdegradation of MB was achieved with 98.83 % under the optimized conditions (catalyst weight of 50 mg,pH of 5, 3 h, 30 C). Besides, the various substrates such as methyl orange, indole, rofloxacin, methyl blue,and tetracycline were also investigated under the same conditions. Additionally, the DFT calculationresults suggested the more orbital distribution (LUMO, HOMO) of ZIF(1Zn:1Co) can result to more electronsbeing easily captured, and generate more radicals via electron transfer. Finally, the photocatalyticdegradation of MB is consistent with the first law of kinetics, and the activation energy is 26.797 KJ/molin the presence of ZIF(1Zn:1Co).

Determination of the air-kerma in mammography x-rays at NIM

Ji Wang,Siming Guo,Pingzhou Lu,Jinjie Wu,Ying Liu,Ruonan Li,Yulong Wang 한국물리학회 2022 THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Vol.81 No.4

Breast cancer has become the top killer of women’s health in the world, and mammography X-ray has become the gold standard in various diagnostic methods, due to its low energy, low dose and high resolution. To meet the quality control requirements of mammography X-rays dose in clinical, the National Institute of Metrology (NIM,China) has established a mammography X-ray reference radiation facility. The radiation quality half-value layer (HVL) range from 0.274 to 0.364 mm (aluminum) meets the requirements of IEC61267, and a new parallel-plate free-air ionization is designed. At NIM, various correction factors were measured and simulated, and fnally, the absolute measurement of the X-ray air kerma rate of the mammography was realized. By analysis, the combined standard uncertainty of the air kerma is 0.44%. Provide traceability services for the use and quality control of mammography in China.