Beyond “Big Eaters”: The Versatile Role of Alveolar Macrophages in Health and Disease

Macrophages act as immune scavengers and are important cell types in the homeostasis of various tissues. Given the multiple roles of macrophages, these cells can also be found as tissue resident macrophages tightly integrated into a variety of tissues in which they fulfill crucial and organ-specific functions. The lung harbors at least two macrophage populations: interstitial and alveolar macrophages, which occupy different niches and functions. In this review, we provide the latest insights into the multiple roles of alveolar macrophages while unraveling the distinct factors which can influence the ontogeny and function of these cells. Furthermore, we will highlight pulmonary diseases, which are associated with dysfunctional macrophages, concentrating on congenital diseases as well as pulmonary infections and impairment of immunological pathways. Moreover, we will provide an overview about different treatment approaches targeting macrophage dysfunction. Improved knowledge of the role of macrophages in the onset of pulmonary diseases may provide the basis for new pharmacological and/or cell-based immunotherapies and will extend our understanding to other macrophage-related disorders.     

The Modification of Chrome Tanned Leather by Polyethylene Glycol-Linked Gemini Fatty Alcohol Phosphate

A series of polyethylene glycol-linked Gemini fatty alcohol phosphate surfactants (GFAP) were prepared with long chain n-alkanol (C = 8, 12, 16, 18), polyethylene glycol (PEG-200, PEG-400, PEG-600, PEG-800, PEG-1000) and phosphorus oxychloride (POCl₃). The structure of the prepared surfactants was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR). The surfactants were employed for the modification of chrome-tanned leather. The morphological changes of chrome-tanned leather and modified chrome-tanned leather were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The relationship between the alkyl chain length and molecular weight of the PEG and the hydrophobicity, softness, mechanical strength of modified chrome-tanned leather was also discussed. The experimental results showed that the mechanical strength and softness of modified chrome-tanned leather were enhanced with an increase of alkyl chain length, while the hydrophobicity, mechanical strength and softness were decreased with an increase of molecular weight of the PEG. The hydrophobicity, mechanical strength and softness of modified chrome-tanned leather were optimized for an alkyl chain length of 16. Therefore, 16–200 Gemini phosphate surfactants with an alkyl chain length of 16 and a PEG molecular weight of 200 have a good comprehensive modification effect on Chrome-tanned leather, the tensile strength, tear strength and softness of modified chrome-tanned leather are 57.07 N mm⁻², 79.49 N mm⁻¹, 9.73 mm, respectively.     

高温高盐油藏化学驱数值模拟技术进展

针对高温高盐油藏，胜利油田近年来先后研发了非均相体系、乳液表面活性剂体系等新型驱油体系，其驱油机理与传统化学驱油体系有明显的区别，现有商业化数值模拟软件无法有效表征，而自研数值模拟软件存在运算速度慢、难以支撑大规模矿场应用等难题。依托自主知识产权的化学驱数值模拟软件SLCHEM，在室内实验与机理研究基础上，建立了基于粘弹性颗粒孔喉通过系数的非均相复合驱数学模型以及表征乳液表面活性剂乳化增粘特征的数学模型，实现了相应的模拟功能，开展了室内试验的拟合与矿场模型应用，验证了模型的合理性和准确性；综合应用顺序全隐式快速求解算法、并行解法及交替方向解法，实现了百万级规模模型的快速计算。通过概念模型进行了计算效率测试，在网格数100×10⁴、井数116口、生产历史5a条件下，计算速度为2.9h。室内实验验证与矿场实际应用表明，与商业化软件相比，改造后的SLCHEM软件能够实现对新型驱油体系室内实验结果与矿场动态指标的准确拟合，可为化学驱方案优化与动态分析提供有效的技术支持。     

二元复合驱表面活性剂在油水界面的作用机理

用介观模拟方法对二元复合驱用表面活性剂分子在油水界面的分布形态进行了研究。发现十二烷基苯磺酸钠（SDBS）和辛基苯基聚氧乙烯醚（TX100）均分布在油水的界面，单独使用时对界面张力的降低均有一个极值，但两者协同作用时呈互补的状态，使油水界面处表面活性剂分子的分布密度增大，更多地占据油水界面层，从而能够更多地降低界面的界面张力；聚丙烯酰胺（HPAM）不能降低界面张力，但自身能够通过分子链的缠结向四周延伸，形成一个空间网状结构，将周围的油滴连结起来，使油分子更容易聚集。     

水合物形成促进剂研究进展

添加促进剂是高效制备水合物的研究热点，促进剂及其添加量对水合物生成效果至关重要。本文主要从热力学促进剂和动力学促进剂两大类型进行分析：总结了可溶水相热力学促进剂和不可溶水相热力学促进剂的浓度对水合物形成相平衡的影响；从表面活性剂、纳米粒子和相变材料等添加剂，阐述了动力学促进剂添加量对水合物生成诱导时间、储气量和生成速率等方面的影响。促进剂都存在最佳浓度的添加量，并且不同类型促进剂复配更有利于水合物生成。目前添加促进剂后水合物形成机理的研究大多从宏观现象推测，部分学者通过拉曼光谱、X射线衍射和显微观察探索分析促进剂对水合物形成的微观影响，这方面研究有待于进一步开展。添加量作为水合物形成促进剂的重要指标，研究者应得到水合物形成促进剂的最佳浓度与所研究对象的关联性。     

Impact of Divalent Ions on Heavy Oil Recovery by in situ Emulsification

Many reservoir formation brines are characterized by high salinity and contain high concentrations of divalent ions such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium. These challenging conditions can render the surfactants ineffective during chemical flooding for enhanced heavy oil recovery. Various brine types can have an impact on the stability of emulsions generated with chemicals as chemicals have various resistant levels toward hard divalent ions and salinities. To investigate the impact of brine hardness on heavy oil-in-water emulsion stability, glass tube experiments, microscopic visualization and sandpack flooding experiments, and Hele-Shaw visualization experiments were conducted in this study under low-salinity/hard-brine, high-salinity/hard-brine conditions using commercial chemicals, which are designed for specific reservoir brine conditions. Recovery results demonstrated that complex colloidal solution introduced in the previous study with silica and Dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) along with screened chemicals from glass tube tests in this study can enhance heavy oil recovery significantly with an addition of low concentration of xanthan gum (Lee and Babadagli 2018). The results confirmed the robustness of the complex colloidal solution formula to enhance oil recovery with low concentration of polymer under any reservoir brine conditions. The study also demonstrates the potential of polymer as an emulsion stabilization additive for enhanced heavy oil recovery by in situ emulsion generation. Polymer effects seemed to be particularly dominant under the low-salinity conditions than high-salinity conditions.