Changes in the content and antioxidative activity of β-carotene and its metabolite vitamin A during gastrointestinal digestion and absorption and optimisation of HPLC-based detection

The β-Carotene (BC), an important precursor of vitamin A (VA), possesses antioxidant activity but is fat-soluble and has low bioavailability. In previous in-vitro assays evaluating antioxidant and 2,2′-azobis(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (AAPH) free radical scavenging, both BC and VA showed a strong ability to scavenge radicals and protected cells from oxidative stress. Here, we used artificially simulated gastrointestinal digestion and Caco-2 cell absorption models to evaluate the bioavailability of the BC during gastrointestinal digestion and absorption using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. We observed high absorptive and transfer rates of BC and detected retinol metabolites (Vitamin A). Therefore, BC can be detected in the acidic gastrointestinal environment using HPLC. Optimised method provided better separation of BC and VA in the column, improving the accuracy of the test results.     

Metal-polyphenol-network coated CaCO3 as pH-responsive nanocarriers to enable effective intratumoral penetration and reversal of multidrug resistance for augmented cancer treatments

Construction of multifunctional stimuli-responsive nanotherapeutics enabling improved intratumoral penetration of therapeutics and reversal of multiple-drug resistance (MDR) is potent to achieve effective cancer treatment. Herein, we report a general method to synthesize pH-dissociable calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) hollow nanoparticles with amorphous CaCO₃ as the template, gallic acid (GA) as the organic ligand, and ferrous ions as the metallic center via a one-pot coordination reaction. The obtained GA–Fe@CaCO₃ exhibits high loading efficiencies to both oxidized cisplatin prodrug and doxorubicin, yielding drug loaded GA–Fe@CaCO₃ nanotherapeutics featured in pH-responsive size shrinkage, drug release, and Fenton catalytic activity. Compared to nonresponsive GA–Fe@silica nanoparticles prepared with silica nanoparticles as the template, such GA–Fe@CaCO₃ confers significantly improved intratumoral penetration capacity. Moreover, both types of drug-loaded GA–Fe@CaCO₃ nanotherapeutics exhibit synergistic therapeutic efficacies to corresponding MDR cancer cells because of the GA–Fe mediated intracellular oxidative stress amplification that could reduce the efflux of engulfed drugs by impairing the mitochondrial-mediated production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). As a result, it is found that the doxorubicin loaded GA–Fe@CaCO₃ exhibits superior therapeutic effect towards doxorubicin-resistant 4T1 breast tumors via combined chemodynamic and chemo-therapies. This work highlights the preparation of pH-dissociable CaCO₃-based nanotherapeutics to enable effective tumor penetration for enhanced treatment of drug-resistant tumors.

     

A novel temperature-tolerant foamed resin for enhanced oil recovery

The synthesis and performance of a novel temperature-tolerant foamed resin for enhanced oil recovery were investigated using various methods, including infrared, NMR, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and displacement experiments. Polycondensation of furfuryl alcohol prepolymers was confirmed by the infrared and NMR results. The poor temperature tolerance of furfuryl alcohol prepolymers after gelation at high temperatures is mainly due to the fracture of furan rings. The addition of ester additives is an effective method of increasing the temperature tolerance of the prepared foamed resins and can effectively reduce the weight-loss rate of the polycondensation products. The SEM results show that the skeleton structure of the foamed resin remains intact after high-temperature treatment. Thus, the novel plugging agent system has excellent thermal stability and still has a high strength (>0.8 MPa) after high-temperature aging treatment for 40 days, giving the prepared foamed resin a good plugging performance (plugging rate > 91%) at 250 °C. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47161.     

A unified critical state model for geomaterials with an application to tunnelling

This paper is prepared in honour of Professor E.T. Brown for his outstanding contributions to rock mechanics and geotechnical engineering and also for his personal influence on the first author's research career in geomechanics and geotechnical engineering. As a result, we have picked a topic that reflects two key research areas in which Professor E.T. Brown has made seminal contributions over a long and distinguished career. These two areas are concerned with the application of the critical state concept to modelling geomaterials and the analysis of underground excavation or tunnelling in geomaterials.Partially due to Professor Brown's influence, the first author has also been conducting research in these two areas over many years. In particular, this paper aims to describe briefly the development of a unified critical state model for geomaterials together with an application to cavity contraction problems and tunnelling in soils.     

A miniature triaxial apparatus for investigating the micromechanics of granular soils with in situ X-ray micro-tomography scanning

The development of a miniature triaxial apparatus is presented. In conjunction with an X-ray micro-tomography (termed as X-ray μCT hereafter) facility and advanced image processing techniques, this apparatus can be used for in situ investigation of the micro-scale mechanical behavior of granular soils under shear. The apparatus allows for triaxial testing of a miniature dry sample with a size of \mathrm{8}\hspace{0.17em}\mathrm{mm}\times \mathrm{16}\hspace{0.17em}\mathrm{mm} (diameter \times height). In situ triaxial testing of a 0.4–0.8 mm Leighton Buzzard sand (LBS) under a constant confining pressure of 500 kPa is presented. The evolutions of local porosities (i.e., the porosities of regions associated with individual particles), particle kinematics (i.e., particle translation and particle rotation) of the sample during the shear are quantitatively studied using image processing and analysis techniques. Meanwhile, a novel method is presented to quantify the volumetric strain distribution of the sample based on the results of local porosities and particle tracking. It is found that the sample, with nearly homogenous initial local porosities, starts to exhibit obvious inhomogeneity of local porosities and localization of particle kinematics and volumetric strain around the peak of deviatoric stress. In the post-peak shear stage, large local porosities and volumetric dilation mainly occur in a localized band. The developed triaxial apparatus, in its combined use of X-ray μCT imaging techniques, is a powerful tool to investigate the micro-scale mechanical behavior of granular soils.     

芳烃联合装置节能降耗方法探讨

结合芳烃联合装置的发展形势，通过对国内某4套典型芳烃联合装置运行能耗的构成进行分析，确定该类装置的主要能耗在于燃料、电和蒸汽的消耗。总结了目前国内外常用的芳烃联合装置节能降耗方法，利用实际经验和调研结果，从采用新型吸附剂、采用单台吸附塔新工艺、采用轻质解吸剂替代对二乙苯（PDEB）、优化吸附塔运行参数、加热炉节能优化和选用高效节能设备等角度探讨芳烃联合装置的节能降耗方法。芳烃联合装置节能降耗应该由设计单位和生产单位紧密结合，在设计阶段就应充分考虑生产过程面临的问题，充分优化工艺路线、方案和设备设计，尽可能降低装置的能耗。同样，装置运行过程中，生产部门应标准化、精细化管理，优化日常操作，从而进一步降低装置的操作能耗。     

低渗低温低压水敏性储气层压裂改造技术研究与应用

低渗低温低压水敏性储气层因压裂液快速破胶困难、黏土膨胀水敏伤害严重和压后压裂液返排动力不足等因素，使得压裂增产面临诸多难题。针对上述难题进行了技术攻关，形成了弱交联、低温活化剂与超量破胶剂的低温储层快速破胶技术、有机盐与无机盐双元体系复合防膨技术以及高比例液氮全程助排的排液技术。该压裂增产改造技术使牛101井头屯河组首次获得工业油气流，扩展了三塘湖盆地勘探空间。     

声波测井换能器激发响应实验研究

声波测井换能器的激发响应由换能器振动时所表现出来的动态阻抗和激发电路参数决定。而换能器的动态（阻抗）参数随压电晶体及其装配方式（力学边界条件）改变。为了测量换能器动态参数的影响，采用声波测井仪器常用的压电晶体和升压变压器，通过改变激发脉冲宽度和直流电压进行了实验，结果发现：在换能器两端的瞬态响应中，一共有三个二阶网络响应，分别对应于不同的频率。最低的一个影响声波测井波形的基线、与换能器主频接近的一个决定激发效率以及电路与压电晶体之间的匹配关系，是激发电路设计中比较关键的，其参数可以通过导纳圆测量仪器得到。     

提高电脱盐效果的措施

中国石油天然气股份有限公司庆阳石化分公司常压蒸馏装置一、二期技术改造结束后,装置加工能力由0．5 Mt/a增加到1．0 Mt／a,最高时达到1．3 Mt/a。但电脱盐装置脱后原油中盐的质量浓度一直在4．0-5．0 mgNaCL／L居高不下。为了降低脱后原油中盐的质量浓度,提高催化裂化装置催化剂活性,对电脱盐装置进行了技术改造,优化了操作参数,这到了脱后原油中盐的质量浓度小于3 mg- NaCl/L的预期效果,取得了较好的经济效益。     

相关条件下基于N-P准则的分布式检测理论研究

本文针对并行网络、二元局部判决的情况,研究了在相关条件下基于N-P准则的分布式检测融合算法,给出了在联合概率密度已知和未知两种情况下的最优融合规则的理论推导及相应的解决方案,并在实验仿真的基础上,得到了部分有益的结论。