Rheological synergistic thermal conductivity of CMC-based Fe3O4 and Al2O3 nanofluids in shear flow fields

In this paper, considering the variation of the viscous dissipative heat in the transfer direction, a new theoretical formula for thermal conductivity measurement was proposed based on the energy equation of the rotational Couette flow field. This theoretical formula shows that thermal conductivity and rheology have a synergistic effect. Based on this theoretical formula, the rheological synergistic thermal conductivity of CMC-based Fe3O4 nanofluids and Al2O3 nanofluids was experimentally investigated. The experimental results show that the thermal conductivity rises with the increase of shear rate and volume fraction, moreover, volume fraction and shear rate have mutually reinforcing effects on thermal conductivity enhancement. Non-Newtonian effects of rheology and heat transfer reduce with shear rate and increase with volume fraction, with consistent synergistic effects. According to the experimental data, the expressions of the thermal conductivity and dynamic viscosity of these two nanofluids as functions of shear rate and volume fraction were presented

Treatment of Oil Wastewater and Electricity Generation by Integrating Constructed Wetland with Microbial Fuel Cell

Conventional oil sewage treatment methods can achieve satisfactory removal efficiency, but energy consumption problems during the process of oil sewage treatment are worth attention. The integration of a constructed wetland reactor and a microbial fuel cell reactor (CW-MFC) to treat oil-contaminated wastewater, compared with a microbial fuel cell reactor (MFC) alone and a constructed wetland reactor (CW) alone, was explored in this research. Performances of the three reactors including chemical oxygen demand (COD), oil removal, and output voltage generation were continuously monitored. The COD removals of three reactors were between 73% and 75%, and oil removals were over 95.7%. Compared with MFC, the CW-MFC with a MnO2 modified cathode produced higher power density and output voltage. Maximum power densities of CW-MFC and MFC were 3868 mW/m3 (102 mW/m2) and 3044 mW/m3 (80 mW/m2), respectively. The plants in CW-MFC play a positive role for reactor cathode potential. Both plants and cathode modification can improve reactor performance of electricity generation

Analysis of Anodes of Microbial Fuel Cells When Carbon Brushes Are Preheated at Different Temperatures

The anode electrode is one of the most important components in all microbial electrochemical technologies (METs). Anode materials pretreatment and modification have been shown to be an effective method of improving anode performance. According to mass loss analysis during carbon fiber heating, five temperatures (300, 450, 500, 600, and 750 °C) were selected as the pre-heating temperatures of carbon fiber brush anodes. Microbial fuel cell (MFC) reactors built up with these pre-heated carbon brush anodes performed with different power densities and Coulombic efficiencies (CEs). Two kinds of measuring methods for power density were applied, and the numerical values of maximum power densities diverged greatly. Reactors with 450 °C anodes, using both methods, had the highest power densities, and the highest CEs were found using 500 °C anode reactors. The surface elements of heat-treated carbon fibers were analyzed using X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), and C, O, and N were the main constituents of the carbon fiber. There were four forms of N1s at the surface of the polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based carbon fiber, and their concentrations were different at different temperature samples. The microbial community of the anode surface was analyzed, and microbial species on anodes from every sample were similar. The differences in anode performance may be caused by mass loss and by the surface elements. For carbon brush anodes used in MFCs or other BESs, 450–500 °C preheating was the most suitable temperature range in terms of the power densities and CEs

Prenatal Lipopolysaccharide Exposure Alters Hepatic Drug-Metabolizing Enzyme Expression in Mouse Offspring via Histone Modifications

Inflammation is a major regulator of drug-metabolizing enzymes (DMEs), therefore contributing to the interindividual variability of drug effects. However, whether prenatal inflammation affects DMEs expression in offspring remains obscure. This study investigated the effects of prenatal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure on hepatic expression of inflammatory-related genes, nuclear receptors, and DMEs in offspring mice. Prenatal LPS exposure on gestational day (GD) 10 led to higher expression of NF-κB, Pxr, and Cyp2b10, while lower expression of Car, Ahr, Cyp3a11, and Ugt1a1 in postnatal day (PD) 30 offspring. However, multiple doses of LPS exposure on GD10-14 resulted in higher levels of inflammatory-related genes, Cyp1a2, and Cyp2b10, and lower levels of Pxr and Cyp3a11 in PD30 offspring liver. For PD60 offspring, decreased hepatic expression of NF-κB and IL-6, and increased expression of Pxr and Cyp3a11 were seen in single-dose LPS groups, whereas opposite results were observed in the multiple-dose LPS groups. Notably, enhanced H3K4me3 levels in the PXR response elements of the Cyp3a11 promoter were observed in the liver of PD60 offspring mice from dams treated with multiple doses of LPS during pregnancy. Overall, this study suggests that parental LPS exposure could persistently alter the hepatic expression of DMEs, and histone modifications may contribute to the long-term effects

Identification of A Novel Small-Molecule Binding Site of the Fat Mass and Obesity Associated Protein (FTO)

<i>N</i>-(5-Chloro-2,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-1-phenylcyclobutanecarboxamide (<i>N</i>-CDPCB, <b>1a</b>) is found to be an inhibitor of the fat mass and obesity associated protein (FTO). The crystal structure of human FTO with <b>1a</b> reveals a novel binding site for the FTO inhibitor and defines the molecular basis for recognition by FTO of the inhibitor. The identification of the new binding site offers new opportunities for further development of selective and potent inhibitors of FTO, which is expected to provide information concerning novel therapeutic targets for treatment of obesity or obesity-associated diseases

Identification of A Novel Small-Molecule Binding Site of the Fat Mass and Obesity Associated Protein (FTO)

<i>N</i>-(5-Chloro-2,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-1-phenylcyclobutanecarboxamide (<i>N</i>-CDPCB, <b>1a</b>) is found to be an inhibitor of the fat mass and obesity associated protein (FTO). The crystal structure of human FTO with <b>1a</b> reveals a novel binding site for the FTO inhibitor and defines the molecular basis for recognition by FTO of the inhibitor. The identification of the new binding site offers new opportunities for further development of selective and potent inhibitors of FTO, which is expected to provide information concerning novel therapeutic targets for treatment of obesity or obesity-associated diseases