Permeability and microstructure of pyrolysis lignite

In order to study the influence of micro pore fissure structure on permeability under the thermal-fluid-solid coupling during lignite pyrolysis, real-time CT scanning of lignite during low-temperature pyrolysis was carried out by using the μCT225kVFCB high-precision micro-CT test system of Taiyuan University of Technology, combined with the self-developed high-temperature atmosphere furnace. The micro-structure of lignite was studied and analyzed with AVIZO software. Through the extraction and analysis of the effective pore and fissure of lignite, the evolution process of the permeability of lignite under non-stress condition with temperature was studied from the perspectives of Kozeny-Carman permeability estimation equation and Darcy’s law. The results show that: ① From room temperature to 600 ℃, the evolution process can be divided into three stages: the first stage, at room temperature to 300 ℃, thermal cracking occurs in the coal body, resulting in the generation of a large number of pores and fissures, and the permeability increases by orders of magnitude. The second stage is at 300 to 500 ℃, the coal matrix is pyrolysed and the new pyrolysis products change the fluid channels, causing a slow decrease in permeability. The third stage is at 500 to 600 ℃, permeability begins to increase again, permeability enters the next rapid increase stage. ② At 300 ℃, the permeability of lignite reaches 15.5×10−12 m2, and the coal body is basically completely penetrated. ③ Under the thermal-fluid-solid coupling, the pyrolysis permeability of lignite depends not only on the micro-structure of pores and fissures, but also on the flow characteristics of fluid in the coal matrix. With the increase of temperature, the influence of heat and mass transfer characteristics of fluid on the permeability becomes more and more obvious. ④ The permeability estimated by Kozeny-Carman equation based on pore fissure structure parameters is similar to the absolute permeability, which can basically reflect the relationship between permeability and temperature. The permeability estimation based on the real pore fissure structure can greatly reduce the difficulty of seepage experiment at high temperature and pressure, and provide a method for simplifying and verifying the seepage experiment of rock mass

Circulating tissue factor-positive procoagulant microparticles in patients with type 1 diabetes

Aim: To investigate the count of circulating tissue factor-positive (TF+) procoagulant microparticles (MPs) in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Methods: This case-control study included patients with T1DM and age and sex-matched healthy volunteers. The counts of phosphatidylserine-positive (PS+) MPs and TF(+)PS(+)MPs and the subgroups derived from different cell types were measured in the peripheral blood sample of the two groups using multicolor flow cytometric assay. We compared the counts of each MP between groups as well as the ratio of the TF(+)PS(+)MPs and PS(+)MPs (TF(+)PS(+)MPs/PS(+)MPs). Results: We recruited 36 patients with T1DM and 36 matched healthy controls. Compared with healthy volunteers, PS(+)MPs, TF(+)PS(+)MPs and TF(+)PS(+)MPs/PS(+)MPs were elevated in patients with T1DM (PS(+)MPs: 1078.5 +/- 158.08 vs 686.84 +/- 122.04/mu L, P &lt;0.001; TF(+)PS(+)MPs: 202.10 +/- 47.47 vs 108.33 +/- 29.42/mu L, P &lt;0.001; and TF(+)PS(+)MPs/PS(+)MPs: 0.16 +/- 0.04 vs 0.19 +/- 0.05, P = 0.004), mostly derived from platelet, lymphocytes and endothelial cells. In the subgroup analysis, the counts of total and platelet TF(+)PS(+)MPs were increased in patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR) and with higher HbA1c, respectively. Conclusion: Circulating TF(+)PS(+)MPs and those derived from platelet, lymphocytes and endothelial cells were elevated in patients with T1DM.De tre första författarna delar förstaförfattarskapet.</p

Evolution of Micron-Scale Pore Structure and Connectivity of Lignite during Pyrolysis

Based on the high-precision microcomputed tomography (micro-CT) technology, the evolution of the μm-scale pore structure and connectivity of lignite during pyrolysis from room temperature to 600°C was studied. The results show that the pore connectivity of lignite increases with the increase of temperature, and the change of pore structure can be divided into four stages: the first stage is from room temperature to 100°C, characterized by generation and connection of small-diameter pores. The second stage is 100–200°C, characterized by rapid expansion and interconnection of pores due to the thermal cracking. The third stage is from 200°C to 450°C, characterized by the slow evolution of pore structure for pyrolysis. The fourth stage is from 450°C to 600°C, characterized by pore interconnection for pyrolysis. 200°C is the temperature at which the μm-scale pore structure of lignite changes dramatically. During the whole pyrolysis process from room temperature to 600°C, the pore quantity of lignite is mainly from the pores of a diameter of 0.65–3 μm. At 200°C and above, the pore volume of lignite is mainly from the pores with a diameter larger than 100 μm, but they are few. These research results have important theoretical reference values for the upgrading and pyrolysis of lignite

Prognostic value and biological function of LRRN4 in colorectal cancer

Background Several nervous and nerve-related biomarkers have been detected in colorectal cancer (CRC) and can contribute to the progression of CRC. However, the role of leucine-rich repeat neuronal 4 (LRRN4), a recently identified neurogenic marker, in CRC remains unclear. Methods We examined the expression and clinical outcomes of LRRN4 in CRC from TCGA-COREAD mRNA-sequencing datasets and immunohistochemistry in a Chinese cohort. Furthermore, colony formation, flow cytometry, wound healing assays and mouse xenograft models were used to investigate the biological significance of LRRN4 in CRC cell lines with LRRN4 knockdown or overexpression in vitro and in vivo. In addition, weighted coexpression network analysis, DAVID and western blot analysis were used to explore the potential molecular mechanism. Results We provide the first evidence that LRRN4 expression, at both the mRNA and protein levels, was remarkably high in CRC compared to controls and positively correlated with the clinical outcome of CRC patients. Specifically, LRRN4 was an independent prognostic factor for progression-free survival and overall survival in CRC patients. Further functional experiments showed that LRRN4 promoted cell proliferation, cell DNA synthesis and cell migration and inhibited apoptosis. Knockdown of LRRN4 can correspondingly decrease these effects in vitro and can significantly suppress the growth of xenografts. Several biological functions and signaling pathways were regulated by LRRN4, including proteoglycans in cancer, glutamatergic synapse, Ras, MAPK and PI3K. LRRN4 knockdown resulted in downregulation of Akt, p-Akt, ERK1/2 and p-ERK1/2, the downstream of the Ras/MAPK signaling pathway, overexpression of LRRN4 leaded to the upregulation of these proteins. Conclusions Our results suggest that LRRN4 could be a biological and molecular determinant to stratify CRC patients into distinct risk categories, and mechanistically, this is likely attributable to LRRN4 regulating several malignant phenotypes of neoplastic cells via RAS/MAPK signal pathways.Funding Agencies|Nature Science Foundation of ChinaNational Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) [81972592]; 1.3.5 project for disciplines of excellence, West China Hospital, Sichuan University [ZYGD20007, ZYJC18011]; Space Medical Experiment Project of China Manned Space Program [HYZHXM01004]</p