Characterization of Mineral Oil, Coal Tar and Soil Properties and Investigation of Mechanisms That Affect Coal Tar Entrapment in and Removal from Porous Media

Mineral oils and coal tars are complex nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPLs), which can serve as long-term sources of ground water contamination. Very limited data are available on mineral oil and coal tar entrapment in and removal from porous media. Thus, the objectives of this research were to evaluate the behavior of these NAPLs in porous media, and investigate the mechanisms governing NAPL entrapment in and recovery from porous media. Quantification of properties of three commercial mineral oils and six MGP coal tars reveals that mineral oils are slightly viscous LNAPLs (density: ~0.88 g/cm3; viscosity: 10-20 cP), whereas coal tars are highly viscous DNAPLs (density: 1.052-1.104 g/cm3; viscosity: 32-425 cP). Measured oil (tar)-water interfacial tensions (IFT) were lower than that of pure NAPLs. Properties of 16 field soil samples (soil particle size distribution, specific surface area, total carbon content, cationic exchange capacity and soil moisture release curves) were characterized. Correlations between residual NAPL saturation and NAPL and soil properties were developed, and show that the entrapment of NAPL dependent upon soil particle size distribution, total carbon content, NAPL viscosity and NAPL-water IFT. Aqueous pH and ionic strength were found to influence the interfacial properties in tar-water-silica systems. At pHs greater than 7.0, observed reduction in contact angle were attributed to the repulsive electrostatic force between coal tar and solid surface. When pH less than 4, hydration forces played a role on the contact angle decrease. The IFT reduction was resulted from the accumulation of surface-active molecules at the tar-water interface. The effect of ionic strength on interfacial properties was not significant below 0.5 M. The effects of temperature and surfactant or surfactant/polymer addition on coal tar removal was investigated by conducting coal tar displacement experiments at three different temperatures (22, 35, and 50??with sequential flushing of water, surfactant and surfactant/polymer. Coal tar removal from porous media was enhanced by elevating temperature and surfactant flushing due to the viscosity and IFT reduction, respectively. Xanthan gum was used as the polymer to increase the viscosity of the displacing fluid. In summary, these results provide tools for the prediction of NAPL entrapment in porous media, and for the selection of remediation strategies for coal tar contaminated source zone.Ph.D.Committee Chair: Pennell, Kurt; Committee Member: Huang, Ching-Hua; Committee Member: Koros, William; Committee Member: Mulholland, James; Committee Member: Yiacoumi, Sotir

In-Situ Colloidal MnO2 Deposition and Ozonation of 2,4-Dinitrotoluene

Laboratory experiments are presented that demonstrate a novel in situ semipassive reactive barrier for the degradation of 2,4 dinitrotoluene created by coating aquifer surfaces by deposition of colloidal MnO2, which catalyzes ozone degradation and enhances contaminant oxidation. Ozone is added to the reactive barrier and is transported through the zone with the contaminants by existing hydraulic gradients. The communication presents the preliminary laboratory investigation demonstrating the viability of this method. Studies were conducted by coating Ottawa sand with colloidal MnO2. Results show that concentrations of MnO2 in the range of 0.2 mg/g can be deposited with no measurable change in hydraulic conductivity, that there is significant coverage of the sand material by MnO2, and the deposition was not reversible under a wide range of chemical conditions. Ozonation of 2,4-dinitrotoluene in the presence of MnO2- coated sand was demonstrated to result in pseudo-first-order degradation kinetics with respect to DNT with half-lives ranging from 28 to 22 min (at pH 6 and 7, respectively), approximately 25% faster than experiments performed in the absence of MnO2

Prevalence and predictor for malignancy of contralateral thyroid nodules in patients with unilateral PTMC: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: The presence of clinically negative nodules on the contralater al lobe is common in patients with unilateral papillary thyroid microcarci noma (PTMC). The appropriate operational strategies of contralateral thyroid nodules remain controversial. In this study, we analyzed clinical features that could be pred ictors for malignancy of contralateral thyroid nodules coexisting with diagnosed unilateral PTMC. Methods: The literatures published from January 2000 to December 2019 w ere searched in PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, CNKI, and Wan Fang database. Odds ratio (OR) with 95% CI was used to describe categorical va riables. Heterogeneity among studies was examined by the Q test and I 2 test; potential publication bias was detected by Harbord test and ‘trim and fill’ method. Results: In this meta-analysis, 2541 studies were searched and 8 studie s were finally included. The results showed that the rate of carcinoma in cont ralateral nodules was 23% (OR = 0.23, 95% CI = 0.18–0.29). The pooled data indicated that contralateral malignancy was not associated with age, gender, primary lesion size, ipsilateral central lymph node metastasis and multifocality of contralateral lesion . The following variables have correlations with an increased risk of contralateral malig nancy: multifocality of primary carcinomas (OR = 3.93, 95% CI = 2.70–5.73, P < 0.0001), capsular invasion (OR = 1.61, 95% CI = 1.10–2.36, P = 0.01), and Hashimoto's thyroiditis (OR = 1.57, 95% CI = 1.13–2.20, P = 0.008). Conclusions: Based on our meta-analysis, the rate at which contralateral ma lignancies are preoperatively misdiagnosed as benign is 23%. The risk fact ors for contralateral malignancy in unilateral PTMC patients with contralateral clini cal negative nodules include multifocality of primary carcinomas, capsular invasion, and Has himoto's thyroiditis

Test Targets 3.1: A Collaborative effort exploring the use of scientific methods for color imaging and process control.

In general, test targets represent known values from an object or in a digital file, e.g., color patches, digital dots, lines with known dimensions, etc. The Macbeth ColorChecker is an analog target with 24 physical color patches. When captured by an input device and reproduced by an imaging system, we can compare tone and color relationships between the source target and its reproduction. On the other hand, the IT8.7/3 target is a digital file consisting of hundreds of patches with known CMYK digital values. When printed along side a signature, we can assess print quality quantitatively with the use of optical instruments and associated analysis techniques. - p. ii

Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging reveals brain remodeling after Tuina therapy in neuropathic pain model

Tuina, a method of traditional Chinese manual manipulation, is an effective alternative therapy for neuropathic pain (NP), but its analgesic mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (R-fMRI) to explore the analgesic mechanism of Tuina in an NP rat model. After undergoing surgery to induce chronic compression of the dorsal root ganglion (CCD), one group of rats underwent Tuina at the ipsilateral BL40 acupoint once a day for 10 min during the 25 days following surgery while another group did not. Behavioral tests were performed at baseline, on the third day following surgery, and once a week for the next 4 weeks. R-fMRI was performed at baseline and 7 days and 28 days following surgery. Behavioral testing revealed that the Tuina group presented a significant response improvement to mechanical and thermal nociception stimuli compared to the untreated group 2 weeks following CCD surgery. Interestingly, rats submitted to Tuina presented higher measures of spontaneous neuronal activity in basal forebrain region, primary somatosensory cortex barrel field, dentate gyrus, secondary somatosensory cortex, striatum, descending corticofugal pathways, and globus pallidum of the left hemisphere 4 weeks after the CCD surgery compared to rats having undergone CCD only. In addition, on the 28th day, the ALFF signals of the left dentate gyrus, left secondary somatosensory cortex, left striatum, and bilateral primary cingulate cortex were significantly increased while those in the right dentate gyrus and bilateral periaqueductal gray were significantly decreased compared to those on the 7th day. Correlation analysis showed that the ALFF values of the left descending corticofugal pathways and globus pallidum had a positive correlation with mechanical withdrawal threshold and paw withdrawal thermal latency tests. Altogether, these results indicate that NPP induced by CCD surgery affects the plasticity of the cerebral cortex, and that Tuina alleviate pain behavior by promoting cortical remodeling

The influence of methotrexate-related transporter and metabolizing enzyme gene polymorphisms on peri-engraftment syndrome and graft-versus-host disease after haplo-hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in pediatric patients with malignant hematological diseases

BackgroundMethotrexate (MTX), utilized as a graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) prophylactic agent in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), has been proven to effectively decrease the occurrence of the peri-engraftment syndrome (Peri-ES) and acute GvHD (aGvHD). Changes in the pharmacodynamics of MTX are closely associated with gene polymorphisms in genes encoding drug-metabolizing enzymes and transporters. Nevertheless, the current studies mainly concentrate on leukemia or autoimmune diseases, and limited studies on allo-HSCT were reported.MethodsHere, we retrospectively assessed the relationship between MTX-related transporter and metabolizing enzyme gene polymorphisms, clinical characteristics, and outcomes in 57 pediatric patients who received haploid HSCT (haplo-HSCT) with malignant tumors at a single center.ResultsWe discovered all gene polymorphisms were in the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium in our cohort. We discovered a significant correlation between platelet recovery time and ABCB1 (1236C&gt;T) (p = 0.042). Compared with patients with SLCO1B1 (1865+4846T&gt;C) TT, patients with SLCO1B1 (1865+4846T&gt;C) TC/CC had an increased incidence of Peri-ES (p = 0.030). Based on the multivariate Cox analysis, we discovered that SLCO1B1 (1865+4846T&gt;C) TT genotype was an independent protective factor for Peri-ES morbidity (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.464, p = 0.031), and the dose of mononuclear cells reinfused was significantly correlated with II–IV aGvHD (HR = 2.604, p = 0.039).ConclusionIn summary, our findings prove that the host’s genotypes might modify the risk of developing Peri-ES, contribute to a better understanding of the inter-individual difference in efficacy, and facilitate the development of individualized approaches to GvHD prophylaxis

Blockchain-Assisted Adaptive Reconfiguration Method for Trusted UAV Network

Due to the high mobility of nodes and the complexity of the mission environment, mission-oriented UAV networks are not only subject to frequent topology changes, but also to the risk of being compromised, hijacked and corrupted. As a result, an operating UAV network is essentially a Byzantine distributed system whose physical structure and node trustworthiness change over time. How to implement the global management of UAV networks to achieve a rational allocation of UAV network resources and reconfiguration of trusted networks is a problem worthy of in-depth study. The method proposed in this paper introduces a lightweight storage blockchain in the UAV network through two-stage consensus, firstly performing data consensus on the local state records of the nodes, then performing decision consensus on the data consensus results using algorithms such as fuzzy K-Modes clustering and global trustworthiness assessment, and finally recording the decision consensus results into a new block as the new configuration information of the UAV network. A lightweight storage blockchain-assisted trusted zone routing protocol (BC_TZRP) is designed to dynamically and adaptively build configurable trusted networks in a way that the blockchain continuously adds new blocks. Using QualNet simulation experimental software, an experimental comparison between the classical routing protocol for mobile self-organizing networks and the traditional consensus algorithm for blockchains is conducted. The results show that the approach has significant advantages in terms of packet delivery rate, routing overhead and average end-to-end delay, and can effectively improve the overall working life and fault tolerance of the UAV network