Steelmaking slag has been buried in coast to provide nutrient elements, especially iron, into sea... more Steelmaking slag has been buried in coast to provide nutrient elements, especially iron, into seawater for the seaweeds' growth. However, the solubility of iron is extremely low under the oxic seawater conditions. In order to stabilize soluble iron which is dissolved from steelmaking slag into seawater, the addition of gluconic acid was investigated in the present study. By using two kinds of synthesized steelmaking slag with different CaO/SiO 2 ratios, the effect of gluconic acid on the dissolution behavior of various elements into seawater, while varying the concentration of gluconic acid and pH, was studied. The dissolution of Ca, Si, P, and Fe was greatly enhanced by the addition of gluconic acid and their concentration increased for increasing gluconic acid concentration. The dissolution mechanisms of each element were discussed using their stability diagrams and the dissolution reactions.
The key issue of structural design are three aspects of strength, stiffness and stability. Prestr... more The key issue of structural design are three aspects of strength, stiffness and stability. Prestressed rectangular aqueduct that is one of the important hydraulic conveyance also has the same, and it has the "thin" characteristics, and belongs to a slender member, then the stability problem should be paid more attention in the design, Semi-analytical Finite Plate Strip Method solve the problem of the traditional finite element method in the calculation ， it is adopted in the local stability analysis of rectangular aqueduct ， and it calculates the maximum compressive stress in thin-walled rectangular aqueduct is smaller than the critical instability stress, then rectangular aqueduct can not have local instability, thus it provide a theoritical basis for the stability analysis of rectangular aquduct.
Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia among older people, could not be ... more Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia among older people, could not be prevented, halted, or reversed up till now. A large body of pharmacological study has revealed that Liuwei Dihuang (LW) possesses potential therapeutic effects on AD. LW-AFC is key fractions from LW. This study showed the treatment of LW-AFC slowed the aging process of senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 strain (SAMP8), a robust model sporadic AD or late-onset/age-related AD. LW-AFC had ameliorative effects on spontaneous locomotor activity, object recognition memory, spatial learning and memory, passive and active avoidance impairment in SAMP8 mice. Administration of LW-AFC restored the imbalance of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis, enhanced the proliferation of splenocytes, corrected the disorder of lymphocyte subsets, and regulated the abnormal production of cytokine in SAMP8 mice. Effects of LW-AFC on pharmacodynamics and neuroendocr...
Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD, Jan 18, 2016
Microbes have deserved broader attention as causal factors in Alzheimer's disease (AD), a neu... more Microbes have deserved broader attention as causal factors in Alzheimer's disease (AD), a neurodegenerative disorder. The senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) strain, a spontaneous mice of accelerated aging, are considered a robust model for sporadic AD. LW-AFC, an herbal medicine, was prepared from LiuweiDihuang decoction, which is a classical traditional Chinese medicine prescription. Here, we showed that the treatment of LW-AFC improved cognitive impairments of SAMP8 mice, including spatial learning and memory ability, active avoidance response, and object recognition memory capability. Our data indicated that there were significantly 8 increased and 12 decreased operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in the gut microbiota of SAMP8 mice compared with senescence accelerated mouse resistant 1 (SAMR1) strains, the control of SAMP8 mice. The treatment of LW-AFC altered 22 (16 increased and 6 decreased) OTUs in SAMP8 mice and among them, 15 OTUs could be reversed by LW-AFC tre...
Although there were considerable advances in the anti-aging medical field, it is short of therape... more Although there were considerable advances in the anti-aging medical field, it is short of therapeutic drug for anti-aging. Mounting evidence indicates that the immunosenescence is the key physiopathological mechanism of aging. This study showed the treatment of LW-AFC, an herbal medicine, decreased the grading score of senescence, increased weight, prolonged average life span and ameliorated spatial memory impairment in 12- and 24-month-old senescence accelerated mouse resistant 1 (SAMR1) strain. And these anti-aging effects of LW-AFC were more excellent than melatonin. The administration of LW-AFC enhanced ConA- and LPS-induced splenocyte proliferation in aged SAMR1 mice. The treatment of LW-AFC not only reversed the decreased the proportions of helper T cells, suppressor T cells and B cells, the increased regulatory T cells in the peripheral blood of old SAMR1 mice, but also could modulate the abnormal secretion of IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-17, IL-23, GM-CSF, IFN-γ, TNF-α, TNF-β, RANT...
ABSTRACT The solubility of 2-cyanoguanidine in binary solvent mixtures (water + methanol) were ex... more ABSTRACT The solubility of 2-cyanoguanidine in binary solvent mixtures (water + methanol) were experimentally measured from T = (283.15 to 343.15) K by the static method. The mass fraction of methanol wt is 0.100, 0.200, 0.300, 0.400, 0.500, and 0.600. The experimental results show that values obtained increased with temperature increasing from (283.15 to 343.15) K. Good agreement was found between the experiments and calculations by the modified Apelblat equation, fifth-order polynomial equation and semi-empirical Buchowski–Ksiazczak λh equation. Our experiment values were proven to give best agreement with the modified Apelblat equation. The dissolution enthalpy ΔdisH (24119.2 to 38593.9 J · mol−1), the dissolution entropy ΔdisS (48.4083 to 90.7083 J · mol−1 · K−1) and the molar Gibbs free energy ΔdisG (7507.9 to 12909.8 J · mol−1) were calculated on the basis of the modified Apelblat equation analysis. The solubility and dissolution properties of 2-cyanoguanidine in (water + methanol) binary solvent mixtures obtained in this paper will provide essential support for 2-cyanoguanidine industrial design and further theoretical studies.
ABSTRACT The solid–liquid equilibrium of quaternary systems (NaCl + NaH2PO4 + Na2SO4 + H2O) and (... more ABSTRACT The solid–liquid equilibrium of quaternary systems (NaCl + NaH2PO4 + Na2SO4 + H2O) and (KH2PO4 + KCl + K2SO4 + H2O) at 313.15 K was studied by an isothermal solution saturation method and the solubilities of salts and equilibrium solid phases in the two systems were determined. Based on the measured data, dry-salt phase diagrams and the relevant water-phase diagrams were plotted in the two systems. Experimental results indicate that there are one invariant point, three univariant curves and three fields of crystallization in the two quaternary systems. For the quaternary system (NaCl + NaH2PO4 + Na2SO4 + H2O) at 313.15 K, the composition of the solution at equilibrium corresponding to invariant point is NaH2PO4 45.23 wt%, Na2SO4 4.15 wt%, NaCl 6.54 wt%. Three isotherm curves represent the cosaturated process of two salts (NaCl + Na2SO4), (NaH2PO4·2H2O + NaCl) and (NaH2PO4·2H2O + Na2SO4). For the quaternary system (KH2PO4 + KCl + K2SO4 + H2O) at 313.15 K, invariant point is saturated with the three salts (KCl + K2SO4 + KH2PO4) and the composition of the corresponding liquid phase is w (KCl) = 25.39 wt%, w (K2SO4) = 1.42 wt%, w (KH2PO4) = 4.38 wt%. Three isotherm curves represent the cosaturated process of two salts (KCl + K2SO4), (KCl + KH2PO4) and (K2SO4 + KH2PO4). Neither complex salt nor solid solution is found in the two systems at 313.15 K. The physicochemical properties (nD, η, ρ, pH) of equilibrium quaternary system changed regularly with the concentration change of the liquid phase. All results obtained in this experiment can be used for the solvent extraction process of KH2PO4 in the industrial production and further theoretical studies.
ABSTRACT In the literature many investigations on colloidal stability and size control of gold na... more ABSTRACT In the literature many investigations on colloidal stability and size control of gold nanoparticles are shown but less for ligand-free palladium nanoparticles, which can be promising materials in various applications. Palladium nanoparticles are perspective materials for a manifold of energy application like photo- and electrocatalysis or hydrogen storage. For this purpose, size-controlled nanoparticles with clean surfaces and facile immobilization on catalyst supports are wanted. Laser ablation in saline solution yields ligand-free, charged colloidal palladium nanoparticles that are supported by titania and graphene nanosheets as model systems for photo- and electrocatalysis, respectively. By adjusting the ionic strength during laser ablation in liquid, it is possible to control stability and particle size without compromising subsequent nanoparticle adsorption of supporting materials. A quantitative deposition of nearly 100% yield with up to 18 wt% nanoparticle load was achieved. The average size of the laser-generated nanoparticles remains the same after immobilization on a support material, in contrast to other preparation methods of catalysts. The characterization by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals a redox reaction between the immobilized nanoparticles and the graphene support.
ABSTRACT Solid-liquid phase equilibrium and physicochemical properties (pH, nD, ρ) for the ternar... more ABSTRACT Solid-liquid phase equilibrium and physicochemical properties (pH, nD, ρ) for the ternary system KCl + KH2PO4 + H2O at (298.15 and 313.15) K were investigated by the method of isothermal solution saturation and Schreinemaker’s wet residue. On the basis of the experimental data, corresponding phase diagrams and diagrams of physicochemical properties vs composition were plotted. In the phase diagrams, there are one eutonic point, two uninvariant curves, and two crystallization regions corresponding to KCl, KH2PO4. The phase diagrams of the ternary system show similar tendencies at different temperatures. At each temperature, the crystallization region of KH2PO4 is larger than that of KCl, and the crystallization region of KH2PO4 becomes larger as the temperature increases. Physico-chemical properties of the solid-liquid phase equilibrium solution vary regularly with the composition of KH2PO4 concentration. The experimental data have been satisfactorily compared with literature data. The measured data and phase equilibrium diagrams for the ternary system can provide the fundamental basis for the industrial production of KH2PO4 by the method of extraction with industrial KCl and industrial H3PO4 aqueous mixtures.
ABSTRACT Solid–liquid equilibrium in the ternary systems (Na2SO4 + NaH2PO4 + H2O) and (Na2SO4 + N... more ABSTRACT Solid–liquid equilibrium in the ternary systems (Na2SO4 + NaH2PO4 + H2O) and (Na2SO4 + NaCl + H2O) at 313.15 K and atmospheric pressure was investigated by using isothermal solution saturation and moist residue method. The solubility and thermodynamic properties of the solution were determined. The phase diagrams and the diagrams of thermodynamic properties versus composition were constructed. It turned out that there was one invariant point, two uninvariant curves, and two crystallization regions. In the phase diagram of the ternary system (Na2SO4 + NaH2PO4 + H2O) at 313.15 K, the crystallization region of Na2SO4 was obviously larger than the NaH2PO4·2H2O crystalline region. When Na2SO4 was 11.57 wt % and NaH2PO4 was 44.41 wt %, this system reached saturation at 313.15 K. In the phase diagram of the ternary system (Na2SO4 + NaCl + H2O) at 313.15 K, the crystallization region of Na2SO4 was significantly larger than the crystallization region of NaCl. When NaCl was 22.56 wt % and Na2SO4 was 5.00 wt %, this system reached saturation at 313.15 K. The research results could be used for the optimization solvent extraction process of sodium dihydrogen phosphate in industrial production.
ABSTRACT The equilibrium data of quaternary system {phosphoric acid + hydrochloric acid + water +... more ABSTRACT The equilibrium data of quaternary system {phosphoric acid + hydrochloric acid + water + tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP)} was determined at T = 303.2 K and atmospheric pressure by the method of components analysis. It was investigated experimentally over the mass concentration range (1 to 11)% hydrochloric acid and (9 to 21)% phosphoric acid in the initial aqueous phase. With increasing concentration of phosphoric acid, the distribution coefficients of phosphoric acid changed gently, and with the increased content of hydrochloric acid, the distribution coefficients of phosphoric acid increased, while the separation factor of hydrochloric acid decreased with the increase of phosphoric acid concentration. The experimental tie-line results were correlated with the non-random two-liquid (NRTL) activity coefficient model, and the reliability of the experimental values was determined through the Hand and Othmer-Tobias plots. The Othmer-Tobias and NRTL models are suitable for the system.
2012 International Conference on Information Management, Innovation Management and Industrial Engineering, 2012
ABSTRACT Container loading is a combinatorial optimization problem in three-dimensional packing w... more ABSTRACT Container loading is a combinatorial optimization problem in three-dimensional packing which is an area of cutting and packing. It belongs to a NP-hard problem. To solve this problem, a hybrid approach is proposed in this paper. The approach integrated a loading heuristic into an ant colony optimization algorithm. The loading sequence is generated by the ant colony algorithm which configures the quantity of pheromone trails, transition probability and objective function. The loading sequence is transformed into the loading layout of boxes by using a loading heuristic which combines the heuristic strategy of generated blocks and the method for handling remaining spaces. The approach is tested through the test instance. The experimental result has shown that the approach is superior to the DNA generic algorithm.
Life-history theory assumes that the fitness costs of immunity may have negative effects on repro... more Life-history theory assumes that the fitness costs of immunity may have negative effects on reproductive success. Similarly, the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis is based on findings that testosterone (T) has immunosuppressive effects, although the basis of this hypothesis has recently been challenged. As much of the work examining the relationship between T levels and immune function has been carried out in captive-housed species, these results may not accurately reflect the situation of animals living in natural environments. To better understand the relationship between plasma T levels and immune function, studies focusing on free-living animals are needed. A previous study by our group determined the changes in both baseline and stress-induced T levels in free-living Eurasian Tree Sparrows (Passer montanus) across different annual cycle stages. In this study, we further report the phytohaemagglutinin skin-swelling (PHA) immune response in this multi-brooded species during different breeding sub-stages, and then determine the relationships between the PHA response and both baseline and stress-induced T levels. Our results show that the PHA response varied across the different sub-stages and differed significantly between the first and second brood stage. Furthermore, T levels in male Tree Sparrows are positively correlated with the PHA response during the breeding season, whereas this relationship is negative in females, suggesting that the biological function of T differs between the sexes. Therefore, our results suggest that free-living animals have evolved the ability to orchestrate trade-offs between reproduction and immune functions based on changes in physiology and the environment, which should provide further opportunities to study the flexibility and plasticity of physiological and ecological adaptations in natural environments.
Nowadays, Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), as a kind of massive parallel processor, has been widel... more Nowadays, Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), as a kind of massive parallel processor, has been widely used in general purposed computing tasks. Although there have been mature development tools, it is not a trivial task for programmers to write GPU programs. Based on this consideration, we propose a novel parallel computing architecture. The architecture includes a parallel programming model, named Gemma, and a programming framework, named April. Gemma is based on generalized matrix operations, and helps to alleviate the difficulty of describing parallel algorithms. April is a high-level framework that can compile and execute tasks described in Gemma with OpenCL. In particular, April can automatically 1) choose the best parallel algorithm and mapping scheme, and generate OpenCL kernels, 2) schedule Gemma tasks based on execution costs such as data storing and transferring. Our experimental results show that with competitive performance, April considerably reduces the programs' code length compared with OpenCL.
2011 IEEE/ACM International Conference on Computer-Aided Design (ICCAD), 2011
The research on understanding the human brain has attracted more and more attention. A promising ... more The research on understanding the human brain has attracted more and more attention. A promising method is to model the brain as a network based on modern imaging technologies and then to apply graph theory algorithms for analysis. In this work, we examine the computing bottleneck of this method, and propose a CPU-GPU heterogeneous platform to accelerate the process. We construct a statistical brain network from a sample of 198 people and get characteristics such as nodal degree and modularity. This is the first study of voxel-based brain networks on large samples. We also illustrate that domain-specific hardware platform can have a significant impact on neuroscience studies.
2012 IEEE 26th International Parallel and Distributed Processing Symposium Workshops & PhD Forum, 2012
Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DT-MRI) is an emerging technique that explores the s... more Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DT-MRI) is an emerging technique that explores the structural connectivity of the human brain. The probabilistic fiber tractography based on DT-MRI data behaves more robustly than deterministic approaches in the presence of fiber crossings, but requires more prohibitive computational time. In this work we present a GPU-based probabilistic framework for brain fiber tractography. The framework includes two main steps: 1) Markov-Chain Monte-Carlo (MCMC) sampling, and 2) probabilistic streamlining fiber tracking. We implement the Metropolis-Hastings sampling for local parameter estimation on GPU. In the probabilistic streamlining fiber tracking, we find that fiber lengths are exponentially distributed, and propose a novel segmenting strategy to improve the load balance. On mid-range GPUs, we achieve performance gains up to 34x and 50x over CPUs for the two steps respectively.
Using standard and internationally validated methods, 86 anthropologic characteristics were deter... more Using standard and internationally validated methods, 86 anthropologic characteristics were determined in 650 male (305 from urban areas and 345 from rural areas) and 704 female (331 from urban areas, 373 from rural areas) Chinese Hakka adults living in Guangdong and Jiangxi. The data were used to calculate 24 anthropologic indices, which were analyzed statistically. The physical characteristics of Hakka subjects were analyzed and compared with reference ethnic data. There were four main findings of this study. First, a small proportion of Hakka adults had an eye fold on the upper eyelid, but a large proportion had a mongoloid fold. The eye slits were narrow in most adults, had a medium nasal root height and straight bridges, and most of the external angles were prominent. The nasal base was upturned in most men. The distributions of the three types of nasal base in women were similar. The proportions of subjects with middle and high alae nasi heights were high and similar. Males with a maximum nostril diameter were mostly classified as transverse and oblique, while many women were classified as transverse and had relatively wide alae nasi. The round lobe type was the most common. Upper lip skin height was mostly classified as medium. Lips were classified as thin. The hair was black, eyes were brown, and the skin was yellowish. Second, the head length was long in male Hakka. The minimum frontal breadth, face breadth, lip height, and interocular breadth were similar to those of North-Asian populations. Meanwhile, head breadth, morphological facial height, nose breadth, mouth breadth, and nose height were similar to those of South-Asian populations. Head length was long in female Hakka. The minimum frontal breadth, face breadth, lip height, and interocular breadth were similar to those of North-Asian populations. Head breadth, nose breadth, and mouth breadth were similar to those of South-Asian populations. Third, the stature of male and female Hakka in urban and rural areas was classified as medium. The proportions of male and female Hakka classified as mesocephaly (length-breadth index of the head), hypsicephalic type, metriocephalic type (breadth-height index of the head) mesorrhiny, long trunk, subbrachyskelic type, broad shoulder breadth, and narrow distance between iliac crests were higher than those of other types. Finally, principal component analyses showed that the physical characteristics of Hakka were between those of South-Asian and North-Asian ethnic populations, but were generally closer to those of North-Asian populations in China.
Steelmaking slag has been buried in coast to provide nutrient elements, especially iron, into sea... more Steelmaking slag has been buried in coast to provide nutrient elements, especially iron, into seawater for the seaweeds' growth. However, the solubility of iron is extremely low under the oxic seawater conditions. In order to stabilize soluble iron which is dissolved from steelmaking slag into seawater, the addition of gluconic acid was investigated in the present study. By using two kinds of synthesized steelmaking slag with different CaO/SiO 2 ratios, the effect of gluconic acid on the dissolution behavior of various elements into seawater, while varying the concentration of gluconic acid and pH, was studied. The dissolution of Ca, Si, P, and Fe was greatly enhanced by the addition of gluconic acid and their concentration increased for increasing gluconic acid concentration. The dissolution mechanisms of each element were discussed using their stability diagrams and the dissolution reactions.
The key issue of structural design are three aspects of strength, stiffness and stability. Prestr... more The key issue of structural design are three aspects of strength, stiffness and stability. Prestressed rectangular aqueduct that is one of the important hydraulic conveyance also has the same, and it has the "thin" characteristics, and belongs to a slender member, then the stability problem should be paid more attention in the design, Semi-analytical Finite Plate Strip Method solve the problem of the traditional finite element method in the calculation ， it is adopted in the local stability analysis of rectangular aqueduct ， and it calculates the maximum compressive stress in thin-walled rectangular aqueduct is smaller than the critical instability stress, then rectangular aqueduct can not have local instability, thus it provide a theoritical basis for the stability analysis of rectangular aquduct.
Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia among older people, could not be ... more Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia among older people, could not be prevented, halted, or reversed up till now. A large body of pharmacological study has revealed that Liuwei Dihuang (LW) possesses potential therapeutic effects on AD. LW-AFC is key fractions from LW. This study showed the treatment of LW-AFC slowed the aging process of senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 strain (SAMP8), a robust model sporadic AD or late-onset/age-related AD. LW-AFC had ameliorative effects on spontaneous locomotor activity, object recognition memory, spatial learning and memory, passive and active avoidance impairment in SAMP8 mice. Administration of LW-AFC restored the imbalance of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis, enhanced the proliferation of splenocytes, corrected the disorder of lymphocyte subsets, and regulated the abnormal production of cytokine in SAMP8 mice. Effects of LW-AFC on pharmacodynamics and neuroendocr...
Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD, Jan 18, 2016
Microbes have deserved broader attention as causal factors in Alzheimer's disease (AD), a neu... more Microbes have deserved broader attention as causal factors in Alzheimer's disease (AD), a neurodegenerative disorder. The senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) strain, a spontaneous mice of accelerated aging, are considered a robust model for sporadic AD. LW-AFC, an herbal medicine, was prepared from LiuweiDihuang decoction, which is a classical traditional Chinese medicine prescription. Here, we showed that the treatment of LW-AFC improved cognitive impairments of SAMP8 mice, including spatial learning and memory ability, active avoidance response, and object recognition memory capability. Our data indicated that there were significantly 8 increased and 12 decreased operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in the gut microbiota of SAMP8 mice compared with senescence accelerated mouse resistant 1 (SAMR1) strains, the control of SAMP8 mice. The treatment of LW-AFC altered 22 (16 increased and 6 decreased) OTUs in SAMP8 mice and among them, 15 OTUs could be reversed by LW-AFC tre...
Although there were considerable advances in the anti-aging medical field, it is short of therape... more Although there were considerable advances in the anti-aging medical field, it is short of therapeutic drug for anti-aging. Mounting evidence indicates that the immunosenescence is the key physiopathological mechanism of aging. This study showed the treatment of LW-AFC, an herbal medicine, decreased the grading score of senescence, increased weight, prolonged average life span and ameliorated spatial memory impairment in 12- and 24-month-old senescence accelerated mouse resistant 1 (SAMR1) strain. And these anti-aging effects of LW-AFC were more excellent than melatonin. The administration of LW-AFC enhanced ConA- and LPS-induced splenocyte proliferation in aged SAMR1 mice. The treatment of LW-AFC not only reversed the decreased the proportions of helper T cells, suppressor T cells and B cells, the increased regulatory T cells in the peripheral blood of old SAMR1 mice, but also could modulate the abnormal secretion of IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-17, IL-23, GM-CSF, IFN-γ, TNF-α, TNF-β, RANT...
ABSTRACT The solubility of 2-cyanoguanidine in binary solvent mixtures (water + methanol) were ex... more ABSTRACT The solubility of 2-cyanoguanidine in binary solvent mixtures (water + methanol) were experimentally measured from T = (283.15 to 343.15) K by the static method. The mass fraction of methanol wt is 0.100, 0.200, 0.300, 0.400, 0.500, and 0.600. The experimental results show that values obtained increased with temperature increasing from (283.15 to 343.15) K. Good agreement was found between the experiments and calculations by the modified Apelblat equation, fifth-order polynomial equation and semi-empirical Buchowski–Ksiazczak λh equation. Our experiment values were proven to give best agreement with the modified Apelblat equation. The dissolution enthalpy ΔdisH (24119.2 to 38593.9 J · mol−1), the dissolution entropy ΔdisS (48.4083 to 90.7083 J · mol−1 · K−1) and the molar Gibbs free energy ΔdisG (7507.9 to 12909.8 J · mol−1) were calculated on the basis of the modified Apelblat equation analysis. The solubility and dissolution properties of 2-cyanoguanidine in (water + methanol) binary solvent mixtures obtained in this paper will provide essential support for 2-cyanoguanidine industrial design and further theoretical studies.
ABSTRACT The solid–liquid equilibrium of quaternary systems (NaCl + NaH2PO4 + Na2SO4 + H2O) and (... more ABSTRACT The solid–liquid equilibrium of quaternary systems (NaCl + NaH2PO4 + Na2SO4 + H2O) and (KH2PO4 + KCl + K2SO4 + H2O) at 313.15 K was studied by an isothermal solution saturation method and the solubilities of salts and equilibrium solid phases in the two systems were determined. Based on the measured data, dry-salt phase diagrams and the relevant water-phase diagrams were plotted in the two systems. Experimental results indicate that there are one invariant point, three univariant curves and three fields of crystallization in the two quaternary systems. For the quaternary system (NaCl + NaH2PO4 + Na2SO4 + H2O) at 313.15 K, the composition of the solution at equilibrium corresponding to invariant point is NaH2PO4 45.23 wt%, Na2SO4 4.15 wt%, NaCl 6.54 wt%. Three isotherm curves represent the cosaturated process of two salts (NaCl + Na2SO4), (NaH2PO4·2H2O + NaCl) and (NaH2PO4·2H2O + Na2SO4). For the quaternary system (KH2PO4 + KCl + K2SO4 + H2O) at 313.15 K, invariant point is saturated with the three salts (KCl + K2SO4 + KH2PO4) and the composition of the corresponding liquid phase is w (KCl) = 25.39 wt%, w (K2SO4) = 1.42 wt%, w (KH2PO4) = 4.38 wt%. Three isotherm curves represent the cosaturated process of two salts (KCl + K2SO4), (KCl + KH2PO4) and (K2SO4 + KH2PO4). Neither complex salt nor solid solution is found in the two systems at 313.15 K. The physicochemical properties (nD, η, ρ, pH) of equilibrium quaternary system changed regularly with the concentration change of the liquid phase. All results obtained in this experiment can be used for the solvent extraction process of KH2PO4 in the industrial production and further theoretical studies.
ABSTRACT In the literature many investigations on colloidal stability and size control of gold na... more ABSTRACT In the literature many investigations on colloidal stability and size control of gold nanoparticles are shown but less for ligand-free palladium nanoparticles, which can be promising materials in various applications. Palladium nanoparticles are perspective materials for a manifold of energy application like photo- and electrocatalysis or hydrogen storage. For this purpose, size-controlled nanoparticles with clean surfaces and facile immobilization on catalyst supports are wanted. Laser ablation in saline solution yields ligand-free, charged colloidal palladium nanoparticles that are supported by titania and graphene nanosheets as model systems for photo- and electrocatalysis, respectively. By adjusting the ionic strength during laser ablation in liquid, it is possible to control stability and particle size without compromising subsequent nanoparticle adsorption of supporting materials. A quantitative deposition of nearly 100% yield with up to 18 wt% nanoparticle load was achieved. The average size of the laser-generated nanoparticles remains the same after immobilization on a support material, in contrast to other preparation methods of catalysts. The characterization by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals a redox reaction between the immobilized nanoparticles and the graphene support.
ABSTRACT Solid-liquid phase equilibrium and physicochemical properties (pH, nD, ρ) for the ternar... more ABSTRACT Solid-liquid phase equilibrium and physicochemical properties (pH, nD, ρ) for the ternary system KCl + KH2PO4 + H2O at (298.15 and 313.15) K were investigated by the method of isothermal solution saturation and Schreinemaker’s wet residue. On the basis of the experimental data, corresponding phase diagrams and diagrams of physicochemical properties vs composition were plotted. In the phase diagrams, there are one eutonic point, two uninvariant curves, and two crystallization regions corresponding to KCl, KH2PO4. The phase diagrams of the ternary system show similar tendencies at different temperatures. At each temperature, the crystallization region of KH2PO4 is larger than that of KCl, and the crystallization region of KH2PO4 becomes larger as the temperature increases. Physico-chemical properties of the solid-liquid phase equilibrium solution vary regularly with the composition of KH2PO4 concentration. The experimental data have been satisfactorily compared with literature data. The measured data and phase equilibrium diagrams for the ternary system can provide the fundamental basis for the industrial production of KH2PO4 by the method of extraction with industrial KCl and industrial H3PO4 aqueous mixtures.
ABSTRACT Solid–liquid equilibrium in the ternary systems (Na2SO4 + NaH2PO4 + H2O) and (Na2SO4 + N... more ABSTRACT Solid–liquid equilibrium in the ternary systems (Na2SO4 + NaH2PO4 + H2O) and (Na2SO4 + NaCl + H2O) at 313.15 K and atmospheric pressure was investigated by using isothermal solution saturation and moist residue method. The solubility and thermodynamic properties of the solution were determined. The phase diagrams and the diagrams of thermodynamic properties versus composition were constructed. It turned out that there was one invariant point, two uninvariant curves, and two crystallization regions. In the phase diagram of the ternary system (Na2SO4 + NaH2PO4 + H2O) at 313.15 K, the crystallization region of Na2SO4 was obviously larger than the NaH2PO4·2H2O crystalline region. When Na2SO4 was 11.57 wt % and NaH2PO4 was 44.41 wt %, this system reached saturation at 313.15 K. In the phase diagram of the ternary system (Na2SO4 + NaCl + H2O) at 313.15 K, the crystallization region of Na2SO4 was significantly larger than the crystallization region of NaCl. When NaCl was 22.56 wt % and Na2SO4 was 5.00 wt %, this system reached saturation at 313.15 K. The research results could be used for the optimization solvent extraction process of sodium dihydrogen phosphate in industrial production.
ABSTRACT The equilibrium data of quaternary system {phosphoric acid + hydrochloric acid + water +... more ABSTRACT The equilibrium data of quaternary system {phosphoric acid + hydrochloric acid + water + tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP)} was determined at T = 303.2 K and atmospheric pressure by the method of components analysis. It was investigated experimentally over the mass concentration range (1 to 11)% hydrochloric acid and (9 to 21)% phosphoric acid in the initial aqueous phase. With increasing concentration of phosphoric acid, the distribution coefficients of phosphoric acid changed gently, and with the increased content of hydrochloric acid, the distribution coefficients of phosphoric acid increased, while the separation factor of hydrochloric acid decreased with the increase of phosphoric acid concentration. The experimental tie-line results were correlated with the non-random two-liquid (NRTL) activity coefficient model, and the reliability of the experimental values was determined through the Hand and Othmer-Tobias plots. The Othmer-Tobias and NRTL models are suitable for the system.
2012 International Conference on Information Management, Innovation Management and Industrial Engineering, 2012
ABSTRACT Container loading is a combinatorial optimization problem in three-dimensional packing w... more ABSTRACT Container loading is a combinatorial optimization problem in three-dimensional packing which is an area of cutting and packing. It belongs to a NP-hard problem. To solve this problem, a hybrid approach is proposed in this paper. The approach integrated a loading heuristic into an ant colony optimization algorithm. The loading sequence is generated by the ant colony algorithm which configures the quantity of pheromone trails, transition probability and objective function. The loading sequence is transformed into the loading layout of boxes by using a loading heuristic which combines the heuristic strategy of generated blocks and the method for handling remaining spaces. The approach is tested through the test instance. The experimental result has shown that the approach is superior to the DNA generic algorithm.
Life-history theory assumes that the fitness costs of immunity may have negative effects on repro... more Life-history theory assumes that the fitness costs of immunity may have negative effects on reproductive success. Similarly, the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis is based on findings that testosterone (T) has immunosuppressive effects, although the basis of this hypothesis has recently been challenged. As much of the work examining the relationship between T levels and immune function has been carried out in captive-housed species, these results may not accurately reflect the situation of animals living in natural environments. To better understand the relationship between plasma T levels and immune function, studies focusing on free-living animals are needed. A previous study by our group determined the changes in both baseline and stress-induced T levels in free-living Eurasian Tree Sparrows (Passer montanus) across different annual cycle stages. In this study, we further report the phytohaemagglutinin skin-swelling (PHA) immune response in this multi-brooded species during different breeding sub-stages, and then determine the relationships between the PHA response and both baseline and stress-induced T levels. Our results show that the PHA response varied across the different sub-stages and differed significantly between the first and second brood stage. Furthermore, T levels in male Tree Sparrows are positively correlated with the PHA response during the breeding season, whereas this relationship is negative in females, suggesting that the biological function of T differs between the sexes. Therefore, our results suggest that free-living animals have evolved the ability to orchestrate trade-offs between reproduction and immune functions based on changes in physiology and the environment, which should provide further opportunities to study the flexibility and plasticity of physiological and ecological adaptations in natural environments.
Nowadays, Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), as a kind of massive parallel processor, has been widel... more Nowadays, Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), as a kind of massive parallel processor, has been widely used in general purposed computing tasks. Although there have been mature development tools, it is not a trivial task for programmers to write GPU programs. Based on this consideration, we propose a novel parallel computing architecture. The architecture includes a parallel programming model, named Gemma, and a programming framework, named April. Gemma is based on generalized matrix operations, and helps to alleviate the difficulty of describing parallel algorithms. April is a high-level framework that can compile and execute tasks described in Gemma with OpenCL. In particular, April can automatically 1) choose the best parallel algorithm and mapping scheme, and generate OpenCL kernels, 2) schedule Gemma tasks based on execution costs such as data storing and transferring. Our experimental results show that with competitive performance, April considerably reduces the programs' code length compared with OpenCL.
2011 IEEE/ACM International Conference on Computer-Aided Design (ICCAD), 2011
The research on understanding the human brain has attracted more and more attention. A promising ... more The research on understanding the human brain has attracted more and more attention. A promising method is to model the brain as a network based on modern imaging technologies and then to apply graph theory algorithms for analysis. In this work, we examine the computing bottleneck of this method, and propose a CPU-GPU heterogeneous platform to accelerate the process. We construct a statistical brain network from a sample of 198 people and get characteristics such as nodal degree and modularity. This is the first study of voxel-based brain networks on large samples. We also illustrate that domain-specific hardware platform can have a significant impact on neuroscience studies.
2012 IEEE 26th International Parallel and Distributed Processing Symposium Workshops & PhD Forum, 2012
Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DT-MRI) is an emerging technique that explores the s... more Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DT-MRI) is an emerging technique that explores the structural connectivity of the human brain. The probabilistic fiber tractography based on DT-MRI data behaves more robustly than deterministic approaches in the presence of fiber crossings, but requires more prohibitive computational time. In this work we present a GPU-based probabilistic framework for brain fiber tractography. The framework includes two main steps: 1) Markov-Chain Monte-Carlo (MCMC) sampling, and 2) probabilistic streamlining fiber tracking. We implement the Metropolis-Hastings sampling for local parameter estimation on GPU. In the probabilistic streamlining fiber tracking, we find that fiber lengths are exponentially distributed, and propose a novel segmenting strategy to improve the load balance. On mid-range GPUs, we achieve performance gains up to 34x and 50x over CPUs for the two steps respectively.
Using standard and internationally validated methods, 86 anthropologic characteristics were deter... more Using standard and internationally validated methods, 86 anthropologic characteristics were determined in 650 male (305 from urban areas and 345 from rural areas) and 704 female (331 from urban areas, 373 from rural areas) Chinese Hakka adults living in Guangdong and Jiangxi. The data were used to calculate 24 anthropologic indices, which were analyzed statistically. The physical characteristics of Hakka subjects were analyzed and compared with reference ethnic data. There were four main findings of this study. First, a small proportion of Hakka adults had an eye fold on the upper eyelid, but a large proportion had a mongoloid fold. The eye slits were narrow in most adults, had a medium nasal root height and straight bridges, and most of the external angles were prominent. The nasal base was upturned in most men. The distributions of the three types of nasal base in women were similar. The proportions of subjects with middle and high alae nasi heights were high and similar. Males with a maximum nostril diameter were mostly classified as transverse and oblique, while many women were classified as transverse and had relatively wide alae nasi. The round lobe type was the most common. Upper lip skin height was mostly classified as medium. Lips were classified as thin. The hair was black, eyes were brown, and the skin was yellowish. Second, the head length was long in male Hakka. The minimum frontal breadth, face breadth, lip height, and interocular breadth were similar to those of North-Asian populations. Meanwhile, head breadth, morphological facial height, nose breadth, mouth breadth, and nose height were similar to those of South-Asian populations. Head length was long in female Hakka. The minimum frontal breadth, face breadth, lip height, and interocular breadth were similar to those of North-Asian populations. Head breadth, nose breadth, and mouth breadth were similar to those of South-Asian populations. Third, the stature of male and female Hakka in urban and rural areas was classified as medium. The proportions of male and female Hakka classified as mesocephaly (length-breadth index of the head), hypsicephalic type, metriocephalic type (breadth-height index of the head) mesorrhiny, long trunk, subbrachyskelic type, broad shoulder breadth, and narrow distance between iliac crests were higher than those of other types. Finally, principal component analyses showed that the physical characteristics of Hakka were between those of South-Asian and North-Asian ethnic populations, but were generally closer to those of North-Asian populations in China.
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Papers by Xiaorui Zhang