x. zhang

This study simulates the dynamic evolution of demulsification in emulsions under various electric field parameters, using a multicomponent lattice Boltzmann color model that integrates pulsed electric and flow fields. The degree of aggregation of dispersed-phase droplets is quantitatively analyzed using the area-to-circumference ratio. Results of numerical simulation demonstrate the demulsification behavior of dilute emulsions under three types of pulsed electric fields: direct current (DC) pulsed electric field, unidirectional triangular pulsed electric field, and bidirectional triangular pulsed electric field. Findings indicate the occurrence of electrophoretic and oscillatory coalescence in dilute emulsions under pulsed electric fields. The improved bidirectional triangular pulsed electric field shows enhanced efficiency relative to that of either the DC pulsed or the unidirectional triangular pulsed electric field. Moreover, the enhanced bidirectional triangular pulsed electric field effectively demulsifies oil-in-water dilute emulsions and prevents oil droplets disintegration under high-voltage across different component ratios.

The objective of this study was to examine the impact of synchronous low-dose splenic irradiation (LDSR) on immune function in patients with esophageal cancer undergoing radiotherapy.

Twenty-one patients who were diagnosed with esophageal cancer were randomly allocated to either the control or experimental groups. The control group received routine radiotherapy alone, whereas the experimental group underwent simultaneous LDSR during radiotherapy. Low dosage radiation refers to a beam with a low linear energy transfer (LET) that delivers a dose of 0.2 Gy or less, or a high LET beam that delivers a dose of 0.05 Gy or less, while maintaining an exposure dose rate of 0.005 cGy/min. The lymphocyte subsets in the two groups were analyzed using flow cytometry at various time points during and after treatment. Additionally, complications and their occurrence times were recorded simultaneously.

Gradual decreases were observed in CD16+CD56+, CD3+CD4+, and CD4+/CD8+ ratios following radiotherapy in the control group (p < 0.05). However, no considerable differences were observed between the experimental groups in these ratios (p > 0.05). LDSR was found to induce immunological enhancement and counteract immune suppression caused by radiotherapy. Furthermore, the experimental group experienced larger cumulative dosages that led to problems compared to the control group, with a delayed onset. Despite receiving a higher cumulative dose, the experimental group exhibited lower levels of myelosuppression and radiation esophagitis than the control group (p < 0.05). Overall, the results suggest that synchronous LDSR can enhance immune function during radiotherapy in patients with esophageal cancer and reduce the adverse effects associated with routine radiotherapy.

Synchronous LDSR may induce immunological enhancement during radiotherapy in patients with esophageal cancer, reduce adverse reactions to routine radiotherapy, and enhance tolerance.

In order to investigate the influence of plasma actuation on cavitation in the flow field around a hydrofoil, the RNG k-ε turbulence model with density correction, the Schnerr–Sauer cavitation model, and the plasma phenomenological model were used to analyze the influence of forward and reverse plasma actuation on the cavitation characteristics of the NACA66(MOD) hydrofoil at an angle of attack of 8. The cavitation number of the incoming flow was 0.99. The results showed that under the positive excitation condition, the cavitation volume on the suction side of the hydrofoil was reduced by about 30%, and the time-averaged lift–drag ratio was reduced by about 5%, which had little influence on the re-entrant jet, vortex and shear flow. Therefore, the cavitation suppression effect on the hydrofoil flow field was weak. Under the condition of reverse actuation, the volume of cavitation on the suction side of the hydrofoil was reduced by about 87%, and the time-averaged lift–drag ratio was increased by about 21%, which effectively worsened the development conditions of cavitation. By greatly reducing the intensity of the re-entrant jet and eliminating the vortex and shear flow in the flow field, cavitation in the hydrofoil flow field was obviously suppressed. This shows that reasonable plasma actuation is an effective means to control hydrofoil cavitation.

This study utilizes numerical simulations and dimensional analysis to investigate the impact of the two-phase outlet on flow field characteristics and separation efficiency of the separator. The study revealed a boundary layer separation at the water outlet, which was subsequently addressed to reduce energy losses in the separator. Dimensional analysis considered the influences of operational, structural, and physical parameters on the separator's performance. With other structural parameters held constant, separation efficiency is directly proportional to the ratio of inlet and oil-outlet diameter. Additionally, the separation efficiency is also associated with Re and the ratio of the inlet to the water-outlet diameter. When the diameter of the water outlet is constant, the axial vortex separator achieves optimal separation when the ratio of inlet and water-outlet diameter is 0.563, with a maximum separation efficiency of 97.00%. The optimal separation efficiency is reached at Re=22,908 under various operational conditions. Separation efficiency increases with water content, peaking at an inlet water content of 0.9 across different structural parameters. Separation efficiency shows an increase followed by a decrease with the rise in inlet flow rate(vi), achieving the best performance at vi=3m/s for the different separator structures studied.

As an important control element in steam heating piping systems, the safety and stability of inverted bucket steam valves determine the reliable operation of the system. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the acoustic mechanism of inverted bucket steam valves. Aiming at the difficulty of numerical simulation in accurately predicting the aerodynamic noise of inverted bucket steam valves, this paper proposes a new method for simulating the aerodynamic noise of inverted bucket steam valves based on multiband analysis (LES). The flow field of the inverted bucket steam valve is numerically simulated using the LES method to obtain wall pressure pulsation information and fluid velocity pulsation information, which are used as excitation sources for acoustic simulation. The characteristics of dipole and quadrupole sound sources were obtained by applying the FW-H method and experimentally verified. The results show that a new multifrequency band analysis method for inverted bucket steam valves is effective by comparing the numerical simulation results, in which the dipole source dominates in the low-frequency band, in the medium frequency range, the quadrupole source outperforms the dipole source, but in the high frequency range, the quadrupole source is dominant. The experimental results are in good agreement with the simulation results, and the correctness of the numerical simulation is confirmed by the fact that there is less than a 3% difference between the findings of the numerical simulation and the experimental data.

The hydrodynamic coefficients of underwater manipulators constantly change during their operation. In this study, the hydrodynamic coefficients of an underwater manipulator were calculated using the finite volume method to better explain its hydrodynamic performance. The drag, lift, and moment coefficients and the Strouhal number of an underwater manipulator for different postures were investigated. The results indicated that in each motion range, the coefficients first increase and then decrease.  Meanwhile, when the attitude of the underwater manipulator is axis-symmetric or origin-symmetric, the hydrodynamic coefficients and the Strouhal number obtained are approximately the identical. The drag coefficient, lift coefficient and moment coefficient reach their maximum values of 3.59, 3.29, and 1.78 at angles of 30°, 150°, and 150°, respectively， with minimum values at 90°, 50° and -30°. Furthermore, the leading-edge shape of the underwater manipulator had a significant effect on the hydrodynamic coefficient. Maximum reductions of 44%, 25%, and 50.5% were obtained in the drag, lift, and moment coefficients, respectively, by comparing the semicircular leading edge with the right-angle leading edge. A maximum Strouhal number of 0.219 was obtained when the semicircular leading edge of the underwater manipulator was the upstream surface. This study will provide theoretical guidance to reveal the hydrodynamic performance of the underwater manipulators. It also serves as a reference for the structural design of the underwater manipulators.

To investigate the use of uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (U-VATS) in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

A total of 82 patients with early NSCLC in our hospital from May 2019 to January 2021 were enrolled to this study. Forty-one patients treated with spontaneous breathing U-VATS were the research group (RG), and 41 with conventional thoracoscopy were the control group (CG). Fasting peripheral blood was drawn from patients before (T0), one (T1) and three days after surgery (T2), respectively. White blood cells (WBC), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and T-lymphocyte subsets were measured in the blood. In addition, we counted the conversion rate to open chest and tracheal intubation in the RG, and compared the operation time, intraoperative bleeding, chest drainage, chest tube retention time, antibiotic application time, postoperative hospital stays and complications between groups. Finally, a 1-year prognostic follow-up was performed to record overall survival, chemotherapy rate, and recurrent metastasis rate.

At T1, WBC, IL-6, TNF-α, and MMP-9 were lower in the RG than in the CG, while immune function was better in the RG at T1 and T2 (P<0.05). Complication rates were lower in the RG than in the CG when compared (P>0.05). The prognosis of 1-year overall survival, chemotherapy rate, and recurrence rate were not different between the two groups (P>0.05).

Spontaneous breathing U-VATS can effectively reduce the inflammation and enhance the stability of immune function in NSCLC patients undergoing surgery.

To explore the diagnosis and evaluation efficacy of liver iron concentration (LIC) based on magnetic resonance quantitative technique in liver iron overload in patients with long-term transfusion.

From November 2021 to January 2023, 30 chronic aplastic anemia (CAA) patients with long-term blood transfusion admitted to our hospital were included as the study group. Simultaneously, 20 healthy volunteers with matched gender and age were included in the control group. The serum ferritin (SF), serum iron, total iron binding capacity and transferrin saturation (TSAT) between the two groups was calculated and compared. LIC was evaluated using Liver Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-R2* map imaging. The correlation between LIC and SF and TSAT was analyzed, and the diagnosis value of LIC in hepatic iron overload was calculated. Low-risk patients (n=22) diagnosed with iron overload received continuous regular iron removal treatment and the SF, TSAT and LIC were measured after 6 months.

SF, TSAT and LIC were higher in CAA patients relative to the healthy controls (P<0.05). LIC was positively correlated with SF (r=0.74, P<0.001) and TSAT (r=0.67, P<0.001). The sensitivity and specificity of LIC in the diagnosis of hepatic iron overload were 80.00% and 100% based on SF, and 76.0% and 100% based on TSAT, respectively. Additionally, SF, TSAT and LIC were all declined after 6 months of treatment (P<0.05).

The detection of LIC based on MRI-R2* is an effective and non-invasive means for the assessment of liver iron load in patients with long-term transfusion.

Fractionated radiotherapy is widely used for cancer treatment because of its advantages in the preservation of normal tissues; however, it may amplify the radioresistance of cancer cells. In this study, we aimed to understand whether and how fractionated radiation exposure induces radioresistance.

HCT8 human colorectal cancer cells received a total X-ray dose of 5 Gy in either a single treatment (5 Gy administered once) or via fractionated exposure (1 Gy/day treatment for 5 consecutive days). We then examined the radioresistance of cancer cells exposed an additional 2 Gy X-ray by clonogenic assay and Western blot analysis.

Cells receiving fractionated exposure showed significantly greater proliferation and clonogenicity than those that received a single dose. Compared with the levels in the intact cells without radiation exposure, the expression levels of γH2AX, phospho-ATM and PARP were significantly enhanced only in the cells exposed to fractionated radiation. In contrast, the expression of cyclin D1 and cyclin E1 was enhanced only in the cells that received a single dose. In addition, the expression of SOD1 and SOD2 was slightly increased in the cells that received either the fractionated exposure or single exposure treatment.

Fractionated radiation exposure facilitates radioresistance in HCT8 human colorectal cancer cells predominantly by enhancing their DNA repair capacity.

This paper aimed to assess the clinical effects of abdominal aortic balloon occlusion (AABO) under color Doppler ultrasound guidance in treating pelvic tumors.

Various databases, which contained China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, PubMed, Excerpta Medica Database (Embase), and Cochrane Library, were used for searching randomized controlled studies published from 2010 to present. The quality of the literature was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). Outcome measurements included intraoperative blood loss, transfusion volume, operative time, hospital stay, recurrence, and postoperative complications.

Six reference articles were obtained, including 223 patients who underwent AABO and 300 patients who did not. The NOS score was greater than 7 points in both groups. Meta-analysis showed that the intraoperative blood loss, transfusion volume, and surgery duration of patients undergoing pelvic tumor resection with AABO were all reduced (95% confidence interval (CI): -1504.53~-762.10, P<0.00001; 95% CI: -902.22~-575.45, P<0.00001; 95% CI: -80.20~-26.54, P<0.0001). No difference was discovered in the occurrence of postoperative complications, including nerve injury (95% CI: 0.30~1.34, P=0.23) and urethral injury (95% CI: 0.19~1.97, P=0.41) between both groups. The incidence of wound infection was relatively low (95% CI: 0.22~0.81, P=0.010). Additionally, no difference was discovered in hospital stay (95% CI: -6.85~0.79, P=0.12) and recurrence (95% CI: 0.45~1.53, P=0.12) between both groups (P>0.05).

AABO under color Doppler ultrasound guidance can reduce intraoperative blood loss, transfusion volume, and operative time during pelvic tumor resection and can also reduce the incidence of some postoperative complications.

Blade lean has been extensively used in axial compressor stators to control flow separations, but its influence mechanism on transonic compressor rotors remains to be revealed. The aim of this study is to numerically explore the influence of blade lean on the performance and shock wave/tip leakage flow interaction in a transonic compressor rotor. The effects of leaned pattern (positively lean and negatively lean), leaned angle and leaned height were studied. Results showed that, compared with baseline configuration, the efficiency and total pressure ratio of the entire constant rotating speed line of positively leaned rotor were both decreased. The absolute value of peak efficiency was reduced by as much as 4.34% at 20° lean angle, whereas the maximum reduction of peak total pressure ratio was 0.1 at 20° lean angle. The tip leakage flow streamlines of baseline transonic rotor can be divided into two parts, i.e., the primary vortex and secondary vortex which arises after the shock. Due to shock/tip leakage vortex interaction, the primary vortex enlarged and low-momentum region showed up after the shock; under near stall (NS) condition, tip leakage vortex breakdown occurred after interacting with shock. As positively leaned angle increased, the shock and the shock/tip leakage vortex interaction point moved upstream. In addition, the phenomenon of tip leakage vortex breakdown was enhanced. For negatively leaned rotors, as negatively leaned angle increased, the peak efficiency and total pressure ratio showed a tendency of first increasing and then decreasing. At 5° leaned angle, the peak efficiency was increased by 0.8% at most, and the maximum increment of total pressure ratio was 0.05 at 5° leaned angle. Besides, the loading of blade tip reduced and the loading moved toward trailing edge, resulting in the downstream movements of primary vortex, shock front and shock/tip leakage vortex interaction location. The results may help to improve the near tip flow field of transonic compressor rotor with leaned blade technology.

It remains unclear whether radiation-induced haemorrhage in the spleen causes iron accumulation, and subsequently, ferroptosis in splenic lymphocytes. In this study, we investigated the occurrence of ferroptosis in splenic lymphocytes of gamma-irradiated mice.

Mice were subjected to gamma radiation from a 137Cs source. Iron, Ferroportin 1, and iron regulatory protein (IRP) levels in the spleen, and serum iron and hepcidin levels in the blood were measured to study the change in iron metabolism of the irradiated spleen. After Ferrostatin 1/LDN193189 was intraperitoneally injected into mice post-irradiation, the viability of splenic lymphocytes and the splenic index were evaluated to investigate the mechanism of damage induction in splenic lymphocytes. The survival rate of mice was evaluated to identify the radiation mitigator based on the inhibition of ferroptosis.

Iron accumulation (up to 0.62 g/g) observed in the spleen of irradiated mice was due to haemorrhage-based haemosiderin. The iron accumulation triggered the IRP-ferroportin 1 axis to increase the level of serum iron to 121.65 mmol/l. LDN193189 was used to demonstrate that the iron accumulation decreased the viability of splenic lymphocytes in irradiated mice, which was subsequently demonstrated to attribute to ferroptosis with the use of Ferrostatin 1 and through detection of ferroptosis-related parameters. The survival rate of irradiated mice was improved upon Ferrostatin-1 (60% with a duration of 120 days) or LDN193189 (40% for the same duration) treatment.

Radiation-induced haemorrhage causes ferroptosis in splenic lymphocytes, and anti-ferroptosis is a potential strategy to alleviate immune damage in hematopoietic acute radiation sickness.

Feeding ecology of Acrossocheilus yunnanensis, a dominant fish in the headwaters of the Chishui River, a tributary of the upper Yangtze River, was studied using the analysis of gut contents. From March 2015 to January 2016, a total of 543 individuals were collected and analyzed. The results showed that A. yunnanensis was an omnivorous fish mainly feeding on chlorophytes, diatoms, and aquatic insects. The trophic level was 2.69±0.62 (mean±SD), signifying A. yunnanensis as a primary or secondary predator. Dietary shifts were found among different ontogenetic stages and seasons. Specifically, young individuals fed primarily on aquatic insects and diatoms, whereas older fish fed mainly on chlorophytes. In spring, the preferred food item was aquatic insects and in other seasons, chlorophytes became the predominant prey. Diet composition showed no differences among individuals of different sex and diel periods. The feeding intensity of A. yunnanensis was not affected by diel periods, suggesting this species feeds continuously. However, its feeding intensity was significantly influenced by seasons. Pairwise comparison found that the feeding intensity was higher in spring and autumn than that in summer and winter, with minimum food intake in winter and maximum in spring. Analysis on Amundsen graph and niche breadth index indicated that A. yunnanensis might pursue an opportunistic and moderately generalized feeding strategy, which could explain why it has become the dominant fish species in our study area.

Dose modulation is a key factor in practical proton therapy. This study investigates the dose modulation methodology of irregular radiation field (IRF)-based proton therapy using forward radiation treatment planning and conformal dose layer stacking (CDLS) methods.

The geometric configuration of a virtual multi-leaf system was constructed to generate IRFs during Monte Carlo simulations. Two patient geometries—lymphatic metastasis and brain tumors—were configured to investigate the dosimetric feasibility and applications of IRF-based proton therapy in ideal patient anatomies. The investigated tumors were divided into slices perpendicular to proton beam axis. Segments were designed to be conformal to the profiles of these tumor slices. Conformal dose layers were produced by modulating the proton intensities and energies of the predesigned segments. Then, these dose layers were stacked throughout the tumors to obtain sufficient and conformal tumor doses.

From the proposed IRF-based proton therapy, tumors with 4-7 cm extents along the depth direction could be treated with fewer than 10 segments. The lymphatic metastasis and brain tumors were sufficiently covered by 95% dose lines, while appropriate distal and proximal dose conformities were achieved. The maximum tumor doses did not exceed 110%.

Theoretically, the proposed IRF-based proton therapy using forward planning and CDLS methods is feasible from the viewpoint of dosimetry. This study can serve as a foundation for future investigations of potential proton therapy methods based on fast conformal dose layer stacking using radiation fields with irregular shapes.