Dual Pressure Research Articles

How does the carbon market impact the economy-energy-environment system in resource-based regions of China? Empirical evidence from Shanxi Province

The question of whether carbon markets increase regional inequality has led to widespread discussion. Resource-based regions with carbon-intensive industries face the dual pressure of transformation and carbon reduction and are more sensitive to the carbon market. In this study, Shanxi Province, a typical resource-based province in China, was selected as the research object, and a system dynamics model of the carbon trading market was constructed to identify the impact of the carbon market on the economy-energy-environment (3E) systems of resource-based regions. Benchmarks, carbon trading, and enhanced carbon trading scenarios were set up around two key indicators, carbon price and total quota, to investigate the effects of combinations of industry and energy policies. The results revealed the following. (1) For the economic system, the carbon markets can have a negative impact on resource-based regions, and its shocks increase with rising carbon prices; however, in the long term, this impact can be repaired. For energy and environmental systems, the carbon market will benefit from reaching the goal of carbon peaking in advance by promoting energy saving and carbon reduction. (2) The impact of carbon quota constraints on the economic system tends to be negative, and their contributions to energy conservation and carbon reduction are relatively small. (3) The policy combination of the carbon market and industrial structure adjustment shows considerable benefits in all three systems; however, the impact of the policy combination of the carbon market and internal structure adjustment of high-carbon energy is weak in the long term. Based on these conclusions, we propose some suggestions at the national level. The government should increase the transfer payment to resource-based regions according to carbon market income, accelerate the cultivation of strategic emerging industries such as green manufacturing, and actively implement clean energy substitution strategies in resource-based regions. This study also provides policy recommendations for Shanxi Province that help formulate sustainable and coordinated development paths for resource-based areas with high carbon emissions and energy consumption.

A selection model for innovation strategies in family SMEs

Under the dual pressure of the new generation of information technology and COVID-19, it has become necessary for family small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to implement management innovation. However, family SMEs seem to be inexperienced and unthought-out in their innovation strategy selection, so that implementing management innovation is like a gamble, with some successes and some failures. Therefore, we consider a uniqueness of family businesses that family members have many opportunities and power to influence innovation activities to investigate how family businesses choose innovation strategies, and then propose a selection model. In order to better capture family member behavior in management innovation, from the perspective of social emotional wealth (SEW), this paper builds this selection model based on evolutionary game theory to analyze the impact of family member behavior on management innovation, and on this basis, introduces the concept of innovation characteristics, thereby increasing the reliability and explanatory validity of the model. Further, this paper analyzes 8 cases in the evolutionary game model through simulation analysis and addresses the question of whether and how family SMEs can successfully implement management innovation, thus providing reference for the selection of innovation strategy of family businesses. This model demonstrates the impact of SEW preferences and innovation characteristics on management innovation, illustrating the evolutionary paths and possible outcomes of innovation practices in different cases. Noteworthily, the proposed selection model can be used to simulate and predict the development and outcome of innovation practices in a real-world situation, and then innovation strategies are carefully selected by inspired managers.

Ag Nanowire/CPDMS Dual Conductive Layer Dome-Based Flexible Pressure Sensor with High Sensitivity and a Wide Linear Range

Ag Nanowire/CPDMS Dual Conductive Layer Dome-Based Flexible Pressure Sensor with High Sensitivity and a Wide Linear Range

Patterns of thermocline structure and the deep chlorophyll maximum feature in multiple stratified lakes related to environmental drivers

Thermal stratification and the deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM), two commonly related phenomena in stratified lakes, play fundamental roles in eco-environmental processes. However, the progressive linkages among multi-dimensional environmental factors, thermal stratification and DCM were poorly explored, which greatly constrains our understanding of cross-level governance in deep lakes. In this study, the thermocline structure (i.e., thermocline depth, thickness and strength) and DCM feature (depth and thickness) and their driving factors were investigated at regional scale using data from 18 stratified lakes differing in limnological characteristics, Southwest China. Our study showed that (1) DCM occurred close to the thermocline in most lakes (represented by their depth and thickness), (2) the depths of the thermocline and DCM were both shallower than the euphotic depth, and (3) spatial heterogeneity occurred the thermocline structure and the DCM feature, reflecting different environmental factors. Specifically, water depth and light penetration depths were both positively correlated with thermocline depth and thickness and the DCM feature, and ultraviolet radiation (UVR) was more important than photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) for thermocline depth, but PAR was more important for thermocline thickness; moreover, PAR played a more prominent role than UVR for the DCM feature. As there were interactions between some environmental factors, we built a cascading path using a partial least squares path modelling for the DCM feature: lake morphometry directly impacted the thermocline structure and surface water quality; the water quality further affected light penetration depths as well as the thermocline structure; light penetration depth and thermocline structure combined directly determined the DCM feature, where the importance of light was larger. Our findings provide information on the cascading drivers of the thermocline structure and DCM feature in deep lakes and also constitute a valuable reference for deep lake management under the dual pressure of climate change and eutrophication.

Study on optimal model of micro-energy network operation configuration considering flexible load characteristics

Under the dual pressure of rapidly increasing energy demand and decreasing fossil energy supply and demand and climate change, the pursuit of efficient and clean utilization of energy has become a new trend of energy development. Micro-energy grid is guided by the demand of terminal energy consumption, which can greatly reduce resource waste through coordinated planning and unified scheduling of various types of energy in the network. Firstly, an optimal operation configuration model of micro-energy network considering the characteristics of flexible load is constructed. Secondly, Copula model is used to obtain the joint distribution of wind turbine output and photovoltaic cell output. Optimization objectives including maximizing net operating income and minimizing carbon emissions is also constructed. Thirdly, the gray wolf algorithm is used to solve the multi-objective optimal scheduling model. The results show that: (1) If only the Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) is operated, the amount of abandoned wind power will increase. After the Power to Gas (P2G) is also operated, it can obviously absorb renewable energy and reduce operating cost. (2) When the micro-energy network is connected to the grid, flexible load can adjust the distribution of load in time dimension.

Process synthesis for the valorisation of low-grade heat: Geothermal brines and industrial waste streams

The increasing demand of power and the need to reduce our dependency on fossil resources represent an opportunity to valorise low-to-medium grade heat streams such as mild hot streams from industry and natural brines into electricity. A systematic approach is required for the simultaneous selection of thermodynamic cycle which includes its configuration, the thermal fluid, and the optimal operating conditions. A methodology that integrates heuristics, for pre-screening, machine learning, to include rigorous thermodynamics, and mathematical optimization, for process flowsheet design is proposed. The pre-screening yields three fluids, benzene, toluene and 1,1,1,2,3,3,3-heptafluoropropane (R227ea) and two promising cycles, dual pressure organic Rankine cycle (ORC) and organic flash Rankine cycle (OFRC). The mathematical optimization shows that for temperatures over 120 °C, the OFRC using Benzene is the configuration of choice in terms of thermodynamic performance, but the ORC provides the most economical electricity. For hot resources below 120 °C, the efficiency of both cycles converges, but the best fluid turns out to be R227ea alongside the dual ORC cycle showing better performance and lower cost. The cooling costs present a minimum at ΔTmin equal to 8 °C. The results on process design are used to evaluate a exploitation of geothermal resources across Spain.

Flexible operation of integrated energy system with HVDC infeed considering multi-retrofitted combined heat and power units

For the coal-dominated power system, facilitating the thermo-electric decoupling of combined heat and power (CHP) units through flexibility retrofit technologies is an effective approach to strengthen the peak-shaving capacity of the system and promote wind accommodation. This paper focuses on exploiting the flexible regulation potential of the large-scale CHP units in the power and heat integrated energy system (PHIES) with high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission infeed, in order to well deal with the dual peak-shaving pressure arising from the HVDC delivery power and the high share of fluctuant wind power. The internal and external retrofit technologies including zero output of low-pressure cylinders (ZO-LPC), bypass compensation heating (BCH), and thermal energy storage (TES) are adopted for CHP units as retrofit options. Firstly, the PHIES including multi-retrofitted CHP units, HVDC transmission systems, and a high share of wind power is described and modeled. Then, a two-stage day-ahead scheduling model based on the improved information gap decision theory (IGDT)-stochastic method is proposed considering the probability distribution information of uncertain variables. Finally, an annual system-wide benefits evaluation framework is formulated to assess the economic and environmental benefits of multi-retrofitted CHP units and compare the system gain value of different retrofit projects. Numerical results indicate that the thermo-electric feasible operating regions of CHP units can be comprehensively expanded with the cooperation of the proposed retrofit technologies, so as to greatly relieve wind curtailment and reserve risk of the whole system. Moreover, sensitivity analysis for diverse operation features of HVDC and different wind power installed capacity is illustrated to further verify the robust adaptability and effectiveness of multi-retrofitted CHP units in the PHIES with HVDC infeed.

Research on method of demand-side participating in grid interaction based on time-of-use pricing and coupon guidance

The electricity grid is facing the dual pressure of a high percentage of renewable energy generation and increasing load-side spike load. The participation of demand-side resources in grid interaction is an effective solution to this problem. To address this issue, a demand-side guidance method based on time-of-use pricing and coupon is proposed to increase the revenue of power retailers and reduce peak-valley difference. First, a guidance mechanism combining time-of-use pricing and coupon is proposed, and an adjustment load prediction model based on Attention-LSTM network is constructed to predict the adjustment load of electricity customers under different coupon coefficients. Based on this, a power purchase-sale optimization decision model in multi-level electricity market with the goal of maximizing the revenue of power retailers is established to set a suitable coupon strategy to guide electricity customers to participate in the interaction more precisely. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated by arithmetic examples.

Association between Sleep Quality and Depression Symptoms in Chinese College Students during the COVID-19 Lockdown Period.

Background: The outbreak of COVID-19 has seriously threatened the health of people around the world. To prevent the spread of the epidemic, Chinese universities have implemented closed management of campuses. The implementation of restrictive measures has gradually caused changes in the quality of sleep and the psychological state of college students. In addition, college students are faced with the dual pressure of employment and study, and the psychological pressure is huge. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate sleep and depressive symptoms among college students. Methods: Using the method of stratified cluster sampling, 6695 college students were selected from three universities in Jiangxi, Anhui, and Xinjiang provinces from April to May 2022. The Chinese version of the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and the self-rating depression scale (SDS) were used for the survey. Hierarchical logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the relationship between the PSQI and the SDS. Results: Overall, during the outbreak of COVID-19, 69.0% of males and 73.5% of females had poor sleep quality among Chinese college students and the detection rate of depressive symptoms was 43.6% for males and 47.8% for females, respectively. Taking students with good sleep quality as references, after controlling for covariates, hierarchical logistic regression shows that Chinese college students with poor sleep quality have a higher OR value (OR = 12.0, 95%CI: 10.2~14.1, p < 0.001), especially in males (OR = 43.8, 95%CI:30.2~63.6, p < 0.001). For both males and females, the OR value of college students with the following characteristics was higher: rural college students (males, OR = 50.32, 95%CI: 32.50–77.93; females, OR = 8.03, 95%CI: 6.45–9.99), overweight college students (males, OR = 62.17, 95%CI: 19.47–198.53; females, OR = 16.67, 95%CI: 6.48–42.88), and college students drinking sugar-sweetened beverages (males, OR = 59.00, 95%CI: 36.96–94.18; females, OR = 8.16, 95%CI: 6.63–10.05) (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Poor sleep quality is associated with depressive symptoms among Chinese college students, especially college males. Our research suggests that it is necessary to consider the improvement of sleep quality and depressive symptoms among college students during the COVID-19 epidemic.

Climate warming masks the negative effect of microplastics on plant-soil health in a silt loam soil

Many anthropogenic pressures are being exerted on terrestrial ecosystems globally, perhaps the most pressing of which include microplastics (MPs; <5 mm in size) pollution and climate change, both of which may have unpredictable consequences on soil ecosystem functioning. We therefore hypothesized that a dual pressure (MPs and warming) on plant-soil functioning would be more severe than either stress alone. Thus, we studied the interactive effects of MPs and warming on soil quality and ecosystem multifunctionality. Maize (Zea mays L.) was grown for 6 weeks under ambient and warming (+5 °C) conditions in the absence (control) or presence (5 % loading) of either polyethylene (PE), polyvinylchloride (PVC), or biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA). We found that PHA stimulated microbial biomass and enzyme activity due to the additional C resources, thus changing soil quality and ecosystem multifunctionality under ambient temperature. However, the accelerated microbial growth in PHA-treated soils also promoted N immobilization and plant–microbe nutrient competition, consequently decreasing plant health index by 65 % relative to the Control. As PVC and PE are chemically more stable than PHA, they had limited effect on soil quality and plant health under ambient temperature in the short term (6 weeks). Most of the negative impacts of MPs only occurred under ambient temperature, with few effects evident under warming conditions. This suggested that the effect of heat stress (evidenced by stunted growth and chlorophyll content) was noticeably more acute than the effect of MPs. In conclusion, we showed that MPs do affect plant health, soil quality, and ecosystem multifunctionality but these effects on plant-soil health were not exacerbated by the effects of a warmer climate.

Accuracy Analysis on Dual Pressure (Positive and Negative) Calibrator Design to Investigate the Sensor Response

Calibration is an activity to determine the conventional correctness of the value of measuring instrument designation and measuring material by comparing against the measuring standards that are traced to national or international standards. A sphygmomanometer is a device used to measure blood pressure. Suction pump is a tool to suck various types of fluid formed from the body's secretion process that under certain conditions need to be cleaned. DPM (Digital Pressure Meter) is a tool for calibrating sphygmomanometers and suction pumps. Therefore, it takes a calibrator device to calibrate both tools. The purpose of this study was to determine the sensor response and analyze the accuracy of the design of a dual pressure calibrator (+ and -) that can be used for two devices at once (sphygmomanometer and suction pump) using one sensor (pss-C01V-R18 autonics). The research was conducted at the Campus of the Department of Electrical Engineering Of The Ministry of Health Surabaya, first the data was taken from three different brands of sphygmomanometer and suction pump, the second data was taken using module calibrators, and the third data collection from modules and comparison tools (DPM). In this study successfully measured positive and negative pressure with autonics sensors, the results obtained are accurate in accordance with the results of standard tools. The result of this tool can be used for dual pressure calibrators using autonics sensors.

Coordination optimisation of energy and manufacturing flow for industry integrated energy system

With the breaking down of information barriers between energy flow with manufacturing flow, the coordination between them is an effective way to relieve the dual pressure from energy and environment industrial integrated energy system. The authors develop a scenario-based coordination model for energy flow and manufacturing flow to make full use of the flexibilities of energy supply and production process to reduce energy cost. To capture the flexibility in the energy flow, the authors enhance an electricity-steam-product gas–gas storage coupling energy flow model considering multi-uncertainties. The authors also develop a batch process model to formulate the flexibility in the production process. Based on the batch energy consumption constraints, the energy flow model and the batch process model are integrated as a coordination model. To ensure the feasibility of hard budget constraints under all possible random realisations, we add all-scenario-feasibility robust constraints which are infinite-dimensional constraints into the model. To solve the model, a vertex scenario set based on the characteristics of convex optimisation is constructed to equivalently convert infinite-dimensional constraints to finite-dimensional constraints. In this way, the coordination model is transformed to a mixed integer linear programming and can be solved using CPLEX. Finally, numerical test based on a real iron and steel plant is analysed. The results show that coordination between energy with manufacturing flow is effective to reduce the energy cost and carbon emission. Compare with only optimising energy flow, the coordination model can reduce total cost about 221.6 thousand RMB and 304.44t coal every day.

Simulation of flood hazard, prioritization of critical sub-catchments, and resilience study in an urban setting using PCSWMM: a case study

Abstract Due to the dual pressure of rapid urbanization and climate change, urban flooding has become more common. Thus, for effective planning and mitigation strategies, it is of paramount interest to quantify the generated runoff and prioritize the urban critical sub-catchments. The present study investigates flood inundation in Hyderabad urban setting (zone-XII, zone-IV&amp;V) using the Personal Computer Storm Water Management Model (PCSWMM) and prioritizes the critical sub-catchments using the compromise programming method (CPM) and PCSWMM. In addition, the system resilience is examined by integrating PCSWMM with GIS. The model simulation is performed for a 264 h (11 days) rainfall event that occurred in October 2020. The outcomes from the simulation are found to be satisfactory and in agreement with the field water logging points (WLPs). The inundation map results are validated with social media markers (SMMs). The critical sub-catchments are prioritized based on PCSWMM by runoff results and CPM by considering WLPs, slope and impervious percentage of sub-catchments as input criteria. The Integrated 1D-2D PCSWMM is used to examine the inundation velocity and depth. An urban flood hazard (UFH) map is generated to identify optimal low impact developments (LIDs). Subsequently, the present study showed how storage can improve the catchment capability and resilience of urban settings to tackle the excess stormwater.

Response of different benthic biotic indices to eutrophication and sediment heavy metal pollution, in fujian coastal water, East China sea

The types and intensity of anthropogenic pressure in the same sea area may differ spatially and may change as time passes, but response of benthic biotic indices to different pressure is different, which makes it unreasonable to use the same benthic biotic indices in a large sea area. We provided a new way of thinking as to selecting benthic biotic indices according to pressure type. The study took six bays under eutrophication and sediment heavy metal pollution to different levels in Fujian coastal water, East China sea, as examples, analysed the response of five benthic biotic indices, namely AZTI marine biotic index (AMBI), multivariate AMBI (M-AMBI), Shannon-Wiener diversity index (H′), benthic opportunistic polychaetes amphipods (BOPA) and benthic polychaetes amphipods (BPA), to eutrophication factors and sediment heavy metal pollution factors firstly. The result indicated that AMBI well responded to dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP); M-AMBI responded soundly in the range of DIN >0.131 mg L−1 and DIP >0.022 mg L−1 and responded universally to heavy metals; H′ responded to only Hg and Cd; BOPA has response to eutrophication condition of DIN >0.242 mg L−1; BPA had response to DIN, Cu and As. Then, suitable indices were selected based on the four pressure scenarios in the study area. AMBI was selected in no pressure scenario; M-AMBI was chosen under only eutrophication pressure and under dual pressure; H’ was preferred in only heavy metal pressure scenario (mainly Hg pollution). At last, the density plot of the distribution of the selected indices in the evaluation grades under different pressure scenarios proved the proposal of selecting benthic biotic indices according to pressure types feasible. This study can offer some new insights into rapidly choosing indices to evaluate the coastal benthic ecological quality status.

STUDY ON THE SENSITIVITY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF FUJIAN OPERA AND TAIWAN OPERA AND THE CHANGES OF WORKING EMOTION AND BEHAVIOR OF THE TROUPE

Abstract Background Yangqin was introduced into China in the late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty. With the flow of musicians, it spread all over the world. It is not only used for folk God welcoming games, birthday celebrations, literati self entertainment or music clubs, but also the most eye-catching musical instrument in private collections, government and business and children's Museum music clubs. From the leisure and entertainment stage of “song” popular in the Qing Dynasty to the commercial rap of “selling medicine” and “sweeping the floor”, it absorbs the nutrition of performance forms such as car drum array, Siping opera, Tea Picking Opera and juggling, and adds the “opera in the play” of hand and foot dance to show the footprints of Yangqin. Xiangju opera, developed from Taiwan songs, is a mixture of Zhangzhou Xiangjiang generation folk music. Hunan Opera (Gezai Opera) is the only common local opera on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. In 2005, Hunan opera was included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list. It is deeply influenced by Southern Fujian culture and has distinctive Southern Fujian characteristics. It has played a positive role in promoting cross-strait cultural exchanges, which is reflected in the frequent exchanges between relevant researchers and troupes on both sides of the Strait. The excellent repertoire of Hunan opera has been widely praised at home and abroad. Research Objects and Methods This study adopts the methods of literature analysis and field investigation to collect and sort out the research data. Literature analysis is mainly the collection, comparison and classification of historical data. Fieldwork is the author's fieldwork for more than ten years and his contact with folk artists and musicians of Gezai Opera. Starting from the Yangqin proposition, the master's thesis began to study and collect data, collect and read Taiwan Local Chronicles, newspaper documents, Shengzhi diaries, oral history and fieldwork for more than ten years, and copy the existing music manuscripts, photos, sound recordings and audio materials in the public sector. At the same time, it is selected from the emotional experience report form compiled by Ekman, freisen and ancoli (1980), which has been modified many times by gross and widely used. There are 10 adjectives in the emotional experience report form. Each emotion was assessed by the 9-point Likert scale, “0” means no, “8” means very strong, and the subjects were required to choose the corresponding number according to their actual emotional experience. 2.2.4 questionnaire on the degree of implementation of guidance. The questionnaire consists of 6 questions. Using the 6-point Likert scale, “0” indicates complete non-compliance, and “5” indicates complete compliance. The purpose is to check whether the subjects adjust their emotions according to the instructions of the main test when watching emotional movie clips, and ask the subjects to answer truthfully according to their actual situation. Results Performance knowledge comes from objective analysis. Performers practice and change the objective world and themselves through psychological thinking such as perception, imagination and emotion. With the progress of the times, Hunan opera is facing the dual pressure of economic and cultural inheritance. Economically, the income of the troupe's actors is unstable, which gradually weakens the actors' enthusiasm for the cause of Hunan opera. In terms of cultural inheritance, the older generation of Hunan opera is relatively old. The emergence of new culture has reduced the interest of contemporary young people in Hunan opera and led to the crisis of the inheritance of Hunan opera. In the process of the influence of life events on anxiety, they play an intermediary role through economic response. The higher the economic level, the stronger the emotional regulation ability of the troupe personnel. Among them, the mediating effect of anxiety can be adjusted through psychological elasticity. That is, economic level can regulate the pressure of life events, and coping style can be used as an intermediary factor of emotional regulation to regulate the impact of life events on anxiety through coping style. Conclusion Facing the challenge of traditional art inheritance and survival, driven by the cultural environment and multicultural environment of the global village, this is a problem that many traditional arts must think about if they want to survive. The government needs to take various measures to change the current situation and make the excellent traditional culture of Hunan opera continue to flourish. Through more bilateral exchanges and communication, cross-strait cultural inheritance and innovation, strengthen cross-strait cultural and artistic exchanges and cooperation, jointly play the piano art for the opera troupe, and work together for the in-depth development of both sides. Acknowledgments This paper is the general project of Fujian Social Science Planning Project Art Fund in 2019: Fujian Taiwan Gezai Opera (Xiang Opera). Phased achievements of Yangqin Development Research (Project No.: fj2019b029).

Research and Development of Trinary Power Cycles

The most effective and environmentally safe fossil fuel power production facilities are the combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) ones. Electric efficiency of advanced facilities is up to 58% in Russia and up to 64% abroad. The further improvement of thermal efficiency by increase of the gas turbine inlet temperature (TIT) is limited by performance of heat resistance alloys that are used for the hot gas path components and the cooling system efficiency. An alternative method for the CCGT efficiency improvement is utilization of low potential heat of the heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) exhaust gas in an additional cycle operating on a low-boiling heat carrier. This paper describes a thermodynamic analysis of the transition from binary cycles to trinary ones by integration of the organic Rankine cycle (ORC). A mathematical model of a cooled gas turbine plant (GT) has been developed to carry out calculations of high-temperature energy complexes. Based on the results of mathematical modeling, recommendations were made for the choice of the structure and parameters of the steam turbine cycle, as well as the ORC, to ensure the achievement of the maximum thermal efficiency of trinary plants. It is shown that the transition from a single pressure CCGT to a trinary plant allows the electric power increase from 213.4 MW to 222.7 MW and the net efficiency increase of 2.14%. The trinary power facility has 0.45% higher efficiency than the dual pressure CCGT.

Direct helium recovery from natural gas by dual reflux pressure swing adsorption cascade

Low-cost helium recovery processes optimised for unconventional sources e.g. small-scale natural gas (NG) reservoirs, offer a new approach to meeting growing demand. We investigated a two-stage dual reflux pressure swing adsorption (DR PSA) cascade for the recovery and purification of dilute helium from various natural gas source analogues comprising of CH4 + N2 + He. First, adsorption isotherms of a binderless zeolite 13X with high methane and nitrogen uptake were measured at 283 to 323 K and pressures up to 10 bar. This material was then used in a laboratory-scale DR PSA apparatus to identify key parameters affecting the separation performance, namely feed step time and location, as well as heavy product and light reflux flow rate. The experiments agreed well with the results of a non-isothermal numerical DR PSA model with an average deviation of 1 mol% between simulated and experimental product purities. Then, the model was extended to consider a two-stage DR PSA cascade with waste recycle. Axial composition profiles within the beds of each stage were obtained numerically and analysed to explain the impact of key process parameters on the separation performance. Tuning these parameters accordingly led to a helium-rich product with over 99 mol% He purity, which could be produced from various natural gas feeds containing from 0.1 to 1 mol% He at 90 to 98% recovery, respectively. The separation performance was compared to other helium recovery processes based on cryogenic distillation, membranes, pressure swing adsorption, and combinations thereof. Compared to these other systems, the DR PSA cascade process delivered a 99 mol% purity product from a 0.1 mol% helium in natural gas feed with 8% higher helium recovery.

The climate cost of saving water by different plastic mulching patterns

Global water shortage and climate change are two of the most significant challenges for our planet, and how to coordinate their relationship is a problem unsolved. In this study, we proposed the synchronization index of water-saving and CO2 mitigation to evaluate the climate cost of saving water by different plastic mulching patterns and explore way to improve the synchronization. The water-saving performance, carbon footprint, and the synchronization index were analyzed for three typical plastic mulching patterns, namely conventional partial plastic mulching, full plastic mulching, and “one film for two years” mulching. The results indicated that all three types of plastic mulching systems were effective in reducing the water footprint of crop production, with full plastic mulching showing the best performance in terms of improving crop yields and water savings. The application of plastic mulching mainly influences the carbon footprint through increasing indirect greenhouse gas emission, accelerating soil organic carbon decline and increasing N2O emission. Area-scale carbon footprint showed a significant positive relationship with the input amounts of plastic film, and the sort order of yield-scale carbon footprint was partial plastic mulching > full plastic mulching > “one film for two years” mulching. Calculated synchronization index was -0.35 kg CO2-eq m−3, -0.10 kg CO2-eq m−3, and 0.50 kg CO2-eq m−3 for partial plastic mulching, full plastic mulching, and “one film for two years” mulching, respectively. Full plastic mulching and partial plastic mulching resulted in an additional 0.35 and 0.10 kg of CO2-eq for saving one cubic meter of water, and only “one film for two years” mulching resulted in simultaneous water savings and greenhouse gas mitigation. This study suggests that water savings achieved using conventional partial plastic mulching have costs in terms of climate change. Faced with the dual pressure of global water shortages and climate change, controlling input amounts of plastic film and prolonging the lifetime of the film are simple and effective way to coordinate water savings and greenhouse gas mitigation. Moreover, the results of this study suggested that water savings and GHG emission mitigation cannot necessarily be achieved simultaneously and that searching for both water-saving performance and its synchronization with GHG mitigation should become a new paradigm for the development of water-saving technologies in the future.

Matching Supply and Demand of Coal-based Urban Ecosystem Services

With the acceleration of urbanization, the ecological environment has gradually deteriorated, the supply and demand relationship of ecosystem services has gradually become unbalanced, and human well-being has been seriously threatened. In particular, coal-using cities are facing the dual pressure of the ecological environment and resource depletion due to the concentration of population and resources, and environmental contradictions. Thus, exploring the relationship between the supply and demand of ecosystem services and their evolution help promote scientific ecological management. By using multi-source data from Huainan City in 2010 and 2020 and the ecosystem service supply and demand matrix and ArcGIS quantitative measurement of the supply, the demand and supply of ecosystem services in Huainan City were investigated. The result implies the following. (1) During 2010‒2020, the supply of ecosystem services in Huainan has decreased year by year. In terms of spatial distribution, the ecosystem service supply in Huainan City was high in the south and low in the north, and there is a significant regional differentiation, (2) Between 2010 and 2020, the demand for ecosystem services in Huainan City increased year by year, and its spatial distribution was similar to the distribution of ecosystem service supply. (3) Due to the decline in the supply of ecosystem services between 2010 and 2020, the demand for ecosystem services has increased, which leads to changes in the matching degree of supply and demand of ecosystem services in Huainan City.

Validation of a High Flow Rate Puff Topography System Designed for Measurement of Sub-Ohm, Third Generation Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems.

There are few known puff topography devices designed solely for gathering electronic cigarette puff topography information, and none made for high-powered sub-ohm devices. Ten replicate Bernoulli flow cells were designed and 3D printed. The relationship between square root of pressure difference and flow rate was determined across 0–70 L/min. One representative flow cell was used to estimate puff volume and flow rate under six simulated puffing regimes (0.710 L, 2.000 L and 3.000 L, at low and high flow rates) to determine the system’s accuracy and utility of using dual pressure sensors for flow measurement. The relationship between flow rate and square root of pressure differential for the ten replicate cells was best fit with a quadratic model (R2 = 0.9991, p < 0.0001). The higher-pressure sensor was accurate at both low and high flow rates for 0.71 L (102% and 111% respectively), 2.00 L (96% and 103% respectively), and 3.00 L (100.1% and 107% respectively) but the lower-pressure sensor provided no utility, underpredicting volume and flow. This puff topography system generates very little resistance to flow, easily fits between user’s atomizer and mouthpiece, and is calibrated to measure flows up to 70 L/min.