Safety Authority Research Articles

Composite electrolyte with self‐inserted structure and all‐trans F conformation provides fast Li+ transport for solid‐state Li metal batteries

AbstractSolid‐state Li metal battery has attracted increasing interests for its potentially high energy density and excellent safety assurance, which is a promising candidate for next generation battery system. However, the low ionic conductivity and Li+ transport number of solid‐state polymer electrolytes limit their practical application. Herein, a composite polymer electrolyte with self‐inserted structure is proposed using the layered double hydroxides (LDHs) as dopant to achieve a fast Li+ transport channel in poly(vinylidene‐co‐trifluoroethylene) [P(VDF‐TrFE)] based polymer electrolyte. In such a composite electrolyte, P(VDF‐TrFE) polymer has an all‐trans conformation, in which all fluorine atoms locate on one side of the polymer chain, providing fast Li+ transport highways. Meanwhile, the LDH can immobilize the anions of Li salts based on the electrostatic interactions, promoting the dissociation of Li salts, thereby enhancing the ionic conductivity (6.4 × 10−4 S cm−1) and Li+ transference number (0.76). The anion immobilization effect can realize uniform electric field distribution at the anode surface and suppress the dendritic Li growth. Moreover, the hydrogen bonding interaction between LDH and polymer chains also endows the composite electrolyte with strong mechanical properties. Thus, at room temperature, the Li || Li symmetric cells can be stably cycled over 1000 h at a current density of 0.2 mA cm−2, and the full cells with LiFePO4 cathode deliver a high capacity retention (>95%) after 200 cycles. This work offers a promising route to construct solid‐state polymer electrolytes with fast Li+ transport.image

Three-Dimensional Reconstruction and Visualization of Underwater Bridge Piers Using Sonar Imaging.

The quality of underwater bridge piers significantly impacts bridge safety and long-term usability. To address limitations in conventional inspection methods, this paper presents a sonar-based technique for the three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction and visualization of underwater bridge piers. Advanced MS1000 scanning sonar is employed to detect and image bridge piers. Automated image preprocessing, including filtering, denoising, binarization, filling, and morphological operations, introduces an enhanced wavelet denoising method to accurately extract the foundation contour coordinates of bridge piers from sonar images. Using these coordinates, along with undamaged pier dimensions and sonar distances, a model-driven approach for a 3D pier reconstruction algorithm is developed. This algorithm leverages multiple sonar data points to reconstruct damaged piers through multiplication. The Visualization Toolkit (VTK) and surface contour methodology are utilized for 3D visualization, enabling interactive manipulation for enhanced observation and analysis. Experimental results indicate a relative error of 13.56% for the hole volume and 10.65% for the spalling volume, demonstrating accurate replication of bridge pier defect volumes by the reconstructed models. Experimental validation confirms the method's accuracy and effectiveness in reconstructing underwater bridge piers in three dimensions, providing robust support for safety assessments and contributing significantly to bridge stability and long-term safety assurance.

Natural compounds-based nanomedicines for cancer treatment: Future directions and challenges.

Several efforts have been extensively accomplished for the amelioration of the cancer treatments using different types of new drugs and less invasives therapies in comparison with the traditional therapeutic modalities, which are widely associated with numerous drawbacks, such as drug resistance, non-selectivity and high costs, restraining their clinical response. The application of natural compounds for the prevention and treatment of different cancer cells has attracted significant attention from the pharmaceuticals and scientific communities over the past decades. Although the use of nanotechnology in cancer therapy is still in the preliminary stages, the application of nanotherapeutics has demonstrated to decrease the various limitations related to the use of natural compounds, such as physical/chemical instability, poor aqueous solubility, and low bioavailability. Despite the nanotechnology has emerged as a promise to improve the bioavailability of the natural compounds, there are still limited clinical trials performed for their application with various challenges required for the pre-clinical and clinical trials, such as production at an industrial level, assurance of nanotherapeutics long-term stability, physiological barriers and safety and regulatory issues. This review highlights the most recent advances in the nanocarriers for natural compounds secreted from plants, bacteria, fungi, and marine organisms, as well as their role on cell signaling pathways for anticancer treatments. Additionally, the clinical status and the main challenges regarding the natural compounds loaded in nanocarriers for clinical applications were also discussed.

Speciation-specific chromium bioaccumulation and detoxification in fish using hydrogel microencapsulated biogenic nanosilver and zeolite synergizing with biomarkers.

Grass carp intestinal waste-mediated biosynthesized nanosilver (AgNPs) was valorized using guaran and zeolite matrices, resulting in AgNPs-guaran, AgNPs-zeolite, and AgNPs-guaran -zeolite composites. The valorized products were examined using Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy, Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis and X-ray Diffraction analysis to confirm uniform dispersion and entrapment of AgNPs within the matrixes. These valorized products were evaluated for their efficacy in detoxifying the ubiquitous and toxic hexavalent chromium (Cr6+) in aquatic environments, with Anabas testudineusexposed to 2mgl-1 of Cr6+ for 60days. Remarkable reduction of Cr6+ concentration to 0.86 ± 0.007mgl-1 was achieved with AgNPs-guaran-zeolite composite, indicating successful reclamation of contaminated water and food safety assurance. Consistency in results was further corroborated by minimal stress-related alterations in fish physiological parameters and integrated biomarker response within the experimental group treated with the AgNPs-guaran-zeolite composite. Despite observed chromium accumulation in fish tissues, evidence of physiological stability was apparent, potentially attributable to trivalent chromium accumulation, serving as an essential nutrient for the fish. Additionally, the challenge study involvingAnabas testudineus exposed to Aeromonas hydrophila exhibited the lowest cumulative mortality (11.11%) and highest survival rate (87.5%) within the same experimental group. The current study presents a novel approach encompassing the valorization of AgNPs for Cr6+ detoxification under neutral to alkaline pH conditions, offering a comprehensive framework for environmental remediation.

Classification of Composite Hazards of Gas and Coal Spontaneous Combustion in Gob

ABSTRACT To prevent the occurrence of gas and coal spontaneous combustion composite disasters in gob areas during coal mining, this study considers the gob area of the Longfeng Coal Mine as the experimental background. By analyzing the pressure values of the hydraulic props in the isolation wall, the composition of gases in the gob area, and the low-temperature oxidation characteristics of coal, it was found that the pressure values of the hydraulic props were correlated with the concentration of gases in the gob area, temperature, and the g-factor and free radical concentration of coal. The absolute values of the correlation coefficients were ranked as T > O2 > CH4 > CO2 > g-values > Ng > N2, and all correlation coefficients were greater than 0.85. When the isolation wall was located in the stress concentration area, the wall deformed and cracked, leading to frequent gas exchange between the gob-side entry retaining (GSER) and the gob area, which increased the risk of gas and coal spontaneous combustion composite disasters in the gob area. According to the safety risk level, the areas adjacent to the gob area were divided into high-risk areas (0 ~ 100 m, 300 ~ 600 m, 700 ~ 900 m, 1050 ~ 1200 m), moderate risk areas (200 ~ 300 m, 900 ~ 1050 m), general risk areas (600 ~ 700 m), and low-risk areas (100 ~ 200 m), the positions at 500 ~ 550 m and 700 ~ 750 m were located in the gas and coal spontaneous combustion composite disaster area. The study suggests that for high-risk areas, the injection amount of fire extinguishing materials should be increased to strengthen safety assurance, whereas for low-risk areas, the injection can be moderately adjusted and reduced to achieve the optimal balance between economic benefits and safety benefits.

Lifelong reinforcement learning tracking control of nonlinear strict-feedback systems using multilayer neural networks with constraints

This paper presents a novel safe integral reinforcement learning (IRL)-based optimal trajectory tracking scheme for nonlinear systems with uncertain dynamics that is subject to constraints. We leverage multilayer neural networks (MNNs) for actor-critic MNNs along with an NN identifier in the backstepping process for minimizing a discounted value function. A time-varying barrier Lyapunov function (TVBLF) is utilized for handling constraints and to provide safety assurances. Online weight update laws for the actor and critic MNNs are derived that are driven by Bellman error and control input error. We introduce an online lifelong learning (LL) method in the critic NN, utilizing the Bellman error in MNNs to address catastrophic forgetting. The method’s effectiveness is demonstrated through simulations on mobile robot multitask tracking. The paper concludes with a stability analysis of the closed-loop system.

Study on the hydrate growth characteristics and rheology of silica-containing sand water-in-oil emulsion system

Understanding the transportability of silica-sand-containing hydrate slurries is crucial for production safety of non-consolidated natural gas hydrate reservoirs, especially when solid-state fluidization technology is utilized. Despite some research on silica sand and marine sediments’ influence on hydrate formation kinetics, rheological studies are scarce for systems with silica sands. The formation process of cyclopentane hydrates under the coexistence of hydrophilic silica particles and surfactants were observed. The effects of the concentration and particle size of silica sands as well as the water cut and surfactant concentration of emulsion on the rheological properties of hydrate slurries were investigated using a rheometer. The results indicated: (1) Hydrophilic sand aggregates were entrapped in water droplets, indirectly affecting the oil–water contact area due to the increase in water droplet volume, which was conducive to the combination of alkanes and water molecules to form a hydrate shell; silica particles provided nucleation sites at the oil–water interface to promote the adsorption and aggregation of cyclopentane molecules. (2) The synergistic effect of silica sand and surfactants significantly shortened the induction time of hydrates and increased the viscosity of the slurry. As the concentration of silica sand (1 wt%, 5 wt%, 10 wt%) increased, the induction time of hydrate formation decreased by 44.8 min. Within the concentration range below 5 wt%, the viscosity of the slurry increased as the concentration increased, with an amplitude of 13830.7 mPa·s. The induction time of hydrate formation decreased with increasing silica sand particle size (2 μm, 6.5 μm, 12 μm), but the size of silica sand particles had no significant effect on the viscosity of the slurry. (3) Hydrate slurries in all systems exhibited shear-thinning behavior. There was no obvious relationship between the yield stress of slurry under different silica sand concentrations. However, the yield stress of the slurry was inversely proportional to the size of silica sand particles. The yield stress decreased by 141.13 Pa when the size of silica sand particles increased from 2 μm to 12 μm. Overall, this study highlighted the influence of silica sand presence on flow safety assurance in solid-state fluidization technology.

Analysis of a balanced safety performance indicator as a key element of operational controlling in the ATS organization

Controlling is considered as a versatile modern focus of management. It is widespread in various fields of human activity but has not found direct application in civil aviation yet. Meanwhile, any aviation organization is subject to the general laws of management, therefore, controlling can and should find its application in the management of an aviation organization. Due to the particular importance of safety management considerations, controlling, as a management concept that allows you to control processes rather than results, fits seamlessly into the procedures of safety management systems (SMS) of aviation service providers. In particular, the development and monitoring of safety performance indicators (SPI) can be considered as a key element of operational controlling. In the SMS, the procedure to deal with the SPI, in conjunction with the risks mitigation procedure for safety, is an essential component of the entire system. To ensure the effectiveness of this procedure in the Air Traffic Service (ATS) organization, it is necessary to develop a balanced overall SPI. As the analysis showed, the indicators applicable in ATS organizations are focused on considering only incidents of the same “weight” and do not objectively reflect a level of safety assurance at ATS and its dynamics. The article presents a variant of developing a revised balanced indicator, which considers less significant deviations from the proper ATS system operation, errors and violations of personnel. The indicator was developed on the basis of the expert survey of ATS specialists. Monitoring and predicting of indicators are also important tasks of operational controlling. These problems can be solved by various methods, the applicability and comparative effectiveness of some of them are discussed in this article. All calculations are based on real data of one of the major ATS organizations of the Russian Federation.

Advancements in integrated robotic sensing: A European perspective

Robotic Non-destructive Testing and Sensing stands at the forefront of technological innovation, offering capabilities in assessing structural integrity, safety, and material quality across diverse industries. This comprehensive review article provides a detailed exploration of the field, focusing on the substantial contributions of European researchers and institutions. The need for non-destructive testing has been a constant in industries that rely on structural integrity, including aerospace, manufacturing, energy, construction, and healthcare. Traditional testing methods, such as radiography, ultrasonic testing, magnetic particle testing, and dye penetrant testing, have been integral for quality control and safety assurance. However, the robotisation of such methods has marked a profound shift, enabling precise, fast, efficient, and repeatable testing while minimising human exposure to hazardous environments. European researchers and institutions have played an instrumental role in driving the evolution of integrated robotic sensing. The historical perspective of the field reveals the pioneering spirit of Europe, as collaborative initiatives led to the development of robotic platforms equipped with advanced sensors and testing techniques. A critical aspect of the European impact on robotic inspection applications lies in developing advanced sensors, innovative robotic platforms, novel robotic path-planning and control approaches and data collection and visualisation tools. These developments continue to influence the global landscape of robotic sensing. European researchers remain at the forefront of current trends and innovations as the field continues to evolve. This review article will delve into these recent advancements, highlighting Europe’s pivotal role in pushing the boundaries of technology and application. The implications and applications of robotic sensing reverberate across multiple sectors worldwide. From inspecting critical aerospace components to ensuring the quality of manufactured goods, these technologies underpin safety and quality standards.

Tailoring of NASA‐STD‐3001 to Lunar Gateway Program Requirements

AbstractThe Gateway Program must meet NASA's Agency‐level human rating requirements, which are intended to accommodate human capabilities and limitations while protecting the safety of the crew, and providing to the maximum extent practical, the capability to safely recover the crew from hazardous situations. Human systems integration represents a key human rating component of Moon to Mars systems to support the execution of Artemis missions, including compliance with mandatory standards for Health and Medical, Safety and Mission Assurance, and Engineering. The human system requirements, together with the human systems integration plan, medical operations requirements, and Gateway subsystem specifications, represent the flow‐down of NASA Health and Medical Standards (NASA‐STD‐3001, Volumes 1 and 2) into the Gateway system. This paper discusses how these documents and other human systems integration activities provide full consideration of human capabilities and limitations as part of the total system design trade space, serving as an example on how the human must be effectively integrated as part of the system in order to achieve mission success. At a bigger scale, the paper contributes to the application of systems engineering standards to cutting‐edge space exploration initiatives and to the dialogue on how systems engineering can continue to evolve to meet the needs of such ambitious projects.

Assessment of 19 Operation Room and Sterile Processing Units in Puerto Rico, 2023: Preliminary Findings using a new ICAR Tool

Background: Infection prevention and control assessments in healthcare settings serve as a primary resource for obtaining data and providing recommendations based on safety, compliance, and quality assurance guidelines. In Puerto Rico (PR), surgical site infections are underreported in the Epi Info platform used by the Puerto Rico Department of Health (PRDOH), mainly due to the complexity of their identification. By focusing on evaluating Operating Rooms/Sterile Processing and Distribution (OR/SPD) units in acute care facilities (ACFs), our goal is to generate new data within the Healthcare-Associated Infection/Antibiotic Resistance (HAI/AR) Program, specifically related to patient management throughout preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative phases, as well as reprocessing practices. Methods: Nineteen evaluations of ACFs' OR/SPDs were conducted from May through December 2023. Direct observations, file reviews, and personnel assessments were performed using an infection control assessment and response (ICAR) tool developed collaboratively by a team from an acute facility in PR and the HAI/AR Program staff. This ICAR Tool was customized based on guidelines from the certified Board for Sterile Processing and Distribution (CBSPD), the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN), and the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI), among other regulatory agencies. The Division of Health Quality Promotion (DHQP) reviewed and approved the tool for use in these evaluations. Results: Key findings indicate that 32% of Sterile Processing Department (SPD) units restrict access to dedicated personnel with available manufacturer’s instructions, yet only 36% of SPD personnel are certified in CBSPD and packaging practices. Only 10% of facilities had a water treatment system for sterilization and Immediate Use Steam Sterilization (IUSS) policies. Notably, 84% of endoscopy areas require additional equipment for cultivating endoscopes, and no facility possessed a borescope for visually inspecting endoscope lumens. Tray inspection occurred in 21%, and only 31% of staff knew the Spaulding Classification and Class V Indicators. Conclusion: These data underscore the necessity of evaluating OR/SPD units in ACFs to provide updated recommendations and mitigate the incidence of surgical site infections (SSI). They offer insight into the structural and functional status of OR/SPD units in Puerto Rico, aligning reporting with OR/SPD practices to enhance patient care and minimize infection risks.

Risk Analysis, Safety Assurance Requirements, and Safety Evaluation Test for Robotic Agricultural Machinery

Risk Analysis, Safety Assurance Requirements, and Safety Evaluation Test for Robotic Agricultural Machinery

Guided Wave Behavior in Type IV Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessels Under Fatigue Loading

Innovative Ultrasonic Guided Wave Approach for Structural Health Monitoring of Type IV Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessels Seyedreza Hashemi, Jan Heimann, Amir Charmi, Eric Duffner, Jens Prager Abstract: The digitalization of quality control processes and the use of digital data infrastructures is a novel idea that can be applied for ensuring the operational safety and reliability of pressure vessels, particularly in the context of hydrogen storage at high pressure. Despite the critical role these pressure vessels play, current safety regulations lack an established concept for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM). This research addresses this gap by presenting a study on the application of ultrasonic guided waves (GWs) for SHM of Type IV Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessels (COPVs). The study focuses on the development of a reliable measurement system to transition from conventional periodic inspections to SHM and predictive maintenance, prolonging the remaining lifetime of the vessels. A sensor network is employed, consisting of fifteen piezoelectric wafers arranged in three rings, which are mounted on the outer surface of the COPV. Deploying GWs, known for their long-distance propagation and ability to cover complex structures, the study explores GW behavior under different environmental and operational conditions, including periodic pressure fluctuations and temperature loadings. Meticulous analysis of GW signals by utilizing various features and damage indices, underscores their suitability for an effective SHM under realistic working conditions. The project aims to localize defects by considering temperature, and internal pressure. Mimicking the continuous monitoring of Type IV COPVs in H2 refueling gas stations under authentic operational conditions, the COPV underwent thousands of pressure load cycles in our special test facility . The implemented methodology facilitates early damage detection, showcasing the efficacy of the designed method in effective safety assurance.

Ensuring Food Safety among Food and Agricultural Nonprofit Organizations: A Review of Literature about Challenges and Opportunities

Food and agricultural nonprofit organizations (FANOs) are a critical part of the food supply chain, requiring evaluation of their food safety assurance within the production, preparation, and distribution of food. This article provides an overview of literature and policy surrounding food safety in nonprofit organizations, particularly FANOs, and proposes opportunities and challenges in FANO research. It addresses the prevalent risks of foodborne illnesses associated with FANOs with poor food safety practices. Three specific problem areas that need to be better addressed in FANO research were revealed. First, poor food safety practices in FANOs can lead to food loss and waste. Second, inadequate food safety behaviors and practices among volunteers are a unique issue that FANOs face due to high volunteer turnover and reduced training time. And third, there is a large disparity between who is regulating and enforcing food safety in FANOs. Potential research questions and methodological limitations of conducting research on each problem area are proposed.

Evaluation of Outdoor Sports Safety Risk Management Based on Embedded Systems

With the increasing popularity of outdoor sports, sports safety issues have gradually become prominent. In order to effectively manage safety risks in outdoor sports, this paper proposes an embedded system-based outdoor sports safety risk management and evaluation method. Intended to provide safety assurance for outdoor sports participants through real-time data collection, intelligent analysis, and early warning. This method identifies safety risk patterns in different sports scenarios through training and learning historical data. This paper also studied the construction method of an outdoor tourism security system and proposed an embedded system for encrypting the outdoor sports security database. An embedded system for encrypting outdoor sports security databases has been proposed. The simulation results show that the recall rate of the model is 92.8%, and the accuracy rate is 95.7%. The model can predict potential security risks based on real-time collected data and generate corresponding warning messages.

Optimal trajectory tracking of uncertain nonlinear continuous-time strict-feedback systems with dynamic constraints

A novel method for optimal trajectory tracking of uncertain nonlinear systems by using adaptive dynamic programming (ADP)-based integral reinforcement learning (IRL) and neural networks (NNs) is proposed. The method utilises an actor-critic framework with optimal backstepping to minimise a discounted value function and uses a single-layer NN identifier for estimating the unknown dynamics. For safety assurance, a time-varying barrier Lyapunov function (TVBLF) is used in the control design to handle the constraints. A novel weight-tuning law by using the control input error, integral Bellman error, and the NN identifier is used for the actor-critic framework. A novel lifelong learning (LL)-based method for critic NN is utilised in an optimal framework by incorporating the Bellman error to mitigate catastrophic forgetting in multitasking scenarios. Stability analysis using Lyapunov stability theory is obtained for the overall closed-loop system. Simulations of leader-follower mobile robot formation control show a 25% reduction in the cost in multitasking scenarios.

Electrospun Photodynamic Antibacterial Konjac Glucomannan/Polyvinylpyrrolidone Nanofibers Incorporated with Lignin-Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles and Curcumin for Food Packaging.

Due to the growing concerns surrounding microbial contamination and food safety, there has been a surge of interest in fabricating novel food packaging with highly efficient antibacterial activity. Herein, we describe novel photodynamic antibacterial konjac glucomannan (KGM)/polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) nanofibers incorporated with lignin-zinc oxide composite nanoparticles (L-ZnONPs) and curcumin (Cur) via electrospinning technology. The resulting KGM/PVP/Cur/L-ZnONPs nanofibers exhibited favorable hydrophobic properties (water contact angle: 118.1°), thermal stability, and flexibility (elongation at break: 241.9%). Notably, the inclusion of L-ZnONPs and Cur endowed the nanofibers with remarkable antioxidant (ABTS radical scavenging activity: 98.1%) and photodynamic antimicrobial properties, demonstrating enhanced inhibitory effect against both Staphylococcus aureus (inhibition: 12.4 mm) and Escherichia coli (12.1 mm). As a proof-of-concept study, we evaluated the feasibility of applying nanofibers to fresh strawberries, and the findings demonstrated that our nanofibers could delay strawberry spoilage and inhibit microbial growth. This photodynamic antimicrobial approach holds promise for design of highly efficient antibacterial food packaging, thereby contributing to enhanced food safety and quality assurance.

Quantitative Analysis of Blended Oils Based on Intensity Ratios of Marker Ions in MALDI-MS Spectra.

Determination of quantitative compositions of blended oils is an essential but challenging step for the quality control and safety assurance of blended oils. We herein report a method for the quantitative analysis of blended oils based on the intensity ratio of triacylglycerol marker ions, which could be obtained from the highly reproducible spectra acquired by using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) to directly analyze blended oils in their oily states. We demonstrated that this method could provide good quantitative results to binary, ternary, and quaternary blended oils, with simultaneous quantitation of multiple compositions, and was applicable for quantitative analysis of commercial blended oil products. Moreover, the intensity ratio-based method could be used to rapidly measure the proportions of oil compositions in blended oils, only based on the spectra of the blended oils and related pure oils, making the method as a high-throughput approach to meet the sharply growing analytical demands of blended oils.

Optimized silicon fertilization regime weakens cadmium translocation and increases its biotransformation in rice tissues

In acidic paddy fields of South China, rice (Oryza sativa L.) faces the dual challenges of cadmium (Cd) toxicity and silicon (Si) deficiency. Although previous studies have highlighted the functions of Si application timing and strategies in mitigating Cd-stressed rice, the precise mechanisms underlying the health restoration of Cd-toxic rice and the assurance of grain safety remain elusive. This study explored Cd translocation and detoxification in the shoots of rice regulated by various Si fertilization regimes: Si(T) (all Si added before transplanting), Si(J) (all Si added at jointing), and Si(TJ) (half Si added both before transplanting and at jointing). The findings revealed that the regime of Si(TJ) was more beneficial to rice health and grain safety than Si(T) and Si(J). The osmotic regulators such as proline, soluble sugars, and soluble proteins were significantly boosted by Si(TJ) compared to other Si treatments, and which enhanced membrane integrity, balanced intracellular pH, and increased Cd tolerance of rice. Furthermore, Si(TJ) was more effective than Si(T) and Si(J) on the Cd sequestration in the cell wall, Cd bio-passivation, and the down-regulated expression of the Cd transport genes. The concentrations of Cd in the xylem and phloem treated with Si(TJ) were reduced significantly. Additionally, Si(TJ) facilitated much more Cd bound with the outer layer proteins of grains, and promoted Cd chelation and complexation by phytic acid, phenolics, and flavonoids. Overall, Si (TJ) outperformed Si(T) and Si(J) in harmonizing the phycological processes, inhibiting Cd translocation, and enhancing Cd detoxification in rice plant. Thereby the split Si application strategy offers potential for reducing Cd toxicity in rice grain.

Effect of wax on hydrate formation and aggregation characteristics of water-in-oil emulsion

In recent years, the formation and aggregation of wax and hydrate under the condition of coexistence has become a hot spot in the safety assurance of deep-water pipeline flow. In order to clarify the influence mechanism of wax and hydrate in deep-sea crude oil under coexistence conditions, the effects of different wax-containing conditions on the nucleation, growth and aggregation characteristics of hydrate in oil–water emulsion were studied by macroscopic and microscopic experimental equipment. The results show that low wax content (0–3.wt%) provides nucleation sites for hydrate formation and thus promotes hydrate formation. High wax content (>3.wt%) inhibits hydrate formation by preventing water droplets from contacting gas molecules. Low wax content (0–3.wt%) significantly reduces hydrate interparticle aggregation. High wax content (>3.wt%) promotes hydrate interparticle aggregation, which changes the flow characteristics of the hydrate slurry. In addition, through further analysis by PVM and high-speed camera, a wax-containing hydrate aggregation mechanism model was established.