Simple Process Research Articles

An mpox quadrivalent mRNA vaccine protects mice from lethal vaccinia virus challenge

The outbreak of 2022 monkeypox virus (MPXV) infection in nonendemic regions is a global public health concern. A highly effective and safe MPXV vaccine that is available to the general public is urgently needed to control the mpox pandemic. Here, we developed a multivalent mRNA vaccine candidate, MPXV-1103, which expresses the full-length B6, A35, A29 and M1 proteins with three flexible linkers (G4S1)3 in a single sequence. Compared with the monovalent MPXV mRNA vaccine candidates or the quadrivalent mRNA vaccine from mixtures of the four monovalent MPXV mRNA vaccines, MPXV-1103 elicits a robust humoral response and an MPXV-specific T-cell response and protects mice from lethal vaccinia virus (VACV) challenge, with no live virus detected in the nasal or lungs even at dosages as low as 1 μg. Furthermore, analysis of complete blood counts and photomicrographs of tissue from the main organs of mice vaccinated with MPXV-1103 at doses of 5 μg and 20 μg revealed that two doses of MPXV-1103 did not cause any observable pathological changes in the mice. Collectively, our results suggest that MPXV-1103, with features of high efficacy, safety and a simplified manufacturing process, is a promising vaccine candidate for defending against MPXV infection.

Carbon nanofibers embedded in nanopores decorated graphite felt electrodes for enhanced vanadium redox flow batteries performance

This study introduces a novel electrode design, incorporating carbon nanofibers (CNFs) embedded in nanopores on graphite felt, achieved through a simplified one-step chemical vapor deposition process. The electrodes exhibit a uniform distribution of carbon nanofibers and nanopores, significantly enhancing active sites for vanadium redox reactions. Comprehensive characterization, including X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analysis, confirmed a significant increase in surface area and catalytic activity. When tested at a current density of 200 mA cm−2, the modified electrodes demonstrated a notable improvement in electrochemical performance, achieving over 75 % energy efficiency and maintaining this efficiency over 300 cycles. The cyclic voltammograms (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) results indicated enhanced kinetics and reduced charge transfer resistance. Post-mortem SEM images confirmed the structural integrity of the nanofibers after extensive cycling tests.

Phage based biosensors: Enhancing early detection of emerging pathogens in diagnostics

Global health is seriously threatened by an increase in antibiotic resistance among ESKAPE pathogens- E- E. faecium, S- S.aureus, K- K.pneumoniae, A-A.baumannii, P- P.aeruginosa, and E-Enterobacter. The resistance of many bacteria to traditional antibiotics is increasing, making the search for novel approaches critical. In order to minimize the effect of these diseases, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment are important. However, there are drawbacks to traditional detection techniques such molecular-based, biochemical, and microbiological assays. These include the inability to detect on-site, as well as their time-consuming, expensive, and labour-intensive nature. Viral agents that target bacteria exclusively, known as bacteriophages, have shown promise in combating over infections resistant to antibiotics. Bacteriophage-based biosensors are adaptable to many environmental conditions and offer special features such as host specificity and ability to identify active infections. They're very accurate, very specific, and have quick assay times, which makes them beneficial tools for detection. Also, phages are more easily produced than antibodies and can withstand high pH, temperature, and chemical solvents. The potential of bacteriophage-based biosensors in the fight against ESKAPE pathogens is highlighted by this review. Bacteriophage-based biosensors provide simplified detection processes in contrast to conventional approaches, which makes them invaluable in environmental and clinical situations. Numerous platforms, including electrochemical, magnetoelastic, quartz crystal microbalance, and surface plasmon resonance sensors, being investigated for their potential use to detect pathogenic bacteria in a range of sample types.

Fully biobased thermal insulating aerogels with superior fire-retardant and mechanical properties

Biomass-based aerogels offer a promising potential as alternatives to plastic-based foams for thermal insulation applications. However, their inherent flammability has hindered their practical usage. In this work, we addressed this issue by employing a layer-by-layer assembly technique to deposit two oppositely charged biobased materials, namely phytic acid and chitosan, onto a fully biobased aerogel system. These aerogels were fabricated using cellulose filaments and chitosan and cross-linked with citric acid, resulting in a mechanically robust 3D structure. The synergistic effects of phytic acid and chitosan in the layer-by-layer deposited aerogels significantly enhanced their fire resistance and mechanical strength. The developed aerogel with six bilayer depositions (LBL6), showed an outstanding peak heat release rate (pHRR) of 6.0 kW.m−2, and total heat release (THR) of 0.4 MJ.m−2, substantially lower than the previously developed cellulose-based aerogels and foams. LBL6 also demonstrated immediate self-extinguishing behaviour, boasting an impressive limiting oxygen index (LOI) value of 63 %, which is the highest reported for a biobased aerogel. Furthermore, the developed aerogels exhibited a superior Young’s modulus of up to 4.5 MPa, surpassing previously developed flame-retardant aerogels. Additionally, they excelled in thermal insulation properties, with a thermal conductivity of less than 38.2 mW·m−1·K−1, placing them in the same range as, or even lower than, commercially available thermal insulators. Given the simplicity of the aerogel development process and the well-known advantages of a completely biobased system, our developed aerogels present a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to current commercial thermal insulators that are derived from petroleum-based materials.

One-Stop Shop: Diagnosis and Treatment of Basal Cell Carcinoma in One Step.

Monitoring the tumor margins of basal cell carcinomas is still a challenge in everyday clinical practice. Usually, the clinical margins of the tumor are marked by the naked eye or, even better, with dermoscopy before surgery and then examined in detail after the operation using histological examination. In order to achieve tumor freedom, several surgical steps are sometimes necessary, meaning that patients spend longer periods in hospital and the healthcare system is burdened more as a result. One way to improve this is the one-stop shop method, which requires precise diagnostics and margin marking before and during surgery so that tumor freedom can be achieved after just one surgery. For this reason, the current status of the diagnosis and treatment of basal cell carcinomas before and after surgery is to be examined following extensive literature research using devices and methods that have already been tested in order to determine how a simplified process of tumor margin control of basal cell carcinomas can be made possible both in vivo and ex vivo.

Simplification of the Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans Culture Process for Expanding the Field of Biomachining.

Biomachining is an eco-friendly metal processing method with broad application potential. Nevertheless, the bacterial culture methods that are currently involved in biomachining require the intensive use of chemical reagents, especially FeSO4, specialized equipment, and professional-level skills in the field of biology. Herein, the differences between two cultures with and without sterilization were evaluated. Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans was cultured with iron instead of FeSO4 in the culture medium. The chemical and biochemical parameters of the culture were analyzed by studying the area of exposed iron and continuously regulating the pH. Eliminating the sterilization and sterile inoculation of the medium is feasible for culturing A. ferrooxidans. The key to achieving a high bacterial density in culture with iron was to maintain the solution pH. The possibility of mass culturing A. ferrooxidans with steel cuttings was evaluated in a custom bioreactor, and the bacterial concentration reached 9 × 107 cells/mL.

Stimuli-Responsive Delivery of Ions through Layered Materials-Based Triangular Nanofluidic Device.

The elegance and accuracy of biological ion channels inspire the fabrication of artificial devices with similar properties. Here, we report the fabrication of iontronic devices capable of delivering ions at the nanomolar (nmol) level of accuracy. The triangular nanofluidic device prepared with reconstructed vanadium pentoxide (VO) membranes of thickness 45 ± 5.5 μm can continuously deliver K+, Na+, and Ca2+ ions at the rate of 0.44 ± 0.24, 0.35 ± 0.06, and 0.03 nmol/min, respectively. The ionic flow rate can be further tuned by modulating the membrane thickness and salt concentration at the source reservoir. The triangular VO device can also deliver ions in minuscule doses (∼132 ± 9.7 nmol) by electrothermally heating (33 °C) with a nichrome wire (NW) or applying light of specific intensities. The simplicity of the fabrication process of reconstructed layered material-based nanofluidic devices allows the design of complicated iontronic devices such as the three-terminal-Ni-VO (3T-Ni-VO) devices.

‘Let’s Bring It Into the 21st Century’: Perceptions of fairness in child support

BackgroundEngaging families in child support services is an ongoing challenge. In recognition of the limitations of traditional strategies, the child support program has started to incorporate service-based approaches and procedural justice ideas (i.e., approaches based on the idea that perceptions of process fairness affect an individual’s response) into program efforts with a goal of improving outcomes for parents and children. ObjectiveAmidst this shifting landscape, the current study aims to provide insight into family experiences with child support, and specifically, how stakeholders (including parents served by child support and actors working within the system) conceptualize fairness in the context of child support. MethodsThrough semi-structured interviews with parents who owe and are due child support (n = 26) and child support agency leaders and staff (n = 12), this study explores what fairness in child support means to these stakeholders; overall perceptions of fairness and perceptions of fairness at key junctures (e.g., order establishment, modification, and enforcement); and stakeholder visions for a more fair system. ResultsWe found that interview participants across stakeholder groups often felt that having a program to ensure children are cared for financially is fair conceptually, though perspectives on how and when the program should engage with families varied within and across participant groups, as did perspectives on the realities of fairness in family experiences. Interview participants perceived some aspects of child support processes and outcomes to be unfair. Key sources of perceived unfairness included pathways into the child support program and when participation is required; difficulty accessing order modifications in response to changing circumstances; strategies used to enforce orders; and communication challenges. Visions for a more fair system included a desire for a more family-centered, holistic services; more personalized service delivery and communication; targeting services towards families who want and need them; and more connections to mediation and legal resources. ConclusionsFindings suggest that parent perceptions of fairness and experiences with the program could be supported through comprehensive community engagement, careful consideration of policies and processes for public benefits referrals, expansion of efforts to connect parents to supports and resources, simplification of processes, and improving resources and accessibility.

Wavelet-based digital pulse-shape method for discrimination between neutron and gamma-rays with organic scintillation detectors

Organic scintillator detectors are central instruments in many applications involving fast neutrons. Many organic scintillator detectors exhibit pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) properties and are widely used to discriminate between neutron events and background gamma rays. PSD methods have been traditionally implemented using analog electronic circuits; however, in recent years, digital techniques have proven to outperform analog methods in areas such as count rate capability. Many digital PSD algorithms with various levels of achievement have been proposed, and those based on the wavelet transform of digitized scintillation pulses have shown great promise for operation at high event rates, where the pulse pile-up effect limits the performance of PSD methods. However, the proposed wavelet-based PSD methods involve intricate calculations that limit their practical use. In this work, we describe a modified version of the wavelet-based PSD methods that offers significant simplification of the PSD process while still producing excellent PSD performance. The method employs the Haar wavelet transform, which is the simplest available wavelet function and is easily implemented on digital hardware, such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA). We describe the details of the method, and different aspects of its performance are experimentally demonstrated using an experimental setup comprising a NE213 liquid scintillation detector. A figure-of-merit (FOM) of 1.47 ± 0.07 is achieved with an energy threshold of 500 keVee (electron equivalent energy). An excellent FOM value (1.32) is achieved with a short pulse processing window of only 26 ns, indicating the resilience of the method against the pulse pile-up effect.

Impact of Color Space and Color Resolution on Vehicle Recognition Models.

In this study, we analyze both linear and nonlinear color mappings by training on versions of a curated dataset collected in a controlled campus environment. We experiment with color space and color resolution to assess model performance in vehicle recognition tasks. Color encodings can be designed in principle to highlight certain vehicle characteristics or compensate for lighting differences when assessing potential matches to previously encountered objects. The dataset used in this work includes imagery gathered under diverse environmental conditions, including daytime and nighttime lighting. Experimental results inform expectations for possible improvements with automatic color space selection through feature learning. Moreover, we find there is only a gradual decrease in model performance with degraded color resolution, which suggests the need for simplified data collection and processing. By focusing on the most critical features, we could see improved model generalization and robustness, as the model becomes less prone to overfitting to noise or irrelevant details in the data. Such a reduction in resolution will lower computational complexity, leading to quicker training and inference times.

Risk assessment of maritime autonomous surface ships collisions using an FTA-FBN model

Maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS), presenting the future of maritime transport, are attracting increasing attention from the international maritime community. The collision risk analysis of MASS reveals unsolved challenges, which without appropriate solutions, will result in the error prone development of the relevant risk control measures and policies. Among the challenges, two significant ones in the existing literature are the lack of historical failure data to realise quantitative risk assessment, and 2) the complex causal relationship among the relevant risk factors. This paper aims to develop a new Fault Tree Analysis-Fuzzy Bayesian Network (FTA-FBN) model to conduct the collision risk assessment of MASS with uncertainty in data. First, it establishes a causal relationship among the risk factors through an FTA. Secondly, mapping the obtained FTA diagram into a BN allows fault diagnosis and the identification of the most important factors influencing MASS collisions. In this process, a survey is conducted to collect the primary data for configuring the conditional probabilities of the relevant influential factors and quantifying the developed BN for risk diagnosis and prediction. Finally, the new model is verified by using sensitivity analysis and three axioms and then applied to conduct scenario-based risk prediction and diagnosis to generate insightful findings to guide MASS navigation safety. The results demonstrate that the FTA-FBN model realizes the simplification of the expert scoring process, reduces computational complexity, and addresses the challenge of constructing causal relationships between MASS collisions and their risk factors due to the scarcity of historical accident data. Additionally, the BN backward reasoning identifies key collision risks, including external physical attacks, inadequate training of shore-based operators, insufficient maintenance of ship equipment and systems, and cyber-security threats. The new model when being adapted, can provide a reference for the formulation of safe navigation policies and provide important insights for shipping companies to ensure the safe navigation of their ships and shipbuilders to optimise ship design.

Enhancing elastocaloric performance: Ti-doped Co–V-Ga bulk polycrystalline alloys with minimal stress hysteresis

Currently, practical applications of shape memory alloy (SMA) solid elastocaloric refrigeration materials are limited by low elastocaloric effect (eCE), high applied stress, and large stress hysteresis (Δσhys). Here, we introduce a composition design strategy using Ti-doped Co–V-Ga SMAs to address these challenges. We combine first-principles calculations and experiments to verify this strategy. Our results show that the lattice distortion caused by the significant difference in atomic radius after Ti doping produces a solid solution strengthening effect inside the alloy, which significantly improves the superelasticity of the alloy, delays the plastic deformation of the austenite phase, and the volume fraction of martensitic transformation increases significantly. The newly developed Co51.7V31.3Ga16Ti1 bulk polycrystalline alloy exhibits a remarkable adiabatic temperature change (ΔTad) of −10 K at room temperature under a low stress of 400 MPa, a minimum Δσhys of 18 MPa, and a high coefficient of performance COPmat of 31.9. Importantly, the 100-cycle loading-unloading test at 350 MPa is done, and it reveals that the ΔTad for the Ti0 alloy was only 3.9 K, while it reached 6.2 K for the Ti1 alloy, marking a noteworthy 59 % performance enhancement. From the simplicity of the fabrication process to the comprehensive performance of the material, it exhibits a promising advantage for practical cooling applications This study presents a feasible design strategy for large-scale production of high-performance bulk polycrystalline alloys with high eCE, low stress, and Δσhys.

Inhibitor Tolerance Capacity of Pichia kudriavzevii NBRC1279 and NBRC1664

The thermotolerant yeast Pichia kudriavzevii (previously known as Issatchenkia orientalis), can produce ethanol from a variety of carbon sources and grows at around 45 °C. Thus, this yeast is considered a useful biocatalyst for producing ethanol from lignocellulose through simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF). SSF has several advantages, such as a simplified manufacturing process, ease of operation and reduced energy input. Using P. kudriavzevii NBRC1279 and NBRC1664, we previously succeeded in producing ethanol through SSF; however, the extent to which inhibitors by-produced from lignocellulose hydrolysis affect the growth and ethanol productivity of the two strains remains to be investigated. In this study, to better understand the inhibitor tolerance capacity of the two strains, spot assay, growth experiment, real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis and multiple sequence alignment analysis were carried out. When P. kudriavzevii NBRC1279 and NBRC1664, as well as Saccharomyces cerevisiae BY4742 as a control, were cultured on SCD plates containing 17% ethanol, 42 mM furfural, 56 mM 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) or 10 mM vanillin, only P. kudriavzevii NBRC1664 was able to grow under all conditions. Moreover, the inhibitor tolerance capacity of P. kudriavzevii NBRC1664 was greater than those of other strains using SCD medium containing the same concentrations of various inhibitors. When an RT-qPCR analysis of seven gene sequences from aldehyde dehydrogenase and the aldehyde dehydrogenase family protein (ADHF) was performed using P. kudriavzevii NBRC1664 cultivated in the presence of 56 mM HMF, ADHF1 and ADHF2 were up-regulated in the early logarithmic growth phase. Moreover, a multiple sequence alignment of the amino acid sequences of ADHF1, ADHF2 and the known ADH suggested that ADHF1 and ADHF2 may catalyze the reversible NAD+-dependent oxidation of HMF. Our data may be useful for future studies on the metabolic engineering of more useful strains for ethanol production from lignocellulose.

Zadanie lokalizacji w sieciach kanalizacyjnych

Paper deals with the inverse / localisation task in sewer networks. An inverse problem is defined as the process of determining the causal factors from a set of observations. Applying this principle to the water management sector, it is often a matter of determining the location of the source of pollution based on monitored data on the concentration of pollution over time. From a mathematical point of view, to decrease the uncertainty of the inverse task solution, it is necessary to know the location of the source or the concentrations time course of the source (intensity function). In practice, we usually do not know any of these quantities, however, in the case of sewer networks we can accept some assumptions, which allow us to solve this inverse problem. Paper analyses specific conditions applied in the environment of sewer networks and describes proposed method for solving the source localisation task in the sewer network environment. The solution is based on numerical modelling of the pollution spreading in sewer system, accepting some process simplifications as well as assuming some source parameters. Typically, the solution of inverse task requires large and time consuming numerical simulations. This can be disadvantageous after recording the pollution event - a long calculation time reduces the efficiency and operability for the following pollution source reconnaissance. Therefore, our proposed method performs the necessary simulations in advance and the pollution source localisation after recording the pollution event is very fast, using a simple search and comparison in the simulation results database. The proposed method was tested on real sewer system and there were achieving promising results.

New type of UV cured low dielectric naphthalene resin: Structure-activity relationship of different substitution sites

UV-curing low dielectric materials exhibit wide applications in the field of additive manufacturing of electronic packaging, owing to their environmental protection, good thermal stability, low dielectric constant (Dk), and dielectric loss (Df). Wherein, one-step UV curing realizes process simplification of low dielectric materials gradually sparked widespread research. In this work, a series of novel naphthalene-based low dielectric materials were prepared for one-step UV curing. The double bond conversion rate of resins exceeds 90 % in a short time and the resins perform exceptional dielectric properties (Dk < 2.8, Df < 0.009, 110 MHz), high thermal stability (T5% > 270 °C), and hydrophobicity (water contact angle > 95°). Notably, 1,6-naphthalene dimethacrylate/Trihydroxymethylbutyl trimethylacrylate (1,6-NEA/TMPTA) suggests lowest dielectric performance (Dk = 2.19, Df = 0.005) with significant thermal stability (Tg = 190 °C, T5% = 367.4 °C) because the π-π conjugation of the asymmetric structure of 1,6-NEA, which allows for a greater variety of stacking patterns and increases the effective collisions between the reactive sites of the photosensitive monomer and the reactive diluent. This work has revealed the structure-activity relationship between the substituents on naphthalene derivatives and their photochemical properties, providing a novel methodology for the development of low dielectric electronic packaging materials through additive manufacturing techniques.

Continuous Theta-Burst Stimulation on the Left Posterior Inferior Frontal Gyrus Perturbs Complex Syntactic Processing Stability in Mandarin Chinese

Abstract The structure of human language is inherently hierarchical. The left posterior inferior frontal gyrus (LpIFG) is proposed to be a core region for constructing syntactic hierarchies. However, it remains unclear whether LpIFG plays a causal role in syntactic processing in Mandarin Chinese and whether its contribution depends on syntactic complexity, working memory, or both. We addressed these questions by applying inhibitory continuous theta-burst stimulation (cTBS) over LpIFG. Thirty-two participants processed sentences containing embedded relative clauses (i.e., complex syntactic processing), syntactically simpler coordinated sentences (i.e., simple syntactic processing), and non-hierarchical word lists (i.e., word list processing) after receiving real or sham cTBS. We found that cTBS significantly increased the coefficient of variation, a representative index of processing stability, in complex syntactic processing (esp., when subject relative clause was embedded) but not in the other two conditions. No significant changes in d′ and reaction time were detected in these conditions. The findings suggest that (a) inhibitory effect of cTBS on the LpIFG might be prominent in perturbing the complex syntactic processing stability but subtle in altering the processing quality; and (b) the causal role of the LpIFG seems to be specific for syntactic processing rather than working memory capacity, further evidencing their separability in LpIFG. Collectively, these results support the notion of the LpIFG as a core region for complex syntactic processing across languages.

Rational design of CMUTs with annular electrodes for high ultrasonic emission via ESSE enabled stiffness adjustment

Capacitive micromechanical ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs) with high transmitting acoustic pressure are in urgent demand in the rapidly growing field of air-coupled and therapeutic ultras ound. However, most current CMUTs can rarely balance the performance improvement and batch fabrication capacity, which severely impedes their practical applications. This paper proposes novel CMUTs with annular electrodes that can implement significant improvement in multiple performances while featuring a simple structure and batch fabrication feasibility. The annular electrode configurated between the membrane edge and center areas can effectively soften the corresponding-area membrane stiffness through electrostatic spring softening effects, and leave the stiffness of the membrane central area unchanged, finally enabling the membrane to produce a piston-like deformation, thus improving average displacement and output acoustic pressure. A finite element method was employed to analyze the effect of annular electrodes on the CMUT main performance. The results demonstrated that the novel structure could achieve prominent enhancement in multiple performances, such as an average to maximum displacement rate of 0.46 (about 0.32 for conventional CMUTs), maximum improvements of 300%, 255%, and 11% in average displacement, acoustic pressure, and electromechanical coupling coefficients compared to those of conventional ones. Deep analyses of the variation of the main performances including acoustic pressure, receiving sensitivity, and collapse voltage suggested that an optimal electrode coverage range of 36% ∼ 55% can be used to achieve relatively high comprehensive performances. Meanwhile, the proposed CMUTs feature a simpler structure and fabrication process in comparison with previous ones, showing great promise in air-coupled and therapeutic ultrasound applications.

Extraction of chitin from flammulina velutipes waste: A low-concentration acid pretreatment and aspergillus Niger fermentation approach

In recent years, with the booming of the edible mushroom industry, chitin production has become increasingly dependent on fungi and other non-traditional sources. Fungal chitin has advantages including superior performance, simpler separation processes, abundant raw materials, and the absence of shellfish allergens. As a kind of edible mushroom, flammulina velutipes (F. velutipes) also has the advantages of wide source and large annual yield. This provided the possibility for the extraction of chitin. Here, a procedure to extract chitin from F. velutipes waste be presented. This method comprises low-concentration acid pretreatment coupled with consolidated bioprocessing with Aspergillus niger. Characterization by SEM, FTIR, XRD, NMR, and TGA confirmed that the extracted chitin was β-chitin. To achieve optimal fermentation of F. velutipes waste (80 g/L), ammonium sulfate and glucose were selected as nitrogen and carbon sources (5 g/L), with a fermentation time of 5 days. The extracted chitin could be further deacetylated and purified to obtain high-purity chitosan (99.2 % ± 1.07 %). This chitosan exhibited a wide degree of deacetylation (50.0 % ± 1.33 % – 92.1 % ± 0.97 %) and a molecular weight distribution of 92–192 kDa. Notably, the yield of chitosan extracted in this study was increased by 56.3 % ± 0.47 % compared to the traditional chemical extraction method.

Reactive distillation with inter-integrated vapor permeation for 1,3-Dioxolane production: Experiments, modeling, process analysis and design

To overcome the problem of difficult separation of the 1,3-dioxane (DOL)-H2O azeotrope in the production of DOL, a new high-integrated technology via reactive distillation (RD) with inter-integrated vapor permeation (VP) (abbreived as R-VP-D) was established. A series of R-VP-D experiments were conducted to find the effect of dedydration on reactant conversion and DOL content in the distillate. A two-dimensional VP module modeled by Aspen Custom Modeler (ACM) was combined with two RD modules in Aspen Plus to simulate the entire R-VP-D process, and the R-VP-D model was verified by experimental results. Then, by this model, systematic research on VP inserting position and membrane area on the reaction performance, reboiler and condenser duty, catalyst load, and TAC of the R-VP-D column was performed. The mechanism of how dehydration promotes reaction was explored. Finally, a new RD-VP-D technology for producing 99.9wt% DOL was designed and optimized. Two goals were achieved by inserting VP: obtaining a DOL-H2O mixture that crosses the azeotropic point in the distillate and improving reaction performance by removing by-product H2O. Under the optimal parameter, the energy consumption per unit product was reduced by 3.9% with less equipment, a simpler process, and less required land area compared with the RD with pressure swing distillation technology reported in the literature, and CO2 emissions were reduced by 4.0%. The reason why promotion effect is insignificant was explored, which is related to which of separation or reaction is the control step in RD process.

Design Strategy of Microneedle Systems for Skin Wound Healing: Based on the Structure of Tips and Therapeutic Methodologies.

The skin, being the largest organ of the human body, is susceptible to damage resulting in wounds that are vulnerable to pathogenic attacks and fail to provide effective protection for internal tissues. Therefore, it is crucial to expedite wound healing. In recent years, microneedles have garnered significant attention as an innovative drug delivery system owing to their noninvasive and painless administration, simplified application process, precise control over drug release, and versatile loading capabilities. Consequently, they hold immense potential for the treatment of skin wound. This review presents a comprehensive design strategy for the microneedle system in promoting skin wound healing. First, the process of skin wound healing and the characteristics of specific wounds are elucidated. The design strategies for microneedles are subsequently presented and classified based on their structural and therapeutic methodologies. Finally, a succinct recapitulation of the previously discussed points and a prospective analysis are provided.