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The hydrocyclone can achieve the separation of oil and water through a swirling centrifugal process based on the density difference between the two media. However, for a fixed hydrocyclone, both the concentration of the mixture and the process parameters are important factors that affect the separation efficiency. In this paper, we establish the Euler multiphase flow model via numerical simulation to study the influence of process parameters (e.g., overflow split ratio 0.08) on the separation performance of the finalized hydrocyclone, and investigate the effects of inlet flow rate and oil content on phase distribution, radial flow velocity, flow field properties, and other characteristics of the oil-water medium within the hydrocyclone. By constructing an experimental platform for oil-water cyclone separation, we explored the impact of inlet flow rate on separation efficiency for mixtures with oil contents ranging from 10–30%.The results show that after cyclone separation, the denser aqueous medium is primarily distributed on the outer side of the cyclone, exhibiting obvious wall attachment characteristics. It exits through the underflow port, with its volume fraction gradually increasing as it moves toward the outer conical section. The lower-density oil phase is concentrated near the cyclone’s central axis and exits through the overflow port; the closer to the overflow port’s central axis, the higher the oil phase volume fraction. When the oil content is 10%, the separation efficiency reaches 99.89%. However, as the inlet flow velocity increases from 1.0 m/s to 8.0 m/s, the underflow separation efficiency decreases from 99.89 to 96.11%. Additionally, as the oil content of the mixture increases, the hydrocyclone’s separation efficiency declines. Notably, when the oil content exceeds 20%, increasing the inlet flow rate improves separation efficiency, rising from 85.35% at 2.0 m/s to 93.68% at 8.0 m/s.

Background The development of the rumen is an important physiological challenge for young ruminants. Previous studies have shown that starter feeding can effectively facilitate the growth and development of the rumen in ruminants. However, the mechanism through which starter feeding stimulates the development of the rumen is not clear. Here, we performed an integrated analysis in ruminal microbiota and a host transcriptomic profile in a lamb model with the intervention of starter feed to understand the ruminal microbiome-host crosstalk in stimulating the development of the ruminal epithelium. Results Decreased ruminal pH and increased acetate and butyrate concentrations in the rumen, followed by increasing rumen organ index, were observed in lambs supplemented with starter. Using metagenome sequencing in combination with 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, the results showed the abundance of acetate-producing Mitsuokella spp., lactate-producing Sharpea spp., lactate-utilizing Megasphaera spp., and Entodinium spp. was enriched in rumen microbial communities in the starter-feed group. The abundances of genes involved in sugar degradation were decreased in starter-feed lambs, but the GH13 encoding α-amylase was obviously increased. Rumen epithelial transcriptome analysis revealed that seven differentially expressed genes, including MAPK1 , PIK3CB , TNFSF10 , ITGA6 , SNAI2 , SAV1 , and DLG , related to the cell growth module were upregulated, and BAD ’s promotion of cell death was downregulated. Correlation analysis revealed that the increase in the concentrations of acetate and butyrate significantly correlated with the expression of these genes, which indicates acetate and butyrate likely acted as important drivers in the ruminal microbiome-host crosstalk. Conclusions The present study comprehensively describes the symbiotic relationship between the rumen microbiota and the host in lambs after starter feeding. Our data demonstrates that the microbiome-driven generation of acetate and butyrate mediated the growth-related genes’ regulation of the growth-associated signalling pathway in the ruminal epithelium. These co-development networks regulated many physiological processes in the epithelium, including papillae morphology and rumen epithelial growth.

Underwater target detection is a crucial aspect of ocean exploration. However, conventional underwater target detection methods face several challenges such as inaccurate feature extraction, slow detection speed, and lack of robustness in complex underwater environments. To address these limitations, this study proposes an improved YOLOv7 network (YOLOv7-AC) for underwater target detection. The proposed network utilizes an ACmixBlock module to replace the 3 × 3 convolution block in the E-ELAN structure, and incorporates jump connections and 1 × 1 convolution architecture between ACmixBlock modules to improve feature extraction and network reasoning speed. Additionally, a ResNet-ACmix module is designed to avoid feature information loss and reduce computation, while a Global Attention Mechanism (GAM) is inserted in the backbone and head parts of the model to improve feature extraction. Furthermore, the K-means++ algorithm is used instead of K-means to obtain anchor boxes and enhance model accuracy. Experimental results show that the improved YOLOv7 network outperforms the original YOLOv7 model and other popular underwater target detection methods. The proposed network achieved a mean average precision (mAP) value of 89.6% and 97.4% on the URPC dataset and Brackish dataset, respectively, and demonstrated a higher frame per second (FPS) compared to the original YOLOv7 model. In conclusion, the improved YOLOv7 network proposed in this study represents a promising solution for underwater target detection and holds great potential for practical applications in various underwater tasks.

Capacity fade in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) poses challenges for various industries. Predicting and preventing this fade is crucial, and hybrid methods for estimating remaining useful life (RUL) have become prevalent and achieved significant advancements. In this paper, we introduce a hybrid voting ensemble that combines Gradient Boosting, Random Forest, and K-Nearest Neighbors to forecast the fading capacity trend and knee point. We conducted extensive experiments using the CALCE CS2 datasets. The results indicate that our proposed approach outperforms single deep learning methods for RUL prediction and accurately identifies the knee point. Beyond prediction, this innovative method can potentially be integrated into real-world applications for broader use.

Background The function of diverse ruminal microbes is tightly linked to rumen development and host physiology. The system of ruminal microbes is an excellent model to clarify the fundamental ecological relationships among complex nutrient–microbiome–host interactions. Here, neonatal lambs are introduced to different dietary regimes to investigate the influences of early-life crosstalk between nutrients and microbiome on rumen development. Results We find starchy corn-soybean starter-fed lambs exhibit the thickest ruminal epithelia and fiber-rich alfalfa hay-fed lambs have the thickest rumen muscle. Metabolome and metagenome data reveal that indole-3-carboxaldehyde (3-IAld) and prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) are the top characteristic ruminal metabolites associated with ruminal epithelial and muscular development, which depend on the enhanced ruminal microbial synthesis potential of 3-IAld and PGD2. Moreover, microbial culture experiment first demonstrates that Bifidobacterium pseudolongum is able to convert tryptophan into 3-IAld and Candida albicans is a key producer for PGD2. Transcriptome sequencing of the ruminal epithelia and smooth muscle shows that ruminal epithelial and muscular development is accompanied by Wnt and Ca 2+ signaling pathway activation. Primary cell cultures further confirm that 3-IAld promotes ruminal epithelial cell proliferation depending on AhR-wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and PGD2 accelerates ruminal smooth muscle cell proliferation via Ca 2+ signaling pathway. Furthermore, we find that 3-IAld and PGD2 infusion promote ruminal epithelial and musculature development in lambs. Conclusions This study demonstrates that early-life ruminal microbiome-derived 3-IAld and PGD2 are effective promoters of rumen development, which enhances our understanding of nutrient–microbiome–host interactions in early life.

Flow-induced oscillations widely exist in pipelines, fluid machinery, aerospace, and large-span flexible engineering structures. An inherent energy conversion mechanism can be developed for fluid kinetic energy utilization or acoustic energy harvesting. Fluid-resonant acoustic oscillation is featured by stability, easy operation, and a simple mechanical structure. Acoustic oscillation has high intensity and a mono-frequency, which is beneficial for energy harvesting. A simple cavity with appropriate structural dimensions that can induce fluid-resonant oscillations is set and combined with piezoelectric technology to generate electric power. The energy conversion mechanism is studied numerically and experimentally. The effects of flow velocity on the acoustic frequency, the pressure amplitude, and the output voltage of piezoelectric transducer are analyzed. A stable standing wave acoustic field can be generated in the cavity in a certain range of flow velocity. The results show that the higher intensity acoustic field occurs in the first acoustic mode and the first hydraulic mode and can be obtained in the range of flow velocity 27.1–51.1 m/s when the cavity length is 190 mm. A standing wave acoustic field occurs with a frequency of 490 Hz and a maximum pressure amplitude of 15.34 kPa. The open circuit output voltage can reach 0.286 V using a preliminary transducer. The device designed based on this method has a simple structure and no moving parts. It can harvest the fluid kinetic energy that widely exists in pipelines, engineering facilities, air flow forming around transportation tools, and the natural environment. Its energy output can be provided for the self-powered supply system of low-power sensor nodes in wireless sensor networks.

Background This study aimed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of solid diet introduction initiating the cellular growth and maturation of rumen tissues and characterize the shared and unique biological processes upon different solid diet regimes. Methods Twenty-four Hu lambs were randomly allocated to three groups fed following diets: goat milk powder only (M, n  = 8), goat milk powder + alfalfa hay (MH, n  = 8), and goat milk powder + concentrate starter (MC, n  = 8). At 42 days of age, the lambs were slaughtered. Ruminal fluid sample was collected for analysis of concentration of volatile fatty acid (VFA) and microbial crude protein (MCP). The sample of the rumen wall from the ventral sac was collected for analysis of rumen papilla morphology and transcriptomics. Results Compared with the M group, MH and MC group had a higher concentration of VFA, MCP, rumen weight, and rumen papilla area. The transcriptomic results of rumen wall showed that there were 312 shared differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between in “MH vs. M” and “MC vs. M”, and 232 or 796 unique DEGs observed in “MH vs. M” or “MC vs. M”, respectively. The shared DEGs were most enriched in VFA absorption and metabolism, such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) signaling pathway, butanoate metabolism, and synthesis and degradation of ketone bodies. Additionally, a weighted gene co-expression network analysis identified M16 (2,052 genes) and M18 (579 genes) modules were positively correlated with VFA and rumen wall morphology. The M16 module was mainly related to metabolism pathway, while the M18 module was mainly associated with signaling transport. Moreover, hay specifically depressed expression of genes involved in cytokine production, immune response, and immunocyte activation, and concentrate starter mainly altered nutrient transport and metabolism, especially ion transport, amino acid, and fatty acid metabolism. Conclusions The energy production during VFA metabolism may drive the rumen wall development directly. The hay introduction facilitated establishment of immune function, while the concentrate starter enhanced nutrient transport and metabolism, which are important biological processes required for rumen development.

Partial-thickness cartilage defects (PTCDs) of the articular surface is the most common problem in cartilage degeneration, and also one of the main pathogenesis of osteoarthritis (OA). Due to the lack of a clear diagnosis, the symptoms are often more severe when full-thickness cartilage defect (FTCDs) is present. In contrast to FTCDs and osteochondral defects (OCDs), PTCDs does not injure the subchondral bone, there is no blood supply and bone marrow exudation, and the nearby microenvironment is unsuitable for stem cells adhesion, which completely loses the ability of self-repair. Some clinical studies have shown that partial-thickness cartilage defects is as harmful as full-thickness cartilage defects. Due to the poor effect of conservative treatment, the destructive surgical treatment is not suitable for the treatment of partial-thickness cartilage defects, and the current tissue engineering strategies are not effective, so it is urgent to develop novel strategies or treatment methods to repair PTCDs. In recent years, with the interdisciplinary development of bioscience, mechanics, material science and engineering, many discoveries have been made in the repair of PTCDs. This article reviews the current status and research progress in the treatment of PTCDs from the aspects of diagnosis and modeling of PTCDs, drug therapy, tissue transplantation repair technology and tissue engineering (\"bottom-up\").

Melting and glass formation of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) allow them to be processed into bulk materials. However, two major challenges remain: only a small fraction of MOF crystals undergo melting and glass-formation, and no well-established strategies exist for tuning MOF glass structures and properties. Here, we address both challenges through co-melting of zeolitic imidazole frameworks (ZIFs), a subset of MOFs, with heterocycle-based halide salts. The salt acts as a chemical “modifier”, akin to the role of alkali modifiers in traditional silicate glasses, e.g., allowing the melting of ZIF-8 that otherwise decomposes prior to melting. Through experimental and computational analyses, we show that the salts depolymerize the ZIFs, enabling continuous tuning of the fraction of bridging to non-bridging imidazolate linkers and, thereby, the thermal and mechanical properties. The proposed strategy enables diversification of MOF glass chemistry, tunable structures and properties, and ultimately an increased number of glass-forming MOFs with improved functionalities. Mixing metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with halide salts enable low-temperature melting and processable MOF-derived glasses with tunable properties and enhanced structural versatility.

Milk fat depression (MFD) syndrome represents a significant drawback to the dairy industry. The aim of this study was to unravel the ruminal metabolome-microbiome interaction in response to diet-induced MFD in dairy cows. Twelve healthy second parity Holstein dairy cows (days in milk (DIM) = 119 ± 14) were randomly assigned into control (CON, n = 6) group and treatment (TR, n = 6) group. Cows in TR group received a high-starch total mixed ration (TMR) designed to induce an MFD syndrome. Decreased milk fat yield and concentration in TR cows displayed the successful development of MFD syndrome. TR diet increased the relative abundance of Prevotella and decreased the relative abundance of unclassified Lachnospiraceae, Oribacterium, unclassified Veillonellaceae and Pseudobutyrivibrio in ruminal fluid. Metabolomics analysis revealed that the ruminal fluid content of glucose, amino acids and amines were significantly increased in TR cows compared with CON cows. Correlation analysis revealed that the concentration of amines and amino acids were highly correlated with the abundance of Oribacterium, Pseudobutyrivibrio, RC9_gut_group, unclassified BS11_gut_group and Selenomonas. In general, these findings revealed that TR diet reduced the rumination time and altered rumen fermentation type, which led to changes in the composition of ruminal microbiota and metabolites, and caused MFD.