A sponge heated by electromagnetic induction and solar energy for quick, efficient, and safe cleanup of high-viscosity crude oil spills.

Frequent oil spills have caused severe environmental and ecological damage. Effective cleanup has become a complex challenge owing to the poor flowability of viscous crude oils. The current method of solar heating to reduce the viscosity of heavy oil is only suitable during sunny days, while the use of Joule heating is limited by the risk of direct exposure to high-voltage electricity. Herein, we demonstrate a noncontact electromagnetic induction and solar dual-heating sponge for the quick, safe, and energy-saving cleanup of ultrahigh-viscosity heavy oil. The resulting sponge with magnetic, conductive, and hydrophobic properties can be rapidly heated to absorb heavy oil under alternating magnetic fields, solar irradiation, or both of these conditions. By constructing theoretical models and fitting the actual data, an in-depth analysis of induction and solar heating processes is carried out. The sponge has excellent resilience and stability, indicating its reusability, fast and continuous adsorption (16.17 g in 10 s), and large capacity (75-81 g/g, the highest value ever) for soft asphalt (a highly viscous crude oil). This work provides a new noncontact dual-heating strategy for heavy oil cleanup, in which absorbents use induction heating during an emergency and then switch to partial or full solar heating to save energy in sunny conditions. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATION: Heavy oils stranded on the beach or floating on water can kill underwater plants by blocking sunlight, or trap water birds and other animals. Heavy oil also contains aromatic substances that are toxic to aquatic organisms. Although oil spills near shallow water cannot be cleaned up by fences or other machinery, an oil adsorbent can deal with this problem. However, common adsorbents cannot effectively absorb high-viscosity oils, such as heavy oil. In this paper, an induction and solar dual-heating sponge is developed for the effective cleanup of high-viscosity oil.

Biodegradable pectin/clay aerogels.

Biodegradable, foamlike materials based on renewable pectin and sodium montmorillonite clay were fabricated through a simple, environmentally friendly freeze-drying process. The addition of multivalent cations (Ca(2+) and Al(3+)) resulted in apparent cross-linking of the polymer and enhancement of aerogel properties. The compressive properties increased as the solid contents (both pectin and clay) increased; moduli in the range of 0.04-114 MPa were obtained for materials with bulk densities ranging from 0.03 g/cm(3) to 0.19 g/cm(3), accompanied by microstructural changes from a lamellar structure to a cellular structure. Biodegradability of the aerogels was investigated by detecting CO2 release for 4 weeks in compost media. The results revealed that pectin aerogels possess higher biodegradation rates than wheat starch, which is often used as a standard for effective biodegradation. The addition of clay and multivalent cations surprisingly increased the biodegradation rates.

[Study on colonic motility and efficacy analysis in patients with slow-transit constipation treated with self-formulated Xingchang Decoction].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical efficacy of self-formulated Xingchang Decoction (XCD) in treating slow-transit constipation (STC) and the dynamical parameters of colonic motility during XCD treatment. METHODS: One hundred and eighteen patients with STC were randomly assigned to the treatment group and the control group, 59 in each group. The treatment group was treated with XCD, and the control group was treated with mosapride, an intestinal energetic agent. The therapeutic course for both groups was 30 days. The 72-h colonic transition test was conducted and the symptom scores were observed before and after treatment; the adverse reaction rate and clinical efficacy were calculated after treatment; and the recurrence rate in one year was followed-up. RESULTS: Symptom scores were significantly improved in the treatment group after treatment, with the improvement significantly superior to that in the control group (P < 0.01). The cure rate and the total effective rate were 76.27% and 93.22% in the treatment group respectively, while they were 47.45% and 72.87% in the control group, showing significant difference between the two groups (P < 0.01). Besides, the 1-year recurrence rate was significantly lower (chi2 = 10.40, P = 0.001) and the improvement of colonic motor function was more in the treatment group than those in the control group (P < 0.01). Only low incidence (5.08% in the treatment group and 8.47% in the control group) of mild gastrointestinal reactions was shown, which caused no influence on the treatment. CONCLUSION: XCD could effectively improve the motility of the digestive tract, and it is effective and safe for the treatment of STC.

[Acupuncture at Siguan points for treatment of primary dysmenorrhea].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the therapeutic effect of acupuncture at Siguan points with Qinglong Baizei method on primary dysmenorrhea (PD) and to study the mechanism. METHODS: One hundred and eighty cases of PD were zandomly divided into group A, group B and group C, 60 cases in each group. Group A were treated by acupuncture at Hegu (LI 4) and Taichong (LR 3) with Qinglong Baiwei method; group B were treated by routine acupuncture with Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Ciliao (BL 32) selected as main points; and group C were treated by oral administration of Yueyueshu Decoction. After treatment of 3 months, the therapeutic effects were analyzed, and changes of hemorrheological indexes and prostaglandin level were observed. RESULTS: The cured rate and the total effective rate were 75.0% and 100.0% in group A, 60.0% and 95.0% in group B, and 25.0% and 90.0% in group C, respec tively, group A and B being significantly better than group C (P < 0.01). And the analgesic effects within 30 min of treatment in both group A and group B were significantly better than that in group C (P < 0.01), and that in group A was significantly better than that in group B (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Acupuncture at Siguan points with Qinglong Baiwei method has a significant therapeutic effect on primary dysmenorrhea. The possible mechanism is to relieve pain by improving blood circulation and inhibiting production of prostaglandin.

[Clinical observation on treatment of diabetic nephropathy with Chinese drugs combined with benazepril].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the protective effect on renal function of Chinese drugs combined with benazepril in patients with diabetic nephropathy (DN). METHODS: Adopting stratified randomized and controlled design, 108 patients with DN were assigned to two groups. Besides the same measures of diet regulation, exercise, education, hypoglycemic and symptomatic treatment applied, benazepril was administered to all patients, and Chinese drugs were given to patients in the treated group additionally. The treatment course was 3 months. The changes before and after treatment of symptoms and signs, 24-h urinary protein (24 hUpro), serum creatinine (SCr), serum creatinine clearance rate (CCr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), plasma glucose (PG) and blood pressure (BP) were observed, and the time of dialysis therapy initiating was recorded. RESULTS: SCr and 24 hUpro decreased and CCr increased in the treated group significantly (P < 0.01), and the improvement were superior to that in the control group (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), the renal living time in the treated group was longer than that in the control group, but no significant different in BUN, PG and BP was found between the two groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The treatment program of Chinese drugs combined with benazepril could obviously reduce the levels of SCr and 24 hUpro, increase CCr in patients with DN, and its effect in improving renal function is better than that of using benazepril alone.