Aeolian sand is distributed worldwide, exhibiting poor grading, low cohesion, and loose structure. Infrastructure construction in desert areas sometimes requires stabilization of the sand, with cement as the primary curing agent. This study first employed orthogonal experiments to evaluate critical factors, e.g., curing time, cement dosage, and water dosage, affecting the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of the aeolian sand stabilized with cement (ASC). Each of the aforementioned factors were set at five levels, namely curing time (7, 14, 28, 60, and 90 days), cement dosage (3%, 5%, 7%, 9%, and 11%), and water dosage (3%, 6%, 9%, 12%, and 15%), respectively. The water and cement dosages were percentages of the mass of the natural aeolian sand. The results indicated that the sensitivity of the influencing factors on the UCS of ASC was cement dosage, curing time, and water dosage in descending order. The UCS of ASC positively correlated with curing time and cement dosage, while it first increased and then decreased with the water dosage increase. The optimal conditions were 90 days\' curing time, 11% cement dosage, and 9% water dosage. The microscopic analyses of ASC using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed that hydration products enhanced strength by bonding loose particles and filling pores, thereby improving compaction. The quantity and compactness of hydration products in the aeolian-cement reaction system increased with the increases in cement dosage and curing time, and low water dosage inhibited the hydration reaction. This study can provide insights into the stabilization mechanism of aeolian sand, aiding infrastructure development in desert regions.

Bletilla striata is the dried tuber of B. striata (Thund.) Reichb.f., which has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, antioxidant and wound healing effects. Traditionally, it has been used for hemostasis therapy, as well as to treat sores, swelling and chapped skin. In this study, we used the ultraviolet (UV) absorbance rate of B. striata extracts as the index, and the extraction was varied with respect to the solid-liquid ratio, ethanol concentration, ultrasonic time and temperature in order to optimize the extraction process for its sunscreen components. The main compounds in the sunscreen ingredients of Baiji (B. striata) were analyzed using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography combined with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry. The sunscreen properties were subsequently evaluated in vitro using the 3M tape method. The results show that the optimal extraction conditions for the sunscreen components of B. striata were a solid-liquid ratio of 1:40 (g/mL), an ethanol concentration of 50%, an ultrasonic time of 50 min and a temperature of 60 °C. A power of 100 W and an ultrasonic frequency of 40 Hz were used throughout the experiments. Under these optimized conditions, the UV absorption rate of the isolated sunscreen components in the UVB region reached 84.38%, and the RSD was 0.11%. Eighteen compounds were identified, including eleven 2-isobutyl malic acid glucose oxybenzyl esters, four phenanthrenes, two bibenzyl and one α-isobutylmalic acid. An evaluation of the sunscreen properties showed that the average UVB absorption values for the sunscreen samples from different batches of B. striata ranged from 0.727 to 1.201. The sunscreen ingredients of the extracts from B. striata had a good UV absorption capacity in the UVB area, and they were effective in their sunscreen effects under medium-intensity sunlight. Therefore, this study will be an experimental reference for the extraction of sunscreen ingredients from the B. striata plant, and it provides evidence for the future development of B. striata as a candidate cosmetic raw material with UVB protection properties.

The impact of different operational parameters on the composting efficiency and compost quality during pilot-scale membrane-covered composting (MCC) of food waste (FW) was evaluated. Four factors were assessed in an orthogonal experiment at three different levels: initial mixture moisture (IMM, 55 %, 60 %, and 65 %), aeration time (AT, 6, 9, and 12 h/d), aeration rate (AR, 0.2, 0.4, and 0.6 m3/h) and mature compost addition ratio (MC, 2 %, 4 %, and 6 %). Results indicated that 55 % IMM, 6 h/d AT, 0.4 m3/h AR, and 4 % MC addition ratio simultaneously provided the compost with the maximum cumulative temperature and the minimum moisture. It was shown that the IMM was the driving factor of this optimum composting process. On contrary, the optimal parameters for reducing carbon and nitrogen loss were 65 % IMM, 6 h/d AT, 0.4 m3/h AR, and 2 % MC addition ratio. The AR had the most influence on reducing carbon and nitrogen losses compared to all other factors. The optimal conditions for compost maturity were 55 % IMM, 9 h/d AT, 0.2 m3/h AR, and 6 % MC addition ratio. The primary element influencing the pH and electrical conductivity values was the AR, while the germination index was influenced by IMM. Protein was the main organic matter limiting the composting efficiency. The results of this study will provide guidance for the promotion and application of food waste MCC technology, and contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in MCC for organic solid waste treatment.

A novel ceramide compound, named Aspercerebroside A (AcA), was successfully isolated from the ethyl acetate layer of the marine symbiotic fungus Aspergillus sp. AcA exhibited notable anti-inflammatory activity by effectively inhibiting the production of nitric oxide (NO) in RAW 264.7 cells at concentrations of 30 μg/mL and 40 μg/mL, offering a promising avenue for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. To optimize the yield of glycosylceramide (AcA), a series of techniques, including single-factor experiments, orthogonal experiments, and response surface optimization, were systematically employed to fine-tune the composition of the fermentation medium. Initially, the optimal carbon source (sucrose), nitrogen source (yeast extract powder), and the most suitable medium salinity (14 ppt) were identified through single-factor experiments. Subsequently, orthogonal experiments, employing an orthogonal table for planning and analyzing multifactor experiments, were conducted. Finally, a mathematical model, established using a Box-Behnken design, comprehensively analyzed the interactions between the various factors to determine the optimal composition of the fermentation medium. According to the model\'s prediction, when the sucrose concentration was set at 37.47 g/L, yeast extract powder concentration at 19.66 g/L, and medium salinity at 13.31 ppt, the predicted concentration of glycosylceramide was 171.084 μg/mL. The experimental results confirmed the model\'s accuracy, with the actual average concentration of glycosylceramide under these conditions measured at 171.670 μg/mL, aligning closely with the predicted value.

The construction and coal industries generate substantial industrial waste, including coal gangue and construction and demolition (C&D) waste, leading to environmental pollution and high disposal costs. Integrating recycled aggregates (RAs) and coal gangue powder (CGP) into concrete is an effective approach for waste management. However, CGP can affect the performance of traditional recycled concrete. This study primarily aims to optimize the utilization of RAs and CGP while maintaining concrete performance. They utilized orthogonal experimental designs and microscopic characterization techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Orthogonal experimental analysis indicated that with a water-cement ratio (WCR) of 0.5 and replacement rates of 10% for CGP and 60% for RA, compressive and splitting tensile strengths reached 73.6% and 77.4% of ordinary C30 concrete, respectively. This mix proportion minimizes strength decline in coal gangue powder-recycled aggregate concrete (CGP-RAC) while maximizing recycled material replacement. Microscopic analysis revealed that CGP increased the Ca/Si ratio in cement paste, impeding hydration reactions, resulting in a looser internal structure and reduced concrete strength. These findings are anticipated to provide fresh theoretical insights for solid waste recycling and utilization.

Cement-matrix composite are typical multi-scale composite materials, the failure process has the characteristics of gradual, multi-scale and multi-stage damage. In order to delay the multi-stage damage process of cement-matrix composites, the defects of different scales are suppressed by using different scales of fibres and fly ash (FA), and the overall performance of cement-matrix composites is improved, a new multi-scale fibre-reinforced cement-based composite composed of millimetre-scale polyvinyl alcohol fibre (PVA), micron-scale calcium carbonate whisker (CW), and nano-scale carbon nanotubes (CNTs) was designed in this study. The compressive strength, flexural strength, splitting tensile strength, and chloride ion permeability coefficient were used as assessment indices by the orthogonal test design. The impacts of the three fibre scales and fly ash on each individual index were examined, and the overall performance of the multi-scale fibre-reinforced cementitious materials (MSFRCC) was then optimized using grey correlation analysis. The optimized mix ratio for overall performance was PVA: 1.5%, CW: 2%, CNTs: 0.1%, FA: 40%. Compared with the optimal results for each group, the compressive strength of the final optimized MSFRCC group decreased by 8.9%, the flexural strength increased by 28.4%, the splitting tensile strength increased by 10%, and the chloride ion permeability coefficient decreased by 5.7%. The results show that the compressive performance and resistance to chloride ion penetration of the optimized group are slightly worse than those of the optimal group in the orthogonal test, but its flexural performance and splitting tensile performance are significantly improved.

Pure self-compacting concrete has many disadvantages, such as early shrinkage and cracking. The addition of fibers can effectively improve the properties of resistance to tension and cracking of self-compacting concrete, thereby the effect of improving its strength and toughness can be achieved. Basalt fiber is a \"new green industrial material\" that has unique advantages, such as high crack resistance and being lightweight compared with other fiber materials. In order to study the mechanical properties and crack resistance of basalt fiber self-compacting high-strength concrete intensively, the self-compacting high-strength concrete of C50 was designed and obtained using the absolute volume method with multiple proportions. Orthogonal experimental methods were used to study the influence of the water binder ratio, fiber volume fraction, fiber length, and fly ash content on the mechanical properties of the basalt fiber self-compacting high-strength concrete. Meanwhile, the efficiency coefficient method was used to determine the best experiment plan (water binder ratio 0.3, fiber volume ratio 0.2%, fiber length 12 mm, fly ash content 30%), and the effect of fiber volume fraction and fiber length on the crack resistance of the self-compacting high-performance concrete was investigated using improved plate confinement experiments. The results show that (1) the water binder ratio had the greatest impact on the compressive strength of basalt fiber self-compacting high-strength concrete, and as the fiber volume fraction increased, the splitting tensile strength and flexural strength both increased; (2) there was an optimal value for the effect of the fiber length on the mechanical properties; (3) with the increase in fiber volume fraction, the total crack area of the fiber self-compacting high-strength concrete significantly decreased. When the fiber length increased, the maximum crack width first decreased and then slowly increased. The best crack resistance effect was achieved when the fiber volume fraction was 0.3% and the fiber length was 12 mm. Therefore, basalt fiber self-compacting high-strength concrete can be widely used in engineering fields, such as national defense construction, transportation, and building structure reinforcement and repair, due to its excellent mechanical and crack resistance properties.

With the increasing environmental pollution caused by disposable masks, it is crucial to develop new degradable filtration materials for medical masks. ZnO-PLLA/PLLA (L-lactide) copolymers prepared from nano ZnO and L-lactide were used to prepare fiber films for air filtration by electrospinning technology. Structural characterization of ZnO-PLLA by H-NMR, XPS, and XRD demonstrated that ZnO was successfully grafted onto PLLA. An L9(43) standard orthogonal array was employed to evaluate the effects of the ZnO-PLLA concentration, ZnO-PLLA/PLLA content, DCM(dichloromethane) to DMF(N,N-dimethylformamide) ratio, and spinning time on the air filtration capacity of ZnO-PLLA/PLLA nanofiber films. It is noteworthy that the introduction of ZnO is important for the enhancement of the quality factor (QF). The optimal group obtained was sample No. 7, where the QF was 0.1403 Pa-1, the particle filtration efficiency (PFE) was 98.3%, the bacteria filtration efficiency (BFE) was 98.42%, and the airflow resistance (Δp) was 29.2 Pa. Therefore, the as-prepared ZnO-PLLA/PLLA film has potential for the development of degradable masks.

In this study, the water-jet-guided laser (WJGL) method was used to cut Inconel 718 alloy with high temperature resistance. The effect of critical parameters of the water-jet-guided laser machining method on the cutting depth was studied by a Taguchi orthogonal experiment. Furthermore, the mathematical prediction model of cutting depth was established by the response surface method (RSM). The validation experiments showed that the mathematical model had a high predictive ability for cutting depth. The optimal cutting depth was obtained by model prediction, and the error was 5.5% compared with the experimental results. Compared with the traditional dry laser cutting, the water conducting laser method reduced the thermal damage and improved the cutting quality. This study provides a reference for the precision machining of Inconel 718 with a water-jet-guided laser.

This paper aims to prepare an adsorbent based on MXene material for adsorbing diclofenac sodium (DCF). In this paper, Ti3C2-MXene was prepared by etching Ti3AlC2 with hydrofluoric acid (HF). Ti3C2 was subjected to a convenient and simple solvothermal treatment. TiO2 and Ti2C were formed during the solvothermal process. According to the results of FT-IR and XRD, the formation of TiO2 and Ti2C will increase the interlayer spacing of the prepared Ti3C2-12 h, thereby improving the adsorption performance of MXenes. The main factors affecting the adsorbent, the maximum adsorption capacity, and the interaction between the two factors were analyzed by single-factor experiment, orthogonal experiment, and response surface analysis. The maximum DCF adsorption capacities of Ti3C2 and Ti3C2-12 h are 201 mg/g and 395 mg/g, respectively. MXene made from HF can absorb DCF under various pH conditions and maintain a high adsorption rate, which has important applications in environmental protection.