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In order to meet the demand of stable and continuous household electricity consumption, the author proposes the modelling and simulation of photovoltaic fuel cell hybrid power generation system. The system is composed of photovoltaic power generation device, fuel cell/super capacitor, electrolytic cell, hydrogen storage device and power regulation unit. As photovoltaic power generation is affected by sunshine changes, the combination of fuel cells and super capacitors with photovoltaic devices can ensure the stability and reliability of power supply of hybrid power generation system. Taking sunshine intensity and household electricity consumption in a certain area as an example, the system is simulated in MATLAB/SIMULINK software. The results show that: At 08:30-17:00, the output power of the fuel cell is almost zero. This is because the electric energy output by the photovoltaic power generation system can basically meet the power demand of users during this period. At 00:00-6:00 and 18:30-24:00, the sunlight intensity is zero, and the power output of the photovoltaic power generation system is zero, at this time, the user's electricity is completely supplied by the fuel cell. The investment cost of 1 kW fuel cell is about 45258.4 yuan, and that of 1 kW ordinary battery is about 15200 yuan, the investment cost of fuel cell is still high. In conclusion, the hybrid power generation system can meet the demand of ordinary household electricity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to solve the shortcomings of single air source heat pump, single solar heat pump and solar air double heat source heat pump, one solar electric heat pump and multi-stage solar heat pump dual source heat pump, a solar integrated heat source heat pump is designed. The heating capacity and COP of the same heat pump and the solar double heat pump under three different operating conditions were simulated, and the simulation results were compared and analyzed. The simulation results were analyzed. The results show that the heat capacity and COP of the solar double heat pump system are higher than those of the heat pump system. With the continuous decrease of outdoor temperature, the advantages of solar wind tunnel hybrid heat pump system are more obvious. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to solve the shortcomings of single air source heat pump, single solar heat pump and solar air double heat source heat pump, one solar electric heat pump and multi-stage solar heat pump dual source heat pump, a solar integrated heat source heat pump is designed. The heating capacity and COP of the same heat pump and the solar double heat pump under three different operating conditions were simulated, and the simulation results were compared and analyzed. The simulation results were analyzed. The results show that the heat capacity and COP of the solar double heat pump system are higher than those of the heat pump system. With the continuous decrease of outdoor temperature, the advantages of solar wind tunnel hybrid heat pump system are more obvious. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to meet the demand of stable and continuous household electricity consumption, the author proposes the modelling and simulation of photovoltaic fuel cell hybrid power generation system. The system is composed of photovoltaic power generation device, fuel cell/super capacitor, electrolytic cell, hydrogen storage device and power regulation unit. As photovoltaic power generation is affected by sunshine changes, the combination of fuel cells and super capacitors with photovoltaic devices can ensure the stability and reliability of power supply of hybrid power generation system. Taking sunshine intensity and household electricity consumption in a certain area as an example, the system is simulated in MATLAB/SIMULINK software. The results show that: At 08:30-17:00, the output power of the fuel cell is almost zero. This is because the electric energy output by the photovoltaic power generation system can basically meet the power demand of users during this period. At 00:00-6:00 and 18:30-24:00, the sunlight intensity is zero, and the power output of the photovoltaic power generation system is zero, at this time, the user’s electricity is completely supplied by the fuel cell. The investment cost of 1 kW fuel cell is about 45258.4 yuan, and that of 1 kW ordinary battery is about 15200 yuan, the investment cost of fuel cell is still high. In conclusion, the hybrid power generation system can meet the demand of ordinary household electricity [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maximum survival area after perforator flap elevation is mainly achieved through vasodilation and angiogenesis, and endothelial Ca2+ signals play a pivotal role in both of them. Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels modulate many endothelial cell functions via mediating the extracellular Ca2+ entry. This study aims to investigate the correlation of TRPV4, TRPV1, and TRPA1 with vascular change after the inferior gluteal artery perforator flap elevation. A total of 50 adult male SD rats were used in this study. Ten rats were used in the part one to assess the flap viability on postoperative day 7. Twenty rats were used in the part two to evaluate blood flow change after flap elevation. The correlation of vascular change with TRPV1, TRPV4, and TRPA1 protein changes was investigated in 20 rats in the part three. The mean flap survival area percentage was 55 ± 5.7%. Blood flow in the overall flap and Zone II after the flap elevation markedly increased from the postoperative day 3. The most marked change of the vasodilation occurred on Days 3 and 5 after flap elevation. The angiogenesis occurred on Day 5 after flap elevation and the microvessel density peaked also on Day 5. Moreover, TRPA1 expression showed a trend towards continuous reduction over time. The expression of TRPV1 and TRPV4 reached the peak value on Day 3. The endothelial NO synthase expression showed an increasing trend at first, followed by a reduction over time, while VEGF expression reached the peak value on Day 3. The vascular changes after flap elevation might be associated with the changes in TRPV4, TRPV1, and TRPA1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Time of flight (TOF) based light detection and ranging (LiDAR) is a technology for calculating distance between start/stop signals of time of flight. In lab-built LiDAR, two ranging systems for measuring flying time between start/stop signals include time-to-digital converter (TDC) that counts time between trigger signals and analog-to-digital converter (ADC) that processes the sampled start/stop pulses waveform for time estimation. We study the influence of waveform characteristics on range accuracy and precision of two kinds of ranging system. Comparing waveform based ranging (WR) with analog discrete return system based ranging (AR), a peak detection method (WR-PK) shows the best ranging performance because of less execution time, high ranging accuracy, and stable precision. Based on a novel statistic mathematical method maximal information coefficient (MIC), WR-PK precision has a high linear relationship with the received pulse width standard deviation. Thus keeping the received pulse width of measuring a constant distance as stable as possible can improve ranging precision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pigment extract from purple carrot with high sugar is prone to microbial contamination and anthocyanidin deterioration. Effective desugar of natural pigment extracts is essential for improving product quality. This work aimed to design a yeast fermentation process to reduce sugar in the concentrated juice from purple carrot. The effects of fermentation parameters such as temperature, initial pH, and initial sugar content on the sugarremoving rate were analyzed via single-factor and response surface analysis. Results showed that the maximum desugar rate of 91.03% was obtained under the optimal conditions of initial pH 3.2, temperature 30°C, and initial sugar content of 160 g/L, which was similar with model predictions. Subsequently, to broaden the application of purple carrots, the fermentation process of purple carrot vinegar was investigated using the resulting fermented juices with low sugar as raw material. The fermentation broth was treated and inoculated with Acetobacter pasteuriana AS1.41. The optimized conditions were found as temperature of 30°C,, pH 4.2, and inoculation amount of 8%. The corresponding acetic acid content was 35.62 g/L. The work has thus provided new insights into the development of natural food additives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The flame morphology, flame instability and thermodynamic parameters of 2-methylfuran (2-MF) spherically expanding flame were studied at different initial temperatures, initial pressures, and equivalence ratios. Quantitative analysis of 2-MF flame surface cracks and cell structures was performed. The radius for the crack to enter the accelerated growth stage is reduced by 52.9% as the initial pressure increases from 2 bar to 4 bar. Also, the radius at which the crack enters the accelerated growth stage is reduced by 16.4% when the equivalence ratio is increased by 0.1. The radius required for the average cell area to stabilize is reduced by 31.5% when the initial pressure increases from 2 bar to 4 bar. Additionally, instability parameters were studied, and the results revealed that hydrodynamic instability and thermal-diffusion stability increase with increasing Peclet number. The relationship between the local instability and stability curves was discussed. The average wavenumber fitting line is closer to the upper limit of the instability curve when the equivalence ratio is 1.4, which is 8.5% higher than that of the equivalence ratio of 1.3. Next, the flame self-acceleration was studied, the initial pressure and equivalence ratio greatly promote the self-acceleration of the flame, but the temperature has no obvious effect, and the self-acceleration exponent of 2-MF flame is less than 1.5. Finally, the flame image information was reconstructed by a reconstruction algorithm and the cellularity factor was formulated to measure the degree of flame cellular. The cellularity factor is affected by initial pressure and equivalence ratio. Comparing and analyzing the evolution of flame cracks, flame self-acceleration, and cellularity factor, it was found that flame cracks promote flame self-acceleration and exacerbate flame cellularization and instability [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A pulsed time-of-flight (TOF) measurement-based Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) system is more effective for medium-long range distances. As a key ranging unit, a time-pickoff circuit based on automatic gain control (AGC) and constant fraction discriminator (CFD) is designed to reduce the walk error and the timing jitter for obtaining the accurate time interval. Compared with Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB) and the estimation of the timing jitter, four parameters-based Monte Carlo simulations are established to show how the range precision is influenced by the parameters, including pulse amplitude, pulse width, attenuation fraction and delay time of the CFD. Experiments were carried out to verify the relationship between the range precision and three of the parameters, exclusing pulse width. It can be concluded that two parameters of the ranging circuit (attenuation fraction and delay time) were selected according to the ranging performance of the minimum pulse amplitude. The attenuation fraction should be selected in the range from 0.2 to 0.6 to achieve high range precision. The selection criterion of the time-pickoff circuit parameters is helpful for the ranging circuit design of TOF LiDAR system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) intensity data are attracting increasing attention because of the great potential for use of such data in a variety of remote sensing applications. To fully investigate the data potential for target classification and identification, we carried out a series of experiments with typical urban building materials and employed our reconstructed built-in-lab LiDAR system. Received intensity data were analyzed on the basis of the derived bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) model and the established integration method. With an improved fitting algorithm, parameters involved in the BRDF model can be obtained to depict the surface characteristics. One of these parameters related to surface roughness was converted to a most used roughness parameter, the arithmetical mean deviation of the roughness profile (Ra), which can be used to validate the feasibility of the BRDF model in surface characterizations and performance evaluations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empirical models are proposed for recalculating non-Lambertian reflectance based on the transmitted pulses and returned pulses that are recorded by a lab-built full-waveform laser detection system. The experiments were implemented on three objects, which were gray-cement concrete, red dull paper, and glazed indoor tile. The pulse energy was calculated based on the pulse waveforms in two ways, integral of the waveform (IW) method and multiplying peak by the full width at half maximum of the waveform (PF) method. The newly introduced empirical parameters semi-ellipsoid distribution ratio (SEDR) of the semi-ellipsoid model and ellipsoid distribution ratio (EDR) of the ellipsoid model were put forward to evaluate the degree of the non-Lambertian reflectance of material surface, instead of Lambertian-based factor that is the cosine of the incidence angle. We conclude that the bigger values of SEDR and EDR indicate more significant deviation from Lambertian for material surface. The modified reflectance results estimated by using the semi-ellipsoid model display better approximations than those obtained from Phong cosine. Moreover, it is obvious that the modified reflectance using a combined method of PF and modified semi-ellipsoid model outweighs the results estimated by other manners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to develop and evaluate a questionnaire for mass screening of rural school children in China. A total of 154 children, ages ranging from 6–13 years (mean = 9.3 years, SD = 1.7), were screened using the Chinese Hearing Questionnaire for School Children (CHQS-II). The CHQS-II was designed to detect cases at risk of otitis media with effusion and/or at least a moderate hearing loss in one or both ears. The test performance of the questionnaire was determined through comparison with ‘gold standard’ assessments. The diagnostic protocol was failed by 9.7% of participants, whilst the questionnaire was failed by 47.4%. Overall, the CHQS-II was found to be only moderately accurate (.62) as a screening system. When compared with standard diagnostic tests, its sensitivity was moderate but its efficiency was poor. Therefore, it cannot be recommended as a technique for mass hearing screening of rural school children in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: As an oxygenated additive, dimethyl carbonate (DMC) is usually blended with diesel fuel to improve combustion and reduce emissions of diesel engines. However, it is difficult to fuel diesel engines directly with DMC due to its low cetane number and high latent heat of vaporization. To study DMC combustion in diesel engines, this paper proposes an approach that combines internal exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) with a small injection of diesel fuel to ignite the DMC. Based on this approach, a two stroke, single cylinder diesel engine was developed. Preliminary studies demonstrated that this engine can be fueled with DMC with almost zero level of smoke and a low exhaust gas temperature. This DMC fueled engine has lower nitrogen oxides (NO x ) emissions and 2–3% higher effective thermal efficiency than the engine operated with diesel fuel in moderate and high load zones. Further experiments were conducted on a set of advanced digital particle image velocimetry (DPIV) measurement system to study the DMC spray. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

LncRNAs are involved in modulating the individual risk and the severity of progression in metabolic dysfunction- associated fatty liver disease (MASLD), but their precise roles remain largely unknown. This study aimed to investigate the role of lncRNA Snhg3 in the development and progression of MASLD, along with the underlying mechanisms. The result showed that Snhg3 was significantly downregulated in the liver of high- fat diet- induced obesity (DIO) mice. Notably, palmitic acid promoted the expression of Snhg3 and overexpression of Snhg3 increased lipid accumulation in primary hepatocytes. Furthermore, hepatocyte- specific Snhg3 deficiency decreased body and liver weight, alleviated hepatic steatosis and promoted hepatic fatty acid metabolism in DIO mice, whereas overexpression induced the opposite effect. Mechanistically, Snhg3 promoted the expression, stability and nuclear localization of SND1 protein via interacting with SND1, thereby inducing K63- linked ubiquitination modification of SND1. Moreover, Snhg3 decreased the H3K27me3 level and induced SND1- mediated chromatin loose remodeling, thus reducing H3K27me3 enrichment at the Pparg promoter and enhancing PPARγ expression. The administration of PPARγ antagonist T0070907 improved Snhg3- aggravated hepatic steatosis. Our study revealed a new signaling pathway, Snhg3/SND1/H3K27me3/PPARγ, responsible for mice MASLD and indicates that lncRNA-mediated epigenetic modification has a crucial role in the pathology of MASLD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thiol redox proteome refers to all proteins whose cysteine thiols are subjected to various redox-dependent posttranslational modifications (PTMs) including S-glutathionylation (SSG), S-nitrosylation (SNO), S-sulfenylation (SOH), and S-sulfhydration (SSH). These modifications can impact various aspects of protein function such as activity, binding, conformation, localization, and interactions with other molecules. To identify novel redox proteins in signaling and regulation, it is highly desirable to have robust redox proteomics methods that can provide global, site-specific, and stoichiometric quantification of redox PTMs. Mass spectrometry (MS)-based redox proteomics has emerged as the primary platform for broad characterization of thiol PTMs in cells and tissues. Herein, we review recent advances in MS-based redox proteomics approaches for quantitative profiling of redox PTMs at physiological or oxidative stress conditions and highlight some recent applications. Considering the relative maturity of available methods, emphasis will be on two types of modifications: 1) total oxidation (i.e., all reversible thiol modifications), the level of which represents the overall redox state, and 2) S-glutathionylation, a major form of reversible thiol oxidation. We also discuss the significance of stoichiometric measurements of thiol PTMs as well as future perspectives toward a better understanding of cellular redox regulatory networks in cells and tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Electroacupuncture (EA) has a definite effect on the treatment of spinal cord injuries (SCIs), but its underlying molecular mechanism remains unclear. Meanwhile, MiR106b-5p is an autophagy- and apoptosis-related microribonucleic acid, but whether it regulates the progression of autophagy and apoptosis in SCIs is yet undetermined. As such, this study aimed to elucidate the involvement of miR-106b-5p in the EA treatment of an SCI. Methods: The miR-106b-5p level was detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. In vitro, SH-SY5Y cells were transfected with miR-106b-5p mimics or inhibitors to regulate the miR-106b-5p expression, while in vivo, SCI rats were treated with EA for 7 days at the bilateral Zusanli (ST36) and Jiaji (EX-B2) acupoints. The motor function was evaluated using the Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan (BBB) criteria. Further, autophagic vacuoles, pathological damage, and neuronal cell morphology were observed by transmission electron microscopy, as well as by hematoxylin and eosin and Nissl staining, respectively. Results: The miR-106b-5p level, which can interact directly with Beclin-1 by influencing its expression, as well as the expressions of P62, Caspase-3, and Bax, was upregulated after an SCI, but it decreased after EA. Moreover, the ratio of LC3-II to LC3-I was upregulated after EA. EA can enhance autophagy, reduce neuronal apoptosis, and minimize motor dysfunction and histopathological deficits after an SCI. More importantly, however, all the above effects induced by EA can be reversed after an injection of miR-106-5p agomir to produce an overexpression of miR-106b-5p. Conclusion: EA treatment could downregulate miR-106b-5p to alleviate SCI-mediated injuries by promoting autophagy and inhibiting apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drug-resistant malarial strains have been continuously emerging recently, which posts a great challenge for the global health. Therefore, new antimalarial drugs with novel targeting mechanisms are urgently needed for fighting drug-resistant malaria. NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase of Plasmodium falciparum (PfNDH2) represents a viable target for antimalarial drug development. However, the absence of structural information on PfNDH2 limited rational drug design and further development. Herein, we report high resolution crystal structures of the PfNDH2 protein for the first time in Apo-, NADH-, and RYL-552 (a new inhibitor)-bound states. The PfNDH2 inhibitor exhibits excellent potency against both drug-resistant strains in vitro and parasite-infected mice in vivo via a potential allosteric mechanism. Furthermore, it was found that the inhibitor can be used in combination with dihydroartemisinin (DHA) synergistically. These findings not only are important for malarial PfNDH2 protein-based drug development but could also have broad implications for other NDH2-containing pathogenic microorganisms such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammation-dominated sympathetic sprouting adjacent to the necrotic region following myocardial infarction (MI) has been implicated in the etiology of arrhythmias resulting in sudden cardiac death; however, the mechanisms responsible remain to be elucidated. Although being a key immune mediator, the role of Notch has yet to be explored. We investigated whether Notch regulates macrophage responses to inflammation and affects cardiac sympathetic reinnervation in rats undergoing MI. MI was induced by coronary artery ligation. A high level of Notch intracellular domain was observed in the macrophages that infiltrated the infarct area at 3 days post-MI. The administration of the Notch inhibitor N-N-(3,5-difluorophenacetyl-L-alanyl)-S-phenylglycine-t-butyl ester (DAPT) (intravenously 30 min before MI and then daily until death) decreased the number of macrophages and significantly increased the M2 macrophage activation profile in the early stages and attenuated the expression of nerve growth factor (NGF). Eventually, NGF-induced sympathetic hyperinnervation was blunted, as assessed by the immunofluorescence of tyrosine hydroxylase. At 7 days post-MI, the arrhythmia score of programmed electric stimulation in the vehicle-treated infarcted rats was higher than that in rats treated with DAPT. Further deterioration in cardiac function and decreases in the plasma levels of TNF-α and IL-1β were also detected. In vitro studies revealed that LPS/IFN-γ upregulated the surface expression of NGF in M1 macrophages in a Notch-dependent manner. We concluded that Notch inhibition during the acute inflammatory response phase is associated with the downregulation of NGF, probably through a macrophage-dependent pathway, thus preventing the process of sympathetic hyperinnervation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/aim: Hypoxia-induced pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is characterized by prostacyclin (PGI2) disorder, which manifests in the same manner as in monocrotaline (MCT)-induced PAH. Endogenous PGI2 inhibitor coupling factor 6 (CF6) is involved in MCT-induced PAH. This study aimed to explore the presence or absence of a correlation between hypoxia-induced PAH and CF6. Materials and methods: This study was conducted between January 2019 and June 2020. A total of 135 male Wistar rats (aged 8 weeks and weighing 200-250 g) were randomly divided into five groups: (A) control, (B) 1 week of hypoxia, (C) 2 weeks of hypoxia, (D) 3 weeks of hypoxia, and (E) 4 weeks of hypoxia. CF6 expression in both lung tissue and blood samples from the lung vasculature and tail vein was measured by western blotting, immunohistochemistry, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Hemodynamic and morphological changes in hypoxia-induced rats indicated PAH development. The results showed the presence of a correlation between the mRNA and protein levels of CF6 in lung tissue, activity of mitochondrial ATP synthase, and hypoxia time, and there was a significant increment in the group exposed to hypoxia for 4 weeks compared to the control group. The decrement expression of ATPase inhibitory factor 1 (IF 1) mRNA was consistent with the outcomes of ATP synthase activity in lung tissue in the 4 weeks of hypoxia group compared with the control group. However, the levels of CF6 and ATP synthase activity did not differ between blood samples from the lung vasculature and tail vein. Conclusion: In hypoxia-induced PAH, CF6 showed downregulated expression in lung tissue, but not in pulmonary vasculature and circulation. Therefore, we speculated that CF6 and ATP synthase may play important roles in hypoxia-induced PAH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute liver failure is characterized by the sudden loss of hepatic function and a high mortality. SKLB010, a derivative of thiazolidinediones, has been proved to be effective in protecting mice from acute liver failure caused by concanavalin A and carbon tetrachloride in our previous work. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate whether SKLB010 could prevent acute liver injury caused by d-galactosamine/lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in mice, and to investigate the underlying mechanisms. In the macrophage-mediated D-GalN/LPS model of acute liver injury, serum enzyme activity was suppressed and liver injury was attenuated by SKLB010. The serum levels of TNF-α and hepatic TNF-α mRNA expression were also markedly decreased after the treatment of SKLB010. In the liver of mice receiving injections of D-GalN/LPS, hepatocytes apoptosis and the infiltration of monocytes/macrophages were blocked by SKLB010. Furthermore, the survival rate of mice following D-GalN/LPS treatment was significantly improved by a single injection with SKLB010. In vivo, the luminescence intensity was suppressed by SKLB010 in NF-κB-luc mice after D-GalN/LPS treatment. In vitro, the production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and nitrite/nitrate in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages was decreased by SKLB010 in a dose-dependent manner. Our further studies demonstrated that SKLB010 inhibited the phosphorylation of IκBα and p38MAPK, and the DNA binding activity of NF-κB in RAW264.7 cells. In conclusion, treatment with only a single injection of SKLB010 could significantly attenuate acute inflammation in mice induced by D-GalN/LPS, and these effects are likely associated with the inhibition of NF-κB activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formulas for error propagation from the random error sources to the three-dimensional (3-D) coordinate errors of laser footprints of an airborne laser scanning (ALS) system were deduced. Based on large-scale sample data, multiple linear regression experiments were carried out to obtain the standardized regression coefficients of the random errors for the 3-D coordinate errors under different flight heights (from 500 to 6000 m above ground level). The standardized regression coefficients were used to quantitatively evaluate the impacts of the random errors and to sort the impacts on the order of importance. The variation of the impacts of the random errors with increasing flight height and tilt angle of the mirror was also analyzed. The experimental results provide an important guide for error budget of various sensors in the ALS system so as to effectively suppress or compensate significant errors and to improve the performance of the ALS system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hydrolysis activities of three alkaline lipases, L-A1, L-A2 and L-A3 secreted by different lipase-producing microorganisms isolated from the Bay of Bohai, P. R. China were characterized with 16 kinds of esters. It was found that all the lipases have the ability to catalyze the hydrolysis of the glycerides, methyl esters, ethyl esters, especially for triglycerides, which shows that they have broad substrate spectra, and this property is very important for them to be used in detergent industry. Three QSAR models were built for L-A1, L-A2 and L-A3 respectively with GFA using Discovery studio 2.1. The models equations 1, 2 and 3 can explain 95.80%, 97.45% and 97.09% of the variances (R2 adj) respectively while they could predict 95.44%, 89.61% and 93.41% of the variances (R2 cv) respectively. With these models the hydrolysis activities of these lipases to mixed esters were predicted and the result showed that the predicted values are in good agreement with the measured values, which indicates that this method can be used as a simple tool to predict the lipase activities for single or mixed esters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Ti substituted BiFe1− x Ti x O3+ δ films have been prepared on indium–tin oxide (ITO)/glass substrates by the sol–gel process. The films with x=0.00–0.20 were prepared at an annealing temperature of 600°C. X-ray diffraction patterns indicate that all films adopt R3m structure and the films with x=0 and 0.10 show pure perovskite phase. Cross-section scanning shows the thickness of the films is about 300nm. Through 0.05 Ti substitution, the 2P r increases to 8.30μC/cm2 from 2.12μC/cm2 of the un-substituted BiFeO3 film and show enhanced ferroelectricity at room temperature. The 2P r values are 2.63 and 0.44μC/cm2 for the films with x=0.01 and 0.2, respectively. Moreover, the films with x=0.05 and 0.10 show enhanced dielectric property since the permittivity increases near 150 at the same measuring frequency. Through the substitution of Ti, the leakage conduction is reduced for the films with x=0.05–0.20. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Vesicular stomatitis (VS) is an acute, highly contagious and economically important zoonotic disease caused by the vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV). There is a need for effective and safe stable recombinant vaccine for the control of the disease. The human type 5 replication-defective adenovirus expression vector is a good way to construct recombinant vaccines. Results: Three recombinant adenoviruses (rAd) were successfully constructed that expressed the VSV Indiana serotype glycoprotein (VSV-IN-G), VSV New Jersey serotype glycoprotein (VSV-NJ-G), and the G fusion protein (both serotypes of G [VSV-IN-G-NJ-G]) with potentiality to induce protective immunity. G proteins were successfully expressed with good immunogenicity. The rAds could induce the production of VSV antibodies in mice, and VSV neutralizing antibodies in goats, respectively. The neutralizing antibody titers could reach 1:32 in mice and 1:64 in goats. The rAds induced strong lymphocyte proliferation in mice and goats, which was significantly higher compared to the negative control groups. Conclusions: The three rAds constructed in the study expressed VSV-G proteins and induced both humoral and cellular immune responses in mice and goats. These results lay the foundation for further studies on the use of rAds in vaccines expressing VSV-G. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Madeng hot spring emerges in the central river valley in the northeastern Lanping Basin in Jianchuan county of Yunnan Province in China. Quaternary sand and gravel occur in the valley which is underlain by the red beds consisting of sandstone and mudstone. The temperature of the hot spring is 42.1°C. The spring water has a pH value of 6.41, TDS of 3.98 g/L, F contents of 3.08 mg/L, and H2SiO3 of 35.6 mg/L. The hot water is of SO4•Cl-Na•Ca type. There is a slight hydrogen sulfide odor in the spring water. Stable hydrogen and oxygen isotopes indicate that the hot water is of meteoric origin. It is estimated that the elevation of the recharge area of the hot spring is approximately 3800 m, the age of the hot water is some 140 years, the temperature of the geothermal reservoir is 75°C–80°C, the mixture ratio of cold water is approximately 80%, and the circulation depth of the thermal groundwater is 1870 m. After receiving recharge from infiltration of precipitation in the mountainous recharge areas, the groundwater undergoes a deep circulation, obtains heat from the heat flow, flows upward along the fractured zone, and emerges as an upflow spring through the Quaternary sand and gravel in the central low-lying river valley. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experimental test for laminar combustion of ethanol-air mixture was investigated in a constant volume combustion bomb. The laminar burning velocity and Markstein length were determined over an extensive range of equivalence ratios from 0.7-1.6 under an initial condition of 0.1 MPa pressure and 358 K temperature, with high-speed Schlieren system. The methods of linear extrapolation and non-linear extrapolation are compared and discussed. Apart from experiments, simulation was carried out in Chemkin by using the Marinov ethanol oxidation mechanism. Results indicate that non-linear extrapolation is more suitable to calculate the laminar burning velocity of ethanol-air mixture. The overall trends of laminar burning velocity vs. equivalence ratio are consistent between the experiment and simulation. The peak values of the laminar burning velocity from present experiment and simulation are 531.2 mm/s and 565.3 mm/s, both appearing at the equivalence ratio of 1.1. Moreover, the Markstein length of ethanol-air mixtures generally decreases with increasing equivalence ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terrestrial laser scanning sensors deliver not only three-dimensional geometric information of the scanned objects but also the intensity data of returned laser pulse. Recent studies have demonstrated potential applications of intensity data from Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS). However, the distance and incident angle effects distort the TLS raw intensity data. To overcome the distortions, a new intensity correction method by combining the piecewise fitting and overlap-driven adjustment approaches was proposed in this study. The distance effect is eliminated by the piecewise fitting approach. The incident angle effect is eliminated by overlap-driven adjustment using the Oren-Nayar model that employs the surface roughness parameter of the scanned object. The surface roughness parameter at a certain point in an overlapped region of the multi-station scans is estimated by using the raw intensity data from two different stations at the point rather than estimated by averaging the surface roughness at other positions for each kind of object, which eliminates the estimation deviation. Experimental results obtained by using a TLS sensor (Riegl VZ-400i) demonstrate that the proposed method is valid and the deviations of the retrieved reflectance values from those measured by a spectrometer are all less than 3%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a devastating disease that lacks sufficient treatment. Studies have shown that the Nod-like receptor family, pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome contributes to PAH pathogenesis, but the role of the upstream molecular P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) has remained unexplored. We investigated the role of P2X7R in the pathogenesis of PAH.Methods and Results: PH was induced by a single subcutaneous injection of monocrotaline (MCT) (60 mg/kg) on left pneumonectomised Sprague-Dawley rats, as validated by significant increases in pulmonary artery pressure and vessel wall thickness. Marked P2X7R was detected by predominant PA immunostaining in lungs from PH rats. Western blot revealed a significant increase in the protein levels of P2X7R as well as NLRP3 and caspase-1 in the diseased lung tissue compared with normal tissue. The rats received A-740003 (a selective P2X7 receptor antagonist, 30 mg/kg) daily starting from 1 week before or 2 weeks after MCT injection. Consequently, A-740003 reversed the NLRP3 inflammasome upregulation, significantly decreased the mean right ventricular (RV) pressure and RV hypertrophy, and reversed pulmonary arterial remodelling 4 weeks after MCT injection, as both a pretreatment and rescue intervention. Notably, A-740003 significantly reduced macrophage and pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, as measured via bronchoalveolar lavage. The recruitment of macrophages as well as collagen fibre deposition in the perivascular areas were also reduced, as confirmed by histological staining.Conclusions: P2X7R contributes to the pathogenesis of PH, probably in association with activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome. Blockade of P2X7R might be applied as a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of PAH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive and life-threatening disease associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. However, the exact regulatory mechanism of PAH is unknown. Although coupling factor 6 (CF6) is known to function as a repressor, its role in PAH has not been explored. Here, we investigated the involvement of endogenous CF6 in the development of PAH.Methods: PAH was induced with monocrotaline (MCT), as demonstrated by significant increases in pulmonary artery pressure and vessel wall thickness. The adeno-associated virus (AAV) carrying CF6 short hairpin RNA (shRNA) or control vector (2×10(10) gp) was intratracheally transfected into the lungs of rats 2 weeks before or after MCT injection.Results: A 2-6-fold increase in CF6 was observed in the lungs and circulation of the MCT-injected rats as confirmed by qRT-PCR and ELISA. Immunohistochemistry analysis revealed a small quantity of CF6 localized to endothelial cells (ECs) under physiological conditions spread to surrounding tissues in a paracrine manner in PAH lungs. Notably, CF6 shRNA effectively inhibited CF6 expression, abolished lung macrophage infiltration, reversed endothelial dysfunction and vascular remodeling, and ameliorated the severity of pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular dysfunction at 4 weeks both as a pretreatment and rescue intervention. In addition, the circulating and lung levels of 6-keto-PGF1a, a stable metabolite of prostacyclin, were reversed by CF6 inhibition, suggesting that the effect of CF6 inhibition may partly be mediated through prostacyclin.Conclusions: CF6 contributes to the pathogenesis of PAH, probably in association with downregulation of prostacyclin. The blockage of CF6 might be applied as a novel therapeutic approach for PAH and PA remodeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A type of self-temperature limit-injector is proposed to reduce the biodiesel consumption and emission in vehicle cold start process. The self-temperature limit-injector is capable of fast raising fuel temperature, which helps improve the quality of diesel spray and its combustion efficiency. A self-temperature limit-injector model is established with consideration of electro-mechanic coupling and fluid-structure interaction. A transient simulation is conducted using dynamic grid technology. The results show that self-temperature limit-injector can effectively raise biodiesel temperature to 350K from 300K in 32 seconds. That is to say, adding self-temperature limit-injector to existing biodiesel combustion system is an environment- friendly solution due to improving atomization and spray quality quickly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of wind power technology, the security of the power system, power quality, and stable operation will meet new challenges. So, in this paper, we propose a recently developed machine learning technique, relevance vector machine (RVM), for day-ahead wind speed forecasting. We combine Gaussian kernel function and polynomial kernel function to get mixed kernel for RVM. Then, RVM is compared with back propagation neural network (BP) and support vector machine (SVM) for wind speed forecasting in four seasons in precision and velocity; the forecast results demonstrate that the proposed method is reasonable and effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tibet, average altitude more than 4,000 meters, is warming faster than anywhere else in China. The increase in temperatures may aggravate existing health problems and lead to the emergence of new risks. However, there are no actions being taken at present to protect population health due to limited understanding about the range and magnitude of health effects of climate change. Methods: The study was a cross-sectional survey of 619 respondents from urban Lhasa, Tibet in August 2012 with the aim to investigate public perceptions of risk, heat experiences, and coping resources. Results: Respondents are aware of the warming that has occurred in Lhasa in recent years. Over 78% reported that rising temperature is either a "very" or "somewhat" serious threat to their own health, and nearly 40% reported they had experienced heat-related symptoms. Sex, age, education and income influenced perceived risks, health status, and heat experience. The vast majority of respondents reported that they had altered their behaviour on hot summer days. Bakuo, a sub-district at the city center, is considered especially vulnerable to heat because of sparse vegetation, high population density, poor dwelling conditions and a high proportion of low-income population. However, neighborhood social ties were stronger in Bakuo than other study locations. Conclusions: The study suggests that actions are needed now to minimize downside effects of rapid warming in Tibet, because of increasing human exposure to high temperatures and uneven distribution of the resources needed to cope [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractBackground: A variety of processes and etiologies are thought to be involved in the pathophysiology of auditory neuropathy (AN). However, little is known about the clinical and molecular characteristics of hereditary AN. Objective: To explore the clinical and genetic findings of a Chinese family with AN. Methods: Seven patientsin three consecutive generations of the pedigree were selected. Detailed history collection, physical examination, and audiological evaluations including pure-tone audiometry, acoustic immittance, auditory brainstem responses, cochlear microphonics, and evoked otoacoustic emissions, and mitochondrial DNA analysis were performed. Results: All subjects involved are offspring of a female ancestor in the pedigree. In 6 of them, the hearing impairment started before the age of 9. Audiograms showed bilateral, symmetric, and profound deafness. Other audiological examinations revealed absent acoustic reflexes and auditory brainstem responses, and preserved evoked otoacoustic emissions and cochlear microphonics. One subject was characterized by normal audiological findings except high-frequency hearing loss with later onset. Hearing deterioration was found in 2 subjects who were followed for 26 months. Physical examination and mitochondrial DNA analysis yielded normal results. Conclusions: Clinical features in the pedigree are consistent with type II AN. Pedigree analysis and molecular findings indicate an autosomal dominant inheritance.Copyright © 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]