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Chronic renal failure (CRF) resulting in vascular calcification, which does damage to blood vessels and endothelium, is an independent risk factor for stroke. It has been reported that cilostazol has a protective effect on the focal cerebral ischemic infarct. However, its impact on vascular injury in CRF combined stroke and its molecular protection mechanism have not been investigated. In this study, we carried out the effect of cilostazol on CRF combined stroke rats, and the results confirmed that it improved the neurobehavior, renal function as well as pathologic changes in both the kidney and brain. In addition, the inflammation and oxidative stress factors in the kidney and brain were suppressed. Moreover, the rates of brain edema and infarction were decreased. The injured brain-blood barrier (BBB) was recovered with less Evans blue extravasation and more expressions of zonula occludens-1(ZO-1) and occludin. More cerebral blood flow (CBF) in the ipsilateral hemisphere and more expression of CD31 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in brain and kidney were found in the cilostazol group. Furthermore, cell apoptosis and cell autophagy became less, on the contrary, proteins of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) after the cilostazol treatment were increased. More importantly, this protective effect is related to the pathway of Janus Kinase (JAK)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and the hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α). In conclusion, our results confirmed that cilostazol exerted a protective effect on the brain and kidney function, specifically in vascular injury, oxidative stress, cell apoptosis, cell autophagy, and inflammation response in CRF combined with stroke rats which were related to the upregulation of JAK/STAT3/mTOR signal pathway.

Incorporating the principles of loss aversion psychology within the context of green housing stakeholders – the government, realtors, and residents – this study extends its purview into an evolutionary game model. This model takes into account the consequences of inaction in the absence of government oversight, the additional loss incurred by realtors due to the unmarketable development of green housing, and the psychological loss experienced by residents when their green housing acquisitions fall short of their expectations. To further enrich our analysis, three distinct scenarios are considered for the government: exclusive rewards without penalties, exclusive penalties without rewards, and a combination of both rewards and penalties. The simulation results show that: (1) The initial probability values assigned to the three parties do not significantly impact the long-term stable equilibrium. Interestingly, a higher initial probability value tends to steer all three parties towards selecting the stable equilibrium solution. (2) Within the context of the three reward–penalty​ scenarios, it becomes evident that an increase in the magnitude of government rewards and penalties inclines realtors towards a greater inclination to engage in green housing development. Nonetheless, a balanced approach appears to yield the most favorable results. (3) A sensitivity analysis reveals that a heightened aversion to loss within the government’s decision-making process leads to a higher likelihood of regulatory intervention. Conversely, a diminished loss aversion mindset among realtors and residents correlates with an increased propensity for realtors to invest in green housing development, while residents are more inclined to purchase green housing. Finally, corresponding policy implications are given according to the conclusions.

ABSTRACTA mechanized1harvesting system combined with whole-tree chipping was investigated on two harvesting sites in central and eastern Ohio, USA. Production and machine rate data of the operations were collected through time-motion studies, with chipping sub-tasks (elements) defined as: feeding, chipping, and loading. Chipping cycles averaged 21.5 min to produce 13.3 dry (21.3 green) tonnes per truckload, providing an hourly rate of 37.3 dry tonnes per productive machine hour (PMH), excluding delays. Total cycle time including truck delivery averaged 183 min, resulting in an hourly production rate of 4.4 dry tonnes/PMH delivered. The complete harvesting system included one feller-buncher, two grapple skidders, and a chipper. Harvesting cost ranged from (USD) $22.2 to $27.8/dry tonne, at the landing. Trucking cost was $0.48/dry tonne/km for the average hauling distance of 78 km. The total delivered cost amounted to $59.9–$65.5 per dry tonne. Chips were sampled from the operations and characterized to evaluate their quality as a bioenergy fuel, according to ANSI Standard AD17225–4:2014 Solid Biofuels. Results of chip properties indicated 37.5% green moisture (i.e. water mass fraction), 0.212 g/cm3bulk density, 10.5% bark content, 0.49% ash, and 18.59 MJ/Kg calorific heating value. Size distribution of wood chips was categorized into small (3–<16 mm) 46%, medium (16–<45 mm) 45%, and large (45–63 mm) 3%, respectively. Fines (<3 mm) composed less than 1% while 4.5% were oversize (>63 mm). These whole-tree chips were found to meet the requirements of the highest grade (A1) of the U.S. wood chip fuel quality standard for bioenergy applications.

Electron charge qubits are compelling candidates for solid-state quantum computing because of their inherent simplicity in qubit design, fabrication, control and readout. However, electron charge qubits built on conventional semiconductors and superconductors suffer from severe charge noise that limits their coherence time to the order of one microsecond. Here we report electron charge qubits that exceed this limit, based on isolated single electrons trapped on an ultraclean solid neon surface in a vacuum. Quantum information is encoded in the motional states of an electron that is strongly coupled with microwave photons in an on-chip superconducting resonator. The measured relaxation and coherence times are both on the order of 0.1 ms, surpassing all existing charge qubits and rivalling state-of-the-art superconducting transmon qubits. The simultaneous strong coupling of two qubits with a common resonator is also demonstrated, as the first step towards two-qubit entangling gates for universal quantum computing.

The Hippo pathway is generally understood to inhibit tumor growth by phosphorylating the transcriptional cofactor YAP to sequester it to the cytoplasm and reduce the formation of YAP-TEAD transcriptional complexes. Aberrant activation of YAP occurs in various cancers. However, we found a tumor-suppressive function of YAP in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Using cell cultures, xenografts, and patient-derived explant models, we found that the inhibition of upstream Hippo-pathway kinases MST1 and MST2 or expression of a constitutively active YAP mutant impeded ccRCC proliferation and decreased gene expression mediated by the transcription factor NF-κB. Mechanistically, the NF-κB subunit p65 bound to the transcriptional cofactor TEAD to facilitate NF-κB–target gene expression that promoted cell proliferation. However, by competing for TEAD, YAP disrupted its interaction with NF-κB and prompted the dissociation of p65 from target gene promoters, thereby inhibiting NF-κB transcriptional programs. This cross-talk between the Hippo and NF-κB pathways in ccRCC suggests that targeting the Hippo-YAP axis in an atypical manner—that is, by activating YAP—may be a strategy for slowing tumor growth in patients.

Progress towards the realization of quantum computers requires persistent advances in their constituent building blocks—qubits. Novel qubit platforms that simultaneously embody long coherence, fast operation and large scalability offer compelling advantages in the construction of quantum computers and many other quantum information systems1–3. Electrons, ubiquitous elementary particles of non-zero charge, spin and mass, have commonly been perceived as paradigmatic local quantum information carriers. Despite superior controllability and configurability, their practical performance as qubits through either motional or spin states depends critically on their material environment3–5. Here we report our experimental realization of a qubit platform based on isolated single electrons trapped on an ultraclean solid neon surface in vacuum6–13. By integrating an electron trap in a circuit quantum electrodynamics architecture14–20, we achieve strong coupling between the motional states of a single electron and a single microwave photon in an on-chip superconducting resonator. Qubit gate operations and dispersive readout are implemented to measure the energy relaxation time T1of 15 μs and phase coherence time T2over 200 ns. These results indicate that the electron-on-solid-neon qubit already performs near the state of the art for a charge qubit21.

ABSTRACTLong non-coding RNA (lncRNA) ACTA2-AS1 has been reported to play an important role in the progression of multiple human malignancies. The article aims to explore the role of ACTA2-AS1 on the cisplatin resistance of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). RT-qPCR was performed to investigate the expression of ACTA2-AS1 in cisplatin-resistant NSCLC cell lines. Western blot was used to investigate the effects of ACTA2-AS1 on autophagy-related protein expression. RIP assay and RNA pull down were used to analyze the combination of ACTA2-AS1 and enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2), and CHIP was used to analyze the combination of tuberous sclerosis complex-2 (TSC2) gene promoter and Lys-27 of histone H3 (H3K27me3). In this study, ACTA2-AS1 was downregulated in cisplatin-resistant NSCLC cell lines. ACTA2-AS1 negatively regulated the cell viability and positively regulated the cell apoptosis of cisplatin-resistant NSCLC cell lines. Furthermore, our results demonstrated that ACTA2-AS1 promoted cisplatin-resistant NSCLC cells apoptosis through inhibiting autophagy. The regulation of ACTA2-AS1 to the cisplatin-resistant NSCLC cell autophagy was reversed by TSC2 increasing. Importantly, our results displayed that ACTA2-AS1 bound with EZH2, and TSC2 gene promoter combined with H3k27me3. The inhibition of ACTA2-AS1 to TSC2 expression was recused by EZH2 silencing. In conclusion, ACTA2-AS1 inhibited the cisplatin resistances of NSCLC cell lines through suppressing TSC2 expressing by recruiting EZH2 to TSC2 gene promoter.

Veno-venous bypass (VVB) is necessary for maintaining hemodynamic and internal environment stabilities in complex liver surgeries. However, the current VVB strategies require systematic anticoagulation and are time-consuming, leading to unexpected complications. This study aims to overcome these limitations by using a novel magnetic artificial blood vessel constructed with heparin-PLCL core–shell nanofibers. Coaxial electrospinning was used to fabricate core–shell nanofibers with heparin encapsulated into the core layer. The microstructure, physical and chemical properties, hemocompatibility, and heparin release behavior were characterized. The regional anticoagulation magnetic artificial vessel was constructed with these nanofibers and used to perform VVB in a rat liver transplantation model for in vivoevaluation. The core–shell nanofibers appeared smooth and uniform without apparent defects. Fluorescence and TEM images indicated that heparin was successfully encapsulated into the core layer. In addition, the in vitroheparin release test presented a two-phase release profile, burst release at day 1 and sustained release from days 2 to 14, which resulted in better hemocompatibility. The VVB could be rapidly deployed in 3.65 ± 0.83 min by the magnetic artificial vessel without systemic anticoagulation. Moreover, the novel device could reduce portal pressure and abdominal organ congestion, protect intestinal function, and increase the survival rate of liver transplantation with a long anhepatic phase from 0 to 65%. In summary, VVB can be rapidly deployed using regional anticoagulation magnetic artificial blood vessels without systemic anticoagulation, which is promising for improving patient outcomes after complex liver surgery.

Although the antimicrobial, nutritional, and health-promoting properties of royal jelly (RJ) have been widely confirmed, the effects of storage temperature and time on RJ quality remain to be further explored. Herein, the antimicrobial and proteomic dynamics of RJ stored under different conditions were comprehensively investigated to identify consistent and sensitive markers of RJ degradation. We confirmed the negative correlation between antimicrobial properties and increased the storage temperature and duration in RJ. Using surface plasmon resonance, we showed the protein degradation-induced conformation changes in RJ, which reflected the overall variation in RJ proteins caused by the storage conditions. Further proteomic and western blotting analyses demonstrated the sensitivity and reliability of major RJ protein 4 (MRJP4) as a measure of temperature- and time-dependent RJ changes. Based on these results, we developed a colloidal gold immunoassay strip for MRJP4 detection, providing a reliable, simple, and rapid method for the evaluation of RJ freshness.

Aim: To search the genes related to the mechanisms of the occurrence of glioma and to try to build a prediction model for glioblastomas. Background: The morbidity and mortality of glioblastomas are very high, which seriously endanger human health. At present, the goals of many investigations on gliomas are mainly to understand the cause and mechanism of these tumors at the molecular level and to explore clinical diagnosis and treatment methods. However, there is no effective early diagnosis method for this disease, and there are no effective prevention, diagnosis, or treatment measures. Methods: Firstly, the gene expression profiles derived from GEO were downloaded. Then, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the disease samples and the control samples were identified. After that, GO and KEGG enrichment analyses of DEGs were performed by DAVID. Furthermore, the correlation- based feature subset (CFS) method was applied to the selection of key DEGs. In addition, the classification model between the glioblastoma samples and the controls was built by a Support Vector Machine (SVM) based on selected key genes. Results and Discussion: Thirty-six DEGs, including 17 upregulated and 19 downregulated genes, were selected as the feature genes to build the classification model between the glioma samples and the control samples by the CFS method. The accuracy of the classification model by using a 10-fold crossvalidation test and the independent set test was 76.25% and 70.3%, respectively. In addition, PPP2R2B and CYBB can also be found in the top 5 hub genes screened by the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. Conclusion: This study indicated that the CFS method is a useful tool to identify key genes in glioblastomas. In addition, we also predicted that genes such as PPP2R2B and CYBB might be potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of glioblastomas.

Increasing awareness of the importance of ultraviolet protection has led to the development and utilization of sunscreen products. The sun protection factor (SPF) value of traditional sunscreens is fixed and cannot be flexibly adapted to changing environmental requirements. Herein, we fabricate a series of thermosensitive ZnO-poly (methyl methacrylate)/nonlinear poly(ethylene glycol) (PMMA/PEG) core-shell microgel with different monomer ratios. The PMMA core particle is designed to immobilize ZnO nanoparticles for achieving high loading capacity, and the hydrophilic nonlinear PEG gel shell possesses good biocompatibility and provides adjustable SPF value in response to different environmental conditions. The prepared microgels are monodisperse spherical with a well-defined core-shell morphology. The shell thickness of the microgels can be easily controlled by changing the feeding ratios of shell precursors. The optimized ZnO-PMMA/PEG microgels display significant sun protection properties at a concentration of 10 wt% (SPF 45 ± 5.9, 20 °C) and enhanced UV resistance performance as the temperature increases (SPF 53.1 ± 1.1, 37 °C). Both cell and mouse experiments confirmed the limited skin penetration potential of the microgels and their good compatibility with biological systems. This developed ZnO-PMMA/PEG microgels exhibit promising application potential in intelligent sunscreen technology.

Cavity optomagnonics has emerged as a promising platform for studying coherent photon-spin interactions as well as tunable microwave-to-optical conversion. However, current implementation of cavity optomagnonics in ferrimagnetic crystals remains orders of magnitude larger in volume than state-of-the-art cavity optomechanical devices, resulting in very limited magneto-optical interaction strength. Here, we demonstrate a cavity optomagnonic device based on integrated waveguides and its application for microwave-to-optical conversion. By designing a ferrimagnetic rib waveguide to support multiple magnon modes with maximal mode overlap to the optical field, we realize a high magneto-optical cooperativity, which is three orders of magnitude higher compared to previous records of the magneto-optical cooperativity obtained on polished yttrium iron garnet spheres. Furthermore, we achieve tunable conversion of microwave photons at around 8.45 GHz to 1550 nm light with a broad conversion bandwidth as large as 16.1 MHz. The unique features of the system point to novel applications at the crossroad between quantum optics and magnonics.

We explore the basis for one of the fundamental tradeoffs in life: to invest or not to invest in reproduction of queen bee. We demonstrate measurable differences in the behavior of high royal jelly-producing bees (RJBs) vs “normal” honeybees. The RJBs evolve a strong olfactory response to larvae, neurophysiological adaptations by inducing processes of energy and nutrient metabolism, signal transduction that increase the nurse bees' alloparental care behavior.

Intrinsic Josephson junctions in high-temperature superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ(BSCCO) are known for their capability to emit high-power terahertz photons with widely tunable frequencies. Hotspots, as inhomogeneous temperature distributions across the junctions, are believed to play a critical role in synchronizing the gauge-invariant phase difference among the junctions, so as to achieve coherent strong emission. In this paper, we demonstrate an on-chip in situsensing technique that can characterize hotspot distributions on BSCCO. This is achieved by fabricating a series of micro-nanosized “sensor” junctions on top of an “emitter” junction and measuring the critical current on the sensors versus the bias current applied to the emitter. This fully electronic on-chip design can enable efficient close-loop control of hotspots in BSCCO junctions and significantly enhance the functionality of superconducting terahertz emitters.

ABSTRACTObjectives: 10-hydroxydec-2-enoic acid (10-HDA), a unique component of royal jelly existing only in nature, has the potential to promote human health. Knowledge of 10-HDA in regulating immuno-activity, however, is lacking. The aim of our work is to gain a novel understanding of 10-HDA in promoting immunity.Methods: Immuno-suppressed mice were generated by cyclophosphamide injection, After 10-HDA supplementation to the mice to rescue their immunity, the proteomes of the thymus and spleen were analyzed.Results: The weight of the body, thymus, and spleen in cyclophosphamide-induced mice recovered by 10-HDA indicate its potential role in immuno-organ protection. In the thymus, the enhanced activity of pathways associated with DNA/RNA/protein activities may be critical for T-lymphocyte proliferation/differentiation, and cytotoxicity. In the spleen, the induced pathways involved in DNA/RNA/protein activities, and cell proliferative stimulation suggest their vital role in B-lymphocyte affinity maturation, antigen presentation, and macrophage activity. The up-regulated proteins highly connected in networks modulated by 10-HDA indicate that the mice may evolve tactics to respond to immuno-organ impairment by activating critical physiological processes.Conclusion: Our data constitute a proof-of-concept that 10-HDA is a potential agent to improve immunity in the thymus and spleen and offer a new venue for applying natural products to the therapy for hypoimmunity.

Fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) have the advantages of high strength, corrosion resistance, and low density, which are widely used to serve as tray products in bolt support systems. As a key component, the low mechanical load-bearing capacity of trays significantly limits their widespread application. Besides, there is no corresponding theoretical calculations and strength analysis methods for the structural design. The aim of this study is to optimize the tray structure and improve its load-bearing capacity. Through theoretical calculations and finite element numerical analysis, the effect of inner surface taper and stiffener height on the load-bearing capacity of the tray under the application of constant axial force is investigated. The results show that first of all, the larger the inner surface taper is, the better the load capacity of the tray. Second, the special-shaped truncated cone type displayed better load capacity than the stiffener tray. Third, the higher the design height of the stiffener is, the smaller the deformation and shear stress on the top of the inner surface of the tray, and better load capacity is achieved. We believe that this study provides theoretical guidance for the structural design of high-performance FRP trays.

The brain is a vital organ in regulating complex social behaviors of honeybees including learning and memory. Knowledge of how brain membrane proteins and their phosphorylation underlie the age-related behavioral polyethism is still lacking. A hitherto age-resolved brain membrane proteome and phosphoproteome were reported in adult worker bees from two strains of honeybee (Apis mellifera ligustica): Italian bee (ITB) and Royal Jelly bee (RJB), a line selected from ITB for increased RJ outputs over four decades. There were 1079 membrane protein groups identified, and 417 unique phosphosites were located in 179 membrane protein groups mainly phosphorylated by kinase families of MAPKs, CDKs, and CK2. Age-resolved dynamics of brain membrane proteome and phosphoproteome are indicative of their correlation with the neurobiological requirements during the adult life of honeybee workers. To stimulate immature brain cell development in newly emerged bees (NEBs), the enriched functional classes associated with metabolism of carbohydrates, nucleosides, and lipids by the up-regulated proteins suggest their enhanced role in driving cell maturity of the brain. In nurse bees (NBs) and forager bees (FBs), a higher number of membrane proteins and phosphoproteins were expressed as compared with in the young stages, and the enriched signal-transduction-related pathways by the up-regulated proteins suggest their significances in sustaining the intensive information processing during nursing and foraging activities. Notably, RJB has shaped unique membrane proteome and phosphoproteome settings to consolidate nursing and foraging behaviors in response to decades of selection underpinning the elevated RJ yields. In RJB NBs, the enriched pathways of phosphatidylinositol signaling and arachidonic acid metabolism indicate a stronger olfaction sensation in response to larval pheromone stimulation. In RJB FBs, the enriched pathways related to signal processing such as SNARE interactions in vesicular transport, wnt signaling, TGF-beta signaling, and taurine and hypotaurine metabolism suggest an enhanced nerve sensitivity to prime the stronger tendency to pollen collection. Our data gain a novel insight into membrane proteome and phosphoproteome-driven cerebral regulation of honeybee behaviors, which is potentially useful for further neurobiological investigation in both honeybees and other social insects.

Boletus aereusFr. ex Bull. stands out as a delectable edible mushroom with high nutritional and medicinal values, featuring polysaccharides as its primary nutrient composition. In our continuous exploration of its beneficial substances, a novel polysaccharide (BAPN-1) with a molecular weight of 2279 kDa was prepared. It was identified as a glucan with a backbone composed of the residues →4)-α-Glcp-(1→ and →4,6)-α-Glcp-(1→ connected in a proportion of 5:1 and a β-Glcp-(1→ side residue attached at C6 of the →4,6)-α-Glcp-(1→ residue. Biologically, BAPN-1 exhibited broad-spectrum antiproliferative activities against various NHL cells, including HuT-78, OCI-LY1, OCI-LY18, Jurkat, RL, and Karpas-299, with IC50values of 0.73, 1.21, 3.18, 1.52, 3.34, and 4.25 mg/mL, respectively. Additionally, BAPN-1 significantly induced cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase and caused apoptosis of NHL cells. Mechanistically, bulk RNA sequencing and Western blot analysis revealed that BAPN-1 could upregulate cyclin B1 and enhance cleaved caspase-9 expression through the inhibition of FGFR3 and RAF-MEK-ERK signaling pathways. This work supports the improved utilization of B. aereusin high-value health products.

In the computer-aided diagnosis system, the use of medical database data mining and knowledge discovery technology is of great significance and necessity of development. To understand the health status of left-behind children in ethnic minority areas, a questionnaire survey and computer-aided technology were used to diagnose and investigate the health status of left-behind children aged 6–12 years in Xiangxi, Hunan Province, such as body shape, physical function and personal cognition. The comparison results show that the body shape, function and perception of left-behind children are not optimistic. The countermeasures are to strengthen policy support, school physical education and the supervision consciousness of the guardian, make the government, schools and families form a joint force, establish a scientific work and leisure system, improve the quality of life, and effectively build the health level of left-behind children.

The hitherto depth proteomes of the hypopharyngeal glands (HGs) across the adult life of two stocks of honeybees with low (ITBs) and high royal jelly production (RJBs) uncover the molecular landscapes of the gland ontogeny and activity to match with gland age-specific tasks. Pathways involved in protein and energy metabolism are induced in HGs of RJB nurse bees to enhance royal jelly (RJ) secretion relative to ITBs. Our finding gains a novel mechanistic insight of the augment RJ-output in RJBs.

Considering the complexity of energy systems and the uncertainties surrounding the transition path, governments must take into account not only environmental concerns but also energy security and affordability in economic progress pathways. Therefore, using population growth and energy usage as control variables, the influence of the energy trilemma index on economic progress in the North African region is explored from 1990 to 2020. Advanced econometric approaches, particularly cross-sectional dependence, and second-generation tests, are used for empirical investigation. In addition, for short-run estimates, the generalized method of moments (GMM) estimation with fixed and random effects is utilized, while for estimation in the long-run, generalized least squares (GLS) estimations for a fixed and random effect, while, fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) and dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) are used for robustness check. Our results refer to the positive significant influence of energy trilemma and energy usage on economic progress and the negative significant influence of population growth on economic progress. In addition, a two-way causal linkage exists between energy trilemma and economic progress, while population growth and energy usage cause economic progress. This may stress policymakers to accelerate the energy transition to low-carbon energies, appropriately use the nation's human resources, and promote energy efficiency.

Today, mainly man-made materials such as carbon and glass fibres are used to produce composite parts in aviation. Renewable materials such as natural fibres or bio-sourced resin systems have not found their way into aviation, yet. The project ECO-COMPASS aims to evaluate the potential applications of ecologically improved composite materials in the aviation sector in an international collaboration of Chinese and European partners. Natural fibres such as flax and ramie will be used for different types of reinforcements and sandwich cores. Furthermore, the bio-based epoxy resins to substitute bisphenol-A based epoxy resins in secondary structures are under investigation. Adapted material protection technologies to reduce environmental influence and to improve fire resistance are needed to fulfil the demanding safety requirements in aviation. Modelling and simulation of chosen eco-composites aims for an optimized use of materials while a life cycle assessment aims to prove the ecological advantages compared to synthetic state-of-the-art materials. In this paper, the status of selected ecologically improved materials will be presented with an outlook for potential application in interior and secondary structures.

In this study, a novel bio-based thermosetting system has been developed from epoxy resin (EP), with rosin-sourced anhydrides (maleopimaric acid, RAM) as curing agent and imidazole type latent catalyst (two amino imidazole salt complex, IMA), to be used as matrix for hot-melt prepreg curing at mid-temperature. For comparison, the epoxy resin system with petroleum sourced hardener methylhexahydrophthalicanhydride (MHHPA) was also examined. The curing behaviour and mechanism were investigated by non-isothermal differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) analysis and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra. The results showed that the curing course of bio-based epoxy resin system containing RAM included two stages, which were the reaction between the free carboxyl group of RAM and oxirane ring under the acceleration of IMA, and the main reaction attributed to the reaction between anhydride and oxirane. According to Kissinger method, the reaction activation energy (Ea) of two stages were 68.9 and 86.5 kJ mol‒1, respectively. The Eaof EP/MHHPA and EP/IMA resin system were 81.04 and 77.9 kJ mol‒1. The processing property of EP/RAM/IMA system, i.e. the relationship between viscosity-temperature-time, was characterized by cone-plate viscometer aim to decide the processing parameter of prepreg preparation. The effect of RAM content on mechanical performance and dynamic mechanical property was investigated. Noteworthily, compared with the laminates with EP/MHHPA as matrix, the laminates with RAM as hardeners achieved a 44%, 73% and 70°C increase in bending strength, bending modulus and the glass transition temperature, respectively, due to the bulky hydrogenated phenanthrene ring structure incorporated into the cross-linking networks. When the fiber volume fraction reached 47%, the mechanical property of the laminates prepared with hot melt prepreg was superior or comparable to that of composites with pure petroleum sourced matrix. RAM as cross-linking agent of epoxy resin holds a great potential to satisfy the requirement of composites such as structure and secondary structure parts preparation.

It has been shown that mean shift tracking algorithm can achieve excellent results in pedestrian tracking task. It empirically estimates the target position of current frame by locating the maximum of a density function from the local neighborhood of the target position of previous frame. However, this method only considers its past trajectory without considering the influence of pedestrian environment when applying to pedestrian tracking. In practical, pedestrians always keep a safe distance away from obstacles when programming their paths. To address the issue of obstacle avoidance, this paper proposes a novel extended social force model-based mean shift tracking algorithm in which pedestrian environment is full taken in consideration. Firstly, an extended social force model is presented to quantify the interaction between pedestrian and obstacle by means of force. Furthermore, directional weights and speed weights are introduced to adjust the strength of the force in terms of the difference of individual perspectives and relative velocities. Finally, the initial target position is predicted by Newton's laws of motion and then the Mean Shift method is integrated to track target position. Experiment results show that this algorithm achieves an encouraging performance when obstacles exist.

Luminescent hydrogels have received considerable attention in the application of sensors. Nitroaromatics are harmful to human health and can be carcinogenic. Some skin allergies and central nervous system injuries may also be attributed to the over exposure to nitroaromatics. Thus, nitroaromatics sensor with fast detection and low detection limit is highly desirable. Herein, novel tough hydrogels were prepared by introducing hydrogen bonds and covalent bonds into the interpenetrating networks of modified chitosan and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) via frozen-thawing induced chemical cross-linking. The synthesized hydrogels exhibit high mechanical strength (0.23 MPa tensile strength at 140% tensile strain, 1.0 MPa compressive strength at 80% compressive strain). Strong green emission was realized by energy transfer from the modified chitosan to Tb3+via the so-called “antenna effect.” The prepared luminescent hydrogels show an excellent detection effect on nitroaromatic compounds and its detection limit can reach ppm-level. The hydrogels also exhibit good reversibility and a fast “off–on” fluorescence switching process. This work may open up a new way for the development of stable, rapid, and reusable sensors for the detection of harmful nitroaromatics.

Adverse effects of HIV infection treatment cannot be ignored because the occurrences of undesired adverse effects will result in low drug adherence and influence the outcome of HIV treatment. Adverse effects are significantly associated with gender. However, the role of gender in the occurrences of adverse effects has not been clearly explored. In order to provide additional guidance to prescription, we analyzed the adverse effects in HIV treatment aiming to find some gender-based differences using FDA AERS database. Interestingly, women and men performed differently in almost all the HIV-therapy adverse effects, among which adverse effects associated with skin and subcutaneous tissues occurred more frequently in male among younger adults while more frequently in female among older adults. The different occurrences of skin and subcutaneous adverse effects in men and women indicated that estrogen and androgen might function differently on skin during HIV therapy. Gender differences exist in both inter-groups and intra-groups of HIV medications. The drug NNRTI induced more adverse effects in female, but PI and INI more in male. Two NNRTI medications, namely efavirenz and nevirapine, caused different adverse effects between the two genders. Efavirenz induced more adverse effects in males and mainly affected nervous system whereas nevirapine caused more adverse effects in females and mainly affected skin and subcutaneous tissues. The gender of female is a risk factor for nevirapine, which is closely related to adverse effects associated with skin. Therefore, the recognition of gender differences in adverse effects may be helpful in prescribing medications to HIV-infected patients, e.g. greater caution should be taken when prescribing nevirapine to women.

Aluminum nitride (AlN) is an appealing nonlinear optical material for on-chip wavelength conversion. Here we report optical frequency comb generation from high-quality-factor AlN microring resonators integrated on silicon substrates. By engineering the waveguide structure to achieve near-zero dispersion at telecommunication wavelengths and optimizing the phase matching for four-wave mixing, frequency combs are generated with a single-wavelength continuous-wave pump laser. Further, the Kerr coefficient (n_2) of AlN is extracted from our experimental results.

We present an information transduction architecture that utilizes coherent interconversion between photons, magnons and electric charge carriers. The materials we use are low loss magneto-optic yttrium iron garnet (YIG). This device platform enables high fidelity communication devices, as well as small size microwave signal processing devices for Radar and defense related applications. Specific examples given here are widely tunable microwave oscillators, variable low loss delay lines, and high Q delay line oscillators.

Lentinan, ß-(1 ? 3)-d-glucan with (1 ? 6) branching, was isolated from Lentinus edodes. Weight-average molecular weight Mw, radius of gyration z1/2and intrinsic viscosity [?] of Lentinan in 0.2 M NaCl aqueous solution, dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and water/DMSO mixtures were measured by light scattering (LS), size exclusion chromatography (SEC) combined with LS, and viscometry. The results indicated that the glucan exists mainly as triple-helical chains in 0.2 M NaCl aqueous solution and water/DMSO mixtures with over 20 wt% water content, and as single-flexible chain in DMSO. The data from SEC-LS, viscosity and 13C NMR measurements proved strongly that the helix-coil conformation transition occurred in a narrow range from 80 to 85 wt% DMSO aqueous solution, accompanying with obvious changes of Mw, z1/2, [?] as well as signals of C6 and C6s. The transition of Lentinan in water/DMSO mixture was irreversible. The difference in 13C NMR spectra for the triple-helical and coil conformations was the disappearance of the signals of C3 in ß-(1 ? 3)- linked backbone and the enhancement in relative intensities of glucose substituted C6sin the helix state, as well as the appearance of an asymmetric and broad peak of C6 in the intermediate of the conformation change. This suggests that the immobilization of the backbone by binding with intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonds resulted in the loss of the signals of its carbon atoms in the triple helix state. An overcoating cylinder model composed of the ß-(1 ? 3)- linked backbone as helix core and the side chains as rotatable overcoat was proposed to illustrate the triple-helical conformation and its transition in the solution.

ß-(1?3)-D-glucan with (1?6) branching (L-FV-I) from Lentinus edodes in water was degraded into seven fractions of different molecular weights by ultrasonic irradiation. Weight-average molecular weight Mw, radius of gyration ‹s2›z1/2and intrinsic viscosity [?] of the ß-D-glucan and its fractions in 0.5 M NaCl aqueous solution and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) were studied by multi-angle laser light scattering (MALLS), GPC combined with MALLS, and viscometry. Mwdependence of [?] for the glucan in 0.5 M NaCl aqueous solution was represented approximately by [?]=7.69×10-6Mw1.32(cm3g-1) at Mwfrom 1.87×105to 1.20×106at 25°C. GPC chromatograms of the glucans in aqueous solution contained two peaks, a main peak corresponding to triple-stranded chains with molecular weight Mw,m, and small second peak corresponding to fragments of single chains with Mw,s(about 20±5% content). Analysis of Mw,mand ‹s2›z,m1/2in term of the known theory for wormlike chains yielded 2180±100 nm-1, 120±10 nm and 0.31 nm for molar mass per unit contour length ML, persistence length q, and contour length h per main-chain glucose residue, respectively, which agree closely with theory data of triple-helical chains and reported parameters for triple-helix schizophyllan in 0.01 M NaOH aqueous solution. The ratios of Mw,min 0.5 M NaCl to Mwin DMSO were calculated to be roughly 3. The predominant species of the glucan in 0.5 M NaCl aqueous solution exist as triple-helical chains with high rigidity, and in DMSO as single-flexible chains.

We present a 1.16-μm-radius disk cavity with ultrahigh quality (Q) factor by embedding the disk into a sunflower-type circular photonic crystal (CPC). The bandgap of the CPC reduces the bending loss of the whispering-gallery mode of the disk, leading to a simulated Q of 10^7, at least an order of magnitude higher than a bare disk of the same size. The design is experimentally verified with a record high loaded Q of 7.4×10^5 measured from an optimized device fabricated on a silicon-on-insulator substrate.

Protein an affinity materials were widely used in purification of monoclonal antibodies and treatment of autoantibody-associated diseases. Due to the low binding capacity of protein A affinity materials compared to other ion exchange materials, protein A affinity materials are often discussed to be the bottleneck among current purification processes and diseases treatment. In this study, the heterofunctional amino and epoxy agarose was used to immobilize the recombinant protein A (rSpA). The immobilization courses of rSpA and the effect of pH and ionic strength and amino density of the heterofunctional supports on the coupling efficiencies of rSpA were investigated. The optimum conditions for rSpA immobilized on the heterofuntional supports were determined as pH 8.0, the ionic strength of 5 mM borate buffer, and the amino density of 15 umol g-1. Moreover, the 3D structure of B domain from protein A was analyzed by PyMol software and the web-based program MemBrain. The most likely immobilization sites of B domain were located at the Lys-49 and Lys-50, exposing the IgG-binding pocket to the medium. After immobilization, the remaining epoxy groups were blocked with the ethanolamine to obtain the rSpA affinity materials with different ligand density for antibody adsorption from the human plasma. The static and dynamic IgG-binding capacities were determined to be 42 and 32 mg g-1, respectively. The high IgG-binding capacities could be attributed to the oriented attachment of rSpA on the heterofunctional supports, and these results demonstrate that the heterofunctional amino and epoxy agarose is very promising to permit the oriented covalent attachment of rSpA, and that way to prepare affinity materials with high binding capacity.

Smooth nucleophilic substitution reaction of aryl fluorides with phenylthiotrimethylsilane as nucleophile provides title compounds in excellent yields.