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Baicalin is an active compound extracted from Scutellaria baicalensis with antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory properties. Bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs)‐derived exosomes have shown promise for the treatment of hepatic ischemia–reperfusion (I/R) injury. This study aims to investigate the role of Baicalin‐pretreated BMSCs‐derived exosomes in hepatic I/R injury and its mechanisms. BMSCs were pretreated with or without Baicalin, and their exosomes (Ba‐Exo and Exo) were collected and characterized. These exosomes were administered to mice via tail vein injection. Treatment with Exo and Ba‐Exo significantly suppressed the elevation of ALT and AST induced by hepatic injury. Additionally, both Exo and Ba‐Exo treatments resulted in a reduction in the liver weight‐to‐body weight ratio. RT‐PCR results revealed a significant downregulation of pro‐inflammatory cytokines with Exo and Ba‐Exo treatment. Both Exo and Ba‐Exo treatment improved the Th17/Treg cell imbalance induced by I/R and reduced hepatic injury. Additionally, exosomes were cocultured with normal liver cells, and the expression of fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) in liver cells was elevated through Ba‐Exo treatment. After treatment, the JAK2/STAT3 pathway was inhibited, and FOXO1 expression was upregulated. Finally, recombinant FGF21 was injected into mouse tail veins to assess its effects. Recombinant FGF21 injection further inhibited the JAK2/STAT3 pathway, increased FOXO1 expression, and improved the Th17/Treg cell imbalance. In conclusion, this study confirms the protective effects of Exo and Ba‐Exo against hepatic I/R injury. Ba‐Exo mitigates hepatic I/R injury, achieved through inducing FGF21 expression in liver cells, inhibiting the JAK2/STAT3 pathway, and activating FOXO1 expression. Therefore, baicalin pretreatment emerges as a promising strategy to enhance the therapeutic capability of BMSCs‐derived exosomes for hepatic I/R. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies did not provide substantial evidence for long‐term immune persistence after the hepatitis B vaccine (HepB) in preterm birth (PTB) children. Consequently, there is ongoing controversy surrounding the booster immunization strategy for these children. Therefore, we conducted a retrospective cohort study to evaluate the disparities in immune persistence between PTB children and full‐term children. A total of 1027 participants were enrolled in this study, including 505 PTB children in the exposure group and 522 full‐term children in the control group. The negative rate of hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb) in the PTB group was significantly lower than that in the control group (47.9% vs. 41.4%, p =.035). The risk of HBsAb‐negative in the exposure group was 1.5 times higher than that in the control group (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.5, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.1–2.0). The geometric mean concentration (GMC) of HBsAb was much lower for participants in the exposure group compared to participants in the control group (9.3 vs. 12.4 mIU/mL, p =.029). Subgroup analysis showed that the very preterm infants (gestational age <32 weeks) and the preterm low birth weight infants (birth weight <2000 g) had relatively low GMC levels of 3.2 mIU/mL (95% CI: 0.9–11.1) and 7.9 mIU/mL (95% CI: 4.2–14.8), respectively. Our findings demonstrated that PTB had a significant impact on the long‐term persistence of HBsAb after HepB vaccination. The very preterm infants (gestational age <32 weeks) and the preterm low birth weight infants (birth weight <2000 g) may be special populations that should be given priority for HepB booster vaccination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: White matter hyperintensities (WMHs) are associated with cognitive deficits and worse clinical outcomes in dementia, but rare studies have been carried out of cognitive impairment in Lewy body disease (CI‐LB) patients. The objective was to investigate the associations between WMHs and clinical manifestations in patients with CI‐LB. Methods: In this retrospective multicentre cohort study, 929 patients (486 with dementia with Lewy bodies [DLB], 262 with Parkinson's disease dementia [PDD], 74 with mild cognitive impairment [MCI] with Lewy bodies [MCI‐LB] and 107 with Parkinson's disease with MCI [PD‐MCI]) were analysed from 22 memory clinics between January 2018 and June 2022. Demographic and clinical data were collected by reviewing medical records. WMHs were semi‐quantified according to the Fazekas method. Associations between WMHs and clinical manifestations were investigated by multivariate linear or logistic regression models. Results: Dementia with Lewy bodies patients had the highest Fazekas scores compared with PDD, MCI‐LB and PD‐MCI. Multivariable regressions showed the Fazekas score was positively associated with the scores of Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Part III (p = 0.001), Hoehn−Yahn stage (p = 0.004) and total Neuropsychiatric Inventory (p = 0.001) in MCI‐LB and PD‐MCI patients. In patients with DLB and PDD, Fazekas scores were associated with the absence of rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder (p = 0.041) and scores of Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Part III (p < 0.001), Hoehn−Yahn stage (p < 0.001) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (p = 0.014). Conclusion: White matter hyperintensity burden of DLB was higher than for PDD, MCI‐LB and PD‐MCI. The greater WMH burden was significantly associated with poorer cognitive performance, worse motor function and more severe neuropsychiatric symptoms in CI‐LB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is a growing interest in the role of immune and inflammatory responses in mental disorders (MDs). Mean platelet volume (MPV) is an extensively utilized hemogram parameter that reflects systemic inflammation and immune function. Our research sought to determine whether a connection exists between MPV and various types of MDs. Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, PsychINFO, and Web of Science for eligible studies from inception to 15 February 2023, supplemented by manual searching the references from relevant articles. We applied standardized mean difference (SMD) and its 95% confidence interval (CI) to estimate the differences in MPV values in patients with MDs compared to controls. Results: We analyzed data from 24 surveys with 4843 participants (2450 patients with MDs and 2393 healthy controls). Two‐step meta‐analyses were conducted to estimate the SMD in MPV value between individuals with and without MDs. Higher MPV values were substantially linked to MDs (i.e., depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia). Moderator and stratified analyses revealed that the aggregate effects were more robust in specific populations, such as younger patients and those who had not taken antipsychotic medication within the previous month. Conclusions: Our findings corroborate the role of inflammatory response in the pathogenesis of MDs and the pharmacological treatment of these conditions. Regarding the considerable heterogeneity among studies, the level of evidence was very low to moderate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A fast and facile protocol for the sulfenylative spirocyclization of biaryl ynones employing PIFA under mild conditions is reported. A range of sulfenylated spiro[5.5]trienones were obtained in moderate to good yields. This transformation involves a radical process via a 6‐exo‐trig dearomative spirocyclization procedure. This method can be extended to the synthesis of selenium or tellurium‐substituted spiro[5.5]trienone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, steel slag foamed ceramics were fabricated by using steel slag, kaolin, feldspar, and quartz as main raw materials, and adding SiC as high‐temperature foaming agent. The effects of steel slag content and SiC particle size on porosity and mechanical properties of foamed ceramics were researched. Results indicate that when content of steel slag is 40 wt%, and particle size of SiC is 20 µm, foamed ceramics exhibited optimized properties: water absorption rate of 2.59%, total porosity of 55.91%, bulk density of 1.33 g·cm−3, and compressive strength of 1.21 MPa. The results show that with the increase of steel slag content, the phase composition of foamed ceramics changes, and foam process is hindered. The increase of steel slag content contributes to the formation of diopside. Fe3+, Fe2+ in liquid phase enter into diopside by solid solution, the amount of liquid phase decreases. Liquid phase mass transfer slows down, and content of SiC in liquid phase decreases, so that the porosity decreases. At the same steel slag content, different SiC particle size affects the difference between pressure inside the closed pore and surface pressure, thereby the porosity changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: GJB2 mutations are among the most important causes of deafness, and their prevalence varies greatly among different countries and ethnic groups. This study aimed to determine the pathogenic mutation spectrum of GJB2 in patients with nonsyndromic hearing loss (NSHL) in Western Guangdong and to explore the pathogenic characteristics of the c.109G>A locus. Methods: In total, 97 NSHL patients and 212 normal controls (NC) were included in this study. Genetic sequencing analyses were performed on GJB2. Results: In the NSHL group, the main pathogenic mutations in GJB2 were as follows: c.109G>A, c.235delC, and c.299_300delAT with allele frequencies of 9.28%, 4.12%, and 2.06%, respectively. c.109G>A was the most frequently detected pathogenic mutation in this region. In the NC group, the allele frequency of c.109G>A among 30–50 years old subjects was markedly lower than that among 0–30 years old subjects (5.31% vs. 11.11%, p < 0.05). Conclusion: We found the pathogenic mutation spectrum of GJB2 in this region and showed that c.109G>A was the most common GJB2 mutation with unique characteristics, such as clinical phenotypic heterogeneity and delayed onset. Therefore, the c.109G>A mutation should be considered as an essential marker for routine genetic assessment of deafness, which can also be beneficial for preventing deafness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To synthesize the evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of antihypertensive treatment for mild pregnancy hypertension. Methods: We searched various databases from inception to June 2022, using keywords including hypertension; pregnancy; therapy; treatment; pregnancy outcomes; maternal outcomes; and perinatal outcomes. Only RCTs of antihypertensive treatment for mild hypertension in pregnancy comparing placebo/no therapy were included. We used Review Manager version 5.3 for statistical analyses. Results: In all, eight studies were eligible, with a total of 4211 participants. Compared with control, the active treatment significantly prevented preeclampsia (OR 0.55; 95%CI, 0.39–0.78), placental abruption (OR 0.39; 95%CI, 0.17–0.91), severe hypertension (OR 0.35; 95%CI, 0.17–0.71), end–organ dysfunction (OR 0.34; 95%CI, 0.19–0.62) and preterm birth (OR 0.69; 95%CI, 0.59–0.82), with no increased risk of small for gestational age (SGA) (OR 1.25; 95%CI, 0.78–2.00), or admission to the NICU (OR 0.83; 95%CI, 0.54–1.28). Subgroup analyses demonstrated that the tight control group did not show an advantage over the less‐tight control group in improving pregnancy outcomes. Conclusion: In pregnant women with mild pregnancy‐induced hypertension or chronic hypertension, antihypertensive treatment still provided precise benefits of improving pregnancy outcomes without increased risk in fetal outcomes. Synopsis: Antihypertensive treatment provided precise benefits of improving pregnancy outcomes without increased risk in fetal outcomes for pregnant women with mild hypertension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, an innovative powder‐cored wire arc additive manufacturing (PC‐WAAM) process is proposed to fabricate γ‐TiAl thin‐walled intermetallic alloy. The metallography, phase composition, and mechanical properties at different thin‐wall locations are characterized. The results show that the alternatively distributed layer‐like microstructure composed of α2 (Ti3Al) and γ (TiAl) phases is obtained along the building direction. The content of α2 phase exhibits the tendency of decreasing from the bottom to top region. This unique microstructure characteristic is closely related to the typical thermal cycling history during deposition. Moreover, the tensile strength and microhardness of the top region are lower than the middle and bottom region. In general, the current PC‐WAAM technique shows promising capability of fabricating γ‐TiAl intermetallic alloy with low cost. This work becomes a valuable reference for understanding the evolution mechanism of microstructure and paves the way for the flexible and customized additive manufacturing of γ‐TiAl alloy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the industry, there is still a substantial amount of old in‐service equipment without a fault warning function. To provide an effective fault monitoring scheme for the in‐service motor drive system inside the equipment, this paper proposes a fault diagnosis method based on the DC‐link current at the power side, which can complete the fault monitoring task only outside the equipment without disassembly and assembly of the equipment and the inside installation of sensors. The effect of open‐circuit faults on DC‐link current is thoroughly examined and classified into four classes. To locate the faulty switching component of voltage‐source‐inverter (VSI), one electric period of DC‐link current is split into six regions according to the current vector position. And the relationship between current vector regions, fault signatures, and fault locations is summarized. Additionally, a low‐pass filter is used to smooth the DC‐link current and reduce the bandwidth limit of current sensors. Open circuit faults can be detected and located by identifying the fault signature in the DC‐link current and rotor position. Finally, the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed method are verified by experiment results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To further reduce the NOx emissions of the down‐fired boiler while improving its low‐load stable combustion capacity, a new low NOx combustion organization mode that utilizes the high velocity parallel oil‐secondary air to improve the pulverized coal combustion process was proposed based on a novel stable combustion technology. We carried out cold airflow experiments under different oil‐secondary air and F‐layer secondary air distributions (mass flow rate ratios of 1:9, 1:3, 2:3) based on a 300 MWe Foster Wheeler down‐fired boiler to study its influence on the flow and mixing characteristics of the coal/airflow. Results show that the mixing between the oil‐secondary air and the fuel‐rich coal/airflow is gradually delayed with the increase of the secondary air distribution. When the secondary air distribution reaches more than 2:3, the oil‐secondary air starts to become the dominant airflow that influences the whole flow field in the furnace. Based on the result of the cold airflow experiment, we carried out industrial measurements under different parallel oil‐secondary air and F‐layer secondary air distributions (4:6, 5:5, 6:4) on a 600 MWe FW down‐fired boiler under the condition of using the high velocity oil‐secondary air. The ignition distance of the fuel‐rich coal/airflow, the flue gas temperature, the O2, CO, and NOx concentrations in the furnace were measured. At the secondary air distribution of 4:6, the ignition distance of the fuel‐rich coal/airflow was about 1.31 m. When the secondary air distribution was increased to 5:5 and 6:4, the ignition was put off, but the pulverized coal/airflow could still catch on fire in time. With the increase of the parallel oil‐secondary air proportion, the flame center in the furnace did not move downward substantially. In three cases, the lowest O2 concentrations in the inspection port area under the burner were all below 1% (peak CO concentration values were all above 28,000 ppm). The pulverized coal all burned in a strong reducing atmosphere. At secondary air distributions of 4:6, 5:5, and 6:4, NOx emissions of the boiler were, respectively, 825.83, 819.48, and 853.86 mg/Nm3 (O2 = 6%). The thermal efficiency was, respectively, 90.09%, 89.16%, and 90.98%. In actual operation, the recommended secondary air distribution is 6:4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: In the present study, the association between Hemoglobin (HGB) level and cognitive profile was investigated and whether it affected the dementia risk in older adults.Methods: A cross-sectional population-based survey that included 3519 individuals ≥65 years of age was conducted in 2019. Basic demographic characteristics were collected. The neuropsychological assessments and blood tests were administered to evaluate cognition and HGB level. Generalized additive models were used to analyze the non-linear association between HGB levels and cognitive function. Logistics regression models were utilized to analyze the associations between HGB level and dementia risk.Results: Overall, 459 (12.7%) participants were diagnosed with dementia and there were more females (54.7%) than males (45.3%). The number of subjects with anemia (3%) or hyperhemoglobinemia (5.2%) was higher than participants with normal HGB level. A visual representation of the relationship between HGB level and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score showed an inverted U-curve, which is more evident in female. Logistics regression models showed that anemia (odds ratio, OR = 1.826, 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.166-2.860, p < 0.01), but not hyperhemoglobinemia, significantly increased the risk of dementia. These trends were not the same for males and females. An abnormal HGB level had greater effects in females, resulting in higher risk of dementia for females with anemia or hyperhemoglobinemia than subjects with normal HGB level including males.Conclusion: Both low and high HGB levels can lead to cognitive decline in the incidence of dementia, indicating an inverted U-shaped curve association may exist between HGB level and global cognitive profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: With the improvement of industrial informatization, various industrial control system network protocols have also been widely used. The reliability of these protocols will directly affect the safety of industrial control systems. As an effective method that can automatically analyze system reliability, model checking has been widely used in the verification of various safety‐critical systems. In this paper, we propose a modeling design method for industrial control network protocol based on time semantic reconstruction of time state transition matrix (TSTM). In addition, we provide a TSTM model checking method based on linear temporal logic (LTL). In order to effectively alleviate the state space explosion, the method adopts bounded model checking (BMC) technology. Furthermore, we implement a TSTM model verification tool called ICPV. Finally, we apply the above method to the modeling and verification of the industrial control network protocol Powerlink and through a comparison experiment with UPPAAL to illustrate the effectiveness of the method proposed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer (PEMWE) technology is of interest in the context of electrocatalytic hydrogen generation from renewable energies. It has the benefits of immediate response, higher proton conductivity, lower ohmic losses, and gas crossover rate. One key step toward to large‐scale application, is the development of highly efficient, durable, and compatible anodic oxygen evolution electrocatalysts in acidic media to decrease the usage of expensive and scarce precious metals. Within this scenario, an in‐depth understanding of oxygen evolution reaction mechanisms including the adsorption evolution mechanism and lattice oxygen evolution mechanism is first provided to aid development of innovative materials and elucidate the origin of catalyst degradation. Second, recent progress in the development of oxygen evolution electrocatalysts in acid media is reviewed with an emphasis on the underlying structure–performance relationships. Third, the current application status and research progress in PEMWEs along with representative examples are discussed. Last, the remaining challenges and promising insights are proposed to inspire future studies on the development of hydrogen production technology from renewable energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A one‐pot protocol for constructing 1,4‐difunctionalized quinoline/pyridine derivatives via the reaction of N‐heteroaromatics, alkyl halides, and active methylene/methyl compounds was developed. The transformation involves dearomative functionalization of an in situ‐activated N‐heteroaromatic to construct new C−N and C=C bonds. This reaction has a broad substrate scope and functional group tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims/Introduction: The correlation between triglyceride to high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL‐C) ratio variability and incident diabetes has not been fully elucidated. We aimed to characterize the relationship between TG/HDL‐C ratio variability and new‐onset diabetes in Chinese adults. Materials and Methods: A total of 45,911 patients with three TG and HDL measurements between 2006 and 2011 were enrolled. Average real variability (ARV) were used to evaluate variability, and participants were grouped according to tertiles of TG/HDL‐ARV. Results: There were 3,724 cases of incident diabetes mellitus during the observation period (6.24 ± 1.2 years). The 7‐year cumulative incidences of diabetes mellitus in tertiles 1, 2 and 3 were 6.13%, 8.09% and 11.77%, respectively. New‐onset diabetes increased with the tertiles of TG/HDL‐ARV. This association was further confirmed after adjustment for mean TG/HDL‐C ratio, TG/HDL‐C ratio change slope, fasting plasma glucose variability (ARV) and other traditional risk factors for diabetes, the hazard ratio value for incident diabetes was 1.38 (1.25–1.50) for the highest tertile, and risk of diabetes increases by 4% with a one standard deviation increase in TG/HDL‐C ratio variability. Restricted cubic splines showed a dose–response relationship between TG/HDL‐C ratio variability and incident diabetes. Similar results were obtained in various subgroup and sensitivity analyses. Conclusions: High TG/HDL‐C variability was associated with a higher risk of diabetes in Chinese adults, independent of the direction of TG/HDL‐C variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the effect of different zinc salts (ZnCl2 and ZnSO4) on the deactivation of activated carbon(AC)‐based Mn−Ce catalysts and the poisoning mechanism of zinc salts on Mn−Ce/AC are comparatively studied. SEM, BET, XRD, XPS, H2‐TPR, NH3‐TPD and In‐situ DRIFT are used to characterize the physical and chemical changes of Mn−Ce/AC catalyst. The Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) activities of Mn−Ce/AC has a noticeable decline after loading zinc salts, and the highest NO conversion of Zn poisoning catalysts do not exceed 70 %. And the acid site is occupied by Zn2+ on the catalyst, which affects the chemical adsorption of NH3 and hinders the formation of the intermediate ‐NH2. Moreover, the decrease of Mn4+, reducibility of manganese oxide and acid sites are more serious on ZnC−Mn‐Ce/AC. Besides, loading ZnSO4 can improve the content of Ce3+ and Oβ on catalyst surface, which can mitigate the poisoning effects of ZnSO4 on Mn−Ce/AC catalyst. Hence, ZnCl2 displays a more serious poisoning effect on Mn−Ce/AC catalyst compared with ZnSO4. Then the probable mechanism model of ZnCl2 and ZnSO4 on Mn−Ce /AC catalyst is proposed and compared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims/Introduction: A higher ratio of triglyceride to high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL‐C) is considered as the independent risk index of cardiovascular (CV) events. However, cohort studies regarding this correlation are rarely reported, especially in the Chinese population. The aim of present study was to explore the relationship of the TG/HDL‐C ratio with CV risks among Chinese adults during 10‐year follow‐up period. Materials and Methods: We carried out a prospective study using data obtained from 96,542 individuals in Kailuan, who were grouped through the median value (0.8533) of the TG/HDL‐C ratio. Adverse outcomes mainly referred to major CV events. We used the person‐years incidence and cumulative incidence to predict the morbidity. The risk of CV events was estimated through Cox proportional hazard models. Results: The mean age of the cohort was 51.5 ± 12.6 years, and 79.6% of participants were men. During a median follow‐up period of 9.75 years, 5,422 major CV events occurred, including 1,312 myocardial infarction cases and 4,228 stroke cases. The cumulative incidence of myocardial infarction, stroke and total CV events was 1.36% (range 1.29–1.43%), 4.38% (range 4.25–4.51%) and 5.62% (range 5.47–5.76%), respectively. Compared with low the TG/HDL‐C ratio (≤0.8533) group, the high TG/HDL‐C ratio (>0.8533) group had higher morbidity of CV events. The hazard ratio of total CV events, stroke and myocardial infarction was 1.19 (95% CI 1.12–1.26), 1.11 (95% CI 1.03–1.18) and 1.50 (95% CI 1.33–1.70), respectively. Furthermore, the TG/HDL‐C ratio and major CV events had a line‐shaped relationship with each other. Conclusions: Among the Chinese population, a higher TG/HDL‐C ratio is correlated with an increased risk of major CV events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anion exchange membranes were prepared from graft polymerization of 4‐vinylbenzyl chloride on low‐density polyethylene matrix and subsequent amination with trimethylamine solution. The graft polymerization was initiated by benzoyl peroxide instead of gamma ray radiation. The resulting membranes had insufficient anion exchange functional groups; however, this could be enhanced by adding 10% styrene to 4‐vinylbenzyl chloride in a graft polymerization reaction. Further addition of styrene resulted in a decrease of the ion exchange capacity of anion exchange membranes due to competition with 4‐vinylbenzyl chloride in graft polymerization onto polyethylene. These were evidenced by analytical titration, elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy and 1H NMR. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry Styrene addition enhanced grafting of 4‐vinylbenzyl chloride onto polyethylene in copolymerization and the ion exchange capacity of the anion exchange membrane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aim of this study was to develop a novel long non‐coding RNA (lncRNA) expression signature to accurately predict early recurrence for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after curative resection. Methods: Using expression profiles downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas database, we identified multiple lncRNAs with differential expression between early recurrence (ER) and non‐early recurrence (non‐ER) groups of patients with HCC. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator for logistic regression models were used to develop an lncRNA‐based classifier for predicting ER in the training set. An independent test set was used to validate the predictive value of this classifier. Furthermore, a co‐expression network based on these lncRNAs and its highly related genes was constructed and Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analyses of genes in the network were carried out. Results: We identified 10 differentially expressed lncRNAs, including three that were upregulated and seven that were downregulated in the ER group. The lncRNA‐based classifier was constructed based on seven lncRNAs (AL035661.1, PART1, AC011632.1, AC109588.1, AL365361.1, LINC00861, and LINC02084), and its accuracy was 0.83 in the training set, 0.87 in the test set, and 0.84 in the total set. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed the area under the curve was 0.741 in the training set, 0.824 in the test set, and 0.765 in the total set. A functional enrichment analysis suggested that the genes highly related to four lncRNAs are involved in the immune system. Conclusion: The expression profile of seven lncRNAs can effectively predict ER after surgical resection for HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combination of artificial skin substitutes and epidermis grafts has been regarded as a promising therapeutic strategy for severe skin injury. Herein, a novel dermal substitute scaffold was manufactured with sodium alginate/gelatin composite material via extrusion freeforming technique and the appropriate printing parameters were investigated. In addition, several strategies of crosslinking process were applied to the scaffolds. Then Fourier transform infrared analysis, SEM observation, uniaxial compression test, dynamic degradation experiment and characterization of deformation were conducted to study the influence of crosslinking processes. Experimental results indicated that a three‐stage crosslinking process can make dermal substitute scaffolds with physicochemical properties that match with human skin tissue and satisfy requirements of skin tissue engineering. Finally, the cell proliferation result also confirms that the scaffolds have benign biocompatibility. This study presents a new potential approach, combining the three‐dimensional bioprinting with mature crosslinking process, to make bioactive dermal substitute scaffold. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 58:1782–1790, 2018. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Direct methanol fuel cells are promising renewable energy devices for automobiles and portable electronic devices. The development of high effciency, poison tolerance, long‐term stability, and noble metal‐free electrocatalysts for methanol oxidation is still a major challenge. Herein, we develop a noble metal‐free, 3D self‐supported, defect‐rich, hierarchical shell‐core structured Ni3S2 composite on Ni foam as electrocatalyst. This electrocatalyst shows a good activity, poison tolerance, and long‐term durability towards methanol oxidation in alkaline media. It shows the lowest onset potential (−340 mV vs. Hg/HgO) among all the Ni‐based catalysts reported up to date and a Pt‐level specific activity. The methanol oxidation peak current of the electrocatalyst retains more than 97.5 % even after 5,000 voltammetry cycles in 0.5 M KOH+1 M CH3OH. The morphology and composition of the electrocatalysts before and after stability test were characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD, and XPS. The high activity, poison tolerance, and stability are attributed to the binder‐free, directly grown Ni3S2 shell on the Ni foam backbone, the lattice defect sites, and the synergetic effects between the in‐situ formed active NiOx core and Ni3S2 shell during methanol oxidation. This work indicates that the self‐supported hierarchical shell‐core Ni3S2@Ni foam electrocatalyst is a viable alternative for commercial Pt‐based electrocatalyst applied in fuel cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of adjusting the inner-secondary-air damper opening among 100%, 70%, and 50% on the flow, combustion, and NO x emissions of a 600-MWe down-fired boiler incorporating multiple-injection and multiple-staging technology were investigated. Both 1 : 20-scale aerodynamic tests and industrial experiments were conducted. The small-scale tests showed that symmetric flow patterns formed in all cases, and the velocities of boundary and outer secondary air decayed more quickly than the velocity of inner secondary air. As the inner-secondary-air damper opening decreased from 100% to 50%, the average dimensionless depth of downward airflow reduced from 0.830 to 0.788 while the horizontal velocity in the recirculation zone increased. Industrial experiments demonstrated that, as the inner-secondary-air damper opening decreased from 100% to 50%, the heating rate of fuel-rich coal/air flow increased from 572 to 687°C/m, the corresponding ignition distance shortened from 1.36 to 1.11 m, and the hopper near-wall temperature decreased by approximately 50°C. Carbon in fly ash decreased from 7.31% to 6.93%, and NO x emissions rose from 343 to 371 ppm at 6% O2. The boiler efficiency improved from 89.78% to 89.92%. An inner-secondary-air damper opening of 70% is more reasonable than 50% and 100% considering the ignition distance, carbon in fly ash, and NO x emissions. Copyright © 2017 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laboratory experiments and industrial-scale experiments on 300-MW low-volatile coal-fired boiler were performed under deep air staging. Aerodynamic characteristics, gas temperature and concentrations, furnace temperature, and boiler efficiency were measured for various secondary air mass flow rates. Under deep air staging, a steady central recirculation zone forms near the burner nozzle. With a decreasing flow rate, the swirl intensity and maximum axial, radial, and tangential velocities decrease; between X/D=0-0.8, the velocity decay rate decreases, and the relative reverse flow rate decreases. In the early stage, the maximum axial mixing rate decreases; the primary air concentration increases slightly. A decrease in secondary air-box damper opening decreases the gas temperature and its increasing rate, generating a farther ignition position. In the initial stage, the O2 consumption rate and CO concentration increase, while the NOx concentration decreases. In the later stage, O2 concentration remains almost constant below 2%, and the CO concentrations exceed 15 000 ppm, which restrain NOx formation notably. Near the water-cooled wall, flue gas temperature varies slightly, and O2 concentration exceeds 3%. Along radial direction 1.5364 ⩽ R0/D0 ⩽ 1.8708, the O2 concentrations are below 2%, and CO concentrations exceed 6000 ppm. A decreasing damper opening decreases furnace temperature in the primary combustion zone slightly. NOx emission decreases from 833.4 to 769.9 mg/m3 (6% O2), unburnt carbon increases from 5.18% to 6.84%, and boiler efficiency decreases from 91.53% to 90.99%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low NO x burners and air staging technology are the most economic and effective means of reducing NO x emissions from coal-fired furnaces. However, it is difficult to significantly reduce NO x emissions through air-staged combustion in the furnace without reducing the boiler efficiency. The aim of this work was to study the effect of the inner secondary air cone length of a centrally fuel-rich swirl coal combustion burner on combustion and NOx characteristics using a 0.5 MW laboratory furnace with air-staging. Gas temperature and concentrations of gaseous species (O2, CO, and NO x) were measured in the primary combustion and burnout zones for different inner secondary air cone lengths. It was found that the inner secondary air cone length had significant effects on NO x emissions, unburned carbon content in the fly ash, and ignition performance of the burner. As the inner secondary air cone length increased, the unburned carbon content in the fly ash level increased, NO x emissions decreased, and pulverized-coal ignition occurred later. The optimized results provide an important reference for engineering design. © 2015 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerical simulations are carried out to investigate the influence of burner nozzle–organization–mode (N–O–M) on flow field distribution and combustion characteristics of a 300‐MWe subcritical down‐fired boiler. Three typical N–O–Ms respectively designed with Mitsui Babcock Energy Limited (MBEL), fuel‐lean coal/air flow down‐setting (FD), and multi‐injection multistaging combustion (MIMSC) technology are studied, plus industrial‐size measurements on the original MBEL boiler. Vertical velocity attenuation index (η) and maximum dimensionless penetrating depth (γ) are introduced to estimate the transfer effect and penetrating capacity of pulverized coal/air flow. Results uncover that under the N–O–M based on MBEL technology, flow field and temperature field are deflective. η is 9.257. Under N–O–Ms based on FD and MIMSC technology, flow field and temperature field present obvious symmetry. η respectively are 4.365 and 2.921. γ are correspondingly about 0.8 and 1.36. Carbon content in fly ash and NOx emissions at furnace outlet are lowest (5.77% and 735.21 mg/m3 (O2 = 6%)) under the N–O–M with MIMSC technology. The bigger the η is, the worse penetrating characteristics of coal/air flow is, resulting in poor burnout of pulverized coal. Therefore, MIMSC technology is recommended for the boiler improvement, and η should be taken into account in the design of new down‐fired boiler N–O–Ms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]