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Phenyl molybdate-modified phenolic fibers (PMoPFs) were prepared by melt spinning from the corresponding resin which was polymerized from phenol, formaldehyde, and phenyl molybdate, followed by solution curing and then heat curing processes. The molecular structures, including characteristic groups and molecular weight, were examined by nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and gel permeation chromatography. The influences of the curing processes were demonstrated by mechanical properties, scanning electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis characterization. PMoPF with 8 wt% molybdic acid and cured in an oven possessed a tensile strength as high as 187 MPa, initial decomposition temperature of 300°C, and a char yield under nitrogen atmosphere at 800°C as high as 66.0%, with the molybdate (MoO42−) groups being introduced into the phenolic main chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the appearance of the concept of virtual enterprise, it is necessary to develop a system that can support the collaborative work of multi-disciplinary groups distributed in different places. This paper puts forward a feature-based collaborative design system; briefly presents a model of collaborative design and the definition, classification and relationship of the features in this system; discusses key techniques related to realizing feature-based collaborative design in detail; and finally gives the architecture of the feature-based collaborative design system. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The forming of sheet metal into a desired and functional shape is a process, which requires an understanding of materials, mechanics, and manufacturing principles. Furthermore, producing consistent sheet metal components is challenging due to the nonlinear interactions of various material and process parameters. One of the major causes for the fabrication of inconsistent sheet metal parts is springback, the elastic strain recovery in the material after the tooling is removed. In this paper, springback of a steel channel forming process is controlled using an artificial neural network and a stepped binder force trajectory. Punch trajectory, which reflects variations in material properties, thickness and friction condition, was used as the key control parameter in the neural network. Consistent springback angles were obtained in experiments using this control scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies the prediction of springback angle in the straight flanging operation of sheet metal. Use of an analytical model, finite element method and reproducing kernel particle method (RKPM); Development of contact algorithm and computation of springback angle; Material property parameters used in flanging simulation; Evidence that kinematic hardening law has a better prediction than the isotropic hardening law.

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the security and feasibility of three-dimensional (3D) printing technology- assisted laparoscopic cryoablation to treat small renal tumors.Patients and Methods: Four patients recruited from our hospital from April 2016 to August 2017 underwent 3D printing technology-assisted laparoscopic cryoablation. Three-dimensional reconstruction technology was used to mimic cryoablation treatment before operations to determine the number of needles needed for the operation and the depth and angle required for needle insertion into the tumor to preserve nephron integrity. CT scans were used to assess the treatment's efficacy after operation during regular follow-up.Results: The operation was performed successfully in all cases and all patients recovered without major complications. The operation times ranged from 106 to 118 minutes and blood loss ranged from 50 to 100 mL. The follow-up times were between 8-16 months and the mean time was 13.3 months. Follow-up surveys were conducted regularly based on a standard outpatient protocol. Results showed no abnormal reinforcing signals in cryoablation treated areas.Conclusion: 3D printing technology-assisted laparoscopic cryoablation is a feasible method for the treatment of renal tumors and may be a way to better preserve nephrons, especially in elderly patients and/or those with comorbidities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methanogens are methane-producing archaea (some of the most primitive organisms on Earth), which possess great phylogenetic and ecological diversity in modern ecosystems. However, cellular fossil evidence of methanogens remains extremely scarce throughout the geological record. Here, we report a new population of spheroidal microstructures composed of dolomite observed in Permian lake deposits in northwestern China. The microspheres exhibit indicators of biological affinity and are well preserved in authigenic dolomite with cellular fidelity. Based on morphological and geochemical evidence, these microspheres are interpreted as fossilized cells of methanogenic archaea, which can be divided into three size-based taxa. These microfossils are the first fossil record of spheroidal methanogens. The microfossil-bearing dolomite exhibits extremely positive δ13C values (up to +20‰ relative to Vienna Peedee belemnite) that are attributed to microbial methanogenesis. The results suggest that methanogens were a significant component of this Permian lake biosphere. As a consequence of the metabolic activity of the methanogens, a large amount of biogenic methane was produced through methanogenesis in the anoxic lake sediments. This study not only fills a gap in the fossil record of methanogenic archaea, but it also provides new insights into methane emissions from ancient lakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding variations in tropical cyclone (TC) translation speed (TCS) is of great importance for islands and coastal regions since it is an important factor in determining TC-induced local damages. Investigating the long-term change in TCS was usually subject to substantial limitations in the quality of historical TC records, but here we investigated the interannual variability in TCS over the western North Pacific (WNP) Ocean by using reliable satellite TC records. It was found that both temporal changes in large-scale steering flow and TC track greatly contributed to interannual variability in the WNP TCS. In the peak season (July-September), TCS changes were closely related to temporal variations in large-scale steering flow, which was linked to the intensity of the western North Pacific subtropical high. However, for the late season (October--December), changes in TC track played a vital role in interannual variability in TCS while the impacts of temporal variations in large-scale steering were weak. The changes in TC track were mainly contributed by the El Niño-- Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-induced zonal migrations in TC genesis locations, which make more or fewer TCs move to the subtropical WNP, thus leading to notable changes in the basinwide TCS because of the much greater large-scale steering in the subtropical WNP. The increased influence of TC track change on TCS in the late season was linked to the greater contrast between the subtropical and the tropical large-scale steering in the late season. These results have important implications for understanding current and future variations in TCS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents findings of a study which determined the role of the mechanical strain of human airway smooth muscle (HASM) cells in inducing their proliferation and migration. Contribution of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) to strain-induced HASM proliferation and migration; Integration of extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer within HASM cells; Role of MMP in HASM cell migration and invasion; Effect of cyclic strain of HSM on Tenascin-C release.

Background Previous studies have demonstrated that intensive blood pressure (BP) lowering treatment reduces the risk of all-cause mortality and provides greater vascular protection for patients with hypertension. Whether intensive BP lowering treatment is associated with such benefits in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus remain unknown. We aimed to clarify these benefits by method of meta-analysis. Methods The PubMed, EMBASE, Science Citation Index and Cochrane Library databases were searched to identify randomized controlled trials (RCT) that fulfilled study inclusion criteria. Two investigators independently extracted and summarized the relevant data of the included trials. Random-effects model was applied to calculate the estimates of all effect measures. Results We included 16 RCTs and our meta-analysis showed that intensive BP lowering treatment vs less intensive BP lowering treatment resulted in significant reductions in the all-cause mortality risk [relative risk (RR), 0.82; 95% CI, 0.70–0.96], major CV events (RR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.73–0.92, MI (RR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.77–0.96), stroke (RR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.60–0.88, CV death (RR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.58–0.92) and albuminuria progression (RR, 0.91 95% CI, 0.84–0.98). However, intensive BP lowering treatment had no clear effect on non-CV death (RR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.79–1.20), heart failure (HF) (RR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.71–1.08) or end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) (RR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.75–1.33). Subgroup analysis showed that the reduction in all cause-mortality was consistent across most patient groups, and intensive BP lowering treatment had a clear benefit even in patients with systolic blood pressure lower than 140 mm Hg. However, the benefit differed in patients with different CV risk (≥10%: RR, 0.77, 95%CI, 0.64–0.91; <10%: RR, 1.04, 95%CI, 0.84–1.29; Phetero = 0.028). Conclusions Our data indicate that intensive BP lowering treatment provides greater benefits than less intensive treatment among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Further studies are required to more clearly evaluate the benefits and harms of BP targets below those currently recommended with intensive BP lowering treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer is the most frequent malignant disease in women worldwide. It is a heterogeneous and complex genetic disease with different molecular characteristics. MAPT-AS1, a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) existing at the anti-sense strand of the MAPT (microtubule associated protein tau) promoter region, was believed to regulate MAPT, which was associated with disease state in Parkinson's disease. But the role of MAPT-AS1 in breast cancer has never been reported. In our study we found that MAPT-AS1 is overexpressed in breast cancer but not in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), and that high expression of MAPT-AS1 was correlated with better patient survival. In addition, the level of MAPT-AS1 was correlated with the expression of MAPT, and MAPT was associated with survival time in breast cancer. Our study suggests that MAPT-AS1 may play a role and be a potential survival predictive biomarker in breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Powder-based additive manufacturing technologies are developing rapidly. To assess their applicability, comparison of performance and environmental impacts between additive technologies and conventional techniques must be performed. Toyota manufactures over two million aluminum four-cylinder engines in the U.S. each year via die casting. The dies used in this process are traditionally repaired via tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding and only last an average of 20.8% of the number of cycles of the original die life before another repair is needed. A hybrid repair process involving machining away the damaged areas and then rebuilding them additively via powder-blown directed energy deposition (DED) has been developed. The die repaired via DED resulted in the same life as the original die. The use of DED repair eliminated the need for emergency repairs and nonscheduled downtime on the line because the DED repaired dies last for as many cycles as the original die before another repair is needed. Life cycle analyses were conducted comparing the traditional welding repair process to the DED repair process. The results show that the DED repair process results in significantly less damage to the assessed impact categories except for ionizing radiation. Therefore, it can be concluded that the DED repair process could lessen most environmental impacts compared to traditional welding repair. Further work toward increasing energy and material efficiencies of the method could yield further reductions in environmental impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyber-physical systems (CPS) enable unprecedented communication between product designers and manufacturers. Effective use of these technologies both enables and requires a new paradigm of methods and models to identify the most profitable and environmentally friendly production plans for a manufacturing network. The operating system for cyber-physical manufacturing (OSCM) and the paired network operations administration and monitoring (NOAM) software are introduced. These technologies guide our development of a mixed integer bilevel programming (BP) model that models the hierarchy between designers and manufacturers as a Stackelberg game while considering multiple objectives for each of them. Designers select and pay manufacturers, while manufacturers decide how to execute the order with the payment provided by the designer. To solve the model, a tailored solution method combining a decomposition-based approach with approximation of the lower level Pareto-optimal solution set is proposed. The model is applied to a case study based on a network of manufacturers in Wisconsin and Illinois. With the proposed model, designers and manufacturers alike can take full advantage of CPS to increase profits and decrease environmental impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Representing single-layer to tens of layers of graphene in a size less than 30 nm, carbon quantum dots (CQDs) is becoming an advanced multifunctional material for its unique optical, electronic, spin and photoelectric properties induced by the quantum confinement effect and edge effect. In present work, upon co-doping engineering, nitrogen and chlorine co-doped CQDs with uniquely strong blue-green double emissions are developed via a facile and one-pot hydrothermal method. The crystalline and optical properties of CQDs have been well manipulated by tuning the mole ratio of nitrogen/chlorine and the reaction time. The characteristic green emission centered at 512 nm has been verified, originating from the chlorine-related states, the other blue emissions centered at 460 nm are attributed to the conjugated π-domain. Increasing the proportion of 1,2,4-benzentriamine dihydrochloride can effectively adjust the bandgap of CQDs, mainly caused by the synergy and competition of chlorine-related states and the conjugated π-domain. Prolonging the reaction time promotes more nitrogen and chlorine dopants incorporate into CQDs, which inhibits the growth of CQDs to reduce the average size of CQDs down to 1.5 nm, so that the quantum confinement effect dominates into play. This work not only provides a candidate with excellent optical properties for heteroatoms-doped carbon materials but also benefits to stimulate the intensive studies for co-doped carbon with chlorine as one of new dopants paradigm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon fiber reinforced composites have received growing attention because of their superior performance and high potential for lightweight systems. An economic method to manufacture the parts made of these composites is a sequence of forming followed by a compression molding. The first step in this sequence is called preforming that forms the prepreg, which is the fabric impregnated with the uncured resin, to the product geometry, while the molding process cures the resin. Slip between different prepreg layers is observed in the preforming step, and it is believed to have a non-negligible impact on the resulting geometry. This paper reports a method to characterize the interaction between different prepreg layers, which should be valuable for future predictive modeling and design optimization. An experimental device was built to evaluate the interactions with respect to various industrial production conditions. The experimental results were analyzed for an in-depth understanding about how temperature, relative sliding speed, and fiber orientation affect the tangential interaction between two prepreg layers. Moreover, a hydro-lubricant model was introduced to study the relative motion mechanism of this fabric-resin-fabric system, and the results agreed well with the experiment data. The interaction factors obtained from this research will be implemented in a preforming process finite element simulation model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A highly diastereo- and enantioselective silver-catalyzed azomethine ylide-imine (AYI) cycloaddition reaction of glycine aldimino esters with imines was developed in which the Xing-Phos-controlled syn-selective or DTBM-Segphos-induced anti-selective AYI cycloaddition reaction could be applied to the synthesis of a variety of stereodivergent 1-alkyl-2,5-substituted imidazolidines with high yields and excellent enantioselectivities (up to 99% ee) as well as good diastereoselectivities (up to 99:1 dr) under mild reaction conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: Emerging studies have shown that the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a potential predictor in various tumors. Our study was conducted to assess the prognostic value of the pretreatment NLR in bladder cancer and metastatic or unresectable urothelial carcinoma (mUC or uUC) patients up to July 2017. The correlation between the pretreatment NLR and pathological characteristics was also evaluated in bladder cancer patients. Methods: The hazard ratio (HR) and odds ratio (OR) with the 95% confidence interval (CI) were extracted or calculated from the included studies for further pooled analysis. A total of 21 studies were included in a pooled analysis. Results: The pooled results indicated that a high pretreatment NLR was associated with reduced overall survival (OS) (HR=1.27, 95% CI=1.12-1.43), relapsefree survival (RFS) (HR=1.41, 95% CI=1.23-1.60), progression-free survival (PFS) (HR=1.75, 95% CI=1.36-2.15), disease-specific survival (DSS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) (HR=1.27, 95% CI=1.19-1.35) in the bladder cancer patients. Additionally, an elevated pretreatment NLR suggested a worse OS rate in the mUC or uUC patients (HR=1.63, 95% CI=1.34-1.91). The pooled ORs and 95% CIs showed that a high pretreatment NLR could be a risk indicator for certain pathological features, such as lymphovascular invasion, a positive margin status and advanced tumor stage. Conclusions: our results showed that a high pretreatment NLR predicted poor prognosis in bladder cancer, mUC and uUC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrically assisted (EA) wire drawing process is a hybrid manufacturing process characterized by enhancement of the formability, ductility, and elongation of the wire drawn specimen. A thermomechanical model to describe the change of the mechanical response due to the thermal contribution is proposed in this work. Additionally, a numerical simulation was conducted to study the potential and limitations of this hybrid process by using two different hardening laws: a phenomenological and a dislocation-based hardening laws. The results show how the flow stress, the effective plastic strain, and residual stresses behave under the electroplusing effect. In addition, electron backscattered diffraction was used to study the electropulsing treatments on the microstructure during cold drawing. It is observed a decrease of the high- and low-angle grain boundaries (LAGB) for samples deformed with electropulsing. This detwinning process has a strong influence on the strain hardening by improving the material formability. It was shown that the two proposed hardening laws adequately describe the EA wire drawing process showing a similar mechanical behavior. Nevertheless, the dislocation-based hardening law has the potential to be generalized to many other material and process configurations without extensive number of material tests as the phenomenological hardening law would require. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The enantioselective construction of a family of chiral glycine-derived aldimino esters is described. The asymmetric tandem conjugate addition-elimination procedure is characterized by its exceptional mild reaction conditions and features with an exquisite enantioselectivity profile using commercially available silver/DTBM-SegPhos catalyst, allowing for the facile preparation of a variety of substituted and chiral glutamic acid derivatives (up to 99% ee) bearing Schiff base in a straightforward manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple wideband tubular suspended stripline (SSL) bandpass filter using novel miniaturisation technology is presented. In this design, the equivalent circuit of the proposed filter is considered as the conventional tubular bandpass filter circuit. A new miniaturisation technology called 'different height of cavity' is applied to the filter design. A SSL filter is designed and fabricated with the passband from 0.6 to 1 GHz. The insertion loss is better than 0.6 dB in the passband while the return loss is mostly higher than 20 dB. The group delay variation is <0.2 ns. Good agreement between the simulated and measured result is observed, which proves the validity of the technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the proliferation of smartphones, participatory sensing using smartphones provides unprecedented opportunities for collecting enormous sensing data. There are two crucial requirements in participatory sensing, fair task allocation and energy efficiency, which are particularly challenging given high combinatorial complexity, trade-off between energy efficiency and fairness, and dynamic and unpredictable task arrivals. In this paper, we present a novel fair energy-efficient allocation framework whose objective is characterized by min-max aggregate sensing time. We rigorously prove that optimizing the min-max aggregate sensing time is NP hard even when the tasks are assumed as a priori. We consider two allocation models: offline allocation and online allocation. For the offline allocation model, we design an efficient approximation algorithm with the approximation ratio of 2 -m/1, where m is the number of member smartphones in the system. For the online allocation model, we propose two algorithms: greedy algorithm and Robin-Hood algorithm, which achieve the competitive ratio of at most m and √ m + 1, respectively. The results demonstrate that the approximation algorithm reduces over 81% total sensing time, the online greedy algorithm and Robin-Hood algorithms reduce the total sensing time 73% and 37.5%, respectively. The offline approximation algorithm and online greedy algorithm achieve much better min-max fairness compared to other algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It was found that 1,2-trifluoromethylation reactions of ketones, enones, and aldehydes were easily accomplished using the Prakash reagent in the presence of catalytic amounts of cesium carbonate, which represents an experimentally convenient, atom-economic process for this anionic trifluoromethylation of non-enolisable aldehydes and ketones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In recent years, understanding of the role of asparaginyl endopeptidase (AEP) in tumorigenesis has steadily increased. In this study, we investigated whether AEP expression correlates with sensitivity to chemotherapeutic drugs in gastric cancer and explored the mechanism. Patients and methods: AEP expression in the serum of patients' peripheral blood was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Patient survival time was evaluated using univariate and multivariate analyses. Mass spectrometry and co-immunoprecipitation assays were utilized to discover proteins that interact with AEP. Gastric cancer cell lines were established, in which AEP was overexpressed or knocked out using lentiviral CRISPR. The proliferative abilities of these cell lines in response to chemotherapy agents were evaluated using the Cell Counting Kit-8 method. Gene expression changes in these lines were assessed by real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot. Results: Patients with low expression of AEP were significantly more likely to have a good prognosis and experience complete response or partial response after treatment with docetaxel/ S-1 regimen. Mass spectrum analysis showed that several proteins in the focal adhesion and mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways interacted with AEP. IQGAP1 was confirmed to be one of the proteins interacting with AEP, and its protein level increased when AEP was knocked out. AEP knockout decreased resistance to microtubule inhibitors, including paclitaxel, docetaxel, and T-DM1. The expression levels of MDR1, p-EGFR, p-JNK, p-ERK, and p-Rac1/cdc42 were decreased in AEP knockout gastric cancer cell lines, and inhibitors of both JNK and ERK could block AEP-induced expression of MDR1. Conclusion: AEP was not only a prognostic factor but also a predictive marker. AEP knockout could inhibit the activity of the EGFR/JNK/ERK signaling pathway and improve sensitivity to microtubule inhibitors through interacting with IQGAP1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pre-industrial millennium is among the periods selected by the Paleoclimate Model Intercomparison Project (PMIP) for experiments contributing to the sixth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6) and the fourth phase of PMIP (PMIP4). The past1000 transient simulations serve to investigate the response to (mainly) natural forcing under background conditions not too different from today, and to discriminate between forced and internally generated variability on interannual to centennial time scales. This manuscript describes the motivation and the experimental set-ups for the PMIP4-CMIP6 past1000 simulations, and discusses the forcing agents: orbital, solar, volcanic, land-use/land-cover changes, and variations in greenhouse gas concentrations. The past1000 simulations covering the pre-industrial millennium from 850 Common Era (CE) to 1849 CE have to be complemented by historical simulations (1850 to 2014 CE) following the CMIP6 protocol. The external forcings for the past1000 experiments have been adapted to provide a seamless transition across these time periods. Protocols for the past1000 simulations have been divided into three tiers. A default forcing data set has been defined for the "tier-1" (the CMIP6 past1000) experiment. However, the PMIP community has maintained the flexibility to conduct coordinated sensitivity experiments to explore uncertainty in forcing reconstructions as well as parameter uncertainty in dedicated "tier-2" simulations. Additional experiments ("tier-3") are defined to foster collaborative model experiments focusing on the early instrumental period and to extend the temporal range and the scope of the simulations. This manuscript outlines current and future research foci and common analyses for collaborative work between the PMIP and the observational communities (reconstructions, instrumental data). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the therapeutic effects of Cistanche deserticola Ma. extract (CDME) on ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis in rats. Methods: Female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to a control group and five ovariectomy (OVX) subgroups, that is, OVX with vehicle (OVX), OVX with 17ß-estradiol (E2, 25 μg/kg/day), and OVX with CDME doses (40, 80, or 160 mg/kg/day). Daily oral administration of E2 or CDME started 4 weeks after OVX and lasted for 16 weeks. Bone mineral density (BMD) of L4 vertebrae and right femur of rats was estimated, The length of each femur was measured, and biochemical analysis of serum and urine specimens were performed. Results: CDME dose-dependently inhibited the reduction in BMD of L4 vertebrae (0.23 ± 0.02 g/cm3, p < 0.05) and femurs (0.20 ± 0.03 g/cm3, p < 0.05) caused by OVX and prevented the deterioration of trabecular microarchitecture (p < 0.05), which were accompanied by a significant decrease in skeletal remodeling (p < 0.05) as evidenced by the lower levels of bone turnover markers. Conclusion: This study indicates that CDME prevents OVX-induced osteoporosis in rats, and could be used for treating osteoporosis in elderly women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Double-sided incremental forming (DSIF) is a subcategory of general incremental sheet forming (ISF), and uses tools above and below a sheet of metal to squeeze and bend the material into freeform geometries. Due to the relatively slow nature of the DSIF process and the necessity to capture through-thickness mechanics, typical finite element simulations require weeks or even months to finish. In this study, an explicit finite element simulation framework was developed in LS-DYNA using fully integrated shell elements in an effort to lower the typical simulation time while still capturing the mechanics of DSIF. The tool speed, mesh size, element type, and amount of mass scaling were each varied in order to achieve a fast simulation with minimal sacrifice regarding accuracy. Using 8 CPUs, the finalized DSIF model simulated a funnel toolpath in just one day. Experimental strains, forces, and overall geometry were used to verify the simulation. While the simulation forces tended to be high, the trends were still well captured by the simulation model. The thickness and in-plane strains were found to be in good agreement with the experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents two tooling-integrated sensing techniques for the in situ measurement and analyses of pressure distribution at the tool-workpiece interface and material drawin during the stamping processes. Specifically, the contact pressure distribution is calculated from the measuremen ts by an array of force sensors embedded in the punch, whereas sheet draw-in is measured by custom-designed thin film sensors integrated in the binder. Quantification of the pressure distribution from spatially distributed sensors has been investigated as a regularization problem and solved through energy minimization. Additionally, a Bayesian framework has been established for combining finite-element analysis (FEA) based estimates of the pressure distribution with experimentally measured evidence, to achieve improved spatiotemporal resolution. A new data visualization technique termed pressure and draw-in (PDI) map has been introduced, which combine spatiotemporal information from the two sensing techniques into an illustrative representation by capturing both the tool-workpiece interaction

The 27Al+ ion optical clock is one of the most attractive optical clocks due to its own advantages such as low black-body radiation shift at room temperature and insensitivity to the magnetic drift. However, it cannot be laser-cooled directly in the absence of 167nm laser to date. This problem can be solved by sympathetic cooling. In this work, a linear Paul trap is used to trap both 40Ca+ and 27 Al+ ions simultaneously, and a single Doppler-cooled40 Ca+ ion is employed to sympathetically cool a single 27Al+ ion. Thus a ‘bright-dark’ two-ion crystal has been successfully synthesized. The temperature of the crystal has been estimated to be about 7 mK by measuring the ratio of carrier and sideband spectral intensities. Finally, the dark ion is proved to be an 27Al+ ion by precise measuring of the ion crystal's secular motion frequency, which means that it is a great step for our 27Al+ quantum logic clock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the friction conditions and reduce adhesion at the tool's rake face in dry cutting of aluminum alloys, three types of laser surface textures were generated on the rake face of cemented carbide tools. Orthogonal dry cutting tests on 6061 aluminum alloy tubes were carried out with the textured and conventional tools (CT). The effect of the texture geometry on the cutting performance was assessed in terms of cutting forces, friction coefficient, chip compression ratio, shear angle, tool adhesions, chip morphology, and machined surface quality. The results show that the textured tools can improve the cutting performance at low cutting speeds, and that the tool with rectangular type of textures is the most effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The behavior of excitons in van der Waals (vdWs) heterostructures depends on electron-electron interactions and charge transfer at the hetero-interface. However, what still remains to be unraveled is to which extent the carrier densities of both counterparts and the band alignment in the vdWs heterostructures determine the photoluminescence properties. Here, we systematically study the photoluminescence properties of monolayer MoS2/graphene heterostructures by modulating the carrier densities and contact barrier at the interface via electrochemical gating. It is shown that the PL intensities of excitons can be tuned by more than two orders of magnitude, and a blue-shift of the exciton peak of up to 40 meV is observed. By extracting the carrier density of MoS2 using an electric potential distribution model, and the Schottky barrier using fi rst-principle calculations, we fi nd that the controllable carrier density in MoS2 plays a dominant role in the PL tuning at negative gate bias, whereas the interlayer relaxation of excitons induced by the Schottky barrier has a major contribution at positive gate bias. This is further verified by controlling the tunneling barrier and screening fi eld across MoS2 by inserting selfassembled monolayers (SAMs) at the interface. These fi ndings will benefit to better understand the effect of many-body interactions and hetero-interfaces on the optical and optoelectronic properties in vdWs heterostructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Emerging evidences indicate that dysregulated long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are implicated in cancer tumorigenesis and progression. LncRNA ANRIL has been shown to promote the progression of gastric cancer. However, the role of lncRNA ANRIL in human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains unclear. Methods: Expression of lncRNA ANRIL was analyzed in 87 NSCLC tissues and three lung cancer cell lines by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The correlation of lncRNA ANRIL with clinicopathological features and prognosis was analyzed. Suppression of lncRNA ANRIL using siRNA treatment was performed in order to explore its role in tumor progression. Results: The expression level of lncRNA ANRIL was higher in NSCLC tissues and lung cancer cells than in adjacent non-tumor tissues and normal human bronchial epithelial cells. Higher expression of lncRNA ANRIL in NSCLC tissues was associated with higher TNM stage and advanced lymph node metastasis. Patients with high lncRNA ANRIL expression had poorer overall survival compared with low lncRNA ANRIL group. Univariate and multivariate analyses suggested that high expression of lncRNA ANRIL was an independent poor prognostic indicator for NSCLC patients. Moreover, knockdown of lncRNA ANRIL expression could inhibit lung cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro. Conclusions: Our results suggested that lncRNA ANRIL was a potential biomarker for NSCLC prognosis, and the dysregulation of lncRNA ANRIL may play an important role in NSCLC progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Double-sided incremental forming (DSIF) is a relatively new dieless forming process which uses two hemispherical ended tools, one on each side of the sheet, moving along a predefined trajectory to locally deform a peripherally clamped sheet of metal. DSIF provides greater process flexibility, higher formability, and eliminates the tooling cost when compared to conventional sheet forming processes. While DSIF provides much improved geometric accuracy compared to other incremental forming processes, current toolpath planning strategies suffer from long forming times. A novel mixed double-sided incremental forming (MDSIF) toolpath strategy is proposed in the present study. It simultaneously reduces the total forming time by half while preserving the best currently achievable geometric accuracy. The effect of the forming parameters, i.e., of the incremental depth and of tool positioning on the geometric accuracy of the parts formed with MDSIF was investigated and compared to those formed by traditional DSIF strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In accumulated double-sided incremental forming (ADSIF), two hemispherical tools impart the local deformation to the sheet via their programed in-plane spiral motion and the depth of the part is achieved via rigid body motion of the already formed part. Unlike single point incremental forming (SPIF) and double-sided incremental forming (DSIF), ADSIF does not impose forces on the already-formed part and, therefore, has the potential of achieving higher geometric accuracy. A systematic method is proposed in this work to study the influences of the relative tool positions on the local formed shape and the final geometry, which is essentially the accumulation of all previously formed local deformations. Meanwhile, the concepts of the stable angle and the peak angle are introduced to better describe the cross-sectional geometry of a formed part with a constant wall angle at that particular cross section. It is recommended that, while multiple combinations of the relative positions of two forming tools may achieve the same stable angle that the positioning parameters should be chosen such that the resultant forming force or the wall angle variation between the stable and peak angles is minimized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laser interferometric gravitational wave detection in space holds the promise of being a new window to probe and address certain key problems in astronomy and cosmology, such as stellar evolution and galaxy formation in the early Universe, co-evolution of black holes and galaxies, etc. After two phases of feasibility study commissioned by Chinese Academy of Sciences and under the support of the Pioneer Explorer (Xiandao) Program, by considering relative merits between scientific significance and technological viability, a preliminary Chinese mission design with measurement waveband from mHz to 0.1 Hz is put forward, with the primary drivers being intermediate and supermassive black hole binaries at high redshift as well as intermediate mass ratio inspirals within dense star clusters in our local Universe. On the basis of the mission design, the scientific significance of gravitational wave detection in space as a possible new probe in astronomy is briefiy discussed. The primary science drivers together with the potential detection capability of the Chinese mission design will also be touched upon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study aimed to verify an miRNA signature in endothelial cells undergoing mechanical stretch stimulation. In the present study, microarray profiling was conducted in order to identify the differential expression of miRNAs in endothelial cells undergoing mechanical stimulation, compared with unstimulated endothelial cells. The microarray data was then validated by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Genes and signaling pathways regulated by the miRNAs were investigated in silico using Gene Ontology and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes or Genomes, which are ontological and network-mapping algorithms. The microarray data collected demonstrated that 38 miRNAs exhibited significant differential expression in endothelial cells with mechanical stretch stimulation. Of these, 20 were upregulated and 18 were downregulated. The results from the in silico analysis indicated that the miRNAs identified were participants in mechanical stretch-induced endothelial dysfunction. During the initial stage of vein graft failure, which is induced by endothelial dysfunction, a unique miRNA signature was identified. The identified miRNAs are suggested to be involved in the pathological processes of traumatic injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Upregulation of matrix metalloproteinase MMP-14 (MT1-MMP) is associated with poor prognosis in cancer patients, but it is unclear how MMP-14 becomes elevated in tumors. Here, we show that miR-181a-5p is downregulated in aggressive human breast and colon cancers where its levels correlate inversely with MMP-14 expression. In clinical specimens, enhanced expression of MMP-14 was observed in cancer cells located at the invasive front of tumors where miR-181a-5p was downregulated relative to adjacent normal cells. Bioinformatics analyses defined a potential miR-181a-5p response element within the 30-untranslated region of MMP-14 that was validated in reporter gene experiments. Ectopic miR-181a-5p reduced MMP-14 expression, whereas miR-181a-5p attenuation elevated MMP-14 expression. In support of a critical relationship between these two genes, miR-181a-5p-mediated reduction of MMP-14 levels was sufficient to decrease cancer cell migration, invasion, and activation of pro-MMP-2. Furthermore, this reduction in MMP-14 levels was sufficient to reduce in vivo invasion and angiogenesis in chick chorioallantoic membrane assays. Taken together, our results establish the regulation of MMP-14 in cancers by miR-181a-5p through a posttranscriptional mechanism, and they further suggest strategies to elevate miR-181a-5p to prevent cancer metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Emerging evidences indicate that dysregulated long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are implicated in cancer tumorigenesis and progression. LncRNA ANRIL has been shown to promote the progression of gastric cancer. However, the role of lncRNA ANRIL in human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains unclear. Methods Expression of lncRNA ANRIL was analyzed in 87 NSCLC tissues and three lung cancer cell lines by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The correlation of lncRNA ANRIL with clinicopathological features and prognosis was analyzed. Suppression of lncRNA ANRIL using siRNA treatment was performed in order to explore its role in tumor progression. Results The expression level of lncRNA ANRIL was higher in NSCLC tissues and lung cancer cells than in adjacent non-tumor tissues and normal human bronchial epithelial cells. Higher expression of lncRNA ANRIL in NSCLC tissues was associated with higher TNM stage and advanced lymph node metastasis. Patients with high lncRNA ANRIL expression had poorer overall survival compared with low lncRNA ANRIL group. Univariate and multivariate analyses suggested that high expression of lncRNA ANRIL was an independent poor prognostic indicator for NSCLC patients. Moreover, knockdown of lncRNA ANRIL expression could inhibit lung cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro. Conclusions Our results suggested that lncRNA ANRIL was a potential biomarker for NSCLC prognosis, and the dysregulation of lncRNA ANRIL may play an important role in NSCLC progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Qili qiangxin capsule (QL), a traditional Chinese herbal compound, has been proved to be effective and safe for the treatment of chronic heart failure (CHF). Upregulation of aquaporin-2 (AQP2) accounts for the water retention in CHF. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of QL on the expression of AQP2 in rats with CHF induced by acute myocardial infarction and to investigate the underlying mechanisms. The urine output of all rats was quantified and collected every day at the first week and the 4th week after administration of QL or Valsartan. The expression of AQP2, vasopressin type 2 receptor (V2R), and angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) were examined after treatment for 4 weeks. Urinary output increased significantly after administration of QL. Importantly, the protein expression of AQP2 and AQP2 phosphorylated at serine 256 (pS256-AQP2) was downregulated after administration of QL and Valsartan to CHF rats. Furthermore, QL reduced plasma arginine vasopressin (AVP) and angiotensin II (AngII) level and downregulated V2R and AT1R protein expression. Thus, QL exerts its diuretic effect and improves cardiac function in CHF rats by reversing the increases in both AQP2 and pS256-AQP2 expression. The possible mechanisms may involve inhibition of V2R and AT1R. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lower Triassic Feixianguan Formation of the Sichuan Basin is an important exploration target for marine natural gas in China. It is widely believed that a certain interval from Fei 1 to Fei 4 displays conformable contacts rather than long-term wide-ranging hiatus. However, 2 denudational interfaces on the top of Member Fei 1 and Fei 2 respectively were found in the present work, which relies on the delicate core observation of 4 cored wells in Puguang Gas Field, microscopic observations of microsamples in terms of thin sections, scanning electron microscopy and cathodoluminescence, and geochemical testing. Evidence indicates that on the top of the first and second Member of Feixianguan Formation there existed karst unconformities, which is in distinguished contrast to previous interpretations of conformable contacts. According to those geological and geochemical investigations, a new classification is proposed for the interior Feixianguan Formation. The tectonic episode division of Indosinian movement consequently may be modified from the previous conception of a first-order episode to 3 sub-first-order episodes that correspond to the impact of 2 uplifting processes during the early Indosinian orogeny. These uplifting processes are the cause in interpreting the pervasive exposure and unconformable interfaces in Fei 1 and Fei 2 karstifications. Thus, we suggest another appropriate division of 3 third-order sequences that may suit the Feixianguan Formation, which correspond to Fei 1, Fei 2, and Fei 3-Fei 4. Regional reservoir formation was also largely affected by penecontemporaneous karstification. Massive dissolution pores fill with seepage sediments but generally remain effective reservoir spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although aspirin resistance is well reported in CVD, little is known about aspirin response in elderly patients with hyperhomocysteinaemia. The aim of the present study was to explore the prevalence of aspirin resistance in elderly patients with CVD and hyperhomocysteinaemia. A total of 370 elderly patients with CVD were recruited. The study included 216 patients with hyperhomocysteinaemia and 154 patients with normohomocysteinaemia receiving daily aspirin therapy (≥75 mg) over 1 month. The effect of aspirin was assessed using by light transmission aggregometry (LTA). Aspirin resistance was defined as ≥20% arachidonic acid induced aggregation according to LTA. Aspirin resistance was defined in 48 (13.0%) of 370 patients. The prevalence of aspirin resistance was higher in hyperhomocysteinaemic patients than normohomocysteinaemic patients (16.7% vs. 7.8%, odds ratio (OR) = 2.367; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.188-4.715, p = 0.012). In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, hyperhomocysteinaemia (OR = 2.406, 95% CI = 1.201-4.820, p = 0.013) was a significant risk factor for aspirin resistance. A significant number of CVD patients with hyperhomocysteinemia are resistant to aspirin therapy. Hyperhomocysteinemia is a significant risk factor for aspirin resistance in elderly patients with CVD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient and regioselective synthesis of novel functionalized dispiropyrrolizidine derivatives via a three-component [3 + 2] cycloaddition reaction of azomethine ylides is described. This protocol has the advantages of high efficiency, mild reaction conditions, a one-pot procedure, and convenient operation. Many of these compounds were evaluated for their antiproliferative properties in vitro against cancer cells and several compounds were found to have good activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel synthesis of N-sulfonylamidines by catalyst-free hydroamination of N,N-disulfonyl ynamides with amines was developed. Alkyl amines react with N,N-disulfonyl ynamides under mild conditions, whereas aryl amines require higher temperatures. Plausible mechanisms are proposed to explain this reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The approach regarding the plastic process as a constrained optimization problem (Simo, J. C., and Hughes, T. J. R., 1998, Computational Inelasticity, Springer, New York) is discussed and found to be limited in considering nonlinear kinematic hardening and mechanical dissipation. These limitations are virtually common in elastoplastic modeling in both theoretical studies and industrial applications. A modified maximum mechanical dissipation principle is proposed to overcome the limitations and form an energy-based framework of nonlinear hardening laws. With the control functions introduced into the framework, not only are the relationships between existing hardening models clarified against their ad hoc origins, but modeling nonsaturating kinematic hardening behavior is also achieved. Numerical examples are presented to illustrate the capability of the nonsa-turating kinematic hardening model to describe the phenomena of the permanent softening as well as the cyclic loading. These applications indicate the concept of the control function can be nontrivial in material modeling. Finally, the methodology is also extended to incorporate the multiterm approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Cell migration is a critical determinant of cancer metastasis, and a better understanding of the genes involved will lead to the identification of novel targets aimed at preventing cancer dissemination. KIAA1199 has been shown to be upregulated in human cancers, yet its role in cancer progression was hitherto unknown. Methods Clinical relevance was assessed by examining KIAA1199 expression in human cancer specimens. In vitro and in vivo studies were employed to determine the function of KIAA1199 in cancer progression. Cellular localization of KIAA1199 was microscopically determined. SNAP-tag pull-down assays were used to identify binding partner(s) of KIAA1199. Calcium levels were evaluated using spectrofluorometric and fluorescence resonance energy transfer analyses. Signaling pathways were dissected by Western blotting. Student t test was used to assess differences. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results KIAA1199 was upregulated in invasive breast cancer specimens and inversely associated with patient survival rate. Silencing of KIAA1199 in MDA-MB-435 cancer cells resulted in a mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition that reduced cell migratory ability in vitro (75% reduction; P < .001) and decreased metastasis in vivo (80% reduction; P< .001). Gain-of-function assays further demonstrated the role of KIAA1199 in cell migration. KIAA1199-enhanced cell migration required endoplasmic reticulum (ER) localization, where it forms a stable complex with the chaperone binding immunoglobulin protein (BiP). A novel ER-retention motif within KIAA1199 that is required for its ER localization, BiP interaction, and enhanced cell migration was identified. Mechanistically, KIAA1199 was found to mediate ER calcium leakage, and the resultant increase in cytosolic calcium ultimately led to protein kinase C alpha activation and cell migration. Conclusions KIAA1199 serves as a novel cell migration-promoting gene and plays a critical role in maintaining cancer mesenchymal status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A facile synthesis of 3-substituted 2-amidobenzofurans and 2-amidobenzothiophenes via electrophilic cyclization reaction of o-anisole- and o-thioanisole-substituted ynamides with I2, NBS and NCS was developed. The products 3-iodo-2-amidobenzofurans were further transferred into 3-aryl-, 3-alkynyl, and 3-vinyl-2-ami-dobenzofurans via Pd-catalyzed reactions such as Suzuki-Miyaura and Sonogashira cross-coupling reactions and the Heck reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]