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Using a multi-winding transformer to drive voltage multipliers (VMs) for balancing ultra-capacitors (UCs) string can improve the scalability of the equalizer. However, each winding of the multi-winding transformer differs in the ratio of turns, leakage inductance, and bypass resistance, resulting in an imbalance between UC modules. Therefore, a modular equalization system based on double-layer VMs for series-connected UCs string is proposed, which uses VMs to balance the UC cells and modules, respectively. The converter’s energy transfer inductor acts as the voltage equalizer’s driver. An experimental charging test for two UC modules was performed. Cell and module voltages gradually became consistent.

N6-Methyladenine (6mA) of DNA has emerged as a novel epigenetic mark in eukaryotes, and several 6mA effector proteins have been identified. However, efforts to selectively inhibit the biological functions of these effector proteins with small molecules are unsuccessful to date. Here we report the first potent and selective small molecule inhibitor (13h) of AlkB homologue 1 (ALKBH1), the only validated 6mA demethylase. 13hshowed an IC50of 0.026 ± 0.013 μM and 1.39 ± 0.13 μM in the fluorescence polarization (FP) and enzyme activity assay, respectively, and a KDof 0.112 ± 0.017 μM in the isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) assay. The potency of 13hwas well explained by the cocrystal structure of the 13h-ALKBH1 complex. Furthermore, 13hdisplayed excellent selectivity for ALKBH1. In cells, compound 13hand its derivative 16were able to engage ALKBH1 and modulate the 6mA levels. Collectively, our study identified the first potent, isoform selective, and cell-active ALKBH1 inhibitor, providing a tool compound for exploring the biological functions of ALKBH1 and DNA 6mA.

Indigoidine, as a kind of natural blue pigment, is widely used in textiles, food, and pharmaceuticals and is mainly synthesized from l-glutamine via a condensation reaction by indigoidine synthetases, most of which originates from Streptomycesspecies. However, due to the complex metabolic switches of Streptomyces, most of the researchers choose to overexpress indigoidine synthetases in the heterologous host to achieve high-level production of indigoidine. Considering the advantages of low-cost culture medium and simple culture conditions during the large-scale culture of Streptomyces, here, an updated regulation system derived from the Streptomycesself-sustaining system, constructed in our previous study, was established for the highly efficient production of indigoidine in Streptomyces lividansTK24. The updated system was constructed via promoter mining and σhrdBexpression optimization, and this system was applied to precisely and continuously regulate the expression of indigoidine synthetase IndC derived from Streptomyces albusJ1704. Finally, the engineered strain was cultured with cheap industrial glycerol as a supplementary carbon source, and 14.3 and 46.27 g/L indigoidine could be achieved in a flask and a 4 L fermentor, respectively, reaching the highest level of microbial synthesis of indigoidine. This study will lay a foundation for the industrial application of Streptomycescell factories to produce indigoidine.

AimsThe complex relationship between acetabular component position and spinopelvic mobility in patients following total hip arthroplasty (THA) renders it difficult to optimize acetabular component positioning. Mobility of the normal lumbar spine during postural changes results in alterations in pelvic tilt (PT) to maintain the sagittal balance in each posture and, as a consequence, markedly changes the functional component anteversion (FCA). This study aimed to investigate the in vivo association of lumbar degenerative disc disease (DDD) with the PT angle and with FCA during postural changes in THA patients.MethodsA total of 50 patients with unilateral THA underwent CT imaging for radiological evaluation of presence and severity of lumbar DDD. In all, 18 patients with lumbar DDD were compared to 32 patients without lumbar DDD. In vivo PT and FCA, and the magnitudes of changes (ΔPT; ΔFCA) during supine, standing, swing-phase, and stance-phase positions were measured using a validated dual fluoroscopic imaging system.ResultsPT, FCA, ΔPT, and ΔFCA were significantly correlated with the severity of lumbar DDD. Patients with severe lumbar DDD showed marked differences in PT with changes in posture; there was an anterior tilt (-16.6° vs -12.3°, p = 0.047) in the supine position, but a posterior tilt in an upright posture (1.0° vs -3.6°, p = 0.005). A significant decrease in ΔFCA during stand-to-swing (8.6° vs 12.8°, p = 0.038) and stand-to-stance (7.3° vs 10.6°,p = 0.042) was observed in the severe lumbar DDD group.ConclusionThere were marked differences in the relationship between PT and posture in patients with severe lumbar DDD compared with healthy controls. Clinical decision-making should consider the relationship between PT and FCA in order to reduce the risk of impingement at large ranges of motion in THA patients with lumbar DDD.

Efficient identification of favorable exploration lithofacies with commercial value is of utmost importance in lacustrine shale petroleum exploration. Shales deposited under different salinity conditions exhibit considerably different organic matter (OM) accumulation and mineral compositions. However, the systematic summarization of favorable exploration lithofacies and their formation mechanisms in lacustrine shale systems formed under different salinity conditions is still lacking. Herein, lacustrine shale of the Lower Jurassic Qianfoya Formation (J1q) from the Langzhong Area of the Sichuan Basin is studied to systematically reveal its OM accumulation mechanisms and the factors controlling its physical properties. By combining our data with that published in the literature, the favorable exploration lithofacies and their formation mechanisms in lacustrine shales deposited under various different salinities (i.e., freshwater, saline, and hypersaline) are discussed. Our findings indicate that the J1q shale comprises four lithofacies, namely, organic-lean mixed shale (LM), organic-lean argillaceous shale (LCM), organic-rich mixed shale (RM), and organic-rich argillaceous shale (RCM). The pore systems of RCM and RM are dominated by OM-related pores, whereas those of LCM and LM are dominated by clay mineral-related pores. The J1q shale was deposited in an oxic environment with a semiarid to semihumid climate, moderate weathering, and freshwater to brackish conditions. The OM content is primarily influenced by the relatively reductive environment. The physical properties of RCM and RM are primarily determined by the total organic carbon (TOC) content, whereas those of LCM and LM are determined by the clay mineral content. Additionally, a novel model for describing the change in the TOC content, pore system characteristics, and fracability of shale with an increase in salinity is proposed. The model shows that with an increase in salinity, the TOC content first decreases, then increases, and finally decreases. Simultaneously, there is an improvement in the proportion of framework-grain related pores within the pore system. RCM, RM, and tight sandstone and limestone interlayers within freshwater lacustrine shale can be regarded as primary sweet spots. In the saline and hypersaline lacustrine shale systems, the main exploration targets are RM and organic-rich calcareous shale. These observations provide theoretical guidance for locating sweet spots in lacustrine shale systems deposited under different salinity conditions.

The China low-activation martensitic (CLAM) steel has been proposed as a candidate structural material for nuclear fusion reactors. It is essential to study the influence of hydrogen charging and strain rate on the tensile behavior of CLAM steel considering its service environment. In this study, CLAM steel was investigated using tensile tests operated at room temperature before and after hydrogen charging. The results showed that the elongation loss increased significantly with the increase of the hydrogen charging current density at either a low or a high strain rate, which is related to the hydrogen content in the steel. The hydride was systematically studied, including the morphology and the thermal stability as well as the effects on mechanical properties. The possible mechanism of the formation of hydride during hydrogen charging has been analyzed based on the interaction between alloying elements and hydrogen.

This work presents a wideband digital polar transmitter (DPTX) with an integrated capacitor-digital-to-analog converter (C-DAC)-based digital-to-phase converter (DPC). A normalized CORDIC algorithm is introduced to convert the $I/Q$ baseband signals to a constant envelope to overcome the PM bandwidth expansion issue and avoid the amplitude modulation (AM)–phase modulation (PM) nonlinearity. In the DPC, the switched-capacitor DAC topology is employed for good linearity, and the eight-phase cell-reused technique is proposed to reduce the power consumption and increase the phase amplitude. Besides, the harmonic rejection technique is introduced to remove the third-/fifth-order and higher order local oscillator (LO) harmonics to maintain phase linearity. A broadband switched-transformer digital power amplifier (DPA) is adopted in this proposed DPTX for 0–18-dB deep power back-off efficiency enhancement. Implemented in 40nm CMOS, the DPTX is powered by only one 1.1-V supply and occupies a $1.4 \times 1.4$ mm2 die area. The DPC achieves the maximum integral nonlinearity (INL)/differential nonlinearity (DNL) of ±1°/±0.8° and 12.7-mW power consumption at 1.5 GHz. The DPTX realizes wideband frequency coverage of 1.2–2.5 GHz with only 0.7-dB power variations. The DPTX achieves 20.1-dBm peak output power with 23.7% system efficiency at 1.5 GHz. With a 10-MHz 64-quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) LTE signal, the DPTX achieves 15.0 dBm average output power, 15.2% system efficiency, and an error vector magnitude (EVM) of −28.6 dB at 1.5 GHz.

China’s helium resource is highly dependent on overseas imports. Organic-rich and U/Th-rich shale reservoirs generally contain helium, and although the helium content is low, the total reserve is large. Therefore, the effective development and utilisation of shale-type helium resources is a realistic way to improve the security of helium resources in China. In this study, the generation mechanism, helium source and content, migration modes and pathways, controlling factors of enrichment, distribution pattern, and resource potential of the helium were analysed, using the Wufeng-Longmaxi shale in the Sichuan Basin and its periphery. Furthermore, countermeasures were proposed for shale-type helium exploration and development. The results show that the Wufeng-Longmaxi shale has a high content of U and Th and a good ability to generate helium. The helium is generated by a typical crustal source of helium and is characterised by self-generation, self-storage, and wide distribution. The helium resource potential is a product of its content and the resources of the associated natural gas. The continuous supply of helium and effective preservation are the main geological factors that control the enrichment of shale-type helium. The preliminary evaluation results show that the reserves of helium in proven shale gas reserves are 10.8×108m3in the Sichuan Basin and its periphery, where the extra-large helium fields are likely to be discovered. Additionally, 0.0912×108m3of helium was produced, along with the annual production of shale gas. To avoid the waste of helium and to improve the self-supply ability, it is suggested that research on the resource potential, enrichment mechanism, and distribution pattern of shale-type helium should be carried out as soon as possible, and helium extraction techniques for helium-bearing natural gas should be studied.

The Netherlands‐China Low‐Frequency Explorer (NCLE) (Boonstra et al., 2017, https://www.ursi.org/proceedings/procGA17/papers/Paper_J19‐2(1603).pdf; Chen et al., 2020, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2020AAS…23610203C/abstract) is a radio instrument for astrophysical studies in the low‐frequency range (80 kHz–80 MHz). As a technology demonstrator, NCLE shall inform the design of future radio receivers that aim at low‐frequency radio astronomy. NCLE can make observations at very high spectral resolution (<1 kHz) and generate radio sky maps at an angular resolution of ≈1.5 radians. NCLE uses three monopole antennas, each 5 m long, and three identical analog signal chains to process the signal from each antenna. A single digital receiver samples the signal and calculates the auto‐correlated and cross‐correlated spectra. The instrument's analog and digital signal chains are extensively configurable. They can be fine‐tuned to produce broadband spectra covering the instrument's complete operating frequency range or sub‐bands. NCLE was developed within a veryshort timescale of 2 years, and currently, it is on board Queqiao, the relay spacecraft of the Chang'e‐ 4 mission, in a halo orbit around the Earth‐Moon L2 point. This paper outlines the science cases, instrument architecture with focus on the signal chain, and discusses the laboratory measurements during the pre‐launch phase. Radio observations from the Moon at very low frequenciesRadio instrument technology demonstration for future lunar observatory and interferometryRadio receiver design for low‐frequency observation Radio observations from the Moon at very low frequencies Radio instrument technology demonstration for future lunar observatory and interferometry Radio receiver design for low‐frequency observation

Chip splitting is a natural chip separation phenomenon that can significantly reduce cutting energy consumption. To reveal its occurrence mechanisms, a method for obtaining its critical conditions through cutting experiments and establishing its critical equation is proposed in this paper. Based on previous research results regarding the relationship between chip removal interference and chip splitting, the control variables that affect chip splitting are identified by analyzing a geometric model of the cutting process. A total of 366 experiments on turning a C45E4 disc workpiece with a high-speed steel double-edged turning tool based on the dichotomy method were conducted and 51 experimental data on chip splitting critical conditions were obtained. According to these experimental data, a critical equation expressed by a finite-degree polynomial with a cutting thickness equal to the other control variables was fitted. By analyzing the critical surface, it was determined that chip splitting followed a law in which the smaller the cutting thickness and the larger the absolute value of the negative rake angle, edge angle, and edge inclination of the tool, the more likely chip splitting was to occur. Through a verification experiment, it was determined that the derived critical equation could accurately predict the occurrence of 95.24% of chip splitting. It was also determined that the occurrence of chip splitting led to a cliff-like drop in the specific total cutting force with a maximum drop of 51.23%. This research lays a foundation for the rational utilization of chip splitting in tool structure parameter design and cutting parameter energy saving optimization.

In tight sandstone reservoirs, low resistivity gas reservoirs have a certain gas production capacity, but their reservoir resistivity value is less than 20 Ω m, or their ratio to water layer resistivity is less than 2. Therefore, the identification of low resistivity gas reservoirs is a prominent problem that needs to be resolved. In this paper, on the basis of traditional experimental analysis, NMR experiments and wettability experiments were conducted. The high bound water saturation and pore fractal dimension have a significant impact on reservoir resistivity. After various experimental analysis results were preprocessed by the image pool and data pool, an optimized neural network (ONN) classification model was established based on deep learning theory. The confusion matrix result (training datasets) was 87.13%, and the ROC area of low resistivity gas layers was close to 1, indicating good recognition performance for low resistivity gas layers. The model was used to identify the properties of the J4 well reservoir section. The identification result was consistent with the actual logging resistivity values (low resistivity) and testing conclusions (gas layer). This model can accurately identify low resistivity gas reservoirs in the research area, and has important guiding significance for identifying the reservoir properties of tight sandstone gas reservoirs in the Sichuan Basin. It can provide reference value for the exploration and development of similar gas reservoirs in other regions.

Ergothioneine (EGT) represents valuable protective functions for humans, but EGT from the diet cannot meet daily requirements. Although the heterologous synthesis of EGT had been achieved, it is still a challenge to obtain stable and high-yield EGT-producing cell factories. Here, after the co-overexpression of the EGT synthetic gene cluster and hisG, hisC, and allB1in Mycolicibacterium neoaurum, the natural EGT titer was increased by 7.2-folds. However, the degradation problem of EGT in large-scale fermentation needs to be urgently solved. A putative lyase gene Mn_3042was inactivated, thus inhibiting the product degradation and increasing the EGT titer by 21%. Moreover, the enhancement of S-adenosyl- l-methionine regeneration further increased EGT titer by 28%. After optimization of fed-batch fermentation, the yield of EGT was boosted to 1.56?g/L with a productivity of 7.2?mg/L/h. This study provides a systematic engineering strategy for developing EGT-producing cell factories. M. neoaurumwas systematically engineered to produce ergothioneine.Regulating of a lyase and SAM regeneration boosted the production of ergothioneine.The engineered M. neoaurumrealized the production of 1.56?g/L ergothioneine. M. neoaurumwas systematically engineered to produce ergothioneine. Regulating of a lyase and SAM regeneration boosted the production of ergothioneine. The engineered M. neoaurumrealized the production of 1.56?g/L ergothioneine.

To study the distribution characteristics and similarity laws of nuclei under different pressures, based on the self-designed decompression chamber and the acoustic measuring system, the size distributions of nuclei in the degassed tap water under negative ambient pressures were measured. A number density distribution function of nuclei based on the modified Weibull distribution function was proposed and verified by the experimental measurement results and some published data of nuclei size distribution. Based on this nuclei number density distribution function, the similarity law of the nuclei size distribution was analyzed: in the scale experiment, the value of exponential in the similarity law of the nuclei number density should be determined by the nuclei size distribution of the water in the prototype experiment and the actual nuclei size distribution of the water in the model experiment. And a precondition is that the nuclei size distributions are similar.

Higher initial (de)hydrogenation temperature and sluggish kinetics are the main bottlenecks to develop Mg-based hydrogen storage alloys with high hydrogen capacity. One of the effective methods of solving these problems is introducing additives to enhance (de)hydrogenation kinetics and decrease particle sizes to lower (de)hydrogenation temperatures. In this work, Mg85-Ni10-La4.5-Y0.5 alloy doped with Cu@C nanoparticles is prepared, which could enhance (de)hydrogenation kinetics via introducing Cu nanoparticles as a catalyst and reduce the alloy particle sizes via acting as a grinding agent to lower (de)hydrogenation temperature. The results indicate the dehydrogenation temperature of the modified Mg85-Ni10-La4.5-Y0.5 composite could be decreased to 308.5°C, absorb 4.73 wt% H2at 220°C within 1 min and release 5.01 wt% H2within 4 min at 300°C. Moreover, the capacity retention could be maintained around 98.8 % after 10 cycles at 300°C, superior than those of Mg85-Ni10-La4.5-Y0.5 and milled-Mg85-Ni10-La4.5-Y0.5. DFT results and characterizations suggest that in-situformed Mg2Cu could accelerate the dissociation of Mg-H bonds and the presence of amorphous carbon in Mg-Ni-La-Y-Cu system will further synergistically improve the (de)hydrogenation kinetics of Mg85-Ni10-La4.5-Y0.5. Reduced particle sizes under the aid of carbon frameworks also help introduce boundaries of the particles and shorten hydrogen diffusion pathways.

Objective As a minimally invasive intervertebral fusion technique popularized in recent years, extreme lateral interbody fusion (XLIF) has various advantages. In this study, we describe the application and efficacy of XLIF for the treatment of thoracic tuberculosis (TB), as this may be an emerging treatment option for thoracic TB in the future.Methods We present the case of a 75-year-old man who had suffered from chest and back pain for 1 month. Imaging studies showed destruction of the T12 and L1 vertebral bodies and the T12–L1 intervertebral disc, accompanied by formation of a paravertebral abscess. After 2 weeks of standard anti-TB treatment, the patient underwent debridement of the lesions, XLIF, and percutaneous pedicle screw fixation.Results The patient’s chest and back pain were significantly alleviated after the operation. The patient recovered well, and as of the most recent follow-up had no obvious limitation in thoracolumbar spine function.Conclusions XLIF combined with percutaneous pedicle screw fixation for the treatment of thoracic TB can allow for TB lesion debridement, discectomy, and interbody fusion under direct visualization, and can effectively improve patient prognosis.

Arsenic (As) is a ubiquitous environmental and industrial toxin with known correlates of oxidative stress and cognitive deficits in the brain. Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a transcriptional factor that represents a central cellular antioxidant defense mechanism and transcribes many antioxidant genes. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARγ) is a well-known nuclear receptor to regulate lipid metabolism in many tissues, and it has been also associated with the control of oxidative stress, neuronal death, neurogenesis and differentiation. The role of Nrf2 and PPARγ in As-induced neurotoxicity is still debated. The present study was designed to investigate the neurobehavioral toxic effect of sub-chronic and middle-dose sodium arsenite exposure in mice hippocampus, as well as the response of Nrf2/PPARγ expression and influence on protein expression levels of their downstream antioxidant genes. Our results showed that mice treated with intraperitoneal injection of sodium arsenite (50 mg/kg body wt.) twice a week for 7 weeks resulted in increased generation of reactive oxygen species and impairment of spatial cognitive function. The present study also found a positive association between Nrf2/PPARγ expression in hippocampus of mice, and activation of antioxidant defenses by the evidently upregulated expression of their downstream genes, including superoxide dismutase, heme oxygenase-1 and glutathione peroxidase-3. Therefore, our findings were helpful for further understanding the role of Nrf2/PPARγ feedback loop in As-induced neurobehavioral toxicity.

The capacity of 3D organoids to mimic physiological tissue organization and functionality has provided an invaluable tool to model development and disease in vitro. However, conventional organoid cultures primarily represent the homeostasis of self-organizing stem cells and their derivatives. Here, we established a novel intestinal organoid culture system composed of 8 components, mainly including VPA, EPZ6438, LDN193189, and R-Spondin 1 conditioned medium, which mimics the gut epithelium regeneration that produces hyperplastic crypts following injury; therefore, these organoids were designated hyperplastic intestinal organoids (Hyper-organoids). Single-cell RNA sequencing identified different regenerative stem cell populations in our Hyper-organoids that shared molecular features with in vivo injury-responsive Lgr5+stem cells or Clu+revival stem cells. Further analysis revealed that VPA and EPZ6438 were indispensable for epigenome reprogramming and regeneration in Hyper-organoids, which functioned through epigenetically regulating YAP signaling. Furthermore, VPA and EPZ6438 synergistically promoted regenerative response in gut upon damage in vivo. In summary, our results demonstrated a new in vitro organoid model to study epithelial regeneration, highlighting the importance of epigenetic reprogramming that pioneers tissue repair.

In the framework of Accident tolerant fuel (ATF) program, several types of claddings and pellets with enhanced accident tolerance have been developed for light water reactors. Oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) FeCrAl alloys have been considered as a promising candidate for cladding materials due to their good mechanical strength, excellent structural stability and chemical durability at high temperature. The out-of-pile performance of 14Cr ODS-FeCrAl cladding tube fabricated by cold-rolling, such as microstructure, thermophysical property, mechanical property, and corrosion resistance, has been examined and discussed. The results confirm that iron-based ODS alloy is one of the promising candidates to be used as ATF cladding. It could also aid in the supplement of property database of ODS-FeCrAl for future use in nuclear cladding and structural applications in next generation nuclear systems.

The chip flow angle (CFA) catastrophe in double-edged cutting results in a significant reduction in the cutting force, which can benefit the applications. However, established potential functions (i.e., cutting power calculation functions) of mathematical models for the CFA catastrophe are presented in the form of transcendental functions with two control parameters and one state parameter, which are extremely complex. A method is proposed herein to realize the regularization of the potential functions and establish mathematical models in a standard form and with complete content for the CFA catastrophe. Using this method, the potential function of the CFA catastrophe is expanded into a k-order Taylor polynomial at each midpoint of Nend-to-end equally partitioned intervals of the state parameter using the Taylor function provided in MATLAB. The potential function after piecewise Taylor expansion is transformed into the same form as the potential function of the standard cusp catastrophe model by truncating the first five terms of the Taylor polynomial and eliminating the third-order term of the state parameter with elementary transformation. Hence, the regularization of potential function is realized. Subsequently, the regularization of equilibrium surface and bifurcation set can be realized based on the conclusions of the catastrophe theory. Regularization errors of the potential function, equilibrium surface, and bifurcation set are defined to evaluate the effectiveness of this regularization method. The problem of calculating regularization errors is regarded as an optimization problem. The “simulannealbnd” function provided in MATLAB is used to solve the problem. Applying the proposed method, the regularization of a mathematical model for the CFA catastrophe established by the predecessor is completed; a mathematical model (i.e., standard cusp catastrophe model) in a standard form and with complete content for the CFA catastrophe is established; and the corresponding regularization errors are analyzed. The regularization errors of the potential function, equilibrium surface, and bifurcation set curves are 5.485 5 × 10−4%, 0.320 6%, and 4.653 9%, respectively. Based on the equilibrium surface and the bifurcation set curves constructed using the regularized mathematical model for the CFA catastrophe, the mechanism of the CFA catastrophe and the specific approach to render the cutting system operable in a low-energy consumption state by controlling the historical change path of the control point are analyzed. This study will promote the rational use of the CFA catastrophe.

AimsThe complex relationship between acetabular component position and spinopelvic mobility in patients following total hip arthroplasty (THA) renders it difficult to optimize acetabular component positioning. Mobility of the normal lumbar spine during postural changes results in alterations in pelvic tilt (PT) to maintain the sagittal balance in each posture and, as a consequence, markedly changes the functional component anteversion (FCA). This study aimed to investigate the in vivo association of lumbar degenerative disc disease (DDD) with the PT angle and with FCA during postural changes in THA patients.MethodsA total of 50 patients with unilateral THA underwent CT imaging for radiological evaluation of presence and severity of lumbar DDD. In all, 18 patients with lumbar DDD were compared to 32 patients without lumbar DDD. In vivo PT and FCA, and the magnitudes of changes (ΔPT; ΔFCA) during supine, standing, swing-phase, and stance-phase positions were measured using a validated dual fluoroscopic imaging system.ResultsPT, FCA, ΔPT, and ΔFCA were significantly correlated with the severity of lumbar DDD. Patients with severe lumbar DDD showed marked differences in PT with changes in posture; there was an anterior tilt (-16.6° vs -12.3°, p = 0.047) in the supine position, but a posterior tilt in an upright posture (1.0° vs -3.6°, p = 0.005). A significant decrease in ΔFCA during stand-to-swing (8.6° vs 12.8°, p = 0.038) and stand-to-stance (7.3° vs 10.6°,p = 0.042) was observed in the severe lumbar DDD group.ConclusionThere were marked differences in the relationship between PT and posture in patients with severe lumbar DDD compared with healthy controls. Clinical decision-making should consider the relationship between PT and FCA in order to reduce the risk of impingement at large ranges of motion in THA patients with lumbar DDD.Cite this article: Bone Joint J2020;102-B(11):1505–1510.

Concentration quenching of upconversion (UC) luminescence (UCL) is a common phenomenon in rare-earth-doped materials that seriously restricts the concentration of the activator and sensitizer and withholds their UC emissions and quantum yields. In particular, it remains a tremendous challenge to develop one novel strategy based on the introduction of trivalent bismuth (Bi3+) ions to exceed the typical thulium (Tm3+) ion concentration and reach high-efficiency UC under low illumination. In this work, the Tm3+accommodation capacity can be increased from 2.0 to 8.0 mol % in NaYbF4:Tm3+materials with the assistance of Bi3+ions, which maintains strong UC emissions with large absolute UC quantum yields under low illumination. Specifically, the total upconversion quantum yield (UCQY) of the as-obtained Na(Tm0.08Yb0.60Bi0.32)F4(8Tm60Yb32Bi) sample can reach as high as 1.45% upon continuous-wave (CW) laser excitation at 40 W cm–2. Strikingly, the total UCQY still remains at a high level (0.41%) even though the CW power density decreases to 1.5 W cm–2. Moreover, the intrinsic mechanism of the breakthrough in the threshold of concentration quenching of UCL by Bi3+ions was also fully explored. These advances in enhancing UC emissions and UCQYs under a low pump power density offer exciting opportunities for important photonic applications.

ABSTRACTDiabetes is a recognized high-risk factor for the development of atherosclerosis, in which macroautophagy/autophagy is emerging to play essential roles. The retention of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles in subendothelial space following transcytosis across the endothelium is the initial step of atherosclerosis. Here, we identified that high glucose could promote atherosclerosis by stimulating transcytosis of LDL. By inhibiting AMPK-MTOR-PIK3C3 pathway, high glucose suppresses the CAV-CAVIN-LC3B-mediated autophagic degradation of CAV1; therefore, more CAV1 is accumulated in the cytosol and utilized to form more caveolae in the cell membrane and facilitates the LDL transcytosis across endothelial cells. For a proof of concept, higher levels of lipids were accumulated in the subendothelial space of umbilical venous walls from pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), compared to those of pregnant women without GDM. Our results reveal that high glucose stimulates LDL transcytosis by a novel CAV1-CAVIN1-LC3B signaling-mediated autophagic degradation pathway.Abbreviations3-MA: 3-methyladenine; ACTB: actin beta; AMPK: AMP-activated protein kinase; Bafi: bafilomycin A1; CAV1: caveolin-1; CAVIN1: caveolae associated protein 1; CSD: the CAV1 scaffolding domain; GDM: gestational diabetes mellitus; IMD: intramembrane domain; LIR: LC3-interacting region; MAP1LC3/LC3: microtubule- associated protein 1 light chain 3; MFI: mean fluorescence intensity; MTOR: mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase; PIK3C3/VPS34: phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase catalytic subunit type 3; SQSTM1/p62: sequestosome 1.

Sinopec's Weiyuan Shale Gas Block is structurally located at the Baimazhen syncline held by the Weiyuan paleo-uplift and Ziliujing anticline in the Sichuan Basin. In this block, the Wufeng Fm of Upper Ordovician–Longmaxi Fm of Lower Silurian is an organic-rich dark shale deposit of deepwater shelf facies, whose litho-electric characteristics of geophysical logging are obviously different vertically and reservoir heterogeneity is strong. For providing a guidance for target window optimization and drilling trajectory tracking and adjustment of horizontal wells in the Weiyuan Shale Gas Block, parameter indexes were evaluated by refining the reservoir classification based on well logging subdivision, fine characterization of core laminae, high-precision geophysical prediction and genetic analysis of sedimentary microfacies. Furthermore, the “sweet spots” of shale gas reservoirs were predicted. Then, the target window was optimized and the trajectory of a horizontal well was designed. Finally, the effects of the target window of a horizontal well on shale gas productivity were evaluated. And the following research results were obtained. First, three types of laminae are developed in the high-quality shale reservoir at the bottom of Wufeng Fm–Long 1 Member, and they are vertically staggered and overlapped, which reflects the microscopic difference of sedimentary environment and reservoir quality. Second, shale gas reservoirs in this block can be divided into high-quality reservoirs, better reservoirs, general reservoirs and poor reservoirs. Third, the sublayer 2–31 at the bottom of Longmaxi Fm is biogenic sedimentary microfacies and it has the characteristics of “geological + engineering” sweet spot, e.g. high TOCcontents, high porosity, high brittleness, high gas content and low in-situ stress difference, so it is classified as a high-quality reservoir. Fourth, actual drilling results show that the location selection of the target window of a horizontal well has a significant impact on single-well shale gas productivity, and the penetration rate of a high-quality reservoir is the key geological factor to achieve high-yield shale gas. The research results provide support for the evaluation of shale gas productivity and lay a foundation for the commercial development of shale gas in the Weiyuan Shale Gas Block.

In this work, we used p-hydroxybenzoic anionic intercalated MgAl-layered double hydroxides (MgAl-(p-BzOH)-LDH) as a filler to modify waterborne polyurethane, and successfully synthesized novel WPU/MgAl-(p-BzOH)-LDH composites. CO32--type MgAl-LDH was firstly synthesized via hexamethylenetetramine hydrolysis method and then was transferred to p-BzOH-intercalated MgAl-LDH by ion exchange. The nanostructured MgAl-(p-BzOH)-LDH was then grafted by isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI), forming [MgAl-(p-BzOH)-LDH]NCO complex with NCO group on the surface, which promotes its homogeneous dispersion in WPU matrix through chemical bonding. The mechanical properties and water resistance of the composites were improved upon loading the MgAl-(p-BzOH)-LDH in certain levels. Furthermore, the composites can slowly release p-hydroxybenzoic anionic into the surrounding environment, and thus exhibit significant antibacterial activity towards G(_) Escherichia coli and G(+) Staphylococcus aureus.

This paper presents a nonlinear analytical model for an inverter-based switched-capacitor Class-D RF power amplifier (SCDPA). The root causes of the SCDPA AMAM and AMPM nonlinearities are studied. The major factors affecting SCDPA nonlinearities are identified as the unequal on-resistances of selected cell and unselected cell. Specifically, time-varying resistance of the switch, different transistor responses during the transition and parasitic resistance on the supply path (IR drop) are analyzed. Then, the system-level result, like EVM and power spectral density, can be obtained with nonlinear behavior of PA. The results of model calculation, schematic simulation, and measurement are presented and compared with validate the model both on transistor level and system level. This paper, for the first time, provides an accurate design guidance to enable fast architecture study and quick circuit-level prototype with close-to-optimum component initial parameters. It can be expanded to more architectures, therefore helps to pave the path to future design automation for highly linear SCDPAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two novel sesquiterpenoids, curcumanes A (1) and B (2), possessing unprecedented skeletons with a dicyclo[3.2.1]octane and a dicyclo[3.3.1]nonane moiety, respectively, were isolated from Curcuma longa. Both of them had remarkable vasorelaxant activity on rat aorta via blocking extracellular Ca2+influx through VDCCs and ROCCs. The activity of 1was endothelium-independent, while that of 2was endothelium-dependent. Compound 2also prolonged APTT and TT to inhibit blood coagulation.

BackgroundRecent years have witnessed a rapid development of three-dimensional (3D) printing technology applied in orthopaedic surgery. To be assisted by 3D printing is a potent method to realise accurate and individualised operation. The objective of this meta-analysis was to assess the efficacy of 3D printing technology in the management of trauma fractures.MethodsPubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched up until January 2019 to identify relevant studies. All clinical studies comparing conventional surgery and 3D printing-assisted surgery in the management of orthopaedic trauma were obtained. The meta-analysis was performed with RevMan V.5.3 software.ResultsFour randomised controlled trials, four retrospective comparative studies and two prospective comparative studies involving 521 patients were included. Compared with conventional surgery, 3D printing-assisted surgery leads to shorter operation duration (mean difference (MD) −16.59 (95% CI −18.60 to –14.58), p<0.001), less intraoperative blood loss (standardised mean difference (SMD) −1.02 (95% CI –1.25 to –0.79), p<0.001) and fewer intraoperative fluroscopies (SMD −2.20 (95% CI –2.50 to –1.90), p<0.001). However, 3D printing-assisted surgery leads to longer hospital stay (MD 2.51 (95% CI 0.31 to –4.72), p=0.03). No significant results were found regarding fracture healing time, the rate of excellent and good outcomes, anatomical reduction and complications.ConclusionsThese results suggest that 3D printing-assisted surgery outperforms conventional surgery in the management of orthopaedic trauma fractures with shorter operation duration, less intraoperative blood loss and fewer intraoperative fluoroscopies.

To understand the adaptation of Mycobacterium neoaurumATCC25795 (Mn) in sterol catabolism and steroid production, we used integrated transcriptome and proteome analysis to identify the biochemical pathways utilized in this process. Metabolic alterations during sterol catabolism center on propionyl-CoA pools. Generally, enhanced pathways for metabolizing propionyl-CoA were found in Mn, which were tightly coordinated with cell-envelope biosynthesis. The cells responded to sterol substrates and toxic steroid products by changing the composition of the cell envelope. This adaptive mechanism allowed Mnto use minimally water-soluble sterol as a carbon source. Several putative efflux proteins were found to be induced in Mn. They probably transported products to the extracellular environment, protecting the cells against high intracellular levels of toxic intermediates, inhibition of which also influenced sterol uptake. The work provided various targets for rational engineering of robust Mnwith powerful sterol-uptake capacity and strong tolerance to toxic products for the steroid industry.

Seven novel guaiane sesquiterpenoids (1–7) and three known seco-guaianes were isolated from the volatile oil of Pogostemon cablin. Their structures including absolute configurations were determined by spectroscopic analyses, a modified Mosher’s method, and X-ray diffraction and ECD data. The results indicated that the ECD Cotton effects arising from one or two nonconjugated olefinic chromophores could be applied to define the absolute configurations of guaiane sesquiterpenoids. Compounds 3and 6exhibited significant vasorelaxant activity against phenylephrine-induced and KCl-induced contractions of rat aorta rings [half-maximal effective concentration (EC50) of 3against PHE-induced contraction, 5.4 μM; EC50of 6against PHE- and KCl-induced contractions, 1.6 and 24.2 μM, respectively]. They also showed antifungal activity against Candida albicans(minimum inhibitory concentrations, 500 and 300 μM, respectively). In addition, 2and 7–9displayed a neuroprotective effect against glutamate-induced injury in PC12 cells.

Integrated transcriptome and proteome studies were performed to investigate sterol biotransformation in wild-type Mycobacterium neoaurumATCC 25795 (Mn) and the mutant strains producing steroid intermediates. Transcriptome and proteome studies indicated that several metabolic activities were noticeably dynamic, including cholesterol degradation, central carbon metabolism, cell envelope biosynthesis, glycerol metabolism, and transport. Interestingly, a poor overall correlation between mRNA and translation profiles was found, which might contribute to the metabolic adaptation in cholesterol catabolism. A gene cluster covering 111 genes was discovered to encode for cholesterol catabolism in Mn. Generally, transcription and/or translation of the genes in KstR1 regulon was upregulated, and the induction of genes in KstR2 regulon was not as significant as that of KstR1 regulon. Several induced genes showing potential roles for cholesterol catabolism were found. Further identification of these genes and investigation of the correlation among key metabolic activities could help for the development of efficient steroid-producing strains.

With the development of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometers and probes, two-dimensional quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance (2D qNMR) technology with a high signal resolution and great application potential has become increasingly accessible for the quantitation of complex mixtures. However, the requirement that the relaxation recovery time be equal to at least five times T1(longitudinal relaxation time) makes it difficult for 2D qNMR to simultaneously achieve high quantitative accuracy and high data acquisition efficiency. By comprehensively using relaxation optimization and nonuniform sampling, we successfully established an optimized 2D qNMR strategy for HSQC experiments at the half-hour level and then accurately quantified the diester-type C19-diterpenoid alkaloids in Aconitum carmichaelii. The optimized strategy had the advantages of high efficiency, high accuracy, good reproducibility, and low cost and thus could serve as a reference to optimize 2D qNMR experiments for quantitative analysis of natural products, metabolites, and other complex mixtures.

Electrically conducting composites with a structure of alternating (A-B-A)n layers were prepared by a novel microlayer coextrusion, which were consisted of alternating layers of polystyrene (PS) and layers of carbon black (CB)-filled polystyrene (PSCB). The co-continuous structure with selective location of CB in PSCB layers was controllable by changing the number of multiplying elements, and decreased the percolation threshold and electrical resistivity of multilayered composites because of the double percolation effect. In addition, the multilayered composites exhibited better mechanical properties than that of the conventional blends, which were related to the layered structure and small size of CB aggregates.

Pogostemonis herba is used in traditional Chinese medicine to remove dampness, relieve sunstroke, stop vomiting and increase appetite. Patchouli alcohol, an ingredient in pogostemonis herba, has the potential to treat inflammation as well as bacterial and fungal infections. The essential oil of pogostemonis herba (patchouli oil) is commonly given orally in clinical settings; however, no pharmacokinetic studies have examined its oral administration. The goal of this study was to investigate the pharmacokinetic behavior of patchouli alcohol following single-dose oral administration in rats; the influence of other patchouli oil components on the pharmacokinetic profile of patchouli alcohol was also examined. In this study, a simple and selective GC/MS method was developed and validated to measure the level of patchouli alcohol in rat plasma. The study revealed that the pharmacokinetics profile was linear in both the patchouli alcohol and patchouli oil groups. The Cmaxand AUC0–tof patchouli alcohol were greater in all three doses of patchouli alcohol compared to corresponding patchouli oil doses. Additionally, the Tmaxvalues were significantly greater in the patchouli oil group. These results suggest that the other ingredients in patchouli oil influence the pharmacokinetic behavior of patchouli alcohol during its absorption. The results provide a meaningful basis for evaluating the clinical application of patchouli oil and patchouli alcohol.

In this paper, the transmitted part of the incident wave is considered to revise Taylor’s solution, which is used to extend its application for analytical models to predict the response of the plate with different material properties. The influence of the material properties and the boundary condition of the plate on fluid and structural dynamics is systematically investigated. The analytical results are compared with those of detailed dynamic FE simulations and the two are in good agreement. The results indicate that the analytical method is valid and suitable for the plates with different material properties subjected to underwater explosion. It is found that Taylor’s results of the plate with small impedance are invalid, which indicates a potential application field for the analytical method.

This paper is concerned with the free vibration analysis of open circular cylindrical shells with either the two straight edges or the two curved edges simply supported and the remaining two edges supported by arbitrary classical boundary conditions. Based on the Donnell-Mushtari-Vlasov thin shell theory, an analytical solution of the traveling wave form along the simply supported edges and the modal wave form along the remaining two edges is obtained. With such a unidirectional traveling wave form solution, the method of the reverberation-ray matrix is introduced to derive the equation of natural frequencies of the shell with different classical boundary conditions. The exact solutions for natural frequencies of the open circular cylindrical shell are obtained with the employment of a golden section search algorithm. The calculation results are compared with those obtained by the finite element method and the methods in the available literature. The influence of length, thickness, radius, included angle, and the boundary conditions of the open circular cylindrical shell on the natural frequencies is investigated. The exact calculation results can be used as benchmark values for researchers to check their numerical methods and for engineers to design structures with thin shell components.

Five isoliquiritigenin analogues, including a new methylene-bridged bischalcone (1), were isolated from Spatholobus suberectus. Cytotoxicity screening of these isolates and several synthetic derivatives indicated that the introduction, removal, position modification, or glycosylation of hydroxy groups in isoliquiritigenin did not improve the resultant cytotoxicity against the MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cell lines. In addition, cyclization of OH-2′ chalcones or reduction of the α,β-unsaturated carbonyl double bond decreased such cytotoxicity substantially. However, methylation of hydroxy groups resulted in a marked increase in such cytotoxic activity. Among these active isoliquiritigenin analogues, 3′,4′,5′,4″-tetramethoxychalcone (3h) was obtained as a compound with promising cytotoxic activity.

Although the research in triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) textiles has seen a rapid development recently, their integrated and mass fabrication process is still challenging, which hinders its further applications for wearable sensors. Herein, highly integrated and scalable manufacturing conductive composite fibers for weaving TENGs are presented, which might overcome the major problems. The fibers possess liquid alloy/silicone rubber core/shell structures made by simultaneously injecting liquid alloy and silicone rubber into the separate input ports of a coaxial needle, followed by automatically assembled from the output. The liquid alloy/silicone rubber core/shell fiber (LCF) has both good pliability and high resistance-strain sensitivity, which is beneficial for serving as strain sensors directly, and for incorporating with woven for textile-TENGs (t-TENGs)-based self-powered sensoring application. As a result, the open-circuit voltage (Voc), short-circuit current (Isc), short-circuit transferred charge (Qsc) and maximum power density of 4 × 4 cm2t-TENG are 175 V, 15 μA, 66 nC and 469 mW/m2, respectively. Additionally, the t-TENG is mechanically robust, chemically stable and easy-cleaning for daily use. The wearable t-TENG devices can be used to detect human motions. This work provides a novel method of scalable manufacturing LCFs for weaving wearable t-TENGs, contributing to the development of t-TENGs and wearable self-powered sensors.

Recently, direct reprogramming between divergent lineages has been achieved by the introduction of regulatory transcription factors. This approach may provide alternative cell resources for drug discovery and regenerative medicine, but applications could be limited by the genetic manipulation involved. Here, we show that mouse fibroblasts can be directly converted into neuronal cells using only a cocktail of small molecules, with a yield of up to >90% being TUJ1-positive after 16 days of induction. After a further maturation stage, these chemically induced neurons (CiNs) possessed neuron-specific expression patterns, generated action potentials, and formed functional synapses. Mechanistically, we found that a BET family bromodomain inhibitor, I-BET151, disrupted the fibroblast-specific program, while the neurogenesis inducer ISX9 was necessary to activate neuron-specific genes. Overall, our findings provide a “proof of principle” for chemically induced direct reprogramming of somatic cell fates across germ layers without genetic manipulation, through disruption of cell-specific programs and induction of an alternative fate.

The cores have to be spliced in the manufacturing process of sandwich plate due to the processing technology, the influence of core splice, compared with integrated core, on mechanical behavior of sandwich plate were investigated through two experiments. Two styles of specimens (B-style and C-style) were taken into experiments in sequence which included two kinds of plate with different cores.Firstly, it was found in stiffness experiment that stiffness and strength of sandwich plate with splicing core were obviously weaker than that with integrated core, which mean the former performed larger deformation under the same predetermined load with higher strain and behaved lower ultimate bearing capacity. Meanwhile the failure modes were mainly sheet crushing collapse and there was no evident difference in the failure mode of the two styles specimens with different cores. It concluded that the cores splice reduced the stiffness in location of two core splicing but the effect on the failure mode was slight.Secondly, it was found in stability experiment that the mechanical behaviour was approximately linear under the predetermined axial load and the predetermined out-of-plane load and similarly bulking strength of the sandwich plate with splicing core was about 10%~15% lower than that with integrated core. Basically, delamination between sheet and core kept accompany with bulking of the plate each time and two styles specimens with different cores didn’t show evident differences in failure mode as well. It demonstrated the conclusion and that core splice accounted to make the specimens produced geometric imperfections which resulted in stiffness reduction.Thirdly, based on experiments it was clear that the mechanical behaviour of sandwich plates with splicing cores suffered from more obvious discreteness compared with that with integrated cores, which indicated that manufacturing technology had greater influence on the former and core splice should be avoided in some important location of structure.Lastly, numerical simulation method based on progressive damage analysis was also studied and good correlation with experimental results was obtained, which could well predict the mechanical behaviour of the sandwich plates with splicing core and integrated core.

A new method based on image patch reordering for removing salt-and-pepper noise from corrupted images is presented. Firstly, the problem of salt-and-pepper noise removal can be turned into the problem of image in-painting. Then, we can use the image patch reordering method to recover the missing pixels and fulfill the salt-and-pepper noise removal. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method obtain much better performance in terms of both qualitative and quantitative assessment. Especially, the proposed method provides the improvement in the performance of noise suppression and detail preservation.

Ocean front is a narrow transitional zone that the penetration of sea is obviously different between two or more waters there. It is an important feature of geophysical turbulence which plays an important role in ocean dynamics. Ocean fronts become visible on radar images because they are associated with a variable surface current which modulates the sea surface roughness and thus the backscattered radar power. This paper propose a new integrated method to extract ocean fronts based on two-dimensional Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD), image edge detection and mathematical morphology processing. Experimental results show that this integrated method can be effective in ocean front feature extraction.

Owing to the existence of the flow field boundary, the shock wave load near the boundary is different from the free field shock wave load. In the present paper, the hull plate load subjected to underwater shock wave is investigated based on wave motion theories; in addition, the experimental study of the hull plate load is carried out. According to the theoretical analysis of the hull plate pressure, we find that the hull plate pressure oscillates repeatedly and decays rapidly with time passing, the maximum hull plate pressure is 2/(1+n) times the maximum free field pressure, where nis the ratio of impedance, and the impulse is much smaller than the free field impulse. Compared with the experimental study, the theoretical results agree well with the experimental data.

In this paper, the vibration characteristics of plate and stiffened plate in the flow field are calculated by employing fluid-solid coupling method. The wet-frequency and wet-mode numerical computing results are analyzed. The influence of boundary condition, edge length ratio and depth of water on wet mode and wet frequency are studied. A mixed finite element-boundary element method is adopted in the numerical calculation, which makes the added water mass matrix calculation be limited to the liquid-solid interface. Thereby, the calculated amount is significantly reduced and the calculation efficiency is increased.

This paper provides a new delay-dependent stabilization criterion for systems with two additive time-varying delays. The novel functional is constructed, a tighter upper bound of the derivative of the Lyapunov functional is obtained. These results have advantages over some existing ones in that the skillfully combination of the delay decomposition and reciprocally convex approach. Two examples are provided to demonstrate the less conservatism and effectiveness of the results in this paper.

The objective of this study is to make some improvements to the original Moving Particle Semi-implicit method (MPS) for free surface flows. Compared to traditional mesh methods, MPS is feasible to simulate surface flows with large deformation, however, during the simulation; the pressure oscillation is quite violent, duo to misjudgment of surface particles as well as particles gathering together. To modify this problem, a new arc method is applied to judge free surface particles, and a collision model is introduced to avoid particles from gathering together. Hydrostatic pressure and classical dam break are investigated by original and improved MPS. The results verify that improved MPS method is more effective for free surface flows.

Pogostemon cablin (Blanco) Benth. is an important medicinal plant in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Because of differences in the chemical composition, this species has been classified into two major chemotypes, i. e. the patchouliol-type and the pogostone-type; however, no quick and effective method is presently available for the precise identification of these two chemotypes. DNA barcoding, using a standardized DNA fragment, is a promising molecular diagnostic method for species identification. We have established a reliable and quick method for the identification of the P. cablin chemotypes. Of five potential barcodes [rbcL, psbA-trnH, rpoB, ITS (internal transcibed spacer), and ndhJ], tested among 103 samples, ITS was the best candidate, as comparative studies between patchouliol-type and pogostone-type P. cablin revealed that ITS had more variable regions among these five barcodes. We suggest that ITS can serve as the most suitable barcode for differentiating between the chemotypes of P. cablin

The mechanical arm is a multi-input multi-output, highly non-linear, strong coupling complex system. Active Disturbance Rejection Controller is of good performance and relatively simple algorithm. Artificial Bee Colony algorithm is a new swarm intelligence algorithm based on the behavior of honey bees. The linear ADRC was adopted to realize the moving control of the mechanical arm and the controller parameters were chosen and optimized by ABC algorithm. Simulation results are satisfied and well prove the feasibility and validity of the algorithm.

The dynamic response of different micro-beams after laser excitation experiments have been investigated in this paper. The impact force that induces the vibration of micro-beams is the interaction of focused pulse laser and tested beams. The impact response of micro-beams after being excited is measured by Laser Doppler Vibrometer. Different beams such as cantilever beam, L-shaped beam are employed in our experiments. Comparisons of the vibration velocity and its frequencies of different beams have also been performed. Experimental results show that the mechanical effects of laser shock do really exist and can be utilized.

Pocahemiketone A, a novel sesquiterpenoid possessing a unique spirocyclic skeleton with a hemiketal endoperoxide unit, was isolated from the essential oil of Pogostemon cablin. Its structure was determined by spectroscopic methods and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses. Pocahemiketone A exhibits a significant neuroprotective effect against Aβ25–35-induced damage in SH-SY5Y cells by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis and oxidative stress. These results indicate that pocahemiketone A has great potential for use in the treatment of Alzheimer′s disease.

Deep shales refer to the shales with buried depth greater than 3500 m. Yields of shale gases depend on the form of their occurrence at the depth, but the major controlling factors on shale gas occurrence state in deep high-over mature shales are poorly understood. Using the Longmaxi Formation as an example, the shale gas occurrence characteristics of deep high-over mature shales were quantitatively characterized, and the effects of temperature, pressure, pore structure, and organic matter abundance on the occurrence characteristics of shale gas were studied by using the control variable method. The results show that the Longmaxi shale is mainly organic-rich argillaceous shale, with an average porosity of 7.54%. The pore volumes are mainly contributed by mesopores, whereas the total specific surface areas are primarily by micropores. The Longmaxi shale has high gas contents, with total gas contents of 3.82∼7.89 m3/t rock, in which the proportion of free gas varies from 71% to 83%, with an average of 77%. The high proportion of free gas depends on the particular geological conditions in the Longmaxi Formation. High temperature is not conducive to shale gas storage, and the negative effect on adsorbed gas is greater than that on free gas. High pressure is beneficial to shale gas storage, and the positive influence on free gas is greater than that on adsorbed gas. The large pore volume dominated by mesopores provides sufficient storage place for free gas. High organic matter content is beneficial for shale gas enrichment but reduce the proportion of free gas. In conclusion, high pressure and large pore volume are the major factors for the high proportion of free gas.