Search

The liver is a vital organ that controls glucose and lipid metabolism, hormone regulation, and bile secretion. Liver injury can occur from various insults such as viruses, metabolic diseases, and alcohol, which lead to acute and chronic liver diseases. Recent studies have demonstrated the implications of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the pathogenesis of liver diseases. These newly discovered lncRNAs have various functions attributing to many cellular biological processes via distinct and diverse mechanisms. LncRNA H19, one of the first lncRNAs being identified, is highly expressed in fetal liver but not in adult normal liver. Its expression, however, is increased in liver diseases with various etiologies. In this review, we focused on the roles of H19 in the pathogenesis of liver diseases. This comprehensive review is aimed to provide useful perspectives and translational applications of H19 as a potential therapeutic target of liver diseases.

Oxidative stress is considered a possible mechanism of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and depression. This study determined the possible association of serum peroxiredoxin 1 (PRDX1; a key antioxidant enzyme) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) with anxiety and depression symptoms in IBS patients.According to the Rome IV diagnostic criteria, 177 IBS patients from February 2019 to July 2019 were included. Serum levels of PRDX1, BDNF, and TNFα were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Levels of anxiety and depression were assessed with the Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS).Compared with normal IBS patients, patients with anxiety and depression symptoms had significantly higher serum PRDX1 (p0.001; p=0.002) and TNFα (p0.001; p = 0.002) and significantly lower BDNF (p 0.001; p = 0.002). Serum PRDX1 (r = 0.659, p 0.001; r = 0.466, p 0.001) and TNFα (r = 0.531, p 0.001; r = 0.449, p 0.001) were positively correlated with SAS and SDS, respectively, whereas BDNF was negatively correlated with SAS (r = 0.594, p 0.001) and SDS (r = 0.534, p 0.001). Multivariable regression analysis revealed that IBS severity, BDNF, and PRDX1 were significant predictors of anxiety. BDNF was also a significant predictor of depression.Elevated PRDX1 and decreased BDNF in serum may be closely related to psychological symptoms in IBS. Results of this study suggested that PRDX1 may be an important target for IBS treatment in fighting against intestinal and psychological symptoms.

In the actual working condition, the cavitation phenomenon is inevitably accompanied by the collapse of a large number of bubbles, and will affect the performance of hydraulic machinery. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the process of multi-bubble collapse. The double bubble system is the most simplified one in multi-bubble system, and it is also the basis of studying multi-bubble. However, the existing bubble dynamic studies mainly focused on single bubble and its interaction with the wall. This paper studies the interaction between two bubbles with different sizes and the influence of the wall on the process of bubble collapse by the VOF method. We have already investigated the interaction between two bubbles with different sizes without a wall (in free water) in our previous study. In this paper, we find that if there is a wall nearby, these two bubbles move close to each other when collapsing, and both move close to the wall at the same time. Through the study of bubble collapse time in the single bubble and the double bubble system, we find that the existence of the wall will delay the collapse time of bubble. However, the existence of the wall can also increase the intensity of collapse and rebound process of the bubble. Through the study of the center displacement of the bubble, we find that the double bubble system can increase the displacement of both bubbles. The method used in this paper can be easily extended to the study of multi-bubble, which provides a feasible method for the simulation of multi-bubble collapse near the wall.

The rotor of Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors (PMSM) is an electromechanical coupled dynamics system. The asymmetrical magnetic field-induced mechanical vibration has important effect on the operation performance of the high speed and high power density PMSM. In this paper, an electromechanical coupled lateral/torsional dynamic model caused by electromagnetic excitation is derived based on a Lagrange–Maxwell approach. The stability of the equilibrium was analyzed using a linearized matrix of the system equation. A stability criteria of coupled torsional-lateral motions was provided, and the influences of the electromagnetic and mechanical parameters on mechanical vibration stability were investigated. Finally, the vibration damping of the electromechanical coupling parameters vibration was explored. These results we represent get us better to understand the nonlinear response of the eccentric PMSM rotor system and are beneficial to control and diagnose the eccentric.

Little previous research results have been reported from laboratory tire-pavement noise test methods, especially on small laboratory specimens. This research aims to introduce and explore the feasibility of a new test method used with laboratory specimens. The proposed method measured the tire-pavement noise when a rolling tire from a sloping track hit a horizontal slab specimen of a given pavement mixture. A high speed camera and a weighing sensor were utilized to identify the tire-pavement contact time and distance. The contact time was found to be 30.72 ms. The exact start time of contact was determined by analyzing the recorded sound signal. Altogether, five data analysis methods were employed. The analysis results were evaluated using Sound Pressure Level (SPL) and 1/3 octave band spectrum. They were compared with the corresponding reference pavements from past research, and on site results. Finally, two methods were recommended. They may potentially characterize laboratory tire-pavement noise.

Four new luminescent metal–organic frameworks (LMOFs), {[Zn(L)]·CH3CN}n (1), [Zn2(L)2]n (2), [Zn(L) (H2O)]n (3) and {[Zn(L) (H2O)]·DMA}n (4), were assembled employing 6-(3-pyridyl)isophthalic acid (H2L) with Zn(II) ions, revealing versatile frameworks as well as various types of coordination modes of H2L. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses reveal that complexes 1 and 4 exhibit a 3D dense-packing structure with a bi-nodal 3,6-connected net and an uninodal 3-connected net, respectively; while complexes 2 and 3 show 2D layered structures with a bi-nodal 3,6-connected net and an uninodal 3-connected net, respectively. Further, the solid-state luminescence properties of the complexes were measured at room temperature. The results manifest that 1 shows high selectivity and sensitivity for Cr(VI)-containing anions with detection limits of 43.77 ppm for CrO42− and 64.77 ppm for Cr2O72−. In addition, the luminescence of 1 can be quenched efficiently by trace amounts of antibiotics (dimetridazole, DTZ; sulfadiazine, SDZ; nitrofurazone, NZF; nitrofurantoin, NFT; furazolidone, FZD; chloramphenicols, INN). Complex 1 is responsive to antibiotics with detection limits of 1.35 ppm for DTZ, 1892.27 ppm for SDZ, 0.62 ppm for NZF, 0.78 ppm for NTF, FZD for 6.87 ppm.

Potholes are common distresses on poor quality or heavily trafficked asphalt pavements. Timely and durable maintenance is required to reduce the impacts on traffic, especially in winter and rainy conditions. Conventional coating materials for repair either require complex preparation or are of poor durability. This paper introduces a new polyurethane modified coating material to be used in pothole repairs, and compares it with the other two coating materials which are widely used in pothole maintenance, i.e., emulsified asphalt and cutback asphalt. Laboratory tests concerning workability, bonding performance and durability, and field surveys of three pothole patches installed in different environments were conducted. The results showed that the curing time and workability performance of the polyurethane modified coating were stronger than that of the control materials in low temperatures. Shear strength and pullout strength were greater at different test temperatures and moisture levels. The use of the polyurethane modified coating enhanced the ability of pothole patches to resist freezing-thawing cycles, dishing and shoving, when compared with the emulsified asphalt and cutback asphalt. The polyurethane modified coating had good pavement performance in field as well. Therefore, it is concluded that the polyurethane modified coating is a suitable choice for timely asphalt pavement potholes maintenance in cold and wet conditions.

Micro-surfacing is an available choice for pavement preventive maintenance. This paper introduced a new micro-surfacing using developed Waterborne Epoxy Resin (WER) modified emulsified asphalt to overcome the common distress, such as abrasion, rutting, ravelling and poor durability. The skid resistance, bonding, rutting and wear performances of different formulations of the proposed micro-surfacing materials were compared with Styrene Butadiene Rubber (SBR) modified micro-surfacing by load wheel tests, wet track abrasion tests, skid resistance tests, load wheel tracking tests, cantabro tests and accelerated loading tests. Results indicated that WER could improve the early pavement performance of micro-surfacing significantly, especially their bonding and rutting resistance. WER also produced improved durability performance. The damage in the critical condition of water immersion, freeze–thaw and heavy traffic was alleviated greatly by the use of WER. Therefore, it can be concluded that WER modified emulsified asphalt is a good binder for micro-surfacing.

To improve the extraction efficiency of carbon fibers (CFs) toward organic pollutants, TiO2 nanorod arrays (NARs) were grown in situ on CFs. Subsequently, biochar nanospheres and covalent organic framework nanospheres were separately introduced to functionalize the NARs. A sequence of materials was produced by regulating the reactant concentrations and characterized using a scanning electron microscope, an X-ray photoelectron spectrometer, an X-ray diffractometer, a Raman spectrometer, and a specific surface area analyzer. The materials were then deposited into separate poly(etheretherketone) tubes for in-tube solid-phase microextraction (IT-SPME). These tubes were evaluated with different types of organic pollutants (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), estrogens, bisphenols, and phthalate esters) using a combination of high-performance liquid chromatography and IT-SPME, and they exhibited diverse extraction performance. The extraction mechanism of each material is carefully discussed, and the structure–performance relationship is also summarized based on the chemical structures and extraction properties of the materials. The most efficient extraction materials for different analytes were discovered and used to develop analytical methods. Three online methods were used to sensitively detect PAHs, estrogens, and bisphenols in real water samples, respectively. Satisfactory results were obtained, including enrichment factors up to 6784, detection limits as low as 0.001 μg L−1, linear ranges of 0.003–15.0 μg L−1, and relative standard deviations ranging from 0.2% to 15.2%. The results indicate that these methods have some advantages over previous material-based methods.

Thermophoresis is of common interest due to its influence on the deposition of particles. Present research on thermophoretic deposition mainly focused on the sub-micron particles, whereas the particle size during the radioactive aerosol monitoring process usually exceeds the range. In order to study the effect of thermophoresis on the deposition characteristics of aerosols ranging from 1 to 10 µm, direct numerical simulation (DNS) and experiments of particle deposition are performed in this paper aiming at still and turbulent flow respectively. The results obtained by DNS coupled with Lagrangian particle tracking (LPT) are validated by the experimental data and the theoretical values. The results indicate that thermophoresis has an influence on the deposition of micron-sized particles, and the effect of thermophoresis on deposition velocity depends on particle size. In the still air, when the temperature gradient is 3000 K/m, the deposition velocity of 1 and 10 µm particles will be increased by 87% and 4.8% respectively when compared with gravitational deposition velocity. In the turbulent flow, the motion of particles is dominated by turbulent motion. In the region near the wall, thermophoresis can increase the deposition rate on the cold wall.

Grooved grouting surface pavement has certain advantages in ice-suppression and ice-breaking, and would not cause damage to the surrounding environment. However, when ordinary polyurethane (PU) is used as the binder of grouting material, the interfacial adhesion and durability between grouting material and asphalt mixture are insufficient. Therefore, a new polyurethane-urea (PUU) binder was prepared for the surface pavement of groove grouting in this study. Firstly, the gelation time of PUU binder with different polyuria (PUa) content was tested. Then, the mechanical properties of PUU binder were verified through the shore A hardness test, tensile strength and dynamic thermal mechanical analysis (DMA). The interfacial bonding properties of PUU binder were tested by shear and pull-out tests The UV aging mechanism of PUU binder was revealed by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Tensile strength test. Finally, the wear resistance of PUU binder was verified by Akron wear test. The test results show that the allowable content of ethyl acetate should be controlled within 5–10%. The mechanical properties of PUU were significantly improved by adding a certain proportion of PUa. When the content of PUa is 30% and 40%, the interfacial bonding strength of PUU binder increases significantly, in which the Shear strength increases by 17.1% and 18.1%, and the Pull-out strength increases by 31.7% and 34.9%, respectively. In conclusion, the recommended dosage range of PUa is 30–40%.

Sample pretreatment is considered the most significant procedure in analyzing and detecting trace targets from complicated matrices. Aerogels display remarkable properties, such as a low density, porous structure, high surface area, excellent adsorption performance, and good thermal stability, making the aerogels exploitable as extraction materials for sample preparation. This review summarizes the classification, development, and application of aerogels for solid-phase extraction (SPE) and solid-phase microextraction (SPME) from 2010 to 2021. Different aerogel types were introduced in SPE and SPME, such as silica, carbon, organic, organic-inorganic hybridized, and metal-oxide aerogels. The aerogel-based sorbents effectively captured a wide variety of analytes in environmental, biological, and food samples due to their excellent properties and flexible adsorption performance. Current challenges and future prospects for aerogels in sample preparation are also proposed.

The objective of this paper is to introduce a new micro-surfacing binder of waterborne epoxy resin emulsified asphalt (WEREA) based on real tunnel driving environment and to overcome the limitation of ordinary micro-surfacing for tunnel pavement. The preparation parameters and process of the new WEREA were proposed in detail. Moreover, the adhesion property and micro-mechanism of the new WEREA were investigated by modified water boiling method and fluorescent microscope test. The mechanical properties as well as functional characteristics of WEREA micro-surfacing mixture were studied by cohesion growth test, modified Marshall test, Cantabro test and wet track abrasion test. Among them, the modified water boiling test, cohesion growth test and modified Marshall test were all improved test methods based on the real tunnel driving environment. Results manifested that WEREA can apparently enhance the adhesion between asphalt binder and aggregates, supplying micro-surfacing pavement sufficient resistance on the tunnel adverse conditions. The waterborne epoxy resin (WER) can effectively promote the stripping resistance and water damage resistance of WEREA micro-surfacing. In addition, the effect of tunnel humidity on formation of initial strength is more obvious, thus, proper ventilation and dehumidification equipment can be taken to accelerate the initial strength formation rate of the mixture. This study can serve as a solid base for more efficient utilization of WEREA micro-surfacing in tunnel preventive maintenance.

Background & Aims: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the main type of liver cancer, has a high morbidity and mortality rate and poor prognosis. RNA helicase DDX5, which acts as a transcriptional co-regulator, is overexpressed in most malignant tumors and promotes cancer cell activities. Heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) is an important molecular chaperone in the conformational maturation and stabilization of numerous proteins involved in cell growth or survival. Methods: DDX5 mRNA and protein expression in surgically resected HCC tissues from 24 Asian patients were detected by quantitative real-time PCR and western blotting, respectively. The interaction of DDX5-HSP90 was testified by molecular docking, immunoprecipitation and laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM). The signal of autophagy was detected by western blotting. The cells functions and signalling pathway of DDX5 was examined in two HCC cell lines. Two different murine HCC xenograft models were used to determine the function of DDX5 and the therapeutic effect of HSP90 inhibitor. Results: High levels of DDX5 protein were associated with poor prognosis. HSP90 interacted directly with DDX5 and protected DDX5 protein from AMPK/ULK1-regulated autophagy degradation. The subsequent accumulation of DDX5 protein promoted the malignant phenotype of HCC by activating the β-catenin signaling pathway. Silence of DDX5 or treatment with HSP90 inhibitor both blocks in vivo tumor growth in murine HCC xenograft model. Conclusions: HSP90 interacts with DDX5 protein and subsequently protects DDX5 protein from AMPK/ULK1-regulated autophagic degradation. DDX5 or HSP90 is the potential therapeutic target for HCC. Funding Statement: National Natural Science Foundation of China (81672467, 81702773, 81702389), Major National R&D Project (2018ZX10723204, 2018ZX10302205) and Natural Science Foundation of Beijing (7172207). Declaration of Interests: The authors who have taken part in this study declared that they do not have anything to disclose regarding funding or conflict of interest with respect to this manuscript. Ethics Approval Statement: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee at each hospital and all patients provided informed consent prior to participation in the study.

Interlayer of pavement overlays or bridge deck pavement using waterborne epoxy resin emulsified asphalt (WEREA) is proposed for the purpose of preventing pavement from shoving at bridge deck. This study consists of theoretical analysis on cohesion and simulation failure tests of cohesion and waterproof. The results show that the cohesion performance is affected by temperature and the choice of curing agent, and the shear strength performance is related to interlayer contact texture. The components and network microstructure of WEREA enhance the cohesion property of interlayer and improve the material viscoelasticity, and as a result it improves the shear strength and pullout strength performance. In addition, WEREA also has a strong waterproof performance on the bridge deck pavement as tack coat.

It is pretty necessary to detect effectively polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs, including naphthalene, acenaphthylene, acenaphthene, fluorene, phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene, and pyrene) in foods due to their widespread distribution, trace concentration, and harmful risk to humans beings. Herein, dendritic mesoporous silica nanospheres@porous carbon was developed for solid-phase microextraction of PAHs. Firstly, three-dimensional dendritic mesoporous silica nanospheres (DMSNs) with high surface area and large pore volume were synthesized via an oil–water biphase stratification approach, then porous carbon was further prepared by utilizing DMSNs and asphalt as the template and carbon source, respectively. A core–shell DMSNs@porous carbon material was successfully developed and characterized by Raman spectroscopy, elemental analysis, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller test, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. DMSNs@porous carbon was proved to be a potential extraction material based on large surface area (442 m2 g−1), suitable pore sizes (about 45 nm), and high carbon content (17.36%). Subsequently, it was developed as an extraction coating and applied to online in-tube solid-phase microextraction of PAHs from tea beverages. Through coupling with high-performance liquid chromatography, an analytical method was established under optimal extraction conditions and desorption, low limits of detection (0.010–0.070 μg L−1), wide linear ranges in 0.033–10 μg L−1, and excellent correlation coefficients (most of the r reach 0.999) were received. The relative standard deviations (RSDs, n = 3) of intra-day test and inter-day test were obtained corresponding to the ranges of 0.1–2.5% and 1.0–4.1%. Finally, the method was used for detecting trace PAHs in different tea beverages from the market.

To establish the accurate pavement macro-texture finite element (FE) model used for tire-pavement interaction FE analysis, a novel processing and modelling procedure was proposed based on point cloud data obtained by the laser texture scanner. At first, drop-outs were removed using the linear interpolation technique, and a binary linear function was fitted to correct the pavement texture tilt. Besides, the spikes were detected and removed via bilateral test and linear interpolation based on asymmetric generalized Gaussian distribution. The effectiveness of proposed tilt correction and the spike detection method were verified based on the reference plate and the comparison with existing spike detection methods respectively. Subsequently, the Delaunay triangulation algorithm was employed to triangulate the processed point cloud data. Then, the reverse engineering modelling technique was used to generate the accurate three-dimensional (3D) pavement macro-texture FE model. To evaluate the effectiveness of the established FE model, a revised sand patch method was proposed, and the correlation between the calculated mean texture depth ( MT D ′ ) and the measured MTD was analyzed. The results show that the mean relative error between MT D ′ and the measured MTD is 5.97%, and the correlation coefficient R is equal to 0.9873, demonstrating that the processed point cloud data could characterize the actual pavement macro-texture precisely. Moreover, the generated pavement macro-texture FE model could be easily imported to Abaqus as well. Therefore, it could be concluded that the processing and modelling methods proposed in this study are effective for the establishment of 3D pavement macro-texture FE model.

To investigate the effect of pavement texture on tire-pavement noise and study the correlation of noise level with new proposed three-dimensional (3D) pavement texture evaluation indices, indoor tire-pavement noise measurement was carried out using a self-developed test device. 12 different asphalt mixture slab specimens were prepared in laboratory, and the texture information was scanned by laser texture scanner. 3D pavement texture indices f8mac, f8mic and σ were calculated based on pretreated pavement texture data, and their correlations with noise level were analyzed. To verify the effectiveness of proposed 3D pavement texture evaluation indices, common 2D pavement texture evaluation indices LTX,0.03→0.5, LTX,0.5→32 and LTX,ch were also calculated, and their correlations with noise level were compared with 3D pavement texture evaluation indices. The results show that the correlation coefficients between overall sound pressure level (SPL) and f8mac, f8mic, LTX,0.5→32 and LTX,0.03→0.5 were 0.9211, 0.7708, 0.9137, and 0.8796 respectively, and higher pavement texture level could enhance and reduce noise level simultaneously at different frequency bands. Moreover, The correlation coefficients of overall SPL with LTX,ch and σ are 0.9141 and 0.7254 respectively, and less uniform distributed pavement texture can promote noise level significantly. Therefore, it could be concluded that the new proposed 3D pavement texture indices could be effectively used for the evaluation of tire-pavement noise, and uniform pavement texture with low texture level is recommended for the quiet pavement design.

Geocell, as a high strength three-dimensional structure, has strong spatial lateral restraint function. This study aims to propose the use of geocell reinforced (GR) reclaimed construction waste (RCW) composite base, and to solve the problems of low strength and being prone to cracking of recycled base caused by poor performance of brick. In this paper, cement stabilized RCW mixture (C-RM) and RCW lean concrete (R-LC) are selected. Through laboratory tests and large-scale plate load test, the mechanical property of single GR RCW specimen and bearing capacity of GR RCW composite base are evaluated. Furthermore, based on the experiments, the Finite Element Method (FEM) is used for the mechanical analysis of GR reclaimed base asphalt pavement (RBAP). Results indicate that geocell has obvious reinforcement effect on the RCW concrete, and the effect is closely related to the brick/concrete ratio and specimen diameter. The displacement of RCW composite base is reduced, the resilient modulus is improved and the stress diffusion effect is enhanced obviously. What’s more, the bearing capability of GR R-CL is higher than that of GR C-RM. Additionally, geocell can improve the mechanical response of RBAP, and the main influence range is within 0.5 m from wheel load center.

Recycled asphalt mixture has been widely used in all grades of asphalt pavement in the world, but its unstable fatigue performance limits the addition of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) materials. According to the characteristics of the two hot recycled methods commonly used in China, nine kinds of fine aggregate matrix (FAM) were produced in the laboratory. Based on the torsion bar fixture of dynamic shear rheometer (DSR), linear viscoelastic (LVE) test, strain sweep, frequency sweep and time sweep test were carried out on FAM. The results showed that aging time and the increase of RAP content would have a negative effect on the fatigue performance of FAM, and the effect of aging time was more significant. Both time sweep test and strain sweep test could predict the fatigue properties of FAM, but strain sweep test could save more time. Therefore, it was suggested that strain sweep test could be used as a prediction method of fatigue properties of FAM.

In order to develop an online detection method for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in honey, graphene oxide-functionalized mesoporous silica was prepared and introduced as the coating in the field of in-tube solid-phase microextraction. An extraction tube was coupled to high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector, and the online analytical system was constructed. After the main extraction and desorption conditions were optimized, a sensitive and online method based on matrix-matched calibration was established towards trace PAHs in honey. The method exhibited wide linear range from 0.8 ng g−1 to 250 ng g−1 and low detection limit of 0.25 ng g−1, and the enrichment effect reached 2719. The proposed method was validated and successfully applied to the analysis of six honey samples. The extraction tube showed good durability and acceptable chemical stability during the experiment.

Considering the influence of road icing on traffic safety in winter, a pavement surface treatment technology with groove-filled polyurethane rubber particle elastomer (PRPE) was proposed. The optimum ratio of PRPE was determined by testing the mechanical properties, bonding properties and construction properties. Then the bonding durability, ice-breaking performance and skid resistance of PRPE were tested. The results showed that 40 mesh rubber particles, 60% polyurethane binder content, 3‰ catalyst and 5% diluent were selected as the optimal ratio of PRPE. Three test environments (Freeze-thaw, High temperature and immersion, High temperature and immersed in saltwater) have no obvious influence on the interface bonding performance of PRPE, only a slight reduction. The ice-breaking effects of the four pavement types are in order the PRPE and groove level > the PRPE lower than groove > the PRPE higher than groove > the grooved pavement (unfilled). Finally, through BPN and friction coefficient test, the skid resistance performance of the three pavement types under dry, wet and icing conditions is verified. Compared with the AC-13 asphalt mixture, the skid resistance of groove-filled pavement is improved by 4.5%, 10.8% and 24.6% under dry, wet and icing conditions respectively.

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are one booming class of porous materials that are assembled through covalent bonds. Owing to the excellent properties including three-dimensional frameworks, large specific surface, porous structure, multiple functional groups, good absorptivity, flexible design about various COFs, it has been introduced in sample preparation and some efficient COF coatings have been developed for solid-phase microextraction (SPME). COFs can be synthesized by different methods, and they also can be functionalized or modified for the regulation of their properties, so as to improve extraction performance. These COF materials presented good extraction effect to organic pollutants from diverse samples. This review paper focuses on the classification of COFs and their applications in SPME (direct immersion fiber SPME, headspace fiber SPME, and other SPME) as well as the extraction mechanism (π-π stacking, hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic, hydrophilic and electrostatic interactions, etc.) for various analytes in recent five years. Based on the flexible design and rich functionalization, COFs have large potential applications in sample preparation, and an outlook for current challenges and future trends about the development of COFs for SPME is also given.

Chip-sprinkling cement concrete (CSCC) pavement can provide satisfactory friction and has potential for noise attenuation due to its exposed surface texture, making abrasion resistance significant. The abrasion resistance of CSCC pavement was evaluated using the Cantabro test method, with smooth surface concrete as the control group. This method uses a Los Angeles Abrasion Machine without steel balls. Using the same method, the abrasion durability of CSCC was also assessed using different concentrations of sodium chloride solutions. The effects of different water/cement ratios and chip-sprinkling parameters were analyzed. The latter variables included aggregate particle size, aggregate spreading area ratio, and aggregate pressing depth ratio. Data indicate that the abrasion losses of CSCC specimens change quickly at first, but later they change more gradually. Aggregate particle sizes of 9.5–13.2 mm may be better when just considering the effect of aggregate particle size on the abrasion resistance. Abrasion losses of CSCC specimens multiply with increasing aggregate spreading area ratios and decrease with the rising aggregate pressing depth ratios. On the whole, abrasion resistance of CSCC is superior to the smooth surface concrete in the control group.

Some novel methods are introduced to improve thermal storage stability and pavement performance of crumb rubber modified binder. In this paper, the objective was to investigate the effects of compound activation on the molecular structure and physical properties of crumb rubber, as well as rheological properties and thermal storage stability of crumb rubber modified binders. Two activation methods, with and without diesel pre-swelling, and six microwave radiation intensities were designed in this study. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) test, swelling equilibrium test and dynamic mechanical thermal analyzer (DMA) test were performed to evaluate the characteristic functional groups and physical properties of crumb rubbers before and after activation. Additionally, rheological properties test at various service temperatures and thermal storage stability test were carried out on the crumb rubber modified binders. The results show that certain microwave radiation intensity would break the C-S and C=S bonds and reduces the cross-linking density of crumb rubber. Activation mode was the main factor affecting high temperature stability, fatigue life and low temperature relaxation property rather than microwave radiation intensity compared with control one. In addition, thermal storage stabilities of activated crumb rubber modified binders were better than control one. The more radiation intensity, the improvement effect of thermal storage stability is. Synthesizes each kind of property, diesel pre-swelling and microwave radiation intensity of 1.2 kJ/g was a preferable combination in this study.

Aerogels have attracted more and more attention in many fields due to the unique properties, including large surface area, high porosity, excellent adsorption, and low thermal conductivity. Based on the specific advantages, an organic aerogel was developed as the coating for solid-phase microextraction (SPME) in this work. Melamine-formaldehyde-resorcinol aerogel was in situ prepared on the surface of basalt fibers through the copolymerization reaction, the fibers were placed into a polyetheretherketone tube to achieve SPME tube. Coupled to high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), the tube was investigated and exhibited good extraction selectivity towards polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by π-π stacking and hydrophobic interactions. Under the optimal conditions, an online in-tube SPME-HPLC method was established with satisfactory enrichment factors (1128–2016), wide linear ranges (0.03–30 μg L−1 and 0.15–30 μg L−1), low limits of detection (0.01–0.05 μg L−1) and acceptable repeatability (RSD ≤ 3.9%, n = 5). The method was successfully applied to the determination of several PAH targets in real samples.

Biochar materials have been focused on enormous attention in the fields of capacitance, catalysis, adsorption due to its renewability, abundant in content and widespread distribution. In this work, corncob biochar materials were prepared under different carbonized temperature and characterized by scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy for surface morphology and graphitization degree. Then the materials were separately attached onto stainless steel wires as the coatings for solid-phase microextraction (SPME). Four wires with the same coating were placed into a polyetheretherketone tube to develop several extraction tubes. Coupled to high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with diode array detector (DAD), the tubes were evaluated using several polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as model analytes. According to the comparison of extraction efficiency, the best tube was selected. To achieve high sensitivity, both main extraction and desorption processes were optimized. Under the optimum conditions, an in-tube SPME-HPLC-DAD method for PAHs was established with low limits of detection (0.003–0.030 ng mL−1), wide linear ranges (0.010–15 ng mL−1, 0.017–15 ng mL−1, 0.033–15 ng mL−1 and 0.099–15 ng mL−1), high enrichment factors (1864–2615) and acceptable repeatability (relative standard deviations (RSDs, n = 3) less than 2.9% and 6.7% for intra-day and inter-day tests). Furthermore, the accuracy of the method was investigated via analyzing trace PAHs in real water samples and good recoveries (81.7%-116.8%) were obtained. In addition, the extraction tube exhibited satisfactory durability and chemical stability (RSDs ≤ 8.0%, n = 3) and acceptable reproducibility (RSD ≤ 7.8%, n = 3).

The research evaluates the effects and effectiveness of a sodium chloride-based anti-icing filler on andesite and limestone asphalt mixtures. The asphalt mixtures containing different amount of anti-icing fillers were designated based on the equivalent volume replacement method. In this study, the rutting susceptibility and low-temperature flexural properties, moisture susceptibility, anti-icing properties and snow melting capacity of mixtures were evaluated in the laboratory. The results showed that the specimens containing anti-icing fillers decreased their dynamic stability, flexural strain, residual Marshall stability ratio, and TSR values compared to those control ones. The mixtures made from two aggregate sources exhibit similar trends in general. It was also proved that the asphalt mixtures containing anti-icing fillers had anti-icing and snow melting capacity at a certain condition. In this research, it could be found that the replacement of anti-icing filler was 70% (by total volume) of mineral filler, providing a good anti-icing and snow melting capacity while the mixtures were still performed very well.

In order to overcome the shortcomings of the durability of hydrophobic emulsified asphalt coating due to attenuation of skid resistance performance and insufficient wear resistance, Waterborne epoxy resin (WER) was used as a modifier to prepare WER modified hydrophobic emulsified asphalt (WERHEA), which was used for the micro-surfacing mixture. The wet track abrasion test and load wheel test were used to determine the optimal asphalt dosage range of the micro-surfacing mixture of the two kinds of aggregates. The hydrophobic and anti-icing properties of the WERHEA micro-surfacing mixture were verified. In addition, the wear resistance performance, interlayer bonding performance, skid resistance performance and the attenuation of skid resistance performance after accelerated wear test was considered. The results show that when the content of WER is 12%, the oil stone ratio of granite micro-surfacing mixture is 7.5–8.6%, and that of basalt micro-surfacing mixture is 7.4–8.4%; the wear resistance of the micro-surfacing mixture is significantly improved, and the wear resistance of basalt is better than that of granite; 46% increase in shear strength and 105.7% increase in pull strength; The British pendulum number (BPN) and the Texture depth (TD) reached the peak, and then there was a downward trend. Considering that the increase in WER content may cause the mixture to segregate and reduce the skid resistance performance. After the accelerated abrasion test, its skid resistance performance is still the best with 12% WER. Therefore, the optimal amount of WER is 12%.

Hydrated lime is known to be an effective moisture damage additive, and it can also reduce the chemical ageing of the bitumen and stiffen the mastic. However, the optimum content and fineness of hydrated lime used in asphalt have been rarely studied. In order to determine the effect of lime content and fineness on hydrated lime modified asphalt and select the optimum lime content and fineness, XD90 asphalt, granite and 200 mesh, 300 mesh and 400 mesh lime with different lime content were chosen as experimental materials. At first, according to surface free energy method, the adhesion work W a was chosen as the main index to evaluate the adhesion between asphalt and granite, and the asphalt surface free energy components after hydrated lime modification were tested. After that, basic technical properties of hydrated lime modified asphalt were studied to refine lime content and fineness. Finally, multiple stress creep and recovery and linear amplitude sweep tests were carried out respectively to study rheological properties of hydrated lime modified asphalt. The results showed that the asphalt adhesiveness increased with the increase of lime fineness, and the optimum lime content for asphalt adhesiveness was around 10%. Moreover, hydrated lime could raise the asphalt viscosity and stiffen asphalt. To make ductility meet the specification requirements, the lime content should be controlled below 10%. When lime content was around 3%–10%, hydrated lime modified asphalt had relatively good rheological properties compared with base asphalt. Meanwhile, the high temperature performance together with the ability to resist permanent deformation was improved apparently. In conclusion, taking into account the adhesion, rheology and basic properties of hydrated lime modified asphalt, the optimum lime content and fineness could be finally determined.

Astilbin is a potential agent for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases and has a protective effect in mice with DSS-induced colitis. NK1.1- CD4+ NKG2D+ T cells are a subpopulation of regulatory T cells that produce TGF-β1 and IL-10. Whether astilbin directly promotes the induction of NK1.1- CD4+ NKG2D+ T cells and whether these astilbin-stimulated T cells exert an immune-regulatory role remain unclear. Here, we show that astilbin efficiently induces the production of NK1.1- CD4+ NKG2D+ T cells with high expressions of TGF-β1, IL-10, CCR6, and CCR9 in a dose-dependent manner ex vivo. These regulatory T cells also substantially inhibit the activities of CD8+ T cells and macrophages. Intraperitoneal injection of astilbin ameliorates the severity of colitis with an increase in the frequency of NK1.1- CD4+ NKG2D+ T cells in the colon tissue of DSS-treated mice. Moreover, adoptive transfer of NK1.1- CD4+ NKG2D+ T cells induced by astilbin remarkably protects against the onset of DSS-induced colitis. Finally, the PI3K, STAT3, and MAPK signaling pathways are involved in the induction of NK1.1- CD4+ NKG2D+ T cells by astilbin. Taken together, our study elucidates a new immune-regulatory mechanism of astilbin by inducing the regulatory NK1.1- CD4+ NKG2D+ T cells and indicates a potential clinical use of astilbin for patients with inflammatory bowel diseases.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of a blend of cinnamaldehyde, eugenol and capsicum oleoresin (CEC) on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, immune response and antioxidant status of growing ewes. Fifty-four 4-month-old crossbred ewes (Dorper × Mongolian Sheep) with an initial body weight (BW) of 34.84 ± 0.51 kg were randomly assigned into three treatments with six replicates of each treatment and three ewes per replicate. The treatments were as follows: (1) CTR (control, no CEC added), (2) CEC50 (50 mg CEC/kg of feed) and (3) CEC80 (80 mg CEC/kg of feed). The experimental period lasted 60 days and was preceded by an adaption period of 15 days. The ADG were significantly greater (P = 0.04) for ewes fed CEC80 diet than those fed CTR diet. The NDF apparent digestibility was higher (P = 0.02) for ewes from CEC80 group compared to the CTR group. Ewes fed CEC had higher (P

This paper reviews the recent advances of ionic liquids (ILs) in sample preparation from more than 100 works mainly in last five years, including liquid-liquid microextraction, solid-phase extraction, solid-phase microextraction, stir bar or stir cake sorptive extraction. ILs, polymer of ILs and their composites with molecular imprinted polymer, carbon nanotubes, graphene oxide and magnetic materials have been explored as promising sorbents for inorganic or organic pollutants, majorly relying on the affinity of ILs with the target. The improved sensitivity and selectivity towards different types of analytes were displayed, attributed from various mechanism of ILs-based extraction materials including π-π, ion-exchange, hydrogen bond, dipole-dipole, electrostatic, hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions. The prospects of ILs for sample preparation were also presented, which can offer an outlook for the further applications of ILs.

The wavelength-tuned Fizeau interferometer achieves the desired phase for interferograms based on the use of a phase-shifting technique. It can then use it to measure the surface and thickness of a parallel transparent object. However, phase errors occur owing to the inherent changes of the power of the tunable laser diode induced upon laser wavelength changes. To improve the measurement accuracy, we propose an optical power, real-time feedback control system, and a synchronous calibration scheme. The significance of the proposed method relies on the fact that the laser intensity variation can be detected quickly and compensated by adjusting the bias voltage. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed system, we incorporated it into the optical system of the wavelength-tuned, phase-shifting interferometer for experimentation. The control principles and the experimental validation of the proposed system are described in this letter.

In order to study the improvement of hydrated lime (HL) on asphalt adhesion from mechanism, an asphalt-aggregate adhesion failure model was established based on surface free energy (SFE) method. In the model, the adhesion work W a was chosen as the main index to evaluate the adhesion between asphalt and aggregate. Adhesion work was studied from two aspects: one was the polarity difference between asphalt and aggregate before and after HL modification, and the other was the variations of asphalt SFE before and after HL modification. The effect of HL on the polarity difference was studied by the changes of the SFE polarity component γ a p of solid asphalt and contact angle θ between solid asphalt and aggregate, based on SFE theory and sessile drop method respectively. And then, the SFE components between liquid asphalt and aggregate before and after HL modification were measured by improved Wilhelmy plate method. To exclude the effect of binder ageing occurred in the preparation of HL modified asphalt and verify the effectiveness of HL, rolling thin-film oven (RTFO) and pressure ageing vessel (PAV) tests were conducted on asphalt with and without HL modification. The results showed that HL could significantly reduce the polarity difference between asphalt and aggregate and raise the SFE of asphalt. The reduction of polarity difference and the increase of SFE both lead to the raise of adhesion work, resulting in the improvement of the adhesion between asphalt and aggregate. Moreover, the results of RTFO and PAV test illustrated that binder ageing occurred in the whole process of study would have negligible effect on asphalt adhesion. Therefore, it was concluded that SFE method would be a good choice to explain the improvement of asphalt adhesion by HL.

This paper seeks to introduce an Improved Simple Aging Test (ISAT) as a new method for short-term and long-term aging of asphalt binder. Two kinds of asphalt, SK and ZH, were selected to be aged in the laboratory with the ISAT. The properties of the aged asphalt were investigated, including the high-temperature viscoelastic behavior, low-temperature performance and chemical composition. Moreover, the high-temperature viscoelastic behavior of the aged asphalt with different aging methods (IAST, Rotated thin Film Oven Test (RTFOT), and Pressurized Aging Vessel (PAV)) were also examined. The results show that aged asphalt in ISAT for 120 min at 163 °C have a similar viscoelastic behavior compared with the RTFOT, meanwhile the same conclusion between ISAT for 72 h at 95 °C and PAV can be drawn. By increasing the aging time, the low-temperature performance of the asphalt becomes worsen. At the beginning of the aging process, the performance reduces at a fast nonlinear rate, later the rate becomes constant. When compared with the asphalt SK, the asphalt ZH has a superior low-temperature performance and an inferior reduced rate in its performance at different aging stages. According to the chemical composition analysis of asphalts, the results described above can be well explained from the mechanism.

Background Fronto-supraorbital bar advancement in the treatment for trigonocephaly is associated with extensive intraoperative blood loss and compensatory erythrocyte transfusions. Since both are related to the length of surgery, efforts have been focused on optimizing preoperative preparations. The utilization of three-dimensional skull models in surgical planning allows for familiarization with the patient's anatomy, the optimization of osteotomies, the preparation of bone grafts and the selection of fixation plates. Methods Stereolithographic skull models were used in the surgical planning for five patients with non-syndromic trigonocephaly treated in Wilhelmina Children's Hospital in 2012. A comparison group was composed of six patients with non-syndromic trigonocephaly treated by the same surgical team. Once all patients had received surgery, a retrospective chart review was performed to identify the volumes of perioperative blood loss and erythrocyte transfusions and the length of the procedure. Furthermore, the educational value of the models was assessed in a round table discussion with the surgical team and residents. Results In the model group patients were transfused a mean 24 ml/kg (27% of Estimated Blood Volume [EBV]) compared to 16 ml/kg (18% of EBV) in the comparison group ( P = 0.359) for a mean perioperative blood loss of 53 ml/kg (60% of EBV) in the model group against 40 ml/kg (41% of EBV) in the comparison group ( P = 0.792). The mean length of surgery in the model groups was 256 min versus 252 min in the comparison group ( P = 0.995). Evaluation of educational purposes demonstrated that the models had a role in the instruction of residents and communication to parents, but did not improve the insight of experienced surgeons. Conclusion The usage of stereolithographic skull models in the treatment of non-syndromic trigonocephaly does not reduce the mean volume of perioperative erythrocyte transfusions, the mean volume of perioperative blood loss nor the mean length of the surgical procedure. Nonetheless, the models do facilitate the education of the patient's parents as well as support the training of residents.