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Bone marrow adipocytes (BMAds) affect bone homeostasis, but the mechanism remains unclear. Here, we showed that exercise inhibited PCNA clamp-associated factor (PCLAF) secretion from the bone marrow macrophages to inhibit BMAds senescence and thus alleviated skeletal aging. The genetic deletion of PCLAF in macrophages inhibited BMAds senescence and delayed skeletal aging. In contrast, the transplantation of PCLAF-mediated senescent BMAds into the bone marrow of healthy mice suppressed bone turnover. Mechanistically, PCLAF bound to the ADGRL2 receptor to inhibit AKT/mTOR signaling that triggered BMAds senescence and subsequently spread senescence among osteogenic and osteoclastic cells. Of note, we developed a PCLAF-neutralizing antibody and showed its therapeutic effects on skeletal health in old mice. Together, these findings identify PCLAF as an inducer of BMAds senescence and provide a promising way to treat age-related osteoporosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pipeline transport at high Reynolds number can result in significant turbulent losses. One of the most effective methods for turbulent drag reduction is adding a very small amount of polymer drag-reducing agent to the pipeline. However, due to the complex interaction between polymers and turbulence, turbulence models incorporating polymer additives remain to be studied and developed. In the present work, we investigated the turbulence model using Reynolds averaged numerical simulation (RANS) to describe polyacrylamide drag reduction flow. A low-Reynolds-number k–ε model in turbulent flow has been developed by considering the concentration and type of polymers, which can be applied for polymer drag reduction prediction in the pipe. Mean velocity profile Uf, turbulent intensity, turbulent kinetic energy k, and turbulent dissipation rate ε in the regions of viscous sublayer, buffer layer and logarithmic layer have been predicted with various concentration θ, Reynolds number Re, degradation degrees, and changing laws of these factors have been revealed with wall distance. The developed turbulence model showed a good capability to qualitatively forecast mean velocity profile, turbulent intensity, turbulent kinetic energy, and turbulent dissipation rate, and the prediction error between the experimental and simulated values falls along the y = x curve, which can be used for the investigation and prediction of varies water-soluble, oil-soluble polymers in turbulent drag reduction flow in pipes with other parameters such as pipe diameter, pipe length, and the Reynolds number. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hand osteoarthritis is a common heterogeneous joint disorder with unclear molecular mechanisms and no disease-modifying drugs. In this study, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing analysis to compare the cellular composition and subpopulation-specific gene expression between cartilage with macroscopically confirmed osteoarthritis (n = 5) and cartilage without osteoarthritis (n = 5) from the interphalangeal joints of five donors. Of 105 142 cells, we identified 13 subpopulations, including a novel subpopulation with inflammation-modulating potential annotated as inflammatory chondrocytes. Fibrocartilage chondrocytes exhibited extensive alteration of gene expression patterns in osteoarthritic cartilage compared with nonosteoarthritic cartilage. Both inflammatory chondrocytes and fibrocartilage chondrocytes showed a trend toward increased numbers in osteoarthritic cartilage. In these two subpopulations from osteoarthritic cartilage, the ferroptosis pathway was enriched, and expression of iron overload-related genes, e.g., FTH1, was elevated. To verify these findings, we conducted a Mendelian randomization study using UK Biobank and a population-based cross-sectional study using data collected from Xiangya Osteoarthritis Study. Genetic predisposition toward higher expression of FTH1 mRNA significantly increased the risk of hand osteoarthritis (odds ratio = 1.07, 95% confidence interval: 1.02–1.11) among participants (n = 332 668) in UK Biobank. High levels of serum ferritin (encoded by FTH1), a biomarker of body iron overload, were significantly associated with a high prevalence of hand osteoarthritis among participants (n = 1 241) of Xiangya Osteoarthritis Study (P-for-trend = 0.037). In conclusion, our findings indicate that inflammatory and fibrocartilage chondrocytes are key subpopulations and that ferroptosis may be a key pathway in hand osteoarthritis, providing new insights into the pathophysiology and potential therapeutic targets of hand osteoarthritis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid growth in research exploiting deep learning to predict mechanical systems has revealed a new route for system identification; however, the analytic model as a white box has not been replaced in applications because of its open physical information. In contrast, the models generated by end-to-end learning usually lack the ability of physical analysis, which makes them inapplicable in many situations. Consequently, high-accuracy modeling with physical analyzability becomes a necessity. In this paper, we introduce bidirectional dynamic neural networks, a deep learning framework that can infer the dynamics of physical systems from control signals and observed state trajectories. Based on forward dynamics, we train the neural ordinary differential equations in a trajectory backtracking algorithm. With the trained model, the inverse dynamics can be calculated and based on Lagrangian Mechanics , the physical parameters of the mechanical system can be estimated, including inertia, Coriolis and centrifugal forces, and gravity. As a result, the model can seamlessly incorporate prior knowledge, learn unknown dynamics without human intervention, and provide information as transparent as analytic models. We demonstrate our method on simulated 2-axis and 6-axis robots to evaluate model accuracy, including physical parameters and verified its applicability on real 7-axis robots. The experimental results show that this method is superior to the existing methods. This framework provides a new idea for system identification by providing interpretable, physically consistent models for physical systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although solar steam generation is an eco-friendly approach for desalinating seawater and purifying wastewater, there are still issues on how to improve the efficiency of solar energy utilization and accelerate the water and heat transport inside the solar-driven water evaporators. Herein, we design a central hollow cylindrical reduced graphene oxide (RGO) foam with vertically and radially orientated channels as a solar steam generation device for efficient water evaporation and purification. The vertically aligned porous channels accelerate upward transport of water to the top evaporation surface, while the radially aligned porous channels facilitate water transport and heat transfer along the radial directions for fully utilizing the heat accumulated inside the central cylindrical hole of the foam. The central hole of the foam plays a highly positive role in accumulating more heat for accelerating the water evaporation, and the newly generated inner sidewall resulted from the central hole can gain extra thermal energy from surrounding environment in the same way as the outer sidewall of the foam due to the surface cooling effect of the water evaporation. As a result, the vertically and radially aligned RGO foam evaporator with central hollow cylinder achieves a high solar steam generation rate of 2.32 kg·m−2·h−1 with an exceptional energy conversion efficiency of 120.9% under 1-sun irradiation, superior to the vertically aligned RGO foam without the central hole (1.83 kg·m−2·h−1, 96.9%) because of the enhanced water and heat transfer inside the porous channels, and the efficient utilization of environmental energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SnRK2 protein kinase family plays an important role in plant response to abiotic stress and has been identified in various plants. This study aimed to identify SnRK2 genes in tobacco and systematically analyze their expression under abscisic acid treatment and abiotic stress. We identified 22 NtSnRK2 members, which were divided into three groups and located on 13 chromosomes, mainly at both ends of the chromosomes; additionally, 11 duplicated NtSnRK2 gene pairs were observed. Phylogenetic analysis showed that these SnRK2 members were divided into three groups in tobacco. The motifs of NtSnRK2 proteins in the same group were highly similar. Subcellular localization indicated that NtSnRK2s in Group3 were present in the nucleus, cytomembrane, and cytoplasm. Gene expression pattern analysis revealed that NtSnRK2 genes played a role in the responses to several abiotic stresses (salt, drought, and low-temperature stress), indicating that they are widely involved in the adaptation of tobacco to adverse environmental conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanisms that coordinate the shift from joint homeostasis to osteoarthritis (OA) remain unknown. No pharmacological intervention can currently prevent the progression of osteoarthritis. Accumulating evidence has shown that subchondral bone deterioration is a primary trigger for overlying cartilage degeneration. We previously found that H-type vessels modulate aberrant subchondral bone formation during the pathogenesis of OA. However, the mechanism responsible for the elevation of H-type vessels in OA is still unclear. Here, we found that PDGFR-β expression, predominantly in the CD31hiEmcnhi endothelium, was substantially elevated in subchondral bones from OA patients and rodent OA models. A mouse model of OA with deletion of PDGFR-β in endothelial cells (ECs) exhibited fewer H-type vessels, ameliorated subchondral bone deterioration and alleviated overlying cartilage degeneration. Endothelial PDGFR-β promotes angiogenesis through the formation of the PDGFR-β/talin1/FAK complex. Notably, endothelium-specific inhibition of PDGFR-β by local injection of AAV9 in subchondral bone effectively attenuated the pathogenesis of OA compared with that of the vehicle-treated controls. Based on the results from this study, targeting PDGFR-β is a novel and promising approach for the prevention or early treatment of OA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Facial colour characteristics convey vital personal information and influence social interactions and mate choices as contributing factors to perceived beauty, health, and age. How various colour characteristics affect facial preference and whether there are cultural differences are not fully understood. Here, we provide a useful and repeatable methodology for skin colour research based on a realistic skin model to investigate the effect of various facial colour characteristics on facial preference and compare the role of colour predictors in Caucasian (CA) and Chinese (CN) samples. Our results show that, although the average skin colour of facial areas plays a limited role, together with colour variation and contrast, there are stronger links between colour and facial preference than previously revealed. We also find large cultural differences in facial colour perceptions; Chinese observers tend to rely more heavily on colour and lightness cues to judge facial preference than Caucasian observers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acyclovir (ACV) is a commonly used antiviral drug; however, its poor bioavailability can lead to at least ng/L level residue in natural water. Sulfate radical, produced from persulfate (PS) by zero-valent iron (ZVI) activation, was demonstrated to effectively degrade ACV in this study. Influencing parameters, including ZVI dose, PS usage, initial ACV concentration, solution pH, and temperature, were evaluated to find the optimal degradation conditions. Intermediates were identified and main degradation pathways were proposed. Experiments showed that ACV degradation by ZVI/PS oxidation followed a pseudo zero-order reaction well (R2 > 0.99). At pH ≦ 9, the optimal combination was 0.4 mM PS with 1.2 mM ZVI, in order to completely remove 10 μM ACV during 60-min reaction. Heat activation of PS would hinder the effect of ZVI if temperature was 45 °C or above. ACV could be oxidized to four major degradation products, including methoxyacetic acid (P1, C3H6O3, m/z = 91), 1,1,2-trinitroethane (P2, C2H3N3O6, m/z = 165), trinitromethane (P3, CHN3O6, m/z = 151), and dinitromethane (P4, CH2N2O4, m/z = 105). Though the mineralization rate was not high (about 24.0%), ZVI/PS oxidation was proved to be an available treatment method for ACV-induced water pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moment invariants are an especially important research topic in pattern recognition. There are many kinds of moment invariants published in the literature already. However, there is a need to further improve them, especially under the noisy environments. In this article, we develop a new set of moment invariants by means of ridgelet function. The ridgelet function is capable of capturing line features in an image, which is a particularly important property in pattern recognition. It is well-known that every curve can be approximated by short line segments, so ridgelet moment invariants should be good at robust pattern recognition. We can prove that this set of moments is invariant to the rotation of 2D images. Experiments show that our proposed ridgelet moment invariants are better than the Gaussian–Hermite moments, the Fourier–wavelet descriptor, and Zernike's moment invariants for one Chinese character database and one 2D shape database. Furthermore, our proposed ridgelet moment invariants can do an excellent job for noise-robust pattern recognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bone mainly functions as a supportive framework for the whole body and is the major regulator of calcium homeostasis and hematopoietic function. Recently, an increasing number of studies have characterized the significance of bone as an endocrine organ, suggesting that bone-derived factors regulate local bone metabolism and metabolic functions. In addition, these factors can regulate global energy homeostasis by altering insulin sensitivity, feeding behavior, and adipocyte commitment. These findings may provide a new pathological mechanism for related metabolic diseases or be used in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of metabolic diseases such as osteoporosis, obesity, and diabetes mellitus. In this review, we summarize the regulatory effect of bone and bone-derived factors on energy metabolism and discuss directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The establishment of self-recording precipitation observation systems in China began in 1951, and strips of self-recording precipitation graph paper have been archived since then. More than 9 million sheets of self-recording graph paper from 2253 stations in 31 provinces have been digitized by using image scanning and curve extraction technology. Format specification and quality control have been applied to the digitized data, and the China Surface Self-Recording Per-Minute Precipitation Dataset (V1.0) has been developed. The integrity and accuracy of this dataset are evaluated. This is the first attempt in China to establish a per-minute precipitation dataset that covers the period from 1951 to present. Preliminary evaluation reveals that the station density is high and the data continuity is good in most areas of China. However, the integrity of stations in some areas of western China is relatively poor. The availability rate and accuracy rate in summer are higher than 99% at most stations, with the overall availability and accuracy rates reaching as much as 99.42% and 99.22%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoporosis is the most common bone disease in humans. During bone remodeling, specialized blood vessels influenced by the endothelial cells (CD31hiEmcnhi, also called type H cells) are formatted to supply nutrients. Reductions in vascular supply are associated with bone loss resulting in osteoporosis. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to explore the association between the CD31hiEmcnhi endothelial cells and bone mineral density (BMD). In this prospective study, 134 Chinese women were enrolled and examined. BMD was measured by DEXA method while the percentage of CD31hiEmcnhi endothelial cells in the intertrochanteric part was measured by flow cytometry. The percentage of CD31hiEmcnhi endothelial cells in postmenopausal subjects was significantly lower compared with premenopausal women (8.7 ± 4.0% vs 13.2 ± 5.6%, P < 0.01). Meanwhile, the CD31hiEmcnhi endothelial cell levels in osteopenia and osteoporosis were significantly lower compared with subjects with normal BMD (9.84 ± 4.2% in osteopenia and 7.11 ± 3.2% in osteoporosis vs 12.7 ± 5.6% in subjects with normal T score, P < 0.01). Multiple regression analyses showed that the CD31hiEmcnhi endothelial cells level was positively associated with femur neck and total hip BMD, but not with lumbar BMD. Our study suggests a significantly positive association between CD31hiEmcnhi endothelial cells and local BMD in Chinese women. The proportion of CD31hiEmcnhi endothelial cells is a marker of bone quality and represents a potential target for treatment of bone loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The level of performance is an important aspect of the design and control in a production line. Particularly, the level of performance of variable production line (VPL) is one of the most important influential factors in deciding production line’s flexibility. The majority of the existing solution methods for performance prediction and evaluation problems of VPL assume that the processing times, time between failures and repair times are deterministic or exponentially distributed, which could not be applied to all the problems in real cases. This paper relaxes these restrictions by proposing an ARENA simulation model for performance prediction and evaluation based on the variability theory in Factory Physics. The variable properties of time interval between product arrivals and VPL are simulated, which combining with the coefficients of variations, are presented. Through the simulation, how the variable factors influence the performance of VPL is demonstrated. The methodology in this paper can be applied to effectively predict and evaluate the performance in VPL in various production scenarios before implementing them in reality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variability plays a very important role in the system performance in a chipset assembly and test production line with stochastic environment. So far only few variations have been considered in chipset assembly and test production line performance prediction and improvement. In this paper, a novel approach about cycle time prediction and improvement is proposed by combining with internal benchmarking and variability. Firstly, the composing of cycle time segment through queueing model based on Factory Physics is established, which is under the condition variability quantification and machine sudden large failure. Secondly, to obtain the optimal direction of the cycle time, an internal benchmarking is applied to analyze the influence of variability on cycle time among the workstations. Finally, a case study is performed to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Results show that the proposed method is an effective method to predict and improve the cycle time of the chipset assembly and test production line with variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During tunnel construction, groundwater inrush from completely weathered granite strata is a significant challenge to geotechnical engineers. Up to the present, prevention of water inrushing hazards is almost exclusively based on the experience of engineers. This paper presents a coupled seepage-erosion water inrush model to investigate the characteristics of seepage-erosion properties. The proposed model is based on classical theories of solute transport and fluid dynamics in porous media. In the model, changes of porosity link permeability with the accumulation of particle loss in the seepage-erosion process. The coupled seepage-erosion model was applied to examine the influence of curtain grouting thickness on the seepage-erosion process. The results showed that the seepage-erosion process was attenuated as thickness increased. The results also showed that the porosity and permeability visibly changed and the water inflow clearly exceeded the acceptable engineering criterion when the thickness was less than 6 m. However, with a further increase in thickness, the seepage-erosion process was suppressed and little changes of the relative parameters were showed. The numerical results demonstrated that a curtain grouting thickness of 6 m was suitable for curtain grouting in completely weathered granite. Field investigation of Cenxi tunnel verified the effectiveness of the thickness determined by the proposed model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sea surface salinity (SSS) is a key parameter in monitoring ocean states. Observing SSS can promote the understanding of global water cycle. This paper provides a new approach for retrieving sea surface salinity from Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite data. Based on the principal component regression (PCR) model, SSS can also be retrieved from the brightness temperature data of SMOS L2 measurements and Auxiliary data. 26 pair matchup data is used in model validation for the South China Sea (in the area of 4°-25°N, 105°-125°E). The RMSE value of PCR model retrieved SSS reaches 0.37 psu (practical salinity units) and the RMSE of SMOS SSS1 is 1.65 psu when compared with in-situ SSS. The corresponding Argo daily salinity data during April to June 2013 is also used in our validation with RMSE value 0.46 psu compared to 1.82 psu for daily averaged SMOS L2 products. This indicates that the PCR model is valid and may provide us with a good approach for retrieving SSS from SMOS satellite data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We used five samples of super heavy oils collected in China to prepare 15 water-in-oil emulsions, with water cuts 10%, 20%, and 30%. We determined the viscosity of the emulsions at 30°C-75°C. Generally the viscosity of the studied emulsions is in the range 401-75200 mPa·s. Based on the experimental data, we propose a new rheological model for water-in-super heavy oil emulsions based on the Kalra model, introducing a term characterizing the dependence of the relative error on the water cut in the emulsion. The absolute average error in predictions according to the proposed model was 17.36%, which is 6.37% lower than in the original Kalra model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scanning electron microscopic (SEM), nitrogen absorption-desorption, and thermogravimetric experiments were conducted on one fresh 4A zeolite and three regenerated 4A zeolite samples taken from the top, middle, and bottom of a natural-gas dehydration bed. The results showed that parts of the regenerated zeolite are blocked due to collapse of the zeolite structure. As a result, the specific surface area, average pore volume, and average pore diameter of regenerated zeolite taken from the middle of the dehydration bed are less by about 59.15, 68.36, and 32.12%, respectively, than those of fresh zeolite. Because water molecules cannot enter the internal pores due to blockage caused by collapse of the zeolite structure, the gas-dehydration performance of the regenerated zeolites is reduced. Thermogravimetric analysis of zeolites that adsorbed water showed that the water-adsorption performance of the regenerated zeolites is 35.53% less and the hydrocarbon-adsorption performance of these zeolites is 18.95% greater than those of fresh zeolite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteogenesis during bone modeling and remodeling is coupled with angiogenesis. A recent study showed that a specific vessel subtype, strongly positive for CD31 and endomucin (CD31hiEmcnhi), couples angiogenesis and osteogenesis. Here, we found that platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) secreted by preosteoclasts induces CD31hiEmcnhi vessel formation during bone modeling and remodeling. Mice with depletion of PDGF-BB in the tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-positive cell lineage show significantly lower trabecular and cortical bone mass, serum and bone marrow PDGF-BB concentrations, and fewer CD31hiEmcnhi vessels compared to wild-type mice. In the ovariectomy (OVX)-induced osteoporotic mouse model, serum and bone marrow levels of PDGF-BB and numbers of CD31hiEmcnhi vessels are significantly lower compared to sham-operated controls. Treatment with exogenous PDGF-BB or inhibition of cathepsin K to increase the number of preosteoclasts, and thus the endogenous levels of PDGF-BB, increases CD31hiEmcnhi vessel number and stimulates bone formation in OVX mice. Thus, pharmacotherapies that increase PDGF-BB secretion from preosteoclasts offer a new therapeutic target for treating osteoporosis by promoting angiogenesis and thus bone formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge of critical points is important to determine the phase behavior of a mixture. This work proposes a reliable and accurate method in order to locate the liquid-vapor critical point of a given mixture. The theoretical model is developed from the rigorous definition of critical points, based on the SRK equation of state (SRK EoS) or alternatively, on the PR EoS. In order to solve the resulting system of $$C+2$$ nonlinear equations, an improved method is introduced into an existing Newton-Raphson algorithm, which can calculate all the variables simultaneously in each iteration step. The improvements mainly focus on the derivatives of the Jacobian matrix, on the convergence criteria, and on the damping coefficient. As a result, all equations and related conditions required for the computation of the scheme are illustrated in this paper. Finally, experimental data for the critical points of 44 mixtures are adopted in order to validate the method. For the SRK EoS, average absolute errors of the predicted critical-pressure and critical-temperature values are 123.82 kPa and 3.11 K, respectively, whereas the commercial software package Calsep PVTSIM's prediction errors are 131.02 kPa and 3.24 K. For the PR EoS, the two above mentioned average absolute errors are 129.32 kPa and 2.45 K, while the PVTSIM's errors are 137.24 kPa and 2.55 K, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this short note, we consider a nonlocal quasilinear parabolic equation in a bounded domain with the Neumann-Robin boundary condition. We establish a blow-up result for a certain solution with positive initial energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous E-pH Diagram is an essential tool for analyzing hydrometallurgical and corrosion processes. Due to the requirements for environmental protection and energy saving in recent years, waste water processing and hydrometallurgical process of concentrate have been greatly developed. The construction of E-pH diagrams has turned to multi-component systems. However, there are some limits in plotting such diagrams. There is only one diagram for one multi-component system, which can not reflect the truth of the aqueous reaction. In the paper, a new computation method is proposed to construct E-pH diagrams. Component activity term is used to determine the boundary of stable areas. For the multi-component systems, different atom ratios of elements have been taken into account. M-S-H2O system is chosen to study since it is of importance in metallurgical solution. Compared with conventional methods, the algorithm is simple and conforms to real conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper a new iterative method is given for solving large sparse least squares problems and computing the minimum norm solution to underdetermined consistent linear systems. The new scheme is called the generalized successive overrelaxation (GSOR) method and is shown to be convergent if A is full column rank. The GSOR method involves a parameter ρ and an auxiliary matrix P. One can choose matrix P so that the GSOR method only involves matrix and vector operations; therefore the GSOR method is suitable for parallel computations. Besides, the GSOR method can be combined with preconditioning techniques, and therefore can be expected to be more effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents the inhibitory effects of four scale inhibitors, including polyacrylic acid (PAA), hydrolyzed polymaleic anhydride (HPMA), polyepoxysuccinic acid (PESA) and polyaspartic acid (PASP), on the adsorption of CaCO3 on the surfaces of Fe3O4 and Fe2O3. Samples were characterized using SEM and EDS and the average atomic number ratios of Ca/Fe were calculated. Inhibition effects followed the trend: PESA > PAA > PASP > HPMA and PESA > PASP > HPMA > PAA for Fe3O4 and Fe2O3, respectively. Molecular dynamics simulations based on the adsorption model of the scale inhibitor on the surface and calculations of the adsorption energy between the scale inhibitor molecule and the surface revealed that the relatively high scale inhibitory effect is due to low adsorption energy between the inhibitor molecule and the surface. Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations of the model after adsorption revealed that the relatively low adsorption energy depends on the number of H-O bonds formed as well as those with higher Mulliken population values between the scale inhibitor and the surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experimentation, molecular dynamics simulation and DFT calculation were used to study the inhibition effects of four scale inhibitors, including polyacrylic acid (PAA), hydrolyzed polymaleic anhydride (HPMA), polyepoxysuccinic acid (PESA) and polyaspartic acid (PASP), on formation and crystal growth of CaCO3 in solutions. According to concentrations of Ca2+ in solutions, the sequence of inhibition effects of scale inhibitors on formation of CaCO3 in the solution was PESA > PASP > HPMA > PAA. Characterization of CaCO3 crystals by XRD and a laser particle size analyzer indicated that the sequence of inhibition effects of scale inhibitors on crystal growth of CaCO3 in solutions was PESA > HPMA > PASP > PAA. Interaction energies between the scale inhibitor molecule and Ca2+, and between the scale inhibitor molecule and the CaCO3 (104) surface indicated that the difference of the inhibition effects was derived from the difference in the interaction energy. The results of DFT calculation indicated that the difference between the interaction energies of these inhibitors and Ca2+ was derived from differences of number and the Mulliken population values of the chemical bonds which formed between the inhibitor molecule and Ca2+ and between the inhibitor molecule and the CaCO3 surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]