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An accurate intrinsic structural model is essential to describing the high-temperature deformation behavior of metal materials. Support Vector Regression (SVR) has strong regression analysis capabilities, but its application research in constructing constitutive models of 25CrMo4 steel still needs to be improved. In this study, we use grid search, particle swarm optimization, improved genetic algorithm, and improved gray wolf optimization to optimize SVR parameters. A constitutive relationship model for 25CrMo4 steel under high-temperature compression based on SVR was established through training using experimental data models. The predicted data of SVR constitutive models with different optimization algorithms were compared with experimental data. Statistical values, such as average absolute percentage error (AAPE), mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), and correlation coefficient (R2), were introduced to evaluate the accuracy of each model. The particle swarm optimization-SVR model achieved the best performance, with an AAPE of 0.455 38, MAPE of 0.489 09%, and R2 of 0.999 74. Furthermore, compared to other models, it requires the least time. This model has a higher accuracy than other commonly used instantaneous models. These findings can provide a basis for selecting appropriate deformation parameters and preventing hot working defects of 25CrMo4 steel, thus helping to improve the manufacturing process and material properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthy seed germination is important for improving the yield and quality of maize, but the molecular mechanisms regulating maize seed germination are still unclear. Significant progress has been made in the study of rice quality functional genomics, with the cloning of many important genes related to the regulation of rice quality traits. Selecting crop varieties with high and stable yields, as well as improving quality and economic benefits, has become a long-term topic while facing the continuous increasing population and the adverse effects of environmental changes. Therefore, developing fragrant rice varieties, strengthening the breeding of high-quality conventional indica rice, and developing functional rice with special nutritional value or specific needs of specific populations are important directions for future rice breeding. [Extracted from the article]

The optical properties of a thin-shell wormhole (TSW) with a Hayward profile is investigated. Adopting the ray-tracing method, we demonstrate that the TSW's contralateral spacetime is capable of reflecting a significant portion of light back to the observer spacetime. We analyze the effective potential, light deflection, and azimuthal angle of the TSW and find that these quantities are affected by the mass ratio of the black holes (BHs). Specifically, if the mass of the contralateral spacetime BH is greater than that of the original spacetime BH, and the impact parameter satisfies the condition H b c2 < b 1 < b c1 , the trajectory of the photon exhibits round-trip characteristics. Assuming the presence of a thin accretion disk surrounding the observing spacetime BH, our results indicate that the image formed by the TSW exhibits additional photon rings and a lensing band compared to an image produced by a BH alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and malignant intracranial tumor in adults. At present, temozolomide (TMZ) is recognized as the preferred chemotherapeutic drug for GBM, but some patients have low sensitivity to TMZ or chemotherapy resistance to TMZ. Our previous study found that GBM patients with EGFRvIII (+) have low sensitivity to TMZ. However, the reasons and possible mechanisms of the chemoradiotherapy resistance in GBM patients with EGFRvIII (+) are not clear. (2) Methods: In this study, tissue samples of patients with GBM, GBM cell lines, glioma stem cell lines, and NSG mice were used to explore the causes and possible mechanisms of low sensitivity to TMZ in patients with EGFRvIII (+)-GBM. (3) Results: The study found that EGFRvIII promoted the proneural–mesenchymal transition of GBM and reduced its sensitivity to TMZ, and EGFRvIII regulated of the expression of ALDH1A3. (4) Conclusions: EGFRvIII activated the NF-κB pathway and further regulated the expression of ALDH1A3 to promote the proneural–mesenchymal transition of GBM and reduce its sensitivity to TMZ, which will provide an experimental basis for the selection of clinical drugs for GBM patients with EGFRvIII (+). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HIF means hypoxia-inducible factor gene family, and it could regulate various biological processes, including tumor development. In 2021, the FDA approved the new drug Welireg for targeting HIF-2a, and it is mainly used to treat von Hippel-Lindau syndrome, which demonstrated its good prospects in tumor therapy. As the fourth deadliest cancer worldwide, gastric cancer endangers the health of people all across the world. Currently, there are various treatment methods for patients with gastric cancer, but the five-year survival rate of patients with advanced gastric cancer is still not high. Therefore, here we reviewed the regulatory role and target role of HIF in gastric cancer, and provided some references for the treatment of gastric cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identification of sinus node dysfunction (SND) before termination of persistent AFL by catheter ablation (CA) is challenging. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics and predictors of acute and delayed SND after AFL ablation. We retrospectively enrolled 221 patients undergoing CA of persistent AFL in a tertiary referral center. Patients with SND who required a temporary pacemaker (TPM) after termination of AFL or a permanent pacemaker (PPM) during follow-up were identified. Acute SND requiring a TPM was found in 14 of 221 (6.3%) patients following successful termination of AFL. A total of 10 of the 14 patients (71.4%) recovered from acute SND. An additional 11 (5%) patients presenting with delayed SND required a PPM during follow-up, including 4 patients recovering from acute SND. Of these, 9 of these 11 patients (81.8%) underwent PPM implantation within 1 year after the ablation. In multivariable analysis, female gender and a history of hypothyroidism were associated with the requirement for a TPM following termination of persistent AFL, while older age and a history of hypothyroidism predicted PPM implantation. This study concluded that the majority of patients with acute SND still require a PPM implantation despite the initial improvement. Therefore, it is reasonable to monitor the patients closely for at least one year after AFL ablation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective(s): The involvement of tetratricopeptide repeat domain 9A (TTC9A) in anxiety-like behaviors through estrogen action has been reported in female mice, this study further investigated its effects on social anxiety and aggressive behaviors. Materials and Methods: Using female Ttc9a knockout (Ttc9a-/-) mice, the role of TTC9A in anxiety was investigated in non-social and social environments through home-cage emergence and social interaction tests, respectively, whereas aggressive behaviors were examined under the female intruder test. Results: We observed significant social behavioral deficits with pronounced social and non-social anxiogenic phenotypes in female Ttc9a-/-mice. When tested for aggressive-like behaviors, we found a reduction in offense in Ttc9a-/-animals, suggesting that TTC9A deficiency impairs the offense responses in female mice. Conclusion: Future study investigating mechanisms underlying the social anxiety-like behavioral changes in Ttc9a-/-mice may promote the understanding of social and anxiety disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grain size and weight are the key traits determining rice quality and yield and are mainly controlled by quantitative trait loci (QTL). In this study, one minor QTL that was previously mapped in the marker interval of JD1009-JD1019 using the Huanghuazhan/Jizi1560 (HHZ/JZ1560) recombinant inbred line (RIL) population, qTGW1-2, was validated to regulate grain size and weight across four rice-growing seasons using twenty-one near isogenic line (NIL)-F2 populations. The twenty-one populations were in two types of genetic background that were derived from the same parents HHZ and JZ1560. Twelve F9, F10 or F11 NIL-F2 populations with the sequential residual heterozygous regions covering JD1009-RM6840 were developed from one residual heterozygote (RH) in the HHZ/JZ1560 RIL population, and the remaining nine BC3F3, BC3F4 or BC3F5 NIL-F2 populations with the sequential residual heterozygous regions covering JD1009-RM6840 were constructed through consecutive backcrosses to the recurrent parent HHZ followed with marker assistant selection in each generation. Based on the QTL analysis of these genetic populations, qTGW1-2 was successfully confirmed to control grain length, width and weight and further dissected into two QTLs, qTGW1-2a and qTGW1-2b, which were respectively narrowed down to the marker intervals of JD1139-JD1127 (~ 978.2-kb) and JD1121-JD1102 (~ 54.8-kb). Furthermore, the two types of NIL-F2 populations were proved to be able to decrease the genetic background noise and increase the detection power of minor QTL. These results provided an important basis for further map-based cloning and molecular design breeding with the two QTLs in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore the feasibility of 3D printing of kidney and perinephric fat based on low‐dose CT technology. Patients and Methods: A total of 184 patients with stage T1 complex renal tumors who underwent laparoscopic nephrectomy were prospectively enrolled and divided into three groups: group A (conventional dose kidney and perinephric fat 3D printing group, n = 62), group B (low‐dose kidney and perinephric fat 3D printing, n = 64), and group C (conventional dose merely kidney 3D printing group, n = 58). The effective dose (ED), signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR), and contrast‐to‐noise ratio (CNR) were determined. The 3D printing quality was evaluated using a 4‐point scale, and interobserver agreement was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Results: The ED of group B was lower than that of group A, with a decrease of 55.1%. The subjective scores of 3D printing quality in all groups were 3 or 4 points. The interobserver agreement among the three observers in 3D printing quality was good (ICC = 0.84–0.92). The perioperative indexes showed that operation time (OT), warm ischemia time (WIT), estimated blood loss (EBL), and laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) conversion to laparoscopic radical nephrectomy (LRN) in groups A or B were significantly less than those in group C. LPN was more frequent in group A and group B than in group C (all p < 0.017). There were no significant differences in perioperative indexes between group A and group B (all p > 0.017). Conclusion: Low‐dose CT technology can be effectively applied to 3D printing of kidney and perinephric fat and reduce the patient's radiation dose without compromising 3D printing quality. 3D printing of kidney and perinephric fat can significantly increase the success rate of LPN and decrease OT, WIT, and EBL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reliable and efficient risk assessments are essential to deal effectively with potential risks in international construction projects. However, most conventional risk modeling methods are based on the hypothesis that risk factors are independent, which does not account adequately for the causal relationships among risk factors. In this study, a risk assessment model for international construction projects was developed to improve the efficacy of risk management by integrating fault tree analysis and fuzzy set theory with a Bayesian belief network. The risk rating of each risk factor, expressed as the product of risk occurrence probability and impact, was incorporated into the risk assessment model to evaluate degrees of risk. Therefore, risk factors were categorized into different risk levels taking into account their inherent causal relationships, which allowed the identification of critical risk factors. The applicability of the fuzzy Bayesian belief network-based risk assessment model was verified using a case study through a comparative analysis with the results from a fuzzy synthetic evaluation method. The comparison shows that the proposed risk assessment model is able to provide guidelines for an effective risk management process and ultimately to increase project performance in a complex environment such as international construction projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Laparoscopic nephrectomy (LN) has become the preferred method for renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Adequate preoperative assessment or intraoperative navigation is key to the successful implementation of LN. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical application value of mixed‐reality–assisted surgical navigation (MRASN) in LN. Patients and Methods: A total of 100 patients with stage T1N0M0 renal tumors who underwent laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) or laparoscopic radical nephrectomy (LRN) were prospectively enrolled and divided into a mixed‐reality‐assisted laparoscopic nephrectomy (MRALN) group (n = 50) and a non–mixed‐reality‐assisted laparoscopic nephrectomy (non‐MRALN) group (n = 50). All patients underwent renal contrast‐enhanced CT scans. The CT DICOM data of all patients in the MRALN group were imported into the mixed‐reality (MR) postprocessing workstation and underwent holographic three‐dimensional visualization (V3D) modeling and MR displayed, respectively. We adopted the Likert scale to evaluate the clinical application value of MRASN. The consistency of evaluators was assessed using the Cohen kappa coefficient (k). Results: No significant differences in patient demographic indicators between the MRALN group and the non‐MRALN group (P >.05). The subjective score of MRASN clinical application value in operative plan formulation, intraoperative navigation, remote consultation, teaching guidance, and doctor‐patient communication were higher in the MRASN group than in the non‐MRASN group (all P <.001). There were significantly more patients for whom LPN was successfully implemented in the MRALN group than in the non‐MRALN group (82% vs 46%, P <.001). The MRALN group had a shorter operative time (OT) and warm ischemia time (WIT) and less estimated blood loss (EBL) than the non‐MRALN group (all P <.001). Conclusion: MRASN is helpful for operative plan formulation, intraoperative navigation, remote consultation, teaching guidance, and doctor‐patient communication. MRALN may effectively improve the successful implementation rate of LPN and reduce the OT, WIT, and EBL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Many studies have investigated the association between dietary iron intake and death due to cardiovascular disease (CVD), but the results were inconsistent. We performed a dose-response meta- analysis to quantitatively assess the risk of CVD mortality with dietary intake of iron (total iron, heme iron, and non-heme iron).Methods and Study Design: PubMed and Embase databases were searched for articles published up to February 21, 2019. Prospective cohort studies were included if reporting relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for risk of CVD mortality associated with dietary iron intake. Restricted cubic splines were used to model the dose-response association.Results: We included eight articles (19 studies including 720,427 participants [46,045 deaths due to CVD]) in the meta-analysis. When comparing the highest versus lowest level of dietary heme iron intake, the pooled RR for CVD mortality was 1.19 (95% CI, 1.01-1.39). With a 1-mg/day increase in dietary heme iron intake, the pooled RR for death due to CVD, stroke, coronary heart disease, and myocardial infarction were 1.25 (95% CI, 1.17-1.33), 1.17 (1.04-1.32), 1.25 (0.70-2.22), and 1.17 (0.55-2.50) respectively. The association between dietary iron intake and CVD mortality was linear (pnonlinearity> 0.05).Conclusions: Higher dietary intake of heme iron was associated with a greater risk of CVD mortality. Reducing consumption of heme iron may help to prevent premature death due to CVD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The topology concept in the condensed physics and acoustics is introduced into the elastic wave metamaterial plate, which can show the topological property of the flexural wave. The elastic wave metamaterial plate consists of the hexagonal array which is connected by the piezoelectric shunting circuits. The Dirac point is found by adjusting the size of the unit cell and numerical simulations are illustrated to show the topological immunity. Then the closing and breaking of the Dirac point can be generated by the negative capacitance circuits. These investigations denote that the topological immunity can be achieved for flexural wave in mechanical metamaterial plate. The experiments with the active control action are finally carried out to support the numerical design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents and analyzes a wide-locking range divide-by-5 injection-locked frequency divider (ILFD) manufactured in the TSMC 0.18- $\mu \text{m}$ processes. The ILFD uses the balanced injection method and uses the pure harmonic mixing approach at low injection power, and it is designed with an RLC dual-resonance resonator. The harmonic mixer relies on the self-generated second harmonic, which increases with injection power. Because of no narrowband filter as used in the linear mixer counterpart, the divide-by-5 ILFD uses a wideband design method. In addition, the ILFD enhances the divide-by-5 locking range via the overlapped dual-band locking ranges as verified by both experiment and simulation. At the drain–source bias ${V} _{\text{DD}}$ of 0.8 V and at the incident power of 0 dBm, the locking range of the divide-by-5 ILFD is 3.6 GHz, from the incident frequency 13.0–16.6 GHz with the percentage 24.3%. The core power consumption is 4.09 mW, and the die area is $1.02\times0.93$ mm2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Inhibitors of immune checkpoints have shown little effect in clinical trials involving glioma patients. Here, we explored novel targets for use in future treatments. Previous studies showed the sialic acid-binding Ig-like lectin (Siglec) family to have a specific role in immunosuppression. We aimed to study the characteristics and immune function of Siglec family members. Methods: Transcriptome data from 1024 glioma samples and 1551 glioma single cells were used in our study. Clinical and molecular pathology information was also included. Statistical, bioinformatical methods, and single-cell sequencing analysis were applied to investigate the role of Siglec family members. Results: Siglecs-5, −7, −9, and −16 showed a significant correlation with immunosuppression in glioma. They are typically expressed in higher grade, IDH-wildtype, and mesenchymal subtype gliomas. Siglec-5, −7, and −9 had a similar immune function to TIM-3, while Siglec-16 was similar to PD-L1, suppressing tumor immunity via different mechanisms. Joint use of Siglec-inhibitors and immune checkpoint inhibitors could prolong the survival of glioma patients. Conclusion: Siglec-5, −7, −9, and −16 suppressed tumor immunity in different ways. Joint usage of inhibitors may be an effective means to improve the efficacy of glioma immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

microRNAs (miRs) serve critical roles in tumor progression. Low expression of miR-125a in gastric carcinoma (GC) may promote tumor development. In the present study, low expression of miR-125a was confirmed in cancer tissues using The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Additionally, the expression and clinical significance of miR-125a-5p was investigated using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR in 150 cases of GC. The results of the present study demonstrated that the level of miR-125a-5p expression was decreased in GC biopsies compared with that in matched adjacent normal tissues. Low expression of miR-125a-5p was associated with increased tumor diameter, high Ki67 expression and poor overall survival of patients with GC. Multivariate survival analysis demonstrated that low miR-125a-5p expression may be used as an independent prognostic factor for patients with GC. However, no effects on the cell viability in a Cell Counting kit-8 assay, and cell migration and invasion in Transwell assays were detected in response to treatment using miR-125a-5p mimics or inhibitors in vitro. Therefore, the results of the present study provide evidence that low expression of miR-125a-5p may be associated with a poor prognosis, suggesting its value as a tumor biomarker for patients with GC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition metal carbides (TMCs) are a class of materialswith excellent dielectric properties and thermal stability, which exhibit enormous potential in high temperature electromagnetic wave absorption (EWA). However, the high dielectric constant and electrical conductivity of TMCs usually cause impedance mismatch, and their high density also prevents further practical applications. To solve these problems, the lightweight and impedance matching NbC nanowires (NbCnws) were prepared by using bamboo powder as a carbon source and subsequent carbothermal reduction reaction process. The as-synthesized NbCnws all exhibit a low density of 0.23 g/cm³ and superior EMA performance. It is worth noting that the minimum reflection loss (RLmin) of the sample is -43.03 dB at 5.92 GHz and the corresponding matching thickness is only 3.7 mm when sintering temperature is 1500°C. The excellent electromagnetic wave absorption (EWA) performance is attributed to good impedance matching and strong dielectric loss. This research work provides a prospect for the development and utilization of one-dimensional TMC materials in the field of microwave absorption materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We propose a generalized radial basis function interpolant with difference constraints. • Various types of constraints are derived to satisfy the interpolation conditions. • An adaptive iterative algorithm is used for approximating gradient and tangent constraints. • The numerical results reveal the improved performance of our method. In this work, we present a new algorithm for reconstruction of implicit surfaces from a set of cloud points with normals (Hermite data), based on the generalized radial basis functions interpolant with various types of constraints. Our key contribution is a novel construction of difference constraints in the interpolant to satisfy certain linear functional data, named as the domain constraints, the difference constraints of the gradient and the difference constraints of the tangent. To avoid ambiguous constraints, we apply an iterative algorithm to determine the adaptive distance in the difference constraints. The extended interpolant can not only provide an exact interpolation to the function values, but also approximate the function's derivatives by constructing a difference operator along the gradient or tangent direction. We interpolate the sampling points using our method by constructing a signed distance field in the geometry domain. Compared to the Hermite–Birkhoff interpolation with RBFs, the interpolant we use has faster solution efficiency. The experimental results of several data sets show the reliability and performance of our method in a variety of practical scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jasmonates are vital plant hormones that not only act in the stress response to biotic and abiotic influences, such as wounding, pathogen attack, and cold acclimation, but also drive developmental processes in cooperation with other plant hormones. The biogenesis of jasmonates starts in the chloroplast, where several enzymatic steps produce the jasmonate precursor 12-oxophytodienoic acid (OPDA) from a-linolenic acid. OPDA in turn is exported into the cytosol for further conversion into active jasmonates, which subsequently induces the expression of multiple genes in the nucleus. Despite its obvious importance, the export of OPDA across the chloroplast membranes has remained elusive. In this study, we characterized a protein residing in the chloroplast outer membrane, JASSY, which has proven indispensable for the export of OPDA from the chloroplast. We provide evidence that JASSY has channel-like properties and propose that it thereby facilitates OPDA transport. Consequently, a lack of JASSY in Arabidopsis leads to a deficiency in accumulation of jasmonic acids, which results in impaired expression of jasmonate target genes on exposure to various stresses. This results in plants that are more susceptible to pathogen attack and also exhibit defects in cold acclimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to investigate whether plant-bacteria interaction affects the secretion of organic acids by both organisms and to assess whether the production of IAA by the bacterium increases the secretion of organic acids by root exudates, and if the stress produced by low available phosphorus (P) affects the production of organic acids by bacteria, by roots, or by root exudates in presence of bacterial cultures. With this purpose, we used as a biological model poplar plants and one strain of Burkholderia multivorans able to solubilize P. High performance liquid chromatography was utilized to measure organic acids. The tests, the inductive effects of exogenous indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) on secretion of organic acids, the 2 × 4 × 2 factorial design experiment, and the ability of organic acids to solubilize tricalcium phosphate were performed to investigate the interactive effects. The results showed that, after B. multivorans WS-FJ9 interacted with the poplar root system, the key phosphate-solubilizing driving force was gluconic acid (GA) which was produced in three ways: (1) secreted by the root system in the presence of IAA produced by B. multivorans WS-FJ9; (2) secreted by B. multivorans WS-FJ9; and (3) secreted by the poplar root system in the presence of phosphorus stress. When phosphorus stress was absent, the GA was produced as outlined in (1) and (2) above. These results demonstrated that inoculating B. multivorans WS-FJ9 into the poplar root system could increase the amount of GA secretion and implied that the interaction between B. multivorans WS-FJ9 and the poplar root system could contribute to the increase of P available fraction for poplar plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C25H22N3O8Cd, triclinic, P1̄ (no. 2), a = 10.2722(10) Å, b = 10.6897(11) Å, c = 12.5667(13) Å, α = 79.698(9)°, β = 72.168(9)°, γ = 63.166(10)°, V = 1170.8(2) Å3, Z = 2, Rgt(F) = 0.0618, wRref(F2) = 0.1078, T = 293(2) K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have demonstrated that Buyang Huanwu Decoction (BYHWD) decreased glutamate levels subsequent to cerebral ischemia. Glutamate transporter-1 (GLT-1) and glutamine synthetase (GS), which are located in astrocytes, mainly contribute to glutamate transportation, thus reducing glutamate concentration. BYHWD has previously been demonstrated to upregulate GLT-1 and GS following ischemia in vivo. However, whether BYHWD can directly influence astrocytic GLT-1/GS levels remains unknown. In the present study, the effect of BYHWD containing serum (BYHWD-CS) on GLT-1/GS levels in astrocytes following oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) was investigated. The results revealed that BYHWD-CS enhanced the expression levels of GLT-1 and GS in cultured astrocytes, which reduced glutamate concentration in the culture medium. Meanwhile, increased p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) was phosphorylated (activation form) by BYHWD-CS in cultured astrocytes, and the specific p38 inhibitor SB203580 blocked the increase of GLT-1/GS accompanied by decreased cell viability. Furthermore, SB203580 suppressed the effect of BYHWD-CS on the level of glial fibrillary acidic protein (an astrocytic marker), thus confirming that astrocytes are directly involved in the protective role of BYHWD after OGD/R. These findings suggest that BYHWD upregulates GLT-1 and GS via p38 MAPK activation, and protects cultured astrocytes from death caused by OGD/R (typical in vitro model), which complemented the role of astrocytes in the protective effect of BYHWD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C60H51N16O16Cl3Co2, monoclinic, P21/ n (no. 14), a = 35.652(4) Å, b = 14.1314(16) Å, c = 25.141(3) Å, β = 105.113(2)°, V = 12228(3) Å3, Z = 8, Rgt( F) = 0.0651, wRref( F2) = 0.1663, T = 103(2) K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: During the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), neutrophils play a central role in the pathogenesis, and their activation requires interaction with the endothelium. Extracellular histones have been recognized as pivotal inflammatory mediators. This study was to investigate the role of pulmonary endothelial activation during the extracellular histone-induced inflammatory response in ARDS. Methods: ARDS was induced in male C57BL/6 mice by intravenous injection with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or exogenous histones. Concurrent with LPS administration, anti-histone H4 antibody (anti-H4) or non-specific IgG was administered to study the role of extracellular histones. The circulating von Willebrand factor (vWF) and soluble thrombomodulin (sTM) were measured with ELISA kits at the preset time points. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in lung tissue was measured with a MPO detection kit. The translocation of P-selectin and neutrophil infiltration were measured by immunohistochemical detection. For in vitro studies, histone H4 in the supernatant of mouse lung vascular endothelial cells (MLVECs) was measured by Western blot. The binding of extracellular histones with endothelial membrane was examined by confocal laser microscopy. Endothelial P-selectin translocation was measured by cell surface ELISA. Adhesion of neutrophils to MLVECs was assessed with a color video digital camera. Results: The results showed that during LPS-induced ARDS extracellular histones caused endothelial and neutrophil activation, as seen by P-selectin translocation, release of vWF, an increase of circulating sTM, lung neutrophil infiltration and increased MPO activity. Extracellular histones directly bound and activated MLVECs in a dose-dependent manner. On the contrary, the direct stimulatory effect of exogenous histones on neutrophils was very limited, as measured by neutrophil adhesion and MPO activity. With the contribution of activated endothelium, extracellular histones could effectively activating neutrophils. Both inhibiting the endothelial activation with an anti-toll like receptor (TLR) antibody and inhibiting the interaction of the endothelium with neutrophil using an anti-P-selectin antibody decreased the degree of neutrophil activation. Conclusions: Extracellular histones are pro-inflammatory mediators in LPS-induced ARDS in mice. In addition to direct action to neutrophils, extracellular histones promote neutrophil adhesion and subsequent activation by first activating the pulmonary endothelium via TLR signaling. Thus, endothelial activation is important for extracellular histone-induced inflammatory injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A convenient approach for the direct synthesis of meso-substituted thiazole orange (meso-TO) analogues has been unprecedentedly developed through the AlCl3-catalyzed reaction of parent TO with benzyl alcohol derivatives. Single-crystal X-ray structures show that the prepared new meso-TO analogues are nonplanar, forming a sharp contrast to planar TO. The spectral properties show that nonplanar meso-TO analogues do not aggregate, existing in monomer form (M) in PBS buffer, and have little effect of solvatochromism in different solvents. In comparison with the parents, meso-TO analogues exhibit a large Stokes shift, excellent light fastness, and inertness to singlet oxygen. A cellular association study demonstrates that incorporation of a benzyl group at the meso position methine of parent TO can decrease the cytotoxicity, change staining area in cells, and emit long-wavelength fluorescence for an extended time, which are useful for the development of smarter TOs for imaging in biological science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study a class of models for neutrino mass matrix in Type-II seesaw with A 4 family symmetry. The resulting neutrino mass matrix can be naturally made to respect a μ – τ exchange plus CP conjugate symmetry (GLS) with the CP violating phase δ and the mixing angle θ 23 predicted to be ± π / 2 and π / 4 , respectively. When GLS is explicitly broken by complex Yukawa couplings, the model predictions for δ and θ 23 can be significantly modified. Should future experiments indeed determine θ 23 and δ CP away from the GLS limit values, one then had to consider models with broken GLS. We study several simple scenarios to show how the modifications arise w̱hen GLS is broken and how future experiments can test this class of models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several baryons containing a heavy b-quark have been discovered. The decays of these states provide new platform for testing the standard model (SM). We study CP violation in SM for charmless two-body decays of the flavor SU ( 3 ) anti-triplet beauty baryon (b-baryon) B = ( Ξ b − , Ξ b 0 , Λ b 0 ) in a model independent way. We found, in the flavor SU ( 3 ) symmetry limit, a set of new predictive relations among the branching ratio Br and CP asymmetry A CP for B decays, such as A CP ( Ξ b − → K 0 Ξ − ) / A CP ( Ξ b − → K ¯ 0 Σ − ) = − Br ( Ξ b − → K ¯ 0 Σ − ) / Br ( Ξ b − → K 0 Σ − ) , A CP ( Λ b 0 → π − p ) / A CP ( Ξ b 0 → K − Σ + ) = − Br ( Ξ b 0 → K − Σ + ) τ Λ b 0 / Br ( Λ b 0 → π − p ) τ Ξ b 0 , and A CP ( Λ b 0 → K − p ) / A CP ( Ξ b 0 → π − Σ + ) = − Br ( Ξ b 0 → π − Σ + ) τ Λ b 0 / Br ( Λ b 0 → K − p ) τ Ξ b 0 . Future data from LHCb can test these relations and also other relations found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new bi-side gate driver integrated by indium-zinc-oxide thin film transistors (IZO TFTs). Our optimized operate method can achieve high speed performance by employing a lower duty ratio (25%) CK2 with its pulse located in the middle of the pulse of CK2L to fully use the bootstrapped high voltage of node Q. In addition, the size of devices is optimized by calculation and simulation, and the function of the proposed gate driver is predicted by the circuit simulation. Furthermore, the proposed gate driver with 20 stages is fabricated by the IZO TFTs process. It is shown that a 2.6 μs width pulse with good noise-suppressed characteristic can be successfully output at the condition of R load = 6 kΩ and C load = 150 pF. The power consumption of the proposed gate driver with 20 stages is measured as 1 mW. Hence, the proposed gate driver may be applied to the display of 4K resolution (4096 × 2160) at a frame rate of 120 Hz. Moreover, there is a good stability for the proposed gate driver under 48 h operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar cells that convert sunlight into electrical energy are the main component of a solar power system. Quality inspection of solar cells ensures high energy conversion efficiency of the product. The surface of a multi-crystal solar wafer shows multiple crystal grains of random shapes and sizes. It creates an inhomogeneous texture in the surface, and makes the defect inspection task extremely difficult. This paper proposes an automatic defect detection scheme based on Haar-like feature extraction and a new clustering technique. Only defect-free images are used as training samples. In the training process, a binary-tree clustering method is proposed to partition defect-free samples that involve tens of groups. A uniformity measure based on principal component analysis is evaluated for each cluster. In each partition level, the current cluster with the worst uniformity of inter-sample distances is separated into two new clusters using the Fuzzy C-means. In the inspection process, the distance from a test data point to each individual cluster centroid is computed to measure the evidence of a defect. Experimental results have shown that the proposed method is effective and efficient to detect various defects in solar cells. It has shown a very good detection rate, and the computation time is only 0.1 s for a 550 × 550 image. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brassinosteroids (BRs) have been shown to enhance stress tolerance by inducing antioxidant defense systems. However, the mechanisms of BR-induced antioxidant defense in plants remain to be determined. In this study, the role of calcium (Ca2+) and maize calcium/calmodulindependent protein kinase (CCaMK), ZmCCaMK, in BRinduced antioxidant defense, and the relationship between ZmCCaMK and Ca2+ in BR signaling were investigated. BR treatment led to a significant increase in cytosolic Ca2+ concentration in protoplasts from maize mesophyll, and Ca2 + was shown to be required for BR-induced antioxidant defense. Treatment with BR induced increases in gene expression and enzyme activity of ZmCCaMK in maize leaves. Transient overexpression and silencing of ZmCCa MK in maize protoplasts demonstrated that ZmCCaMK was required for BR-induced antioxidant defense. The requirement for CCaMK was further investigated using a loss-of-function mutant of OsCCaMK, the orthologous gene of ZmCCaMK in rice. Consistent with the findings in maize, BR treatment could not induce antioxidant defense in the rice OsCCAMK mutant. Furthermore, Ca2+ was required for BR-induced gene expression and activation of ZmCCaMK, while ZmCCaMK was shown to enhance the BR-induced increase in cytosolic Ca2+ concentration. Moreover, our results also showed that ZmCCaMK and H2O2 influenced each other. These results indicate that Ca2+ works together with ZmCCaMK in BR-induced antioxidant defense, and there are two positive feedback loops between Ca2+ or H2O2 and ZmCCaMK in BR signaling in maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This meta-analysis explored the efficacy and safety of anterior cervical corpectomy and fusion (ACCF) comparing to anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) in treating cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) patients. Methods: Several electronic databases were searched combined with manually searching. Thirteen randomized controlled studies were enrolled with 1,062 CSM patients, including 468 patients and 594 patients in the in the ACCF and ACDF group, respectively. The meta-analysis was then performed using the STATA 12.0 software. Crude standard mean difference (SMD) or odds ratio (OR) with their 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Results: Our meta-analysis results revealed that CSM patients in ACDF group showed less blood loss than those in ACCF group (SMD = 1.21, 95% CI = 1.03 ~ 1.39, P < 0.001). The operation time of CSM patients in the ACDF group was also obviously shorter than those in ACCF group (SMD = 0.40, 95% CI = 0.23 ~ 0.57, P < 0.001). Furthermore, CSM patients in ACDF group had shorter hospital time than those in ACCF group (SMD = 0.45, 95% CI = 0.21 ~ 0.69, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Our findings provide empirical evidence that ACDF may be more effective than ACCF for CSM treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the mine ventilation system becoming more and more complex,the traditional calculation methods have difficulty in meeting the requirements of network solution. It's of significance to develop a quick algorithm for calculating complex wind network. The theory of network solution of circuit air-quantity method was systematically and thoroughly studied. Also, the limitation of the existing ventilation network solution was analyzed. An improved network solution based on Scott-Hinsley method was put forward. With a high convergence rate,this algorithm can solve the problems of ventilation network including unidirectional circuit and the network solution problems of complex ventilation system. BFS method was used to improve the structure of the spanning tree,and the divided circuit was faster by using Double-Access method. Achieving the fixed half cut set of air distribution in ventilation network,the algorithm can automatically distribute air according to demands. The failure cause of circuit air-quantity network solution with the unidirectional circuits was analyzed. The algorithm proposed can solve the problems of ventilation network including unidirectional circuit by modifying its search strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Gut microbiota dysbiosis induced by acute pancreatitis (AP) exacerbates pancreatic injury and systemic inflammatory responses. The alleviation of gut microbiota dysbiosis through faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is considered a potential strategy to reduce tissue damage and inflammation in many clinical disorders. Here, we aim to investigate the effect of gut microbiota and microbiota‐derived metabolites on AP and further clarify the mechanisms associated with pancreatic damage and inflammation. Experimental Approach: AP rat and mouse models were established by administration of caerulein or sodium taurocholate in vivo. Pancreatic acinar cells were exposed to caerulein and lipopolysaccharide in vitro to simulate AP. Key Results: Normobiotic FMT alleviated AP‐induced gut microbiota dysbiosis and ameliorated the severity of AP, including mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative damage and inflammation. Normobiotic FMT induced higher levels of NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide)‐associated metabolites, particularly nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN). NMN administration mitigated AP‐mediated mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative damage and inflammation by increasing pancreatic NAD+ levels. Similarly, overexpression of the NAD+‐dependent mitochondrial deacetylase sirtuin 3 (SIRT3) alleviated the severity of AP. Furthermore, SIRT3 deacetylated peroxiredoxin 5 (PRDX5) and enhanced PRDX5 protein expression, thereby promoting its antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory activities in AP. Importantly, normobiotic FMT‐mediated NMN metabolism induced SIRT3–PRDX5 pathway activation during AP. Conclusion and Implications: Gut microbiota‐derived NMN alleviates the severity of AP by activating the SIRT3–PRDX5 pathway. Normobiotic FMT could be served as a potential strategy for AP treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C26H42N4O15Ni, triclinic, P1̅ (no. 2), a = 6.9662(8) Å, b = 9.0381(10) Å, c = 13.4863(15) Å, α = 71.430(1)°, β = 79.568(1)°, γ = 85.621(1)°, V = 791.44(15) Å3, Z = 1, Rgt (F) = 0.0377, wRref (F2 ) = 0.1312, T = 293(2) K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We carry out a U-spin symmetry analysis for CP violation in decays into three light , , and mesons. We clarify some subtle points in constructing decay amplitudes with formed by the two negatively charged light mesons in the final states. U-spin conserving momentum independent and momentum dependent decay amplitudes, and U-spin violating decay amplitudes due to quark mass difference are constructed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The aim of our study is to characterize the venous vasculatures of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using a multi-breath-hold two-dimensional (2D) susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI) in comparison with conventional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) sequences. Twenty-nine patients with pathologically confirmed HCC underwent MR examination at a 3.0 T scanner. The number of venous vascularity in or around the lesion was counted and the image quality was subjectively evaluated by two experienced radiologists independently based on four image sets: 1) SWI, 2) T1-weighted sequence, 3) T2-weighted sequence, and 4) T1-weighted dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) sequence. Of the 29 patients, a total of 33 liver lesions were detected by both SWI and conventional MR sequences. In the evaluation of the conspicuity of venous vascularity, a mean of 10.7 tumor venous vessels per mass was detected by the SWI and 3.9 tumor vasculatures were detected by T1-weighted DCE (P<0.0001), while none was detected by T1-, T2-weighted sequences. The Pearson correlation coefficients between the lesion sizes and the number of tumor vasculatures detected by T1-weighted DCE was 0.708 (P<0.001), and 0.883 by SWI (P<0.001). Our data suggest that SWI appears to be a more sensitive tool compared to T1-weighted DCE sequence to characterize venous vasculature in liver lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Experimental and theoretical investigations of water-side fouling have been performed inside four corrugated plate heat exchangers. They have different geometric parameters, such as plate height, plate spacing, and plate angle. Fouling experiments including particulate fouling tests and composite particulate and precipitation fouling tests have been performed. The tests are primarily focused on the effects of concentration and average velocity. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to investigate the microscopic structures of composite fouling. Heat transfer coefficients and friction factors have been obtained in clean tests. The plate heat exchanger with the largest d e and height to pitch ratio shows the best anti-fouling performance. The Von-Karman analogy was used to obtain mass transfer coefficient to develop appropriate semi-theoretical fouling correlations; The wall shear stress is obtained from the pressure drop. The model predictions agree well with experimental data. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Four new oleanene-type triterpenoid saponins together with six known saponins were isolated from the roots of Pulsatilla cernua and their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data, including 2D NMR spectra and chemical evidence. Among these one of the aglycones (gypsogenin) is reported for the first time from this genus. Some of these compounds showed significant neuroprotective effects against the cytotoxicity induced by β-amyloid25-35 (Aβ25-35) on human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: An experimental investigation was performed for single-phase flow and condensation characteristics inside five micro-fin tubes with the same outer diameter 5mm and helix angle 18°. Data are for mass fluxes ranging from about 200 to 650kg/m2 s. The nominal saturation temperature is 320K, with inlet and outlet qualities of 0.8 and 0.1, respectively. The results suggest that Tube 4 has the highest condensation heat transfer coefficient and also the highest condensation pressure drop penalty, while Tube 5 has the highest enhancement ratio due to its lowest pressure drop penalty and intermediate heat transfer coefficient. Condensation heat transfer coefficient flattens out gradually as G decreases when G <400kg/(m2 s) for Tube 2 and Tube 4. This nonlinear mass-flux effect may be explained by the complex interactions between micro-fins and fluid, including liquid drainage by surface tension and interfacial turbulence. In addition, the experimental data was analyzed using seven existing pressure-drop correlations and four heat-transfer models to verify their respective accuracies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study investigates a simple method for thickness estimation with single layer accuracy for self-assembling opal crystals prepared by the dip-coating method. The thickness (number of layers) of the opal crystals was estimated by an analysis of the optical reflectance from s-polarization incident light, and then verified with SEM. The opal crystals were considered as periodic dielectric layers and were analyzed with the transfer matrix method. The reflectance simulation showed a good agreement with the experimental results. The lattice constant and the thickness were determined at the peak position and by the fringes of the reflection spectra, respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Powdery mildew is one of the most important melon pathogens all over the world. So far, many genes conferring resistance to powdery mildew of melon have been described, but few of these have been finely mapped or cloned. Two F populations derived from Ano2 × Hami413 and Ano2 × Queen were used to map the powdery mildew resistance gene by methods of Bulked Segregation Analysis (BSA), comparative genomics and Resistance Gene Analogues (RGA) mapping. It was found that the resistance to powdery mildew in Ano2 was conferred by a dominant gene, and the gene was named Pm- AN. The genetic analysis revealed that Pm- AN located between two codominant markers RPW and MRGH63B in linkage groupV. The genetic distances between Pm- AN and these two markers were 1.4-1.8 and 1.6-2 cM. No recombination was found between Pm- AN and markers ME/E1, SRAP23. Pm- AN was located in a RGA-rich region and cosegregated with the RGA marker MRGH5 and the resistance gene Vat. Synteny analysis showed that markers in this region were collinear between melon and cucumber. Segregation distortion was found in this region using both Ano2 × Hami413 and Ano2 × Queen F populations, and the distortion was more distinct in Ano2 × Hami413 F population. The center of segregation distortion was located in the RGA rich region harboring Pm- AN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present an algorithm to probabilistically estimate object shapes in a 3D dynamic scene using their silhouette information derived from multiple geometrically calibrated video camcorders. The scene is represented by a 3D volume. Every object in the scene is associated with a distinctive label to represent its existence at every voxel location. The label links together automatically-learned view-specific appearance models of the respective object, so as to avoid the photometric calibration of the cameras. Generative probabilistic sensor models can be derived by analyzing the dependencies between the sensor observations and object labels. Bayesian reasoning is then applied to achieve robust reconstruction against real-world environment challenges, such as lighting variations, changing background etc. Our main contribution is to explicitly model the visual occlusion process and show: (1) static objects (such as trees or lamp posts), as parts of the pre-learned background model, can be automatically recovered as a byproduct of the inference; (2) ambiguities due to inter-occlusion between multiple dynamic objects can be alleviated, and the final reconstruction quality is drastically improved. Several indoor and outdoor real-world datasets are evaluated to verify our framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Phosphatidic acid (PA) is a key regulated intermediate and precursor for de novo biosynthesis of all glycerophospholipids. PA can be synthesized through the acylation of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) by 1-acyl-3-phosphate acyltransferase (also called lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase, LPAAT). Recent findings have substantiated the essential roles of acyltransferases in various biological functions. Methodologies/Principal Findings: We used a flow-injection-based lipidomic approach with ∼200 multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) transitions to pre-screen fatty acyl composition of phospholipids in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutants. Dramatic changes were observed in fatty acyl composition in some yeast mutants including Slc1p, a wellcharacterized LPAAT, and Cst26p, a recently characterized phosphatidylinositol stearoyl incorporating 1 protein and putative LPAAT in S. cerevisiae. A comprehensive high-performance liquid chromatography-based multi-stage MRM approach (more than 500 MRM transitions) was developed and further applied to quantify individual phospholipids in both strains to confirm these changes. Our data suggest potential fatty acyl substrates as well as fatty acyls that compensate for defects in both Cst26p and Slc1p mutants. These results were consistent with those from a non-radioactive LPAAT enzymatic assay using C17-LPA and acyl-CoA donors as substrates. Conclusions: We found that Slc1p utilized fatty acid (FA) 18:1 and FA 14:0 as substrates to synthesize corresponding PAs; moreover, it was probably the only acyltransferase responsible for acylation of saturated short-chain fatty acyls (12:0 and 10:0) in S. cerevisiae. We also identified FA 18:0, FA 16:0, FA 14:0 and exogenous FA 17:0 as preferred substrates for Cst26p because transformation with a GFP-tagged CST26 restored the phospholipid profile of a CST26 mutant. Our current findings expand the enzymes and existing scope of acyl-CoA donors for glycerophospholipid biosynthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice is a staple food crop in Asia. The rice farming industry has been influenced by global urbanization, rapid industrialization, and climate change. A combination of precise agricultural and smart water management systems to investigate the nutrition state in rice is important. Results indicated that plant nitrogen and chlorophyll content at the maximum tillering stage were significantly influenced by the interaction between water and fertilizer. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and normalized difference red edge (NDRE), obtained from the multispectral images captured by a UAV, exhibited the highest positive correlations (0.83 and 0.82) with plant nitrogen content at the maximum tillering stage. The leave-one-out cross-validation method was used for validation, and a final plant nitrogen content prediction model was obtained. A regression function constructed using a nitrogen nutrition index and the difference in field cumulative nitrogen had favorable variation explanatory power, and its adjusted coefficient of determination was 0.91. We provided a flow chart showing how the nutrition state of rice can be predicted with the vegetation indices obtained from UAV image analysis. Differences in field cumulative nitrogen can be further used to diagnose the demand of nitrogen topdressing during the panicle initiation stage. Thus, farmers can be provided with precise panicle fertilization strategies for rice fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a significant public health problem that may lead to chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Approximately 30% of the world's population has been infected with HBV and approximately 350 million (5-6%) are persistent carriers. More than 120 million Chinese are infected with HBV. The role of host genetic factors and their interactions with environmental factors leading to chronic HBV infection and its complications are not well understood. We believe that a better understanding of these factors and interactions will lead to more effective diagnostic and therapeutic options. Methods/Design: This is a population-based, case-control study protocol to enroll 2200 Han Chinese from medical centers in northern and western China. Adult subjects in the following groups are being enrolled: healthy donors (n = 200), HBV infected persons achieving virus clearance (n = 400), asymptomatic HBV persistent carriers (n = 400), chronic hepatitis B cases (n = 400), decompensated liver cirrhosis with HBV infection cases (n = 400), and hepatocellular carcinoma with HBV infection cases (n = 400). In addition, for haplotype inference and quality control of sample handling and genotyping results, children of 1000 cases will be asked to provide a buccal sample for DNA extraction. With the exception of adult patients presenting with liver cirrhosis or HCC, all other cases and controls will be 40 years or older at enrollment. A questionnaire is being administered to capture dietary and environmental risk factors. Both candidate-gene and genome-wide association approaches will be used to assess the role of single genetic factors and higher order interactions with other genetic or environmental factors in HBV diseases. Conclusion: This study is designed and powered to detect single gene effects as well as gene-gene and environmental-gene interactions. The identification of allelic polymorphisms in genes involved in the pathway leading to chronic viral infection, liver cirrhosis and, ultimately, hepatocellular carcinoma would provide insights to those factors leading to HBV replication, liver inflammation, fibrosis, and the carcinogenic process. An understanding of the contribution of host genetic factors and their interactions may inform public health policy, improve diagnostics and clinical management, and provide targets for drug development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study focuses on the thermodynamic analysis of saturated vapor flowing slowly onto and condensing on an elliptical tube with variable wall temperature. An entropy generation minimization (EGM), technique is applied as a unique measure to study the thermodynamic losses caused by heat transfer and film-flow friction for the laminar film condensation on a non-isothermal horizontal elliptical tube. The results provide us how the geometric parameter ellipticity and the amplitude of non-isothermal wall temperature variation affect entropy generation during filmwise condensation heat-transfer process. The optimal design can be achieved by analyzing entropy generation in film condensation on a horizontal elliptical tube with further account for the amplitude of non-isothermal wall temperature variation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper aims to perform thermodynamic analysis of saturated vapor flowing slowly onto and condensing on an elliptical cylinder. This analysis provides us how the geometric parameter-ellipticity affects entropy generation during film-wise condensation heat transfer process. The results observe that local condensate film thickness decreases with an increase in ellipticity of a cylinder. From the first law point of view, the local heat transfer coefficient enhances as ellipticity increases. Meanwhile, from the second law point of view, entropy generation increases with increasing the value of ellipticity. We derive an expression for entropy generation, which accounts for the combined action of the specified irreversibilities. The result demonstrates that thermal irreversibility dominates over film flow friction irreversibility. Finally, an expression of minimizing entropy generation in laminar film condensation heat transfer is obtained. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

C18H16ClN2O2Cu, monoclinic, C2/c (no. 15), a = 23.330(5) Å, b = 7.1347(14) Å, c = 10.328(2) Å, β = 108.33(3)°, V = 1632.0(6) Å3, Z = 4, Rgt(F) = 0.0275, wRref(F2) = 0.0763, T = 296(2) K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we shall present weak and strong laws of large numbers (WLLN's and SLLN's) for weighted sums of independent (not necessarily identically distributed) fuzzy set-valued random variables in the sense of the extended Hausdorff metric dH∞ based on the result of set-valued random variable obtained by Taylor and Inoue32,33 This work is a continuation of Li and Ogura20. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]