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This paper considers a dual-channel supply chain consisting of a manufacturer and a capital-constrained retailer, where the retailer makes certain sales efforts and the manufacturer may hitch a ride on the retailer’s sales efforts. Deferred payment and bank loan financing models under Retailer- and Manufacturer-Stackelberg settings are established, respectively. The equilibrium price and sales effort strategies of both sides of the supply chain under two power structures and financing modes are obtained by the backward solution method, and then the influence of free-riding behavior and financing interest rate on equilibrium strategies is explored, as well as how the power structure affects the financing decisions of enterprises. The results show that deferred payment is more conducive to retailers’ sales effort and order volume, which is the optimal financing model for the retailers under each power structure. Power structure affects the initial capital threshold of retailers and the manufacturers’ financing decisions. The impact of free-riding behavior and financing rate on equilibrium prices exists and varies, depending on the power structure and financing model. Numerical simulation results show that manufacturers should give priority to publishing price strategies, while retailers should decide whether to give priority to publishing price strategies according to financing mode and cross-price sensitivity. This paper’s findings can provide valuable guidance for decision-making in financing, price, and sales effort for the capital-constrained dual-channel supply chain.

An EMU train with detailed cabin structural is established based on the finite element method. The secondary impact between train driver and control desk is fully analysed and two measures are proposed to reduce the driver injury severity, such as the multi-objective optimization of the driver seat position and equipping the train with three-point seat belt. Simulation results indicate that the driver seat position has a significant effect on the driver injury severity during a secondary impact. According to the multi-objective optimization, some Pareto solutions are suggested to design the driver seat position. Besides that, it is also indicated although the chest and leg are well protected when the driver wears a two-point seat belt, it increases the head injure during a secondary impact. On the other hand, the three-point seat belt can supply the train driver with an overall protection against the secondary impact. The injury criteria (HIC, VC, TI) of the driver with the three-point seat belt is significantly lower than those of the driver without seat belt. Moreover, according to the simulation analysis, the limited load of the three-point seat belt is suggested about 1.5 kN.

This study constructed the recombinant plasmid of a TonB-dependent receptor from V. parahaemolyticus and evaluated the immunogenicity of the recombinant protein in mice. The TonB-dependent receptor gene (GI: 28901321) was obtained by PCR amplification and cloned into plasmid pET-32a (+). The recombinant plasmids were transformed into Escherichia coli BL21, and the protein expression was induced by isopropyl-β-d-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG). The 6 × His-tagged TonB-dependent receptor inclusion bodies were purified by Ni-NTA Agarose column and renatured by gradient urea dialysis. The soluble and inclusion bodies of the TonB-dependent receptor were emulsified with Freund's adjuvant and subcutaneously injected into BALB/c mice. The serum titers with seven V. parahaemolyticus strains, eight Vibrio species, and nine other bacteria were studied by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunoblotting. The results showed that the serum homogenously bound the target protein in the V. parahaemolyticus cell lysates. The titers against the immunized protein were above 89K, while the titer against whole cells of seven V. parahaemolyticus strains ranged from 4.12K to 12.5K. However, the titers were higher for the soluble TonB-dependent receptor. The serums reacted with E. coli strains but did not cross-react with eight Vibrio species and Photobacterium damselae. These results showed that the TonB-dependent receptor proteins in this study were immunogenic, and the serums showed adequate specificity for V. parahaemolyticus. However, the availability of the TonB-dependent receptor on V. parahaemolyticus cells is probably limited.

In this study, Cu/TiB2composite coating was in-situ prepared on 304 steel by laser cladding. This coating applies to hospitals, schools and some public places where cross infections happen more easily because of its good antimicrobial properties and abrasion resistance. Before laser cladding, pre-blend of Cu powder, Ti powder and B powder were undertaken by ball-milling in two different proportions (10% wt (Ti+B) and 20% wt (Ti+B)). And the atomic ratio of Ti and B was 1:2. After a series of experiments, the best parameters were achieved. They were laser power (950W), scanning speed (14mm/s) and spot diameter (3.8mm). Samples after laser cladding were characterized using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The results showed that TiB2was fabricated in-situ. The dispersion degree of Cu was higher in the coating of 20% wt (Ti+B). The hardness of the 10% wt (Ti+B) coating was HRC57±4. With the increase of percentage of wt (Ti+B), the hardness of 20% wt (Ti+B) coating was HRC74±5. Both of them performed better than pure copper. Relative to pure copper, the abrasion resistance of Cu/TiB2composite coatings was more excellent. The results of antimicrobial experiments showed that, with the increase of percentage of wt (Ti+B), the antimicrobial properties were decreasing. But they still could to be considered favorable.

Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are vital to the recovery of endothelial function and maintenance of vascular homeostasis. EPCs mobilize to sites of vessel injury and differentiate into mature endothelial cells (ECs). Locally mobilized EPCs are exposed to cyclic stretch caused by blood flow, which is important for EPC differentiation. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as key regulators of several cellular processes. However, the role of miRNAs in cyclic stretch-induced EPC differentiation remains unclear. Here, we investigate the effects of microRNA-129-1-3p (miR-129-1-3p) and its novel target Runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2) on EPC differentiation induced by cyclic stretch. Bone marrow-derived EPCs were exposed to cyclic stretch with a magnitude of 5% (which mimics physiological mechanical stress) at a constant frequency of 1.25 Hz for 24 hours. The results from a miRNA array revealed that cyclic stretch significantly decreased miR-129-1-3p expression. Furthermore, we found that downregulation of miR-129-1-3p during cyclic stretch-induced EPC differentiation toward ECs. Meanwhile, expression of Runx2, a putative target gene of miR-129-1-3p, was increased as a result of cyclic stretch. A 3'UTR reporter assay validated Runx2 as a direct target of miR-129-1-3p. Furthermore, small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated knockdown of Runx2 inhibited EPC differentiation into ECs and attenuated EPC tube formation via modulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) secretion from EPCs in vitro. Our findings demonstrated that cyclic stretch suppresses miR-129-1-3p expression, which in turn activates Runx2 and VEGF to promote endothelial differentiation of EPCs and angiogenesis. Therefore, targeting miR-129-1-3p and Runx2 may be a potential therapeutic strategy for treating vessel injury.

The Yueyang epithermal Ag-Au-Cu deposit is located in the Zijinshan ore district in western Fujian Province, South China. Orebodies are predominately hosted by the Jurassic Zijinshan granite batholith and controlled by a group of NW-trending faults. Roughly all minerals were deposited in a single extended period, and three stages can be further defined: (1) the early sphalerite stage; (2) the base metal-silver stage; and (3) the post-mineralization stage. Microthermometric measurements on quartz- and sphalerite-hosted, liquid-rich fluid inclusions indicate that mixing and dilution of the ore forming fluids took place from early to late stages. However, fluid boiling may locally occur and lead to silver participation, as suggested by the presence of fluid inclusion assemblage consisting of coexisting liquid-rich and vapour-rich inclusions, and also indicated by adularia in Ag-bearing veins and the breccia type ore of bonanza grade. Compared with typical low-sulphidation epithermal deposits, the higher Ag/Au ratios and fluid salinities, Fe-poor sphalerite and large proportion of sulphide minerals suggest that the Yueyang deposit is best classified as an intermediate-sulphidation epithermal deposit. Since intermediate-sulphidation epithermal deposits favour a magmatic affinity and usually exhibit spatial and temporal association with high-sulphidation and porphyry deposits, mineral exploration at the adjacent area of the Yueyang deposit is promising.

The Zijinshan high-sulphidation Cu-Au deposit located in the west Fujian Province is the largest active gold mine in China with total production of gold over 300 tonnes to date. The high-sulphidation ore bodies are characterized by the upper supergene Au and lower hypogene Cu zones bounded roughly by the paleowater table near 600 m elevation. Au-bearing goethite and limonite are the main ore minerals in the supergene zone whereas the hypogene Cu mineralization is dominated by covellite and anilite (or digenite) with minor enargite. The expected porphyry mineralization that coupled with Zijinshan is so far not exposed even to a depth of 1500 m from surface. However, the Luoboling Cu-Mo deposit which occurs only 3 km NE to Zijinshan is identified as a typical porphyry deposit. Current debate centered on whether the Zijinshan high-sulphidation epithermal deposit and the adjacent Luoboling porphyry deposit are genetically linked or discrete hydrothermal systems. Recent deep exploration at Zijinshan revealed an extension trend of Cu ore bodies and quartz-alunite alteration zone toward SE below 0 m elevation. This contradicts previous considered NE trend above 0 m elevation. In this study, fluid inclusion mapping based on rigorous strategy and sample selection was carried out on 20 sample suites scattered over the whole high-sulphidation Cu-Au ore bodies from −450 to 800 m elevation. Aqueous fluid inclusions of unambiguous primary origin in syn-ore miarolitic quartz, coarse-grained alunite crystals and quartz overgrowth zones were measured. Microthermometry results show the average T h and salinity of each sample suite ranging from 205 to 304°C and 2.4 to 5.5 wt% NaCl equiv., respectively. Both fluid temperature and salinity exhibit negative correlation with increasing elevation, indicating convective cooling by mixing and circulating of meteoric water has involved. The good consistence of mineralization distribution pattern and fluid evolution trend implies that the southeastward extending ore bodies probably reflect the fluid pathway which is connected to the deeper porphyry mineralization and their magmatic source. Considering the temperature condition (370–400°C) required for brittle-plastic transition which commonly characterizes porphyry deposits, the potential porphyry mineralization coupled to Zijinshan should have occurred at greater depth under higher temperature. Combined with recent exploration progress and the fluid evolution pattern, we therefore proposed that the Luoboling porphyry Cu-Mo deposit and the Zijinshan high-sulphidation Cu-Au deposit are likely discrete hydrothermal systems, and future porphyry deposit exploration at the deep SE segment of Zijinshan is recommended.

In this paper, a resource allocation scheme is proposed for multi-cell OFDMA systems in downlink under the fractional frequency reuse environments. The objective considers balancing between the maximization of the system throughput and the satisfaction of the user’s data rate requirement. Due to the severe co-channel interference for cellular networks with full frequency reuse, a dynamic fractional frequency reuse scheme is adopted in the cellular network which divides all subcarriers in each cell into two groups: a super group and a regular group. The dynamic fractional frequency reuse scheme can guarantee the intra-cell orthogonality and reduce the inter-cell interference. Therefore, the procedure of the proposed resource allocation scheme includes two main parts: frequency partition and subcarrier allocation. First, each subcarrier is assigned to either the super group or the regular group based on designed functions in all cells. Second, we allocate subcarriers to users by utilizing the designed functions. The designed functions are developed based on the proportional fairness scheduling, the logarithm transformation, and the Lagrangian technique. The designed function is coupled with the instantaneous data rate, the average data rate, and the data rate requirement. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme provides a higher system throughput and improves the outage probability compared with existing schemes.

Based on the demonstration projects from the database of CPPPC, using social network analysis and econometric methods, this paper examines the between enterprises in the networks, and analy...

Three new proton conductors with simple structures based on isolated olyoxometalate anions as well as protonated imidazole and benzimidazole, namely, NNU-6-8, have been successfully prepared by hydrothermal reaction. We could control the number of proton sources by selecting different types and changing the charges of POM anions. The single crystal sample of NNU-6 along a-axis shows a highest proton conductivity of 1.91×10-2 S cm-1 , which is two and three orders of magnitude higher than that of 2.42×10-4 and 8.90×10-5 S cm-1 along b- and c-axes, respectively, due to the more unobstructed H-bonding network and stronger π-π stacking between benzimidazole rings as proton-transferring pathway along a-axis than that along b and c axes. It is a straightforward model to understand the metaphysical proton-conducting process, and this is the first time to put forward the idea that π-π stacking could assist proton transfer and be in favor of proton conduction, which has been demonstrated by calculating potential energy surfaces of proton transfer between benzimidazole molecules.

Interferon regulatory factors (IRFs) play a key role in mediating the host response against pathogen infection and other important biological processes. This is the first report of an IRF family member in blunt snout bream Megalobrama amblycephala. The complete cDNA of M. amblycephala (Ma) IRF1 gene has 1422 nucleotides (nt.), with an open reading frame of 858 nt, encoding a polypeptide of 285 amino acids. The putative MaIRF1 polypeptide shared significant structural homology with known IRF1 homologs: a conserved IRF domain was found at the N-terminal and an IRF association domain 2 at the C-terminal. Phylogenetic analysis showed that MaIRF1 amino acid sequence clustered with other teleost IRF1s, with a grass carp ortholog exhibiting the highest similarity. MaIRF1 mRNA expression patterns were studied using quantitative real-time PCR in healthy fish tissues and after a challenge with Aeromonas hydrophila bacterium. It was constitutively expressed in all examined tissues: the highest in blood, the lowest in muscle. The expression after A. hydrophila challenge was up-regulated in liver, spleen and kidney, but down-regulated in intestine and gills. At the protein level, similar expression patterns were observed in liver and gills. Patterns differed in intestine (up-regulation), spleen (down-regulation) and kidney (expression mostly unchanged). This study indicates that MaIRF1 gene plays an important role in the blunt snout bream immune system, hence providing an important base for further studies.

In order to improve the distribution of second phase and performance the Cu-Cr-Zr alloy was processed by solidification under the effect of electromagnetic stirring (EMS) and in situ drawing deformation. Study of Cu-Cr-Zr conductivity and mechanical properties under different deformation strains was also carried out, to analyze the effect of EMS on Cu-Cr-Zr alloys. The experimental results showed that the Cr dendrites tended to be smaller and shorter in Cu-10Cr-0.1Zr alloy solidified with EMS (16Hz, 100A). Since electromagnetic stirring have the role to break dendrite,it’s beneficial to increase the amount of dendrites and decrease the size of dendrites. The tensile strength of Cu-10Cr-0.1Zr wire solidified with EMS was higher than that solidified without EMS.

For the technical requirements of a domestic enterprise to develop a new generation of self-loading container truck products, this paper creatively puts forward a set of suitable reduction standards for special structure. Based on ANSYS and Visual Studio 2008 platform, the parametric modeling and automatic analysis of side loader container structure are achieved independently. Several operating conditions, such as stacking, self-loading and unloading etc. can be analyzed rapidly and automatically. The research achievement can be not only used for the conceptual design stage of forward design process, but also applied in the modification of the original structure, thus effectively shortening the product design cycle, reducing design cost, providing useful guidance for independent research of domestic enterprise.

Targeting on the amyloid-β (Aβ) is a promising immunotherapeutic strategy for Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, Aβ(1-15) sequence alone induces low antibody response and poor protection against AD. We describe here the immunological characterization and protective efficacy of several recombinant chimeric vaccines with hexavalent foldable Aβ(1-15) (6Aβ15) fused to PADRE or toxin-derived carrier proteins. Immunization with these chimeric antigens generated robust Th2 immune responses with high anti-Aβ42 antibody titers in different mice, which recognized neurotoxic Aβ42 oligomers, but did not stimulate Aβ42-specific T cell responses. These 6Aβ15 chimeric vaccines markedly reduced Aβ pathology and prevented development of behavioral deficits in immunized older AD mice. Importantly, toxin-derived carrier proteins as molecular adjuvants of chimeric vaccines could substantially boost immune responses and overcome Aβ- and old age-associated hypo-responsiveness, and elicit long-term Aβ-specific antibody response, which in turn inhibited Aβ-mediated pathology and improved acquisition and retention of spatial memory in immunized AD mice. These data indicate that toxin fragments as molecular adjuvants are promising new tools for the rational design and development of prototype chimeric vaccines for AD and this type of chimeric vaccine design has the added advantage of overcoming hypo-responsiveness in elderly AD patients with pre-existing memory Th cells from tetanus toxin.

Copolymers with super segregated structure of hydrophilic methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) (mPEG) and fluorophilic poly(1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecyl acrylate) (PFA) were prepared. And just because of this super segregated structure which was resulted from the extremely strong incompatibility between the two blocks, several interesting self-assembly behaviors of the copolymers were displayed and studied under different conditions. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) showed that with the increase of PFA in the polymerization system, the incompatibility in this super segregated structure became stronger, and the self-assembly behavior changed from ball-like or rod-like to vesicles, and finally collapsed to sheet-like. The self-assembly behavior changed likewise when the initial concentration increased. And the interesting formation of these barrel-like and spindle-like vesicles was finally studied with different cooling speeds. It’s finally found that with this super segregation structure, these new self-assembly morphology might be formed due to the extremely strong incompatibility between mPEG and PFA segments.

Iron tailings are mineral wastes obtained from industrial processing and magnetic separation of iron ore. A type of superplasticizer with high water reducing rate and early strength gaining property is characterized in this study. The influence of admixtures, i.e. superplasticizer, early strength agent and accelerating agent, on the mechanical strength, setting and hardening time of foam concrete containing iron tailings has been investigated. Further, the microstructure of foam concrete is observed. This study demonstrates high-strength foam concrete with excellent thermal insulation property can be prepared using iron tailings, cement, fly ash, silica fume, polypropylene fiber, superplasticizer, early strength agent, accelerating agent and foaming agent, which develops a new route for the comprehensive utilization of iron tailings.

Gas-engine driven heat pump (GEHP) working as water heater has higher energy utilization efficiency and can reduce more environmental pollution than gas-fired (oil-fired, coal-fired) boiler and electric motor driven heat pump (EHP). In the present work, a thermal model of a GEHP system working as water heater was established, and the performances (heating capacity, coefficient of performance (COP) and primary energy ratio (PER) of the GEHP system were also studied both by simulation and experiment. The results showed that the heating capacity increased with the increase of the rotary speed and water flow rate, but decreased with the increase of the hot water temperature. The COP and PER increased with the increase of the water flow rate, but decreased with the increase of the rotary speed and hot water temperature. The simulation results were well agreed with experimental data. The defrost time of the GEHP system was also studied by experiment, the results showed that the defrost time of both using waste heat recovered and reverse cycle defrost (RCD) was the shortest among the three defrost methods used in this paper.

To understand the adaptability of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) to chilling stress, we analyzed the antioxidative mechanism during seed germination. The germination rates of six alfalfa cultivars were studied comparatively at 10°C. Xinmu No. 1 and Northstar were selected as chilling stress-tolerant and stress-sensitive cultivars for further characterization. After chilling treatment, Xinmu No. 1 showed higher seedling growth than Northstar. Xinmu No. 1 exhibited low levels of hydrogen peroxide and lipid peroxidation compared with Northstar. In addition, shoots in Xinmu No. 1 treated with chilling showed higher activities of the superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and catalase than those of Northstar, whereas Xinmu No. 1 showed higher APX activity in roots that Northstar. These results indicated that high antioxidation activity in Xinmu No. 1 under chilling stress is well associated with tolerance to chilling condition during germination.

A novel kinetic method for determination of trace amounts of cobalt ion was proposed and validated. The method is based on adding malic acid into classical Belousov-Zhabotinskii (B-Z) oscillating chemical system to form a double substrate one. The results showed that when the concentration of cobalt ion was in the range of 5.27×10^(-8) to 5.37×10^(-12)mol L^(-1), the change of the oscillating period was directly proportional to the negative logarithm of cobalt ion concentration. The sensitivity and precision of the developed method were quite satisfactory. The limit of detection was down to 5.20×10^(-13) mol L^(-1) which was a highest sensitivity found for determination of metal ions using oscillating chemical reaction so far. Some factors influencing the determination were also examined. The method has been successfully used to determine cobalt ion in vitamin B12 injection.

Summary. Factor X (FX) deficiency is a rare bleeding disorder inherited as an autosomal recessive trait. In this study, we investigated the molecular basis of FX deficiency in a Chinese pedigree. The proposita showed a markedly prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time and a mild prolongation of prothrombin time. The levels of FX antigen and FX activity were 58.6% and 2.5%, respectively. Molecular analysis revealed that the proposita was compound heterozygous for two novel mutations: IVS1 + 1G > A and G1185A (Arg347His). The aberrant transcripts from the IVS1 + 1G > A mutant allele were not detected by analyzing the splicing pattern of ectopic transcripts in leukocytes of the patient with nested polymerase chain reaction after reverse transcription. We thus hypothesize that the mRNA molecules originating from the IVS1 + 1G > A mutation were rapidly destroyed in vivo. Site-directed mutagenesis of FX cDNA was used to introduce FXG1185A mutation, and wild-type as well as mutant FX proteins were expressed by transient transfection in HEK 293 cells. Normal FX antigen levels both in the conditioned media of cells expressing the mutant and in cell lysates were detected by an enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay. Evaluation of wild-type and mutant coagulant activity demonstrated that the FX molecules carrying the Arg347His mutation have dramatically decreased activity.

Summary. To investigate the molecular defects in two Chinese pedigrees with inherited factor V (FV) deficiency. A 37-year-old male (proband 1) and an 18-month-old boy (proband 2) were diagnosed as inherited coagulation FV deficiency by severely reduced plasma levels of FV activity and antigen. All 25 exons and their flanking sequence of F5 gene were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for both probands and the PCR products were directly sequenced. Total RNA was extracted from the peripheral lymphocytes of proband 1 for detecting the changes at mRNA level. The homozygous deletion IVS8 −2A>G was identified in the F5 gene of proband 1 and complementary DNA (cDNA) analysis revealed the abolishment of the canonical splicing site by the mutation and the activation of the cryptic acceptor site 24 bp upstream instead. The insertion introduced eight additional amino acids (AA) into the FV protein. Two heterozygous mutations of F5 gene were discovered in proband 2. The 2238-9del AG in exon 13 introduced a premature termination code at 689 AA and the substitution of G6410 by T in exon 23 lead to the missense mutation Gly2079Val. Three F5 gene mutations, IVS8 −2A>G, 2238-9del AG and G6410T, have been identified in two Chinese pedigree with congenital FV deficiency, respectively.

Targeting on the amyloid-β (Aβ) is a promising immunotherapeutic strategy for Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, Aβ(1-15) sequence alone induces low antibody response and poor protection against AD. We describe here the immunological characterization and protective efficacy of several recombinant chimeric vaccines with hexavalent foldable Aβ(1-15) (6Aβ15) fused to PADRE or toxin-derived carrier proteins. Immunization with these chimeric antigens generated robust Th2 immune responses with high anti-Aβ42 antibody titers in different mice, which recognized neurotoxic Aβ42 oligomers, but did not stimulate Aβ42-specific T cell responses. These 6Aβ15 chimeric vaccines markedly reduced Aβ pathology and prevented development of behavioral deficits in immunized older AD mice. Importantly, toxin-derived carrier proteins as molecular adjuvants of chimeric vaccines could substantially boost immune responses and overcome Aβ- and old age-associated hypo-responsiveness, and elicit long-term Aβ-specific antibody response, which in turn inhibited Aβ-mediated pathology and improved acquisition and retention of spatial memory in immunized AD mice. These data indicate that toxin fragments as molecular adjuvants are promising new tools for the rational design and development of prototype chimeric vaccines for AD and this type of chimeric vaccine design has the added advantage of overcoming hypo-responsiveness in elderly AD patients with pre-existing memory Th cells from tetanus toxin.

A LabVIEW-based self-constructed chemical virtual instrument (VI) has been developed for determining temperatures and pressures. It can be put together easily and quickly by selecting hardware modules, such as the PCI-DAQ card or serial port method, different kinds of sensors, signal-conditioning circuits or finished chemical instruments, and software modules such as data acquisition, saving, proceeding. The VI system provides individual and extremely flexible solutions for automatic measurements in physical chemistry research.