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It is of great interest to develop strategic methods to enable chemicals' metabolites to be accurately and rapidly screened and identified. To screen and identify a category of metabolites with distinct isotopic distribution, this study proposed a generic strategy using in silico metabolite prediction plus accurate-mass-based isotopic pattern recognition (AMBIPR) and library identification on the data acquired via the data dependent MS/MS scan of LC-Q Exactive Orbitrap mass spectrometry. The proposed method was evaluated by the analysis of flurochloridone (FLC) metabolites in rat urine sample collected from toxicity tests. Different from the traditional isotopic pattern recognition (IPR) approach, AMBIPR here was performed based on the potential metabolites predicted via in silico metabolite prediction tools. Thus, the AMBIPR treated FLC data was only associated with FLC metabolites, consequently not only avoiding great efforts made to remove FLC-unrelated information and reveal FLC metabolites, but also increasing the percent of positive hits. Among the FLC metabolite peaks screened using AMBIPR, 87% of them (corresponding 97 metabolites and 49 biotransformation) were successfully identified via multiple MS identification techniques packaged in an established FLC's metabolites library based on Mass Frontier. Noteworthy, 34 metabolites (89%) were identified without distinct naturally isotopic distribution. The universal strategic approach based on background subtraction (BS) and mass defect filtering (MDF) was used to evaluate the AMBIPR and no more false positive and negative metabolites were detected. Furthermore, our results revealed that AMBIPR is very effective, inherently sensitive and accurate, and is easily automated for the rapidly screening and profiling chemicals related metabolites.

The thermal behavior of the bio-oils produced from pyrolyzing the mixture of different proportional rice husk and waste tires and its kinetics of evaporation have been studied using thermogravimetry at a heating rate of 10 K min−1, with N2 at 1 atm. As a comparison, the thermal behavior of diesel 0# was also investigated. It shows that the kinetic equation obtained by Achar’s differential method and Coal-Redfern’s integral method are satisfied to explain the oil properties and quite agreed with the experimental data. The mean value of initial and final temperature of mass loss of the oils, which was produced by pyrolyzing the mixture of 50 wt% rice husk and 50 wt% waste tires with SBA-15 as catalyst, is equal to that of diesel 0#. Through established kinetic equations of the evaporation process, the pre-exponential factor and evaporation of heat (ΔvapH) for the oils are provided. It shows that ΔvapH of oils, which is in the range of 67.7 and 120 kJ/mol are lower than that of diesel 0# being 136.1 kJ/mol.

Biofouling is a major problem facing the marine industry. Since toxic antifouling coatings were banned globally due to their negative impacts on the marine environment, the development of environmental-friendly and efficient antifouling coatings has been identified as a pressing need. As an alternative, the antifouling coatings inspired by corals have attracted a great deal of attention over these years. within the marine environment, corals have evolved an excellent antifouling capability. There are five major antifouling strategies applied by corals, including natural antifoulants, foul release effect, sloughing effect, soft tentacles, and fluorescence effect. In this paper, a brief review is conducted to introduce the antifouling coatings inspired by the five strategies. Moreover, a discussion is conducted about the existing problems with the five strategies and the direction of their further development is indicated.

Correction for ‘Exploring the antifouling effect of elastic deformation by DEM–CFD coupling simulation’ by Limei Tian et al., RSC Adv., 2019, 9, 40855–40862, DOI: 10.1039/C9RA06761B.

Recombinant parathyroid hormone (1-34), the drug of choice for treating severe osteoporosis, has a short half-life and requires daily subcutaneous injections. Controlled release formulation of recombinant parathyroid hormone (1-34) might prevent daily injections and improve therapeutic outcome. In this study, recombinant parathyroid hormone (1-34)-loaded poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) microspheres using a double emulsion method were prepared. Scanning electron microscopy proved that the microspheres were spherical in shape with 2.0 to 5.0 µm diameter. A loading efficiency up to 84 % was achieved in the optimized formulation. Release study performed using microspheres of 10:1.0 polymer:drug ratio formulation revealed that the release of recombinant parathyroid hormone (1-34) was controlled over 22 days in a biphasic manner with an initial burst and a subsequent slow release. For pharmacokinetic study, recombinant parathyroid hormone (1-34)-loaded poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) microspheres were subcutaneously injected to rats at 0.01 mg/kg dose of recombinant parathyroid hormone (1-34). Plasma drug concentration of recombinant parathyroid hormone (1-34)-loaded poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) microspheres were maintained for a week whereas free recombinant parathyroid hormone (1-34) was quickly eliminated within a day. These results suggest that recombinant parathyroid hormone (1-34)-loaded poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) microspheres appear to have the potential for further clinical development.

Prognosis for patients with glioblastoma (GBM), the most common high-grade primary central nervous system (CNS) tumor, remains discouraging despite multiple discoveries and clinical advances. Immunotherapy has emerged as a promising approach to GBM therapy as the idea the human CNS is immunoprivileged is being challenged. Early clinical studies of vaccine-based approaches have been encouraging, but further investigation is required before these therapies become clinically meaningful. A key challenge in immunotherapy involves identification of target antigens that are specific and sensitive for GBM. Here we discuss tumor-associated antigens that have been targeted for GBM therapy, strategies for discovery of novel antigens, and the theory of epitope spreading as it applies to GBM immunotherapy.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the mechanism behind adipose tissue wound healing (ATWH). The preadipocyte cell line 3T3-L1 was cultured and expression of adiponectin receptors (AdipoR1/2) was detected by immunohistochemistry and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The concentration of adiponectin secreted at different cell densities was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, while preadipocyte proliferation and migration were determined in vitro by MTT and wound closure assays. AdipoR1/2 were found to be expressed in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. There were no statistically significant differences in the concentrations of adiponectin secreted by cell solutions of different densities (P > 0.05). In addition, adiponectin was seen to promote the growth and migration of preadipocytes. In conclusion, adiponectin may regulate ATWH by promoting preadipocyte proliferation and migration, and its systemic and/or local application is proposed as a promising therapeutic approach for the treatment of wounds incurred as a result of surgery.

High-impact floods have become a virtually annual experience in Malaysia, yet flood insurance has remained a grossly neglected part of comprehensive integrated flood risk management. Using discriminant analysis, this study seeks to identify the demand-side variables that best predict flood insurance purchase and risk aversion between two groups of residential homeowners in three districts of Johor State, Malaysia: those who purchased flood insurance and those who did not. Our results revealed an overall 34% purchase rate, with Kota Tinggi district having the highest (44%) and thus the highest degree of flood risk aversion. The Wilks' lambda F test for equality of group means, standardised discriminant function coefficients, structure correlation, and canonical correlation has clearly shown that there are strong significant attribute differences between the two groups of homeowners, based on the measures of objective flood risk exposure, subjective risk perception, and socio-economic cum demographic variables. However, the measures of subjective risk perception were found to be more predictive of flood insurance purchase and flood risk aversion.

Our purpose was to conduct a meta-analysis to compare the effectiveness of vasopressin/terlipressin and somatostatin/octreotide on variceal re-bleeding within and after 5 days of initial control bleeding. A search was conducted of PubMed, the Cochrane database, and Google Scholar until June 31, 2014 using combinations of the search terms: esophageal varices, variceal re-bleeding, recurrent variceal hemorrhage, early re-bleeding, vasopressin, somatostatin, terlipressin, octreotide. Inclusion criteria were: (1) randomized controlled trials, (2) patients with esophageal or esophageal and gastric varices confirmed by endoscopy, (3) re-bleeding control was evaluated, (4) treatment with somatostatin/vasopressin. Outcome measures were the re-bleeding rates within 5 days (≤5 days) or after 5 days (>5 days) after initial treatment. Six studies were included in the analysis. Five studies had complete data of re-bleeding rate within 5 days after initial treatment, and the combined odds ratio (OR) of 0.87 [95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.51, 1.50] indicated that there was no difference in the re-bleeding rate between patients treated with vasopressin/terlipressin or somatostatin/octreotide. Two studies had complete data of the re-bleeding rate 5 days after initial treatment, and the combined OR of 1.12 (95 % CI 0.64, 1.95) indicated there was no difference in the re-bleeding rate between patients who were treated with vasopressin/terlipressin or somatostatin/octreotide. There is no difference between vasopressin/terlipressin and somatostatin/octreotide in prevention of re-bleeding after the initial treatment of bleeding esophageal varices.

Objective The association between high temperature and mental disease has been the focus of several studies worldwide. However, no studies have focused on the mental disease burden attributable to hot temperature. Here, we aim to quantify the risk attributed to hot temperatures based on the exposure-lag-response relationship between temperature and mental diseases. Method From data on daily temperature and emergency admissions (EA) for mental diseases collected from 6 major cities (Seoul, Incheon, Daejeon, Daegu, Busan, and Gwangju in South Korea) over a period of 11 years (2003–2013), we estimated temperature-disease associations using a distributed lag non-linear model, and we pooled the data by city through multivariate meta-analysis. Cumulative relative risk and attributable risks were calculated for extreme hot temperatures, defined as the 99th percentile relative to the 50th percentile of temperatures. Results The strongest association between mental disease and high temperature was seen within a period of 0–4 days of high temperature exposure. Our results reveal that 14.6% of EA for mental disease were due to extreme hot temperatures, and the elderly were more susceptible (19.1%). Specific mental diseases, including anxiety, dementia, schizophrenia, and depression, also showed significant risk attributed to hot temperatures. Of all EA for anxiety, 31.6% were attributed to extremely hot temperatures. Conclusions High temperature was responsible for an attributable risk for mental disease, and the burden was higher in the elderly. This finding has important implications for designing appropriate public health policies to minimize the impact of high temperature on mental health.

This study presents aluminum nitride/silicone rubber composite as a drag reduction material, inspired by the boundary heating drag reduction mechanism of dolphin skin. Aluminum nitride was added as a thermal conductive filler at weight fractions of 16.67, 21.05, and 28.57 wt% to pristine silicone rubber. Tests of the thermal conductivity and tensile properties showed that the thermal conductivity of all three aluminum nitride/silicone rubber composites were increased 27.9%, 41.4%, and 43.7% than that of the pristine silicone rubber, and the elastic modulus of the composites was increased with the aluminum nitride content. Droplet velocity testing, which can reflect the drag reduction mechanism of the heating boundary controlled by the aluminum nitride/silicone rubber composites, was performed between all three aluminum nitride/silicone rubber composites and pristine silicone rubber. The results showed that the droplet velocity of all three aluminum nitride/silicone rubber composites were higher than pristine silicone rubber, implying that the composites had a drag-reducing function. In terms of the drag-reducing mechanism, the heat conductivity performance of the aluminum nitride/silicone rubber accelerates the heat transfer between the aluminum nitride/silicone rubber composite surface and droplet. The forces between the molecules and droplet dynamic viscosity are reduced, which result in drag reduction. The application of aluminum nitride/silicone rubber composite to control fluid medium will have important value for fluid machinery.

Objectives: Although forgetfulness is a common complaint among depressed menopausal women, there remains debate on the relationship between memory impairment and menopause. The aim of this study was to examine whether menopause is related to cognitive decline among women with depressive disorders. We hypothesized that postmenopausal depressed woman would show generally poorer performance than premenopausal depressed women on various cognitive function tests Methods: Using a retrospective chart review, we identified a total of 87 female patients (45 premenopausal patients and 42 postmenopausal patients) who were hospitalized with depressive disorders from 2000 to 2016. Demographic and clinical variables and cognitive test results were compared between the two groups. Results: Years of education was greater in the premenopausal group as compared to the postmenopausal group, whereas clinical characteristics (illness duration, recurrence, and symptom severity) and mean IQ were similar between the two groups. The postmenopausal group had longer reaction times for Bender-Gestalt test recall and Trail-Making Test A and B. After controlling for age and education, there was a significant difference in Bender-Gestalt test recall (p=0.029). Conclusion: The postmenopausal state may be related to decline of visuo-spatial memory function, in particular, among depressed female patients. Other areas of cognitive function including complex attention, verbal memory, auditory memory, working memory might be interpreted with consideration to age and education level.

Protein-based “bottom-up” synthesis of nanoscale functional materials and devices is one of the most promising areas in the newly emerging field of nanotechnology. However, identifying active basic building blocks from biological examples is still a challenge because of their complex and encrypted sequence structure. Genetic engineering of phage viruses provides opportunities for building novel bio-nanomaterials by integrating biology, chemistry, physics, materials science, and electric engineering. By mimicking the evolutionary process in nature, phages can be used as an information-mining tool for identifying functional peptide (or protein) sequences that can specifically recognize desired materials at the molecular level. These recognition elements can be used to guide the design of unprecedented materials such as semiconductor and metallic materials. Moreover, phages are unique in their intrinsic ability to self-replicate within a cellular host and self-assemble into highly ordered two- and three-dimensional nanostructures. By combining these self-replicating and self-assembling functions, virus-based materials can be used to construct nanomaterials and devices with novel structure and function that could be useful in applications including energy, biosensors, electronics, and tissue-regenerating materials. In this article, we introduce the unique features of phage viruses and recent accomplishments in the development of virus-based materials for use as tools to fabricate functional nanomaterials, and review the potential future applications of this emerging technology that we termed “virotronics.”

The pattern of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is very distinctive: neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) composed of hyperphosphorylated tau selectively affect pyramidal neurons of the aging association cortex that interconnect extensively through glutamate synapses on dendritic spines. In contrast, primary sensory cortices have few NFTs, even in late-stage disease. Understanding this selective vulnerability, and why advancing age is such a high risk factor for the degenerative process, may help to reveal disease etiology and provide targets for intervention. Our study has revealed age-related increase in cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) phosphorylation of tau at serine 214 (pS214-tau) in monkey dorsolateral prefrontal association cortex (dlPFC), which specifically targets spine synapses and the Ca(2+)-storing spine apparatus. This increase is mirrored by loss of phosphodiesterase 4A from the spine apparatus, consistent with increase in cAMP-Ca(2+) signaling in aging spines. Phosphorylated tau was not detected in primary visual cortex, similar to the pattern observed in AD. We also report electron microscopic evidence of previously unidentified vesicular trafficking of phosphorylated tau in normal association cortex--in axons in young dlPFC vs. in spines in aged dlPFC--consistent with the transneuronal lesion spread reported in genetic rodent models. pS214-Tau was not observed in normal aged mice, suggesting that it arises with the evolutionary expansion of corticocortical connections in primates, crossing the threshold into NFTs and degeneration in humans. Thus, the cAMP-Ca(2+) signaling mechanisms, needed for flexibly modulating network strength in young association cortex, confer vulnerability to degeneration when dysregulated with advancing age.

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) mediates higher cognition but is impaired by stress exposure when high levels of catecholamines activate calcium-cAMP-protein kinase A (PKA) signaling. The current study examined whether stress and increased cAMP-PKA signaling in rat medial PFC (mPFC) reduce pyramidal cell firing and impair working memory by activating KCNQ potassium channels. KCNQ2 channels were found in mPFC layers II/III and V pyramidal cells, and patch-clamp recordings demonstrated KCNQ currents that were increased by forskolin or by chronic stress exposure, and which were associated with reduced neuronal firing. Low dose of KCNQ blockers infused into rat mPFC improved cognitive performance and prevented acute pharmacological stress-induced deficits. Systemic administration of low doses of KCNQ blocker also improved performance in young and aged rats, but higher doses impaired performance and occasionally induced seizures. Taken together, these data demonstrate that KCNQ channels have powerful influences on mPFC neuronal firing and cognitive function, contributing to stress-induced PFC dysfunction., Graphical abstract Image 1

The cognitive function of the highly evolved dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) is greatly influenced by arousal state, and is gravely afflicted in disorders such as schizophrenia, where there are genetic insults in α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (α7-nAChRs). A recent behavioral study indicates that ACh depletion from dlPFC markedly impairs working memory [Croxson PL, Kyriazis DA, Baxter MG (2011) Nat Neurosci 14(12):1510–1512]; however, little is known about how α7-nAChRs influence dlPFC cognitive circuits. Goldman-Rakic [Goldman-Rakic (1995) Neuron 14(3):477–485] discovered the circuit basis for working memory, whereby dlPFC pyramidal cells excite each other through glutamatergic NMDA receptor synapses to generate persistent network firing in the absence of sensory stimulation. Here we explore α7-nAChR localization and actions in primate dlPFC and find that they are enriched in glutamate network synapses, where they are essential for dlPFC persistent firing, with permissive effects on NMDA receptor actions. Blockade of α7-nAChRs markedly reduced, whereas low-dose stimulation selectively enhanced, neuronal representations of visual space. These findings in dlPFC contrast with the primary visual cortex, where nAChR blockade had no effect on neuronal firing [Herrero JL, et al. (2008) Nature 454(7208):1110–1114]. We additionally show that α7-nAChR stimulation is needed for NMDA actions, suggesting that it is key for the engagement of dlPFC circuits. As ACh is released in cortex during waking but not during deep sleep, these findings may explain how ACh shapes differing mental states during wakefulness vs. sleep. The results also explain why genetic insults to α7-nAChR would profoundly disrupt cognitive experience in patients with schizophrenia.

To investigate the correlation between pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) and the expression level of Egl nine homologue 1 (EGLN1) gene or its protein in lung tissue of rats at different altitudes.Totally 121 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into low altitude group (n=11), moderate altitude group and high altitude group, the rats in moderate altitude and high altitude group were further divided into 1(st) day, 3(rd) days, 7(th) days, 15(th) day and 30(th) day group according to the exposure time to hypoxic environment, each group 11 rats. The low altitude group, the PAP of rats were determined by physiological signal acquisition system, and tissue samples were collected in liquid nitrogen container for storage at an altitude of 498 m area. Moderate altitude group rats were placed in altitude of 2 260 meters of natural environment, 5 high altitude groups rats were placed in the hypobaric hypoxic chamber, simulating altitude of 4 500 meters. The PAP of rats in moderate altitude group and high altitude group were also determined by physiological signal acquisition system, and tissue samples were collected when rats were exposed to hypoxia at 1(st), 3(rd), 7(th), 15(th) and 30(th) day; Western blot was used to determine expression levels of EGLN1 protein, and person correlation analysis was used to analyze whether the protein was related to the formation of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PH) under hypoxia. Real-time quantitive PCR method determined expression levels of EGLN1 mRNA in lung tissues, and the relative expression method was used to analyze PCR data, and finally assess whether the EGLN1 gene was the initial cause of the formation of PH during hypoxia.The mean PAP of rats was (20.0±3.2) mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa) in low altitude group; in moderate altitude group, mean PAP began to increase slightly when rats were exposed to hypoxia on the 15(th) day and reached at (22.7±4.1) mmHg on hypoxic 30(th) day, but compared with the low altitude group, there was no statistical difference (P0.05); the mean PAP of rats in high altitude group began to rise on the 7(th) day (28.7±7.7) mmHg, which was higher than that in low altitude group (P0.05), and significantly increased to (42.3±9.1) mmHg (P0.001) on hypoxic 30(th) day; it was significantly proportional with exposure to hypoxic time, and compared to low altitude group and moderate altitude group, there was significant difference (P0.05). EGLN1 protein expression in the lung tissue of rats had no significant difference between the low altitude group and moderate altitude group, and its expression level in the high altitude group were significantly decreased, furthermore, the expression level decreased with the increase of hypoxia exposure time (P0.05); PAP and EGLN1 protein expression levels showed a negative correlation (r=-0.662). The transcription level of mRNA EGLN1 in high altitude group was significantly increased under hypobaric hypoxia, it was 72 times more than that of the moderate altitude group, and nearly 300 times than that of the low altitude group, respectively (both P0.001=.EGLN1 gene expression in lung tissue of rat is affected by hypoxia, the expression level increases with the increase of the altitude; but the protein expression level, in contrast with gene expression level, is decreased with the increase of altitude and is significantly negatively correlated with mean PAP.

Introduction There have been increasing interests in the relationship between high ambient temperature and morbidity. We studied the associations between hospital admissions through ER visits and t...

A*02:590 differs from A*02:01:01:01 by a nucleotide substitution at codon 152 (GTG → GCG) with amino change.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most devastating brain tumor, with associated poor prognosis. Despite advances in surgery and chemoradiation, the survival of afflicted patients has not improved significantly in the past three decades. Immunotherapy has been heralded as a promising approach in treatment of various cancers; however, the immune privileged environment of the brain usually curbs the optimal expected response in central nervous system malignancies. In addition, GBM cells create an immunosuppressive microenvironment and employ various methods to escape immune surveillance. The purpose of this review is to highlight the strategies by which GBM cells evade the host immune system. Further understanding of these strategies and the biology of this tumor will pave the way for developing novel immunotherapeutic approaches for treatment of GBM.

The FASTER reactor plant is a sodium-cooled fast spectrum test reactor that provides high levels of fast and thermal neutron flux for scientific research and development. The 120MWe FASTER reactor plant has a superheated steam power conversion system which provides electrical power to a local grid allowing for recovery of operating costs for the reactor plant.

In this article, Prussian blue (PB) covered multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)/polypyrrole (PPy) ternary composite nanofibers with good dispersibility in water and ethanol have been prepared by directly mixing ferric-(III) chloride and potassium ferricyanide in the presence of MWCNT/PPy coaxial nanofibers under ambient conditions. Transmission electron microscopy shows that the as-synthesized PB nanoparticles covered on the surface of MWCNT/PPy nanofibers. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, UV–Visible spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction patterns have been used to characterize the obtained MWCNT/PPy/PB ternary composite nanofibers. The MWCNT/PPy/PB ternary composite nanofibers exhibit good electrocatalytic response to detection of H2O2 and provide a new material to modify electrode for amperometric biosensors.

Objectives：Intellectual impairment in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is often associated with relatively severe cognitive dysfunction. This study was designed to investigate cognitive function using auditory and visual event-related potential P300 in children with ADHD with relatively higher and lower IQ. Methods：A total of 20 children aged 6-12 years with DSM-IV-TR diagnosis of ADHD-combined type were recruited. For 10 children with lower IQ (≤100) and 10 children with higher IQ (＞100), auditory and visual P300 using oddball paradigm (target 0.2, standard 0.8, in probability) were employed. Results：No significant differences were found in P300 amplitude and latency between ADHD children with higher and lower IQ in both modalities. However, auditory P300 amplitude in the right parietal area (P8 electrode) was negatively correlated with verbal IQ in ADHD subjects (R=-.50, p＜.05). Visual P300 amplitude in the left parietal area (P3 electrode) was positively correlated with performance IQ in ADHD subjects (R=.57, p＜.01). Conclusion：This study suggests intellectual impairment, as evidenced by lower IQ, could not be associated with cognitive dysfunction reflected in event-related potential P300 in ADHD children. However, cognitive function reflected in intellectual sub components and P300 might be processed in a stimulus modality-specific and asymmetric pattern.

Many of the cognitive deficits of normal ageing (forgetfulness, distractibility, inflexibility and impaired executive functions) involve prefrontal cortex (PFC) dysfunction. The PFC guides behaviour and thought using working memory, which are essential functions in the information age. Many PFC neurons hold information in working memory through excitatory networks that can maintain persistent neuronal firing in the absence of external stimulation. This fragile process is highly dependent on the neurochemical environment. For example, elevated cyclic-AMP signalling reduces persistent firing by opening HCN and KCNQ potassium channels. It is not known if molecular changes associated with normal ageing alter the physiological properties of PFC neurons during working memory, as there have been no in vivo recordings, to our knowledge, from PFC neurons of aged monkeys. Here we characterize the first recordings of this kind, revealing a marked loss of PFC persistent firing with advancing age that can be rescued by restoring an optimal neurochemical environment. Recordings showed an age-related decline in the firing rate of DELAY neurons, whereas the firing of CUE neurons remained unchanged with age. The memory-related firing of aged DELAY neurons was partially restored to more youthful levels by inhibiting cAMP signalling, or by blocking HCN or KCNQ channels. These findings reveal the cellular basis of age-related cognitive decline in dorsolateral PFC, and demonstrate that physiological integrity can be rescued by addressing the molecular needs of PFC circuits.

We developed a dynamic thermal and micromagnetic model for thermally assisted magnetic recording, which employed Landau-Lifshitz-Bloch equation for the thermo-dynamic magnetization motion. It has shown completely different switching mechanism at high temperature compared to that from the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation. This results, in part, from the assumption in the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation that the magnetization vector length is conserved at any temperature. In view of the fact that the Garanin's Landau-Lifshitz-Bloch model does not have this constraint, it can estimate the switching field and switching speed in including around Curie temperature. Since thermally assisted magnetic recording is near Curie temperature recording, Landau-Lifshitz-Bloch equation must be suitable for the model of this recording process.

In this work, graphene/prussian blue (PB) composite nanosheets with good dispersibility in aqueous solutions have been synthesized by mixing ferric-(III) chloride and potassium ferricyanide in the presence of graphene under ambient conditions. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) shows that the average size of the as-synthesized PB nanoparticles on the surface of graphene nanosheets is about 20 nm. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns have been used to characterize the chemical composition of the obtained graphene/PB composite nanosheets. The graphene/PB composite nanosheets exhibit good electrocatalytic behavior to detection of H 2 O 2 at an applied potential of −0.05 V. The sensor shows a good linear dependence on H 2 O 2 concentration in the range of 0.02–0.2 mM with a sensitivity of 196.6 μA mM −1 cm −2 . The detection limit is 1.9 μM at the signal-to-noise ratio of 3. Furthermore, the graphene/PB modified electrode exhibits freedom of interference from other co-existing electroactive species. This work provides a new kind of composite modified electrode for amperometric biosensors.

We recorded event-related potentials (ERPs) in patients with schizophrenia before and after treatment with quetiapine, to investigate this drug's effects on cognitive function. Auditory and visual oddball stimulus discrimination paradigms were presented to patients with schizophrenia (N=20) before and after 3months' treatment with quetiapine. The 2-stimulus auditory oddball paradigm used a standard tone (1000Hz, 75dB, 80%) and a target tone (2000Hz, 75dB, 20%). The 2-stimulus visual oddball paradigm used a standard stimulus (small circle, 80%) and a target stimulus (large circle, 20%). Patients' severity of psychopathology was initially evaluated with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and was likewise re-evaluated after treatment. After treatment with quetiapine, patients' P300 amplitudes increased over baseline for both tasks (auditory stimuli, P0.01; visual stimuli, P0.01) and their P300 latencies for both target stimuli decreased significantly (auditory stimuli, P0.001; visual stimuli, P0.01). Visual P300 amplitude was negatively correlated with the severity of positive symptoms at the Fz electrode before the treatment (r=-0.45, P0.05). After treatment with quetiapine, there were no significant correlations between severity of positive or negative symptoms and visual P300 amplitudes for midline electrodes. These findings suggest that the reduced and delayed P300 may be a state marker for schizophrenia, which may in turn be modulated by positive symptoms, and also suggest that the amplitude and latency for both auditory and visual tasks may be decreased by quetiapine treatment. Based on these results, we suggest that the atypical antipsychotic quetiapine may improve some aspects of cognitive domains in patients with schizophrenia.

Hollow microspheres with porous shells of poly( o -toluidine) (POT) and poly( o -methoxyaniline) (POMA) have been prepared via chemical polymerization on glass substrate using alkali-guided method. It is found that the microspheres with an average diameter of 5.0 μm are deposited on the top of the monolayer of small nanospheres. The effects of the preparation conditions such as monomer concentrations and the pH values of the reaction solutions on the morphology the spheres deposited on the substrate are investigated. The products are characterized by SEM, TEM, FT-IR, and UV–vis measurements. Moreover, the formation mechanism of this porous structure is also proposed.

Heat exchangers comprise thousands of tubes having U-shaped portions. Rotating bending method has been widely utilized to make U-bends. Although this method shows an excellent performance, cracks have been frequently detected in the U-bends due to residual stresses induced by bending. In this paper, the bending process is simulated based on elastic-plastic finite element analyses in order to investigate the magnitude and distribution of the residual stresses including the effects of operating pressure. Analyses results show that the residual stress increases as the radius of U-bend decreases and that operating pressure has a detrimental effect in terms of stress corrosion cracking at the intrados of U-bend. It is thought that these results can be utilized for the estimations of fracture mechanics parameters such as limit load, stress intensity factor and J-integral, prevention of the cracking, and establishment of the optimum inspection strategy for the heat exchanger tubes.

We developed auxiliary differential equation finite-difference time-domain (ADE-FDTD) method for dispersive Drude medium, and simulated the optical part of the plasmon antenna (PA) and waveguide (WG) system for thermally assisted magnetic recording (TAMR) heads. To achieve higher efficiency without sacrificing the small spot size, our newly developed automatic computational shape optimization program was carried out for the PA designs with a variety of configurations: no recording media, with-media, with magnetic write pole, and only-PA models. The optimized designs for these cases show an enhancement of the electrical field at the PA tip compared to the initial configuration. In addition, both the PA body as well as the tip affects the performance of the guiding and focusing of the plasmon. However, the optimized detail shape and the sensitivity of the dimension are dependent upon the configuration.

Polyaniline (PANI)/Fe3O4 composite hollow spheres have been successfully synthesized in one step using sulfonated polystyrene (PS) spheres as templates. The magnetic PANI hollow spheres were used as supports for noble metal nanoparticles (NPs) such as Au and Pd. The morphology, composition and magnetic properties of the resulting products were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma (ICP) atomic spectra and vibrating sample magnetometer. The catalytic activity of magnetic PANI/Au composite shells on the oxidation of dopamine was investigated by cyclic voltammetry. The obtained results provide our product with a practical application for the detection of dopamine. On the other hand, the catalytic activity of magnetic PANI/Pd composite shells on the reduction of 4-nitroaniline was investigated by spectroscopic methods and compared with Pd/C catalyst which was already widely used in industrial production.

A facile route for the generation of two-dimensional (2D) ordered, large-area, liftable, and patterned polyaniline (PANI) nanobowl monolayer containing Au nanoparticles has been demonstrated with the monolayer self-assembled polystyrene (PS) spheres at the aqueous/air interface as template. Tetrachloroauric acid has been used as an oxidizing agent for the polymerization of aniline in aqueous solution. The morphologies, compositions, and structure of the obtained samples were characterized by scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Additionally, the sensor response to NH 3 of our products has been investigated and ultra-fast response and recovery behavior have been obtained, which endows our product in practical gas detector.

Heat exchangers are widely used in electric power plants as well as petrochemical facilities. Typical heat exchangers consist of a number of thin-walled tubes, supports, a main body, and so on. Operating experience of the heat exchangers has shown that cracks of various morphologies frequently occur in the tubes. Therefore, an accurate integrity assessment of the cracked tube is very important from the viewpoint of safety and reliability. The heat exchanger tubes are supported at regular intervals by the supports and rotations of the tubes are restrained. In the authors' previous study, it was revealed that the limit loads for circumferential through-wall cracks are significantly affected by the supports and existing limit load solutions without considering the support-induced restraint effect differ from the actual failure load. However, the effect of the supports on the global limit load of surface cracked tubes has not been fully investigated. This paper provides detailed global limit load solutions for the tubes with circumferential surface cracks considering the restraint effect of the supports. Such solutions are developed based on three-dimensional finite element analyses. The resulting limit load solutions can be simply used in practical integrity assessment of the heat exchanger tubes.

In this paper, polyaniline (PANI) nanotubes with palladium nanoparticles (NPs) attached onto their inner walls were synthesized via a templating method which contains three steps. First, electrospun polystyrene (PS) nanofibers were coated with nearly monodispersed Pd NPs ( d = 3.411 nm, σ = 0.687 nm, d is the average diameter of Pd NPs and σ is the standard deviation of their diameters) through in situ reduction of Pd 2+ ions on the surface of sulfonated PS nanofibers. Then we used a self-assembly method to coat the composite with a PANI layer. The final product was obtained after the removal of PS nanofibers by diluting them in tetrahydrofuran. The morphology of samples was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy and the structure was characterized by Fourier transform infrared, ultraviolet–visible spectra, X-ray diffraction patterns and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic patterns. Inductively coupled plasma atomic spectra were used to show the weight percentage of Pd nanoparticles. Its catalytic activity on the reduction of p-nitroanilinum was also investigated and compared to Pd/C catalyst and Pd/MWNTs.

A multi-model set of atmospheric simulations forced by historical sea surface temperature (SST) or SSTs plus Greenhouse gases and aerosol forcing agents for the period of 1950-1999 is studied to identify and understand which components of the Asian-Australian monsoon (A-AM) variability are forced and reproducible. The analysis focuses on the summertime monsoon circulations, comparing model results against the observations. The priority of different components of the A-AM circulations in terms of reproducibility is evaluated. Among the subsystems of the wide A-AM, the South Asian monsoon and the Australian monsoon circulations are better reproduced than the others, indicating they are forced and well modeled. The primary driving mechanism comes from the tropical Pacific. The western North Pacific monsoon circulation is also forced and well modeled except with a slightly lower reproducibility due to its delayed response to the eastern tropical Pacific forcing. The simultaneous driving comes from the western Pacific surrounding the maritime continent region. The Indian monsoon circulation has a moderate reproducibility, partly due to its weakened connection to June-July-August SSTs in the equatorial eastern Pacific in recent decades. Among the A-AM subsystems, the East Asian summer monsoon has the lowest reproducibility and is poorly modeled. This is mainly due to the failure of specifying historical SST in capturing the zonal land-sea thermal contrast change across the East Asia. The prescribed tropical Indian Ocean SST changes partly reproduce the meridional wind change over East Asia in several models. For all the A-AM subsystem circulation indices, generally the MME is always the best except for the Indian monsoon and East Asian monsoon circulation indices.

There is often a tradeoff between strength and ductility, and the low ductility of ultrafine-grained (UFG) materials has been a major obstacle to their practical structural applications despite their high strength. In this study, we have achieved a ∼40% tensile ductility while increasing the yield strength of FeCrNiMn steel by an order of magnitude via grain refinement and deformation-induced martensitic phase transformation. The strain-rate effect on the inhomogeneous deformation behavior and phase transformation was studied in detail.

Compared to middle oil and heavy oil, light oil has more extensive use in practice. Therefore, many factors that affect the light oil fraction of liquid produced during pyrolysis of waste tires were investigated with GC-MS, FT-ir, and chromatographic column as separated means. The results showed that carrier gas, flow rate, heating rate, and temperature all influence the percent of light oil. CO2 as carrier gas and fast flow rate can benefit to improve the yield of light oil, and fast heating rate cannot be favorable for the quality of oil. The components of the liquid composed of nearly 50% aromatic hydrocarbon, 19.06–24.66% alkanes, and distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as the function of temperature were also determined. Meanwhile, the depth of pyrolysis and relation of PAHs and possible reactions that occurred during pyrolysis were discussed.