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Effluent from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is considered to be an important source of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the environment, which has become a global issue for human and animal health. However, the conventional treatment processes in WWTPs including the disinfection process cannot remove ARGs completely. This study estimated the removal efficiency of selected ARGs (sul1, sul2, tetO, and tetX) from WWTP effluent by electrocoagulation (EC). A reduction of 1.48–2.61 logs for selected ARGs was obtained by EC with the electrolysis time of 60 min under a current density of 20.0 mA/cm2 at neutral pH. Adsorption and enmeshment of the precipitated flocs generated electrochemically were proposed as the main mechanism for the removal of ARGs by EC. High current density and low pH (3.0–7.0) could promote the removal of ARGs. When pretreated with conventional ultraviolet (UV) disinfection, the reduction logs of ARGs were higher than the sum of that by single UV disinfection and EC process, ranging from 1.62 to 2.83 logs after 30 min of electrolysis. Moreover, it was found that the abundance of extracellular ARGs was increased after UV disinfection but reduced significantly after the subsequent EC treatment. The results showed that EC would be an effective method for the removal of both intracellular and extracellular ARGs from WWTPs effluent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid and accurate identification of Arcobacter is of great importance because it has been considered as an emerging food- and water-borne pathogen and potential zoonotic agent. Raman spectroscopy can differentiate bacteria based on Raman scattering spectral patterns of whole cells in a fast, reagentless, and easy-to-use manner. We aimed to detect and discriminate Arcobacter at the species level using confocal micro-Raman spectroscopy (785 nm) coupled with neural networks. A total of 82 reference and field isolates of 18 Arcobacter species from clinical, environmental and agri-food sources were included. We determined that the bacterial cultivation time and temperature did not significantly influence the Raman spectral reproducibility and discrimination capability. The genus Arcobacter could be successfully differentiated from the closely related genera Campylobacter and Helicobacter using principal component analysis. For the identification of Arcobacter to the species level, an accuracy of 97.2% was achieved for all 18 Arcobacter species using Raman spectroscopy combined with convolutional neural network (CNN). The predictive capability of Raman-CNN was further validated using an independent dataset of 12 Arcobacter strains. Furthermore, a Raman spectroscopic-based fully36 connected artificial neural network (ANN) was constructed to determine the actual ratio of a specific Arcobacter species in a bacterial mixture ranging from 5% to 100% by biomass (regression coefficient >0.99). The application of both CNN and fully-connected ANN improved the accuracy of using Raman spectroscopy for bacterial speciation compared to the conventional chemometrics. This newly developed approach enables rapid identification and speciation of Arcobacter within an hour following cultivation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different types of carbon nanotubes as carriers were used to prepare ruthenium nano‐catalysts loaded outside (named as Ru/CNTs) and inside (named as Ru@CNTs) the tube. The catalysts were modified in situ with chiral ligands (1S, 2S)‐DPEN (1S, 2S)‐DPEN=(1S, 2S)‐1,2‐diphenyl‐1,2‐ethanediamine). In the presence of TPP (TPP=triphenylphosphine) as the stabilization, the catalytic asymmetric hydrogenation of acetophenone was carried out with the modified catalysts. A novel approach to prepare the inside‐loaded catalysts of Ru@CNTs was explored in the preparation. The catalyst can efficiently prevent the Ru nanoparticles from oxidizing in the air in this approach. The catalysts were well characterized by means of TEM, XRD, XPS, BET and H2 Pulse Chemisorption. The effect of the diameter of carbon nanotubes on the particle size of ruthenium nanoparticles loaded on the tubes was also well studied. When Ru@CNTs (8 %, S) ("S" abbreviated from "short", the same below) was used in the asymmetric hydrogenation of acetophenone, 100 % conversion of acetophenone achieved, and the ee value reached 76.4 %. Under the same reaction conditions, 100 % conversion of acetophenone as well as the highest ee value of 80.8 % were obtained when Ru/CNTs (8 %, S) was applied in the reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on TET2 DNA dioxygenase is frequently mutated in human hematopoietic malignancies and functionally inactivated in many solid tumors through a nonmutational mechanism. It mentions that TET2 mediates the interferon-JAK-STAT pathway to stimulate chemokine expression and tumor infiltration of lymphocytes (TILs). It also mentions that TET2 is monoubiquitylated at K1299, which promotes its activity.

A novel chessboard surface is proposed for ultra-wideband radar cross section (RCS) reduction. The designed artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) surface is arranged by two different double-layer AMC unit cells, bringing in destructive reflection phase difference (180°±37°) in an ultra-wide band ranging from 5.8 to 16.1 GHz (94.06%). Each double-layer unit cell consists of a substrate layer loaded with metal patches and a PEC layer, in between of which is a 2-mm-thick air gap, which results in smooth phase curves of the two AMC units. One of the metal patches is composed of an octagonal ring and a Union Jack cross, and the other one is a Jerusalem cross. With chessboard arrangement by the two units, the RCS of the proposed surface can be reduced by more than 10 dB over a 90.22% frequency range (6.23-16.47 GHz) for both x and y polarizations. And the 20-dB RCS reduction frequency band ranges from 12.3 GHz to 15.9 GHz (25.5%). Then, the proposed AMC surface is fabricated and measured, and the measured 10-dB RCS reduction frequency band ranges from 6.66 to 16.42 GHz (84.58%) for x polarization and from 6.65 to 16.5 GHz (85.1%) for y polarization, which verifies that the presented AMC configuration may achieve potential applications on low-RCS platforms in an ultra-wide band. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By means of advanced information and communication technology, cyber-physical power systems can attain realtime monitor and control but have to suffer the damage caused by a cyber attack. In this study, the authors' define attack efficiency to evaluate attack paths that attacker may adopt to intrude systems, to find the most efficient attack paths (i.e. the most vulnerable paths). Based on the actual power grid and security stability control system, the coupling model of cyberphysical power systems is established to analyse the propagation of cascading failure within and across the physical power grid and communication network. In the attack model, the attack cost matrix is built to describe the cost between directly connected nodes in a communication network. Furthermore, considering the probability that control commands are successfully transmitted from router nodes to generator/substation nodes, the total attack cost from the communication network to the physical power grid is figured out. To search for the most vulnerable attack paths in systems, the attack efficiency is proposed to quantify the relation between attack cost and attack gain, wherein the attack gain is the damage on systems caused by the cyber attack. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The seismic method is one of the main geophysical methods that are widely used to image the geology ahead of tunnels during tunnel construction. However, owing to the complex environment and limited observation aperture in a tunnel, symmetric false results (that appear in imaging results but not in the actual environment) frequently occur in imaging results. In a symmetric false reflection, false and true reflection points are axisymmetric around the tunnel axis. Such false results frequently cause errors in the interpretation of the geological conditions ahead of a tunnel face. To overcome this problem, a seismic method that uses adaptive polarization analysis was adopted to better image geological conditions. Based on an adaptive time window, the polarization characteristics of seismic signals were analyzed to calculate the main polarization direction. The symmetric false results in imaging results were suppressed by adopting a weighting coefficient based on the angle between the main polarization direction and ray direction. Numerical simulations revealed the superiority of the method when applied to synthetic data processing. Moreover, the method was applied to a diversion tunnel. The method successfully identified the fracture zones ahead of the tunnel face, thus significantly enhancing the safety of tunnel construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A tightly coupled bowtie array antenna at a millimetre-wave band is presented in the study. The antenna has a simple structure and exhibits a high performance over an ultra-wide bandwidth. The feeding network is designed by using the dielectricbased inverted microstrip gap waveguide technology in order to have a compact layout. An 8 × 8 planar array is designed and prototyped. The measured results show that the proposed array has achieved an overall bandwidth of 55.7% from 18.7 to 33.15 GHz. The maximum measured gain is 21.8 dBi at 32.5 GHz, and the total antenna efficiency is above 40% through the whole bandwidth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In spite of the vehicle, magnetic field interference can be reduced by some measures and techniques in ammunition design and manufacturing stage, the corruption of the vehicle magnetic field can still reach hundreds to thousands of nanoteslas. Besides, the magnetic field that the ferromagnetic materials generate in response to the strong magnetic field in the vicinity of the body. So, a real-time and accurate vehicle magnetic field calibration method is needed to improve the real-time measurement accuracy of the geomagnetic field for spinning projectiles. Design/methodology/approach: Unlike the past two-step calibration method, the algorithm uses a linear model to calibrate the magnetic measurement error in real-time. In the method, the elliptical model of magnetometer measurement is established to convert the coefficients of hard and soft iron errors into the parameters of the elliptic equation. Then, the parameters are estimated by recursive least square estimator in real-time. Finally, the initial conditions for the estimator are established using prior knowledge method or static calibration method. Findings: Studies show the proposed algorithm has remarkable estimation accuracy and robustness and it realizes calibration the magnetic measurement error in real-time. A turntable experiments indicate that the post-calibration residuals approximate the measurement noise of the magnetometer and the roll accuracy is better than 1°. The algorithm is restricted to biaxial magnetometers' calibration in real-time as expressed in this paper. It, however, should be possible to broaden this method's applicability to triaxial magnetometers' calibration in real-time. Originality/value: Unlike the past two-step calibration method, the algorithm uses a linear model to calibrate the magnetic measurement error in real-time and the calculation is small. Besides, it does not take up storage space. The proposed algorithm has remarkable estimation accuracy and robustness and it realizes calibration the magnetic measurement error in real time. The algorithm is restricted to biaxial magnetometers' calibration in real-time as expressed in this paper. It, however, should be possible to broaden this method's applicability to triaxial magnetometers' calibration in real-time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Backgrounds: Biliary atresia (BA) is a very rare neonatal disease, however, it has been the most common cause of obstructive jaundice in infancy. The complex pathogenesis of BA is not entirely clear and a lot of possible pathogenic mechanisms have been proposed to explain the etiology of BA, including genetic, inflammatory, environmental and developmental abnormalities. As a transcription factor, USF2 gene rs916145 polymorphism has been shown to be related to the risk of BA. Methods:We examined the USF2 rs916145 genotype in a large case–control study consisting of 506 BA patients and 1473 healthy controls, using the MassARRAY iPLEX Gold system (Sequenom). Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to evaluate the association between the USF2 gene rs916145 polymorphism and BA susceptibility. Results: The frequency of different genotypes showed no statistical significance (GG/GC, OR: 1.09, P=0.470, 95% CI: 0.87–1.35; GG/CC, OR: 0.86, P=0.378, 95% CI: 0.62–1.20). No obvious association was revealed between the USF2 gene rs916145 polymorphism and BA susceptibility. Conclusion: USF2 rs916145 polymorphism may not be the best predictor of BA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to determine whether polydatin, a glucoside of resveratrol isolated from the root of Polygonum cuspidatum, warranted development as a potential therapeutic for ameliorating the pain originating from gallbladder spasm disorders and the underlying mechanisms. Guinea pig gallbladder smooth muscles were treated with polydatin and specific inhibitors to explore the mechanisms underpinning polydatin-induced relaxation of carbachol-precontracted guinea pig gallbladder. Our results shown that polydatin relaxed carbachol-induced contraction in a dose-dependent manner through the nitric oxide/cyclic guanosine monophosphate/protein kinase G and the cyclic adenosine monophosphate/protein kinase A signaling pathways as well as the myosin light chain kinase and potassium channels. Our findings suggested that there was value in further exploring the potential therapeutic use of polydatin in gallbladder spasm disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In spite of the vehicle, magnetic field interference can be reduced by some measures and techniques in ammunition design and manufacturing stage, the corruption of the vehicle magnetic field can still reach hundreds to thousands of nanoteslas. Besides, the magnetic field that the ferromagnetic materials generate in response to the strong magnetic field in the vicinity of the body. So, a real-time and accurate vehicle magnetic field calibration method is needed to improve the real-time measurement accuracy of the geomagnetic field for spinning projectiles. Design/methodology/approach: Unlike the past two-step calibration method, the algorithm uses a linear model to calibrate the magnetic measurement error in real-time. In the method, the elliptical model of magnetometer measurement is established to convert the coefficients of hard and soft iron errors into the parameters of the elliptic equation. Then, the parameters are estimated by recursive least square estimator in real-time. Finally, the initial conditions for the estimator are established using prior knowledge method or static calibration method. Findings: Studies show the proposed algorithm has remarkable estimation accuracy and robustness and it realizes calibration the magnetic measurement error in real-time. A turntable experiments indicate that the post-calibration residuals approximate the measurement noise of the magnetometer and the roll accuracy is better than 1°. The algorithm is restricted to biaxial magnetometers' calibration in real-time as expressed in this paper. It, however, should be possible to broaden this method's applicability to triaxial magnetometers' calibration in real-time. Originality/value: Unlike the past two-step calibration method, the algorithm uses a linear model to calibrate the magnetic measurement error in real-time and the calculation is small. Besides, it does not take up storage space. The proposed algorithm has remarkable estimation accuracy and robustness and it realizes calibration the magnetic measurement error in real time. The algorithm is restricted to biaxial magnetometers' calibration in real-time as expressed in this paper. It, however, should be possible to broaden this method's applicability to triaxial magnetometers' calibration in real-time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Malignant liver tumor is one of the main causes of human death. In order to help physician better diagnose and make personalized treatment schemes, in clinical practice, it is often necessary to segment and visualize the liver tumor from abdominal computed tomography images. Due to the large number of slices in computed tomography sequence, developing an automatic and reliable segmentation method is very favored by physicians. However, because of the noise existed in the scan sequence and the similar pixel intensity of liver tumors with their surrounding tissues, besides, the size, position and shape of tumors also vary from one patient to another, automatic liver tumor segmentation is still a difficult task. Results: We perform the proposed algorithm to the Liver Tumor Segmentation Challenge dataset and evaluate the segmentation results. Experimental results reveal that the proposed method achieved an average Dice score of 68.4% for tumor segmentation by using the designed network, and ASD, MSD, VOE and RVD improved from 27.8 to 21,147 to 124,0.52 to 0.46 and 0.69 to 0.73, respectively after performing adversarial training strategy, which proved the effectiveness of the proposed method. Conclusions: The testing results show that the proposed method achieves improved performance, which corroborated the adversarial training based strategy can achieve more accurate and robustness results on liver tumor segmentation task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the periodic solution for the local fractional Boussinesq equation can be obtained in the sense of the local fractional derivative. It is given by applying direct integration with symmetry condition. Meanwhile, the periodic solution of the non-differentiable type with generalized functions defined on Cantor sets is analyzed. As a result, we have a new point to look the local fractional Boussinesq equation through the local fractional derivative theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An artificial magnetic conductor (AMC) surface is proposed in this paper to reduce radar cross section (RCS) by more than 10 dB in a broad frequency band. The proposed AMC structure consists of two different units - seven hexagonal circles and Jerusalem cross loaded with four L-type branches, contributing to a wide phase difference (180°±37°) frequency band. To obtain a low RCS value, the two proposed units are arranged in fan-type for the AMC surface. The simulated results show that the RCS can be reduced by more than 10 dB in a broad frequency band from 12.2 to 27 GHz (75.5%). The proposed AMC structure combined by 20×20-unit cells is fabricated and measured in anechoic chamber. Measured results in the band below 18 GHz of the fabricated prototype agree well with the simulated ones, which validates that the proposed AMC surface may be utilized on low-RCS platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanisms underlying interspecific variation in conspecific negative density dependence (CNDD) are poorly understood. Using a multilevel modeling approach, we combined long-term seedling demographic data from a subtropical forest plot with soil fungal community data by means of DNA sequencing to address the feedback of various guilds of soil fungi on the density dependence of trees. We show that mycorrhizal type mediates tree neighborhood interactions at the community level, and much of the interspecific variation in CNDD is explained by how tree species differ in their fungal density accumulation rates as they grow. Species with higher accumulation rates of pathogenic fungi suffered more from CNDD, whereas species with lower CNDD had higher accumulation rates of ectomycorrhizal fungi, suggesting that mutualistic and pathogenic fungi play important but opposing roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As embryos mature, cells undergo remarkable transitions that are accompanied by shifts in transcription factor regulatory networks. Mechanisms driving developmental transitions are incompletely understood. The embryonic intestine transitions from a rapidly proliferating tube with pseudostratified epithelium prior to murine embryonic day (E) 14.5 to an exquisitely folded columnar epithelium in fetal stages. We sought to identify factors driving mouse fetal intestinal maturation by mining chromatin accessibility data for transcription factor motifs. ATAC-seq accessible regions shift during tissue maturation, with CDX2 transcription factor motifs abundant at chromatin-accessible regions of the embryo. Hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 (HNF4) transcription factor motifs are the most abundant in the fetal stages (>E16.5). Genetic inactivation of Hnf4a and its paralog Hnf4g revealed that HNF4 factors are redundantly required for fetal maturation. CDX2 binds to and activates Hnf4 gene loci to elevate HNF4 expression at fetal stages. HNF4 and CDX2 transcription factors then occupy shared genomic regulatory sites to promote chromatin accessibility and gene expression in the maturing intestine. Thus, HNF4 paralogs are key components of an intestinal transcription factor network shift during the embryonic to fetal transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dynamic angle measurement (DAM) plays an important role in precision machining, aerospace, military and artificial intelligence. Because of its advantages including high sensitivity, solid state and miniaturization, fibre-optic gyroscope (FOG) has great application prospects in the field of DAM. In this paper, we propose a dynamic angle metrology method based on FOG and a rotary table to evaluate the DAMaccuracy with FOG. The system synchronously collects data from the FOG and rotary table, and analyses the DAM accuracy of the FOG for different sway conditions compared with that of the angle obtained from the rotary table. An angle encoder in the rotary table provides absolute or incremental angular displacement output with angular displacement measurement accuracy of 10′′ (0:0028◦) and angular displacement repeat positioning accuracy of 3′′ (0:00083◦), and can be used as an angle reference. The experimental results show that the DAM accuracy of the FOG is better than 0:0028◦ obtained with the angular encoder, and the absolute DAM accuracy of the FOG is better than 0:0048◦ for given conditions. At the same time, for the multi-path signal synchronization problem in the metrology field, this paper proposes a signal delay measurement method combining test and algorithm procedures, which can control a delay within 25 μs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poisson image deconvolution and denoising have received much attention in recent years. A key challenge of this problem is that the most effective prior might never exist. The purpose of our study is to investigate the characteristics of generalized lp  /  lq norm on the derivatives of nature images and to present an efficient method to promote hyper-Laplacian prior for the deconvolution of blurry and Poisson noisy images. We first analyze the mathematical characteristics of generalized lp  /  lq norm based on the Berkeley segmentation data set and implement deconvolution using generalized lp  /  lq norm for derivatives in high-frequency domain so as to enforce the preservation of strong edges. Then hyper-Laplacian prior is promoted for actual Poisson image deconvolution, which uses the estimated gradient information to penalize the small derivatives (often noise) and preserve large derivatives associated to image borders. Our preliminary experiments show that the proposed method can achieve higher image quality than state-of-the-art methods in terms of peak signal-to-noise ratio and noise sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With China's expanding economy, many tunnels are being designed and constructed. However, tunneling in hazardous geologic terrain, with faults, fractures, water-bearing openings, and other adverse geological conditions, construction safety is seriously endangered. To ensure the safety of tunnel construction, a tunnel geological prospecting method was proposed and applied at the Xiangyun Tunnel in Yunnan Province, China. In the investigation stage, the engineering geological and hydrogeological conditions were analyzed to recognize high-risk sections. In the construction stage, the ''tunnel ahead'' prospecting scheme was optimized based on the macroscopic geological conditions. Geological mapping of the tunnel, seismic ahead prospecting and transient electromagnetic soundings were employed as well as resistivity models to image potential adverse conditions. Horizontal drilling and tunnel excavation records verified the geophysical predictions and interpretations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autophagy is a highly conserved intracellular degradation pathway in eukaryotic cells that responds to environmental changes. Genetic analyses have shown that more than 40 autophagy-related genes (ATG) are directly involved in this process in fungi. In addition to Atg proteins, most vesicle transport regulators are also essential for each step of autophagy. The present study showed that one Endoplasmic Reticulum protein in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Tip20, which controls Golgi-to-ER retrograde transport, was also required for starvation-induced autophagy under high temperature stress. In tip20 conditional mutant yeast, the transport of Atg8 was impaired during starvation, resulting in multiple Atg8 puncta dispersed outside the vacuole that could not be transported to the pre-autophagosomal structure/phagophore assembly site (PAS). Several Atg8 puncta were trapped in ER exit sites (ERES). Moreover, the GFP-Atg8 protease protection assay indicated that Tip20 functions before autophagosome closure. Furthermore, genetic studies showed that Tip20 functions downstream of Atg5 and upstream of Atg1, Atg9 and Atg14 in the autophagy pathway. The present data show that Tip20, as a vesicle transport regulator, has novel roles in autophagy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sirt6 is an NADH (NAD+)-dependent deacetylase with a critical role in hepatic lipid metabolism. Ketogenesis is controlled by a signaling network of hepatic lipid metabolism. However, how Sirt6 functions in ketogenesis remains unclear. Here, we demonstrated that Sirt6 functions as a mediator of ketogenesis in response to a fasting and ketogenic diet (KD). The KD-fed hepatocyte-specific Sirt6 deficiency (HKO) mice exhibited impaired ketogenesis, which was due to enhanced Fsp27 (fatspecific induction of protein 27), a protein known to regulate lipid metabolism. In contrast, overexpression of Sirt6 in mouse primary hepatocytes promoted ketogenesis. Mechanistically, Sirt6 repressed Fsp27β expression by interacting with Crebh (cAMP response element--binding protein H) and preventing its recruitment to the Fsp27βgene promoter. The KD-fed HKO mice also showed exacerbated hepatic steatosis and inflammation. Finally, Fsp27 silencing rescued hypoketonemia and other metabolic phenotypes in KD-fed HKO mice. Our data suggest that the Sirt6--Crebh--Fsp27 axis is pivotal for hepatic lipid metabolism and inflammation. Sirt6 may be a pharmacological target to remedy metabolic diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An accurate grasp of the influence of precipitation and temperature changes on the variation in both the magnitude and temporal patterns of runoff is crucial to the prevention of floods and droughts. However, there is a general lack of understanding of the ways in which runoff sensitivities to precipitation and temperature changes are associated with the CMIP5 scenarios. This paper investigates the hydrological response to future climate change under CMIP5 RCP scenarios by using the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) model and then quantitatively assesses runoff sensitivities to precipitation and temperature changes under different scenarios by using a set of simulations with the control variable method. The source region of the Yellow River (SRYR) is an ideal area to study this problem. The results demonstrated that the precipitation effect was the dominant element influencing runoff change (the degree of influence approaching 23%), followed by maximum temperature (approaching 12%). The weakest element was minimum temperature (approaching 3%), despite the fact that the increases in minimum temperature were higher than the increases in maximum temperature. The results also indicated that the degree of runoff sensitivity to precipitation and temperature changes was subject to changing external climatic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the framework of the fractional-dimensional approach, exciton binding energies in GaAs films on AlxGa1-xAs substrates are investigated theoretically. In this scheme, the real anisotropic "exciton + film" semiconductor system is mapped into an effective fractional-dimensional isotropic space. For different aluminum contents and film thicknesses, the exciton binding energies are obtained as functions of the substrate thickness. The numerical results shown that, for different aluminum contents and film thicknesses, the exciton binding energies in GaAs films on AlxGa1-xAs substrates all exhibit their maxima as the substrate thickness increases. It is also shown that the binding energies of heavy-hole and light-hole excitons both have their maxima as the substrate thickness increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Triclosan is a widely used antimicrobial agent and may pose health risks to many aquatic organisms. Photodegradation is an important transformation pathway for triclosan, but studies on the effects of inorganic anions on photodegradation of triclosan are limited. In the present study, the single and combined effects of NO3-, Cl- and HCO3- on the photolysis of triclosan in aqueous solutions under UV irradiation was evaluated. The results showed that photodegradation of triclosan was inhibited by NO3- and promoted by HCO3-, while no significant effect was observed with Cl-. When Cl- was added to NO3-, no effect was observed, but the addition of Cl- hindered the promotion effect of HCO3-. The coexistence of NO3-, Cl- and HCO3- inhibited the photolysis of triclosan. These results showed the complex effects of inorganic anions in the photolysis of triclosan and provide useful information for an accurate ecological risk assessment of triclosan in natural waters. It will also help to develop appropriate treatment ways of triclosan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Diabetes mellitus is known as a main cause to induce osteoporosis. However, the pathogenesis of osteoporosis induced by diabetes has not been fully understood. MLN64 is highly homologous to the steroidogenic acute regulatory (STAR) protein, sharing the highly conserved START domain and exhibiting various biological activities. In the study, we attempted to explore the role of MLN64 in osteoporosis progression through the in vitro and in vivo studies. At first, the in vitro study suggested that MLN64 was over-expressed during the osteoclast differentiation induced by receptor activator of NF-kB ligand (RANKL). MLN64-knockdown markedly reduced the number of TRAP-positive multinucleated cells induced by RANKL, along with the down-regulation of specific genes related to osteoclastogenesis, including tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFATc1), cathepsin K (CTSK), tartrate resistant (ACP5) and c-FOS and up-regulation of transcriptional receptor runt related transcription factor 2 (Runx2) and osteopontin (OPN). In contrast, over-expressing MLN64 significantly promoted the production of TRAP-positive multinucleated cells triggered by RANKL. Moreover, RANKL exposure led to remarkable increase in inflammatory factors, including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, and MMP-1, which was attenuated by the knockdown of MLN64. Additionally, the expression of phosphorylated (p) IKKα, p -IκBα and p-nuclear factor (NF)-κB stimulated by RANKL was clearly alleviated by MLN64 silence. However, RANKL-induced inflammation was accelerated by MLN64 over-expression. Further, the in vivo study suggested that streptozotocin (STZ)-caused reduction in body weight of mice was improved by the loss of MLN64. STZ-induced diabetic mice exhibited higher levels of blood alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and TRAP, while being down-regulated in MLN64-knockout mice. MLN64 deletion reversed STZ-induced trabecular deleterious effects and stimulated bone remodeling. What's more, MLN64 knockout inhibited the expression levels of TRAP, RANKL and RANK in femoral heads of STZ mice, accompanied with the repression of inflammatory response. In conclusion, the results in our study suggested that MLN64 played a critical role in the meditation of osteoclastic differentiation, and its suppression alleviated diabetic osteoporosis in STZ-induced mice. Thus, MLN64 could be served as an essential target for developing effective therapeutic strategy to prevent diabetic osteoporosis. Highlights • MLN64 knockdown inhibits RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation. • MLN64 modulates inflammatory response in RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation. • MLN64 deletion attenuates diabetic osteoporosis in STZ-induced mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The processing of an ultra-short pulse laser is widely discussed and used in the field of micro machining, especially for precision processing of the hard and brittle materials. Firstly, the ablation ability would reduce with the defocusing distance increase in theory. However, it was found that the microchannel ablation depth is not sensitive to the defocusing distance in the experiments. The theoretical analysis and simulation calculation were carried out in this paper in order to explain the reason for the relationship between them. Secondly, the size of microchannel structure of the silicon wafer and quartz glass in our experiments were determined obviously by the main processing parameters of femtosecond laser. Furthermore, the influence of laser parameters on the structure size was studied. It was proven that the high quality processed of microchannel depend on the reasonable selection and combination of the parameters by femtosecond laser, which provided an important suggestion to process microchannel precisely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To optimize the structures of the open source crawlers, improve the performances of the standalone crawlers, we design a new Multi-Computer and Multi-Thread vertical Crawler, called MCMTCrawler. MCMTCrawler can complete the special crawling task on a large business website within a few hours. MCMTCrawler uses Berkeley DB to persist the waiting Uniform Resource Locator (URL) queue and the downloaded URL queue. MD5 algorithm is applied to map a URL to a 32-length string. MCMTCrawler employs the Producer-Consumer model to assign and process the URLs. Based on the design ideas of Aspect-Oriented Programming (AOP) and Dependency Injection (DI) of Spring, the scheduler and the downloader of MCMTCrawler are designed separately for speeding up the crawler. According to the experimental results, when using three downloaded servers, the speed of MCMTCrawler is five times as much as that of the single-computer and single-process crawler, and three times of the single-computer and multi-thread crawler called Crawler4j. Furthermore, for handling the task of crawling 600,000 web pages, MCMTCrawler takes only 6.83 hours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the future, phasor measurement units are expected to be applied in distribution networks (DNs) for their control and monitoring. Because of the widely used power electronic devices in DNs, harmonics are widely present in a voltage/current signal. Particularly, second harmonics have the most significant uncertainty contributions to synchrophasor estimation, which is especially true when a short cycle observation window is used for a fast response. Based on the interpolated dynamic discrete Fourier transform (IpD²FT), this paper introduces an enhanced IpD²FT (e-IpD²FT) synchrophasor estimator that considers second harmonic interferences. First, the adaptive equivalent filters of the IpD²FT are given. Based on these, the optimal frequencies where the IpD²FT has the least second harmonic interferences are then searched using an enumeration method, and the e-IpD²FT synchrophasor estimator is accordingly proposed. Instantaneous frequency responses and several simulation tests show that the e-IpD²FT performs much better than the IpD²FT in second harmonic suppression, and can meet the P-class response time requirements and most of the M-class accuracy requirements of the IEEE standard C37.118.1 only over a three-cycle window. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frequency oscillations with very low oscillation frequencies were observed in several power systems. In frequency oscillations, the speeds of all generators change coherently and the frequencies in the system oscillate together. An equivalent model, which only preserves the governors, turbines, and an equivalent generator, is subsequently built. In the model, the inter-machine rotor-angle oscillation modes are eliminated and only the frequency oscillation mode is preserved. First, a simplified relationship between the total generator output power and frequency is adopted to obtain an original reduced-order model. With the model, an initial estimation of the eigenvalue corresponding to the frequency oscillation mode is obtained. The initial estimation is used to obtain a more accurate relationship between the total output power and frequency, and then an improved reduced-order model is built. With the model, a more accurate eigenvalue estimation can be obtained. Owing to the low order of the proposed model, the computational burden is greatly reduced compared to the direct analysis with fully modelled systems. The test results verify the validity of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoporosis is caused by the disruption in homeostasis between bone formation and bone resorption. Conventional management of osteoporosis involves systematic drug administration and hormonal therapy. These treatment strategies have limited curative efficacy and multiple adverse effects. Biomaterials-based therapeutic strategies have recently emerged as promising alternatives for the treatment of osteoporosis. The present review summarizes the current status of biomaterials designed for managing osteoporosis. The advantages of biomaterials-based strategies over conventional systematic drug treatment are presented. Different anti-osteoporotic delivery systems are concisely addressed. These materials include injectable hydrogels and nanoparticles, as well as anti-osteoporotic bone tissue engineering materials. Fabrication techniques such as 3D printing, electrostatic spinning and artificial intelligence are appraised in the context of how the use of these adjunctive techniques may improve treatment efficacy. The limitations of existing biomaterials are critically analyzed, together with deliberation of the future directions in biomaterials-based therapies. The latter include discussion on the use of combination strategies to enhance therapeutic efficacy in the osteoporosis niche. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) and battery are complementary in their technical properties of power capacity, energy density, response speed, etc., this paper proposes an SMES-battery energy storage system to stabilize a photovoltaic-based microgrid under different faults. The related theoretical modeling is stated, and the control and coordination methods of the SMES-battery are put forward. Using MATLAB, a comparison of with the SMES-battery and only with the battery is carried out. From the main specifications of the SMES magnet, the ac-loss calculation is also performed. The results show that i) the SMES-battery is better than the battery to timely deal with the transient faults of the microgrid; ii) the SMES-battery enables to ensure a seamless mode-transition for the microgrid under the external fault, and reduce the fault current in the point of common coupling to avoid an unnecessary off-grid under the internal fault; and iii) the SMES magnet's ac-loss power has a maximum value of 380 W, and it is acceptable for the future design of conductioncooled structure and cryogenic system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel iminoxyl radical-promoted dichotomous regioselective 5-exo-trig cyclization onto vinylic halogen/1,2-halogen radical shift sequence is developed for the synthesis of halomethyl isoxazoles/cyclic nitrones using β-halo-β,γ- and γ-halo-γ,δ-unsaturated ketoximes as the substrates and PhI(OAc)2/TEMPO as the oxidation system. DFT calculations reveal that a halogen-bridged three-membered ring transition state is involved in the 1,2-Cl-/Br-atom shift, while the 1,2-I atom migration can be taken into account with an elimination/readdition mechanism. The migration ability was indicated to be ranked in the following order: I > Br > Cl. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bi2WO6 nano-sheets doped with various amounts of nickel (Ni) were prepared by hydrothermal method, and their microstructure and photocatalytic performance for degrading rhodamine B (RhB) and ciprofloxacin (CIP) under simulated solar light irradiation were investigated. The effective incorporation of Ni atoms in Bi2WO6 was confirmed by energy-dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. Ni-doping decreased the crystallite size of Bi2WO6 and improved its specific surface area and surface electrical property. Furthermore, Ni atoms acting as electron traps facilitated the separation of photo electron–hole pairs. Accordingly, both adsorptive and photocatalytic performances of the Ni–Bi2WO6 were improved compared to undoping Bi2WO6. The 0.15-Ni–Bi2-WO6 (Ni/W, molar ratio) displayed the best adsorptive and photocatalytic activities among the Bi2WO6 samples doped with various elements. The photogenerated holes were the predominant reactive species responsible for the photodegradation of RhB by 0.15-Ni–Bi2WO6. Solution pH could influence the adsorptive and photocatalytic performances of 0.15-Ni–Bi2WO6 with the best performances under acidic condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper suggests a small-scale superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) to enhance the transient behaviors of a 100kWgrid-connected photovoltaic (PV) system, and conducts the conceptual design and performance evaluation. Considering the PV system requirements, the stored energy of the SMES is 90 kJ, and theYBCOtapes are adopted to make a solenoid SMES magnet. Based on the genetic algorithm, the magnet parameters including critical current, tape length, parallel and perpendicular magnetic fields are optimized. Using simulation tools, the effects of the SMES on the PV system are assessed, and the electromagnetic properties, stress, and loss of the SMES magnet are analyzed. The results prove that 1) the SMES improves the fault-ride-through capability and realizes an effective protection for the PV system. 2) A relatively large perpendicular magnetic field is found in both ends of the SMES magnet, and the maximum field is induced in the middle of the SMES magnet. 3) The maximum stress of the SMES magnet is acceptable, and the mechanical strength is satisfied. 4) The ac loss is crucial for voltage maintenance performance of the SMES at the fault. Under a short clearance time, the heat accumulation may have a moderate controllability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a flux-coupling-type superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) is suggested to protect a 15-MW class doubly fed induction generator (DFIG)-based wind farm. Detailed conceptual design and performance evaluation of the SFCL are conducted. From the technical requirements and operational parameters of theDFIGwind farm, a 35-kV/500-A flux-coupling-type SFCL is designed, taking into consideration: 1) the winding type, core selection, and inductance values of the coupling transformer (CT); and 2) the structural style, tape length, and quenching resistance of the superconducting coil (SC). By use of different simulation tools, the electrical and electromagnetic characteristics of the SFCL are evaluated. The results show that the maximum magnetic field of the CT is 2.4 T, and the ac loss of the SC is 0.51W. Not only the electromagnetic properties and loss of the SFCL are acceptable, but also using the SFCL in the wind farm enables to suppress the fault current, compensate the voltage sag, and mitigate the wind power fluctuation. Thus, the robustness of the DFIG-based wind farm against the fault is enhanced, and the effectiveness of the proposed SFCL design is verified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The plasma brightness cannot be used as a direct indicator of ablation depth detection by femtosecond laser was experimentally demonstrated, which led to the difficulty of depth measurement in the maching process. The tests of microchannel milling on the silicon wafer were carried out in the micromachining center in order to obtain the influences of parameters on the ablation depth. The test results showed that the defocusing distance had no significant impact on ablation depth in LAV effective range. Meanwhile, the reason of this was explained in this paper based on the theoretical analysis and simulation calculation. Then it was proven that the ablation depth mainly depends on laser fluence, step distance and scanning velocity. Finally, a research was further carried out to study the laser parameters which relate with the microchannel ablation depth inside the quartz glass for more efficiency and less cost in processing by femtosecond laser. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bicyclo[4.2.0]oct-1(8)-ene-8-carboxamides undergo alternating ring-opening metathesis polymerization (AROMP) with cyclohexene. Herein, a general method for the preparation of bicyclo[4.2.0]oct-(8)-ene-8-carboxy derivatives is described. The central 8-cyano intermediate provides entry to five different functional group substituents on the alkene. These monomers were tested as potential substrates for AROMP with cyclohexene. In addition to the carboxamide, the carboxynitrile and carboxaldehyde are also substrates for AROMP. In the case of the carboxaldehyde, the polymer is regioregular. However, the addition of carboxynitrile is stereoirregular and slow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Prostate cancer chemoresistance is a major contributor to the poor survival of patients. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in regulating cancer resistance. Here we aim to explore the role and mechanism of miR-199a in regulating prostate cancer resistance. Methods: MiR-199a expressions in human prostate cancer tissues and cell lines were investigated with real-time PCR (RTPCR). MiR-199a was ectopically overexpressed in PC3 cells, and resistance to paclitaxel (PTX) was evaluated consequently. The interaction between miR-199a and the oncogene Yamaguchi sarcoma viral homolog 1 (YES1) was assessed after miR-199a overexpression. YES1 was ectopically overexpressed, followed by evaluation of PTX resistance. The efficacy of miR-199a as a therapeutic agent was also investigated in vivo. Results: Downregulation of miR-199a was characteristic of prostate cancer, particularly recurrent cancers. MiR-199a was suppressed in PTX-resistant cell line. Overexpression of miR-199a inhibited PTX resistance. YES1 was a target of miR-199a, and overexpression of YES1 reversed the effect of miR-199a in suppressing PTX resistance. In vivo, miR-199a increased tumor PTX sensitivity. Conclusions: The downregulation of miR-199a contributes to PTX resistance in prostate cancer. YES1 mediates the regulation of miR-199a in prostate cancer PTX resistance. This miR-199a replacement therapy has potential to overcome PTX resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the exact role of the proviral integration site for Moloney murine leukemia virus-1 (PIM-1) on autophagy as well as the underlying molecular mechanisms in melanoma. Methods: mRNA expression levels in A375 and G361 human melanoma cell lines were measured using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent (ELISA) and western blotting assays were applied to determine protein expression levels, while cell viability was evaluated using Cell Counting Kit 8 and colony formation assay. Flow cytometric analysis and caspase 3/7 activity assay were used to assess apoptosis. Results: The results show that pharmacological inhibition of PIM-1 with its potent inhibitor (SMI-4a) suppressed cell viability and induced apoptosis in melanoma cell lines A375 and G361. SMI-4a also induced autophagy through inhibition of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) axis in melanoma cells. Furthermore, chloroquine, an inhibitor of autophagy, potentiated the SMI-4a-induced inhibition of tumour growth and promotion of apoptosis in melanoma cells in vitro and in vivo. Conclusions: These results suggest that SMI-4a induces protective autophagy via PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway in melanoma cells. Thus, a combination of SMI-4a and an inhibitor of autophagy might be a novel approach to melanoma therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combined chemo-radiotherapy is one of most widely applied treatments for clinical cancer therapy. Herein, it is found in this carefully designed study that ionizing radiation (e.g., X-ray) can significantly increase the cell uptake of many different types of nanoparticles, and meanwhile obviously reduce their efflux. Such a phenomenon, which is not observed for small molecule drug such as doxorubicin (DOX), may be attributed to the X-ray-induced cell cycle change and upregulation of Caveolin-1, a key protein in the caveolindependent endocytosis pathway. Biomimetic copper sulfide nanoparticles, which are synthesized using melanin as the template and functionalized with polyethylene glycol (PEG), are then chosen as a platform for the combined chemo-radiotherapy. Such CuS@Melanin-PEG nanoparticles, while being able to load chemotherapeutics (e.g., DOX), can also act as a radiosensitizer to promote X-ray induced cell apoptosis. In addition, although the overall tumor accumulation of CuS@Melanin-PEG/DOX post intravenous injection is not significantly changed for tumors exposed to X-ray, X-ray radiation can result in obviously increased tumor cell uptake of drug-loaded nanoparticles, subsequently leading to excellent synergistic antitumor therapeutic effect. A nanoplatform is developed with great performance in chemo-radiotherapy, as well as uncovers a general synergistic mechanism particularly suitable for nanoparticle-based chemo-radiotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Melanoma is a leading cause of cancer death worldwide, and SMI-4a and G-Rh2 exert anti-tumor activity in multiple cancer. However, SMI-4a as well as a synergistic relationship between SMI-4a and G-Rh2 in anti-melanoma capacity are still unknown. Therefore, we investigated the effects of SMI-4a and combined SMI-4a with G-Rh2 on the viability, apoptosis and autophagy of melanoma, and to preliminarily explore the underlying mechanism of SMI-4a and combined SMI-4a with G-Rh2 in inhibiting tumor growth. Methods: Cell viability was examined with cell counting Kit 8 assay and colony formation assay; Apoptosis was evaluated by flow cytometry and Caspase 3/7 activity assay; Western blotting was used to test proteins related to autophagy and the AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway; Tumor xenograft model in BALB/c nude mice was performed to evaluate the effects of SMI-4a and combined SMI-4a with G-Rh2 in anti-melanoma in vivo. Results: SMI-4a, a pharmacological inhibitor of PIM-1, could decrease cell viability, induce apoptosis, and promote Caspase 3/7 activity in both A375 and G361 melanoma cells, and SMI-4a inhibited tumor growth by inducing autophagy via down-regulating AKT/mTOR axis in melanoma cells. Furthermore, G-Rh2 amplified the anti-tumor activity of SMI-4a in melanoma cells via strengthening autophagy. Conclusions: Our results suggested that SMI-4a could enhance autophagy-inducing apoptosis by inhibiting AKT/ mTOR signaling pathway in melanoma cells, and G-Rh2 could enhance the effects of SMI-4a against melanoma cancer via amplifying autophagy induction. This study demonstrates that combined SMI-4a and G-Rh2 might be a novel alternative strategy for melanoma treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Milu, also known as P`ere David's deer (Elaphurus davidianus), was widely distributed in East Asia but recently experienced a severe bottleneck. Only 18 survived by the end of the 19th century, and the current population of 4500 individuals was propagated from just 11 kept by the 11th British Duke of Bedford. This species is known for its distinguishable appearance, the driving force behind which is still a mystery. To aid efforts to explore these phenomena, we constructed a draft genome of the species. Findings: In total, we generated 321.86 gigabases (Gb) of raw DNA sequence from whole-genome sequencing of a male milu deer using an Illumina HiSeq 2000 platform. Assembly yielded a final genome with a scaffold N50 size of 3.03 megabases (Mb) and a total length of 2.52 Gb. Moreover, we identified 20 125 protein-coding genes and 988.1 Mb of repetitive sequences. In addition, homology-based searches detected 280 rRNA, 1335 miRNA, 1441 snRNA, and 893 tRNA sequences in the milu genome. The divergence time between E. davidianus and Bos taurus was estimated to be about 28.20 million years ago (Mya). We identified 167 species-specific genes and 293 expanded gene families in the milu lineage. Conclusions: We report the first reference genome of milu, which will provide a valuable resource for studying the species' demographic history of severe bottleneck and the genetic mechanism(s) of special phenotypic evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate a tracking control problem for second-order multi-agent systems. Here, the leader is self-active and cannot be completely measured by all the followers. The interaction network associated with the leader-follower multi-agent system is described by a jointly connected topology, where the topology switches over time and is not strongly connected during each time subinterval. We consider a consensus control of the multi-agent system with or without time delay and propose two categories of neighbour-based control rules for every agent to track the leader, then provide sufficient conditions to ensure that all agents follow the leader, and meanwhile, the tracking errors can be estimated. Finally, some simulation results are presented to demonstrate our theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Schizophrenia is a kind of serious mental illness. Due to the lack of an objective physiological data supporting and a unified data analysis method, doctors can only rely on the subjective experience of the data to distinguish normal people and patients, which easily lead to misdiagnosis. In recent years, functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) has been widely used in clinical diagnosis, it can get the hemoglobin concentration through the variation of optical intensity.Methods: Firstly, the prefrontal brain networks were constructed based on oxy-Hb signals from 52-channel fNIRS data of schizophrenia and healthy controls. Then, Complex Brain Network Analysis (CBNA) was used to extract features from the prefrontal brain networks. Finally, a classier based on Support Vector Machine (SVM) is designed and trained to discriminate schizophrenia from healthy controls. We recruited a sample which contains 34 healthy controls and 42 schizophrenia patients to do the one-back memory task. The hemoglobin response was measured in the prefrontal cortex during the task using a 52-channel fNIRS system.Results: The experimental results indicate that the proposed method can achieve a satisfactory classification with the accuracy of 85.5%, 92.8% for schizophrenia samples and 76.5% for healthy controls. Also, our results suggested that fNIRS has the potential capacity to be an effective objective biomarker for the diagnosis of schizophrenia.Conclusions: Our results suggested that, using the appropriate classification method, fNIRS has the potential capacity to be an effective objective biomarker for the diagnosis of schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online monitoring of generator damping assists in identifying wrong parameters or detrimental changes in generator control systems that may reduce damping ratios of power system oscillation modes. An approach for generator damping estimation using ambient data during normal operation of power systems is proposed. The ambient phasor measurement data at generator terminal is collected and filtered, and then the dissipation energy flow (DEF) into the generator is computed. The rate of change of the DEF represents the rate of transient energy dissipation of the generator and is used to estimate the generator damping. Test results show the validity and possible applications of the approach. A more comprehensive online monitoring system of small-signal stability can be constructed using the approach together with system mode estimation methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cooling efficiency of natural draft dry cooling system (NDDCS) are vulnerable to ambient winds, so the implementation of measures against the wind effects is of great importance. This work presents the combined air leading strategies to recover the flow and heat transfer performances of NDDCS. Following the energy balance among the exhaust steam, circulating water, and cooling air, numerical models of natural draft dry cooling systems with the combined air leading strategies are developed. The cooling air streamlines, volume effectiveness, thermal efficiency and outlet water temperature for each cooling delta of the large-scale heat exchanger are obtained. The overall volume effectiveness, average outlet water temperature of NDDCS and steam turbine back pressure are calculated. The results show that with the air leading strategies inside or outside the dry-cooling tower, the thermo-flow performances of natural draft dry cooling system are improved under all wind conditions. The combined inner and outer air leading strategies are superior to other single strategy in the performance recovery, thus can be recommended for NDDCS in power generating units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of obesity cases is rapidly increasing in developed and developing countries, thereby causing significant health problems worldwide. The pathologic factors of obesity at the molecular level are not fully characterized, although the imbalance between energy intake and consumption is widely recognized as the main reason for fat accumulation. Previous studies reported that obesity can be caused by the dysfunction of genes associated with other diseases, such as myocardial infarction, hence providing new insights into dissecting the pathogenesis of obesity by investigating its associations with other diseases. In this study, we investigated the relationship between obesity and diseases from Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) databases on the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. The obesity genes and genes of one OMIM disease were mapped onto the network, and the interaction scores between the two gene sets were investigated on the basis of the PPI of individual gene pairs, thereby inferring the relationship between obesity and this disease. Results suggested that diseases related to nutrition and endocrine are the top two diseases that are closely associated with obesity. This finding is consistent with our general knowledge and indicates the reliability of our obtained results. Moreover, we inferred that diseases related to psychiatric factors and bone may also be highly related to obesity because the two diseases followed the diseases related to nutrition and endocrine according to our results. Numerous obesity-disease associations were identified in the literature to confirm the relationships between obesity and the aforementioned four diseases. These new results may help understand the underlying molecular mechanisms of obesity-disease co-occurrence and provide useful insights for disease prevention and intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient and practical Cu(I)-catalyzed oxidative cyclization cascade reaction of diverse amines, alkyne esters and maleimides has been developed. The reactions can afford 4,6-dioxopyrrolo[3,4-b]pyrrole-2,3-dicarboxylates and related derivatives with satisfactory yields by altering the reaction conditions slightly. The substrate scope highlights the flexibility of the catalyst, and a reaction mechanism is also proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]