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With the rapid increase of the elderly population in China, healthcare services for the elderly have gradually become an important welfare resource. However, the healthcare service for the elderly still has problems such as mismatched supply and demand and unbalanced resources. In order to effectively eliminate the path barriers to match supply and demand, and improve the accessibility of healthcare services, this paper introduces the sustainability of the healthcare service based on the accessibility theory, and constructs an index system from the three dimensions of potential accessibility, realized accessibility, and sustainable accessibility of healthcare services for the elderly. Then, the paper makes a practice application of the index system based on survey data of healthcare services from Shaanxi province, China. Finally, the paper finds that the total accessibility and sustainable accessibility of healthcare services for the elderly in Shaanxi Province are at an average level. The score of potential accessibility is high, indicating that elderly people have greater opportunities to use healthcare services. The realized accessibility score is low, which indicates that the actual use of healthcare services for the elderly presents low satisfaction.

False data injection attack (FDIA) could manipulate measurement information collected by supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system, which tempers with decisions of power grid and threatens the state estimation of smart grid. Aiming at the state estimation of smart grid, the principle of FDIA under the AC power flow model is studied and a FDIA detection model based on improved convolutional neural network CNN is constructed By adding the gate recurrent unit (GRU) to the fully connected layer in CNN, the CNN-GRU network is designed to train and update network parameters based on historical measurement data of power grid, and extract spatial and temporal characteristics of the data to implement efficient and real-time FDIA detector. Finally, in the IEEE 118 bus test systems, experiments are carried out to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Hand gesture recognition is an emerging field of technology in robotics and human-computer interaction. It has tremendous applications in daily life activities and intelligent workplaces. In this study, a system which could help people to work and operate without directly using hands or contacting by hands, is proposed and demonstrated. This system composed of a glove with flexible force sensors and a 3D printed robotic forearm. The user wearing the glove could control the action of the 3D printed robotic forearm. The 3D printed forearm simultaneously acted following the motion of the glove. The 3D printed forearm was composed of 46 individual parts that were printed with white biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA). Electronic components in the system are five flex sensors, a master Arduino Nano, a slave Arduino Nano, a wireless NRF24L01 transmitter module banding on the glove, a second wireless NRF24L01 receiver module in the forearm and five motors. The five flex sensors on the fingers of the glove detected and collected the signals reflecting the movements of the hands. The Arduino Nano processed the signals from the flex sensors and sent them through the wireless transmitter module to the slave Arduino Nano. In order to control the action of the robotic forearm, it was embedded with a slave Arduino Nano as a control kernel, a wireless NRF24L01 receiver module and five actuators. The slave Arduino Nano received and processed the signals through the wireless receiver module. After that, the signals were sent to the actuators- servo motors. The fingers’ action in the robotics arm was executed with the actuators. After carefully testing the system, the robotic arm followed the action correctly with a maximum 0.133 ms time delay all the time. This system could be really useful for the users who work in dangerous conditions, hazardous environment or require remote operation for safety reasons.

Porous ceramsites were prepared using the high silicon iron tailings as the matrix. The specific surface area, bulk density and porosity of the obtained porous ceramsites are 5.54 m2/g, 0.78 g/cm3 and 49.8 %, respectively. Subsequently, biofilm was inoculated and domesticated on the surface of ceramsites in a biological aerated filter (BAF) for the removal of organic pollution in water. The removal rates of chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia (NH3-N), and total phosphorus (T-P) in the organic wastewater were 91 %, 85 %, and 80 % respectively. It was found out that during the maturation diffusion period, the pore size between ceramsites had a significant impact on the biofilm adhesion growth and the effect of degradation organic matter. In addition, in order to better understand the removal mechanism of biofilm for COD, NH3-N and T-P, an analytical model for the flow field and resistance characteristics between pores of biofilm was established, which may provide more valuable references for the practical utilization of porous ceramsites.

Nanocarbon materials have great potential for sustainable energy harvest and energy utilizations, such as solar thermal stream generation and interfacial evaporation. However, the evaporation rate is far too low for practical application. The technologies are not ready yet for industries requiring rapid, energy efficient and low cost evaporation processes such as distillation and sterilization. In this paper, flexible ultrathin graphene-carbon cloth (CC) based carbon-carbon composites have been prepared by in-situ electrochemical reduction of graphene oxide (rGO). The carbon-carbon composite materials demonstrated high performance in photothermal evaporation, more importantly, the all carbon-based devices can also be operated as low voltage Joule heating elements in wide temperature range up to 389 °C. Even with a very low voltage 3 V applied, the graphene-CC heater can reach a very high with very high heating speed up to 112 °C/sec, and a steady-state temperature up to 292 °C within 10 seconds only. The low voltage heater promises as the most effective solution for high-speed interfacial evaporations, its evaporation rate can reach upto 45.87 kg m−2 h−1, enhanced by one order of magnitude compared to the best solar power photothermal seawater desalination devices ever reported.

The micro-turbojet engine (MTE) is especially suitable for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Because the rotor speed is proportional to the thrust force, the accurate speed tracking control is indispensable for MTE. Thanks to its simplicity, the proportional&ndash, integral&ndash, derivative (PID) controller is commonly used for rotor speed regulation. However, the PID controller cannot guarantee superior performance over the entire operation range due to the time-variance and strong nonlinearity of MTE. The gain scheduling approach using a family of linear controllers is recognized as an efficient alternative, but such a solution heavily relies on the model sets and pre-knowledge. To tackle such challenges, a single neural adaptive PID (SNA-PID) controller is proposed herein for rotor speed control. The new controller featuring with a single-neuron network is able to adaptively tune the gains (weights) online. The simple structure of the controller reduces the computational load and facilitates the algorithm implementation on low-cost hardware. Finally, the proposed controller is validated by numerical simulations and experiments on the MTE in laboratory conditions, and the results show that the proposed controller achieves remarkable effectiveness for speed tracking control. In comparison with the PID controller, the proposed controller yields 54% and 66% reductions on static tracking error under two typical cases.

The most populous country in the world, China needs more health care. Shenmu's practices show that National Free Health Care (NFHC) system has played an active role in fulfilling the citizen's needs of health care, and alleviating the difficulties in affording the medical costs and seeing doctors. But NFHC system needs substantial financial supporting. It is worth in-depth discussing and reflecting on whether the NFHC system suits China's national conditions. The paper establishes the population age structure forecasting model and NFHC financial burden model by decomposition methodology and actuarial modelling. And it finds than the financial burden of NFHC system in Shenmu will be increased from 256.64 million Yuan to 656.04 million Yuan in 2013-2020, with the growth rate 12.45%. Meanwhile, the percentage of the financial burden in government's annual revenue is less than 2% in 2013-2020, NFHC system has financial sustainability in Shenmu. According to the successful experience abroad and the calculated results in Shenmu, to extend the NFHC system to the whole of China has financial sustainability and realistic possibility.

The liver plays a central role in regulating fat metabolism; however, it is not clear how the liver distributes the synthesized triglycerides (TGs) to storage and to the plasma.We have measured the relative distribution of TGs produced in the liver to storage and the plasma by means of U-(13)C(16)-palmitate infusion in anesthetized rabbits after an overnight fast.The fractional synthesis rates of TGs stored in the liver and secreted into the plasma were not significantly different (stored vs. secreted: 31.9 ± 0.8 vs. 27.7 ± 2.6%∙h(-1), p0.05). However, the absolute synthesis rates of hepatic stored and secreted TGs were 543 ± 158 and 27 ± 7 nmol∙kg(-1)∙min(-1) respectively, indicating that in fasting rabbits the TGs produced in the liver were predominately stored (92 ± 3%) rather than secreted (8 ± 3%) into the plasma. This large difference was mainly due to the larger pool size of the hepatic TGs which was 21 ± 9-fold that of plasma TGs. Plasma free fatty acids (FFAs) contributed 47 ± 1% of the FA precursor for hepatic TG synthesis, and the remaining 53 ± 1% was derived from hepatic lipid breakdown and possibly plasma TGs depending on the activity of hepatic lipase. Plasma palmitate concentration significantly correlated with hepatic palmitoyl-CoA and TG synthesis.In rabbits, after an overnight fast, the absolute synthesis rate of hepatic stored TGs was significantly higher than that of secreted due to the larger pool size of hepatic TGs. The net synthesis rate of TG was approximately half the absolute rate. Plasma FFA is a major determinant of hepatic TG synthesis, and therefore hepatic TG storage.

To find highly active and relatively low-cost catalysts for HI catalytic decomposition in the sulfur–iodine thermochemical cycle particularly for hydrogen production, four carbon-based catalysts, namely, activated carbon (AC), multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT), carbon molecular sieve (CMS), and graphite nanosheets (GNS), were investigated before and after modification treatment with Ni impregnation. Their catalytic activities in HI decomposition were tested from 573 to 773 K. AC showed the highest activity, followed by CMS, MWCNT, and GNS. Evidently, the catalytic activities of all these catalysts were significantly improved with Ni support. The Ni-impregnated AC (Ni/AC) showed the highest catalytic activity. The HI conversion over Ni/AC at 773 K was 22.3%, even equivalent to the thermodynamic yield. Characterization results indicated that carbon supports played a significant role in Ni dispersion on the catalyst surface. A hypothetical mechanism of the HI decomposition aided by the Ni-impregnated cata...

The paper reports on the quantitative study of the relationship between minority carrier diffusion length ( L D ) and electrical property of cast monocrystalline silicon (Si) solar cell. The cast monocrystalline Si cells were fabricated using a conventional Al back surface field (BSF) cell structure. L D , internal quantum efficiency and morphology of cells were characterize utilizing WT-2000PVN, QEX7 and SEM. The fitted expression of conversion efficiency as a natural logarithmic function of L D was extracted. The open circuit voltage ( V oc ) and short circuit current ( I sc ) can be both given as natural logarithmic functions of L D , while the series resistance and shunt resistance are almost independent of L D . The material quality of cast monocrystalline Si mainly impacts on I sc and V oc .

In order to determine the location and type of rice chalkiness accurately, image processing techniques were adopted to process acquired rice kernel images. Connected rice kernels were separated from each other using a convex point matching method. Chalkiness was extracted according to the differences in grayscale levels between chalky and normal regions in the rice kernel and chalky rice kernels were classified by a support vector machine (SVM). The results showed that 2–5 connected rice kernels could be separated accurately using this method and chalky areas could be extracted. The classification accuracy for indica rice and japonica rice reached 98.5% and 97.6%, respectively, by using SVM. Hence, the measurement results are accurate and reliable, and the presented work provides a theoretical and practical basis for the further application of computer vision technology to chalkiness detection.

Acid rain is a serious environmental problem in the world. Soil columns were leached with simulated acid rain (SAR) at pH ranging from 2.5 to 5.6. The impact of SAR on the release of phenanthrene from red soil and its correlation with dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in eluates were investigated. The results showed that the leaching loss of phenanthrene was affected by both the leaching volume and acidity of SAR. When the leaching volume was less than 500 mm, the phenanthrene concentration in eluates decreased rapidly with increasing leaching volume, indicating a high rate of leaching loss at the beginning of leaching; then with continuous leaching, the phenanthrene concentration decreased slightly and reached zero when the leaching volume reached 875 mm. The lower pH of SAR was, the higher release rate of phenanthrene was. The change of DOC in eluates was similar to that of the phenanthrene concentration. The phenanthrene concentration had a significantly positive correlation with DOC in all eluates (the squared correlation coefficient R 2 varied between 0.952 and 0.997). Three-dimensional fluorescence analysis revealed that phenanthrene was associated with humic acid and fulvic acid, and was released with dissolved organic matters leached by SAR.

Free air CO 2 enrichment (FACE) and nitrogen (N) have marked effects on rice root growth, and numerical simulation can explain these effects. To further define the effects of FACE on root growth of rice, an experiment was performed, using the hybrid indica cultivar Xianyou 63. The effects of increasing atmospheric CO 2 concentration [CO 2 ], 200 μmol mol − 1 higher than ambient, on the growth of rice adventitious roots were evaluated, with two levels of N: low (LN, 125 kg ha − 1 ) and normal (NN, 250 kg ha − 1 ). The results showed a significant increase in both adventitious root number (ARN) and adventitious root length (ARL) under FACE treatment. The application of nitrogen also increased ARN and ARL, but these increases were smaller than that under FACE treatment. On the basis of the FACE experiment, numerical models for rice adventitious root number and length were constructed with time as the driving factor. The models illustrated the dynamic development of rice adventitious root number and length after transplanting, regulated either by atmospheric [CO 2 ] or by N application. The simulation result was supported by statistical tests comparing experimental data from different years, and the model yields realistic predictions of root growth. These results suggest that the models have strong predictive potential under conditions of atmospheric [CO 2 ] rises in the future.

The most populous country in the world, China faces immense socio-economic challenges providing adequate pensions to its growing elderly population. In that country, pensions available to older people vary considerably across the country's various pension schemes. This paper calculates the fairness coefficients of these pensions based on pension income, contributions, demand, and generational gap. The analysis shows that the pension fairness coefficients are 0.53, 0.38, 0.95, and 0.82, respectively. Synthesizing pension income, contributions, demand, and generational gap, the paper suggests that, in China, old-age pensions across different schemes are absolutely unfair. Finally, it analyzes the superficial and deeper factors behind pension unfairness in China before providing policy recommendations for improving the fairness of the country's pension system.

Assembly sequence planning (ASP) plays an important role in digital manufacturing. It is a combinatorial optimisation problem with strong constraints aiming to work out a specific sequence to assemble together all components of a product. The connector-based ASP, which uses the connector to simplify the complex assembly problem, is one of the most important and hardest types. In order to solve this problem effectively, a discrete electromagnetism-like mechanism (DEM) algorithm is proposed. A charge formula and a force formula are redefined in DEM algorithm. An adjacency list is applied to handle the precedence relationship and prevent infeasible solutions. Two movements based on path relinking are employed. Moreover, with two different guided mutations, the population diversity can be guaranteed. Five examples are used to test and evaluate the performance of DEM. The comparisons among the proposed DEM, traditional genetic algorithms (GAs), guided GAs, memetic algorithms and artificial immune systems show ...

In this paper, we report the shape-controlled synthesis of MnWO 4 nanocrystals by a simple hydrothermal method without any surfactants and templates. The as-prepared powders were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It is found that MnWO 4 nanofibers, nanorods, nanoflakes, and nanoparticles can be selectively prepared by tuning the experimental conditions such as the pH values and precursors. This green chemistry method is simple and highly reproducible, which can be extended to the shape-controlled synthesis of other metal oxide nanocrystals.

International audience; The force equalization of a hybrid actuation system combining one servo-hydraulic actuator and one electro-mechanical actuator operated in position control and in active/active mode is addressed for safety critical applications such as primary flight controls. In a first step, an accurate virtual test bench is built to facilitate the analysis of force fighting and the assessment of the performance and robustness of the proposed force equalization strategies. It is validated from real experiments performed for the aileron actuator of a single-aisle commercial aircraft. Static force equalization is achieved first by adding equalization offsets in the position control loops as a function of the integral of the force difference between actuators. In order to keep a high level of segregation, the authority for this action is limited to 4% of the total actuator stroke. The dynamic force equalization is performed by forcing the two actuators to follow the same path. Thus, a trajectory generator is introduced to output the required position, velocity and acceleration from the position set point with realistic reproduction of the actuator power limits. Feedforward actions are used to compensate the major and invariant effects such as servo-hydraulic actuators functional flow and electro-mechanical actuator inertial torque. In this way, the pursuit errors are significantly reduced without decreasing robustness. Then, the accurate virtual test bench is used to assess the robustness of the force equalization strategy by analyzing the sensitivity of performance indicators to parameters and operating conditions. It is shown that the proposed force equalization scheme meets all the requirements, including segregation, robustness and simplicity.

PbWO 4 dendrites have been successfully synthesized by a simple sonochemical method without any surfactants at room temperature. The as-prepared powders were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), electron diffraction (ED), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The effect of pH value, molar ratio of [WO 4 2− ]/[Pb 2+ ], reaction time, and the initial concentration of the starting solution on the formation of PbWO 4 dendrites was investigated. Experimental results indicate that the molar ratio of [WO 4 2− ]/[Pb 2+ ] played a crucial role in the formation of PbWO 4 dendrites. A growth mechanism of PbWO 4 dendrites was also discussed. The present process is proved to be environment-friendly, and can be extended to the controllable synthesis of other tungstates.

cope Lysine (Lys) is a common limiting amino acids (AA) for humans and animals and plays an important role in cell proliferation and metabolism, while metabolism of Lys deficiency and its dipeptide is still obscure. Thus, this study mainly investigated the effects of Lys deficiency and Lys-Lys dipeptide on apoptosis and AA metabolism in vitro and in vivo models. Methods and results Lys deficiency induced cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis and upregulated Lys transporters in vitro and in vivo. SLC7A11, a cystine-glutamate antiporter, was markedly upregulated by Lys deficiency and then further mediated cystine uptake and glutamate release, which was negatively regulated by cystine and glutamate transporters. Meanwhile, Lys deprivation upregulated pept1 expression, which might improve Lys-Lys dipeptide absorption to compensate for the reduced Lys availability. Lys-Lys dipeptide alleviated Lys deficiency induced cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis and influenced AA metabolism. Furthermore, the mammalian target of rapamycin signal might be involved in sensing cellular Lys starvation and Lys-Lys dipeptide. Conclusions Altogether, these studies suggest that Lys deficiency impairs AA metabolism and causes apoptosis. Lys-Lys dipeptide serves as a Lys source and alleviates Lys deficiency induced cellular imbalance.

Cereal cyst nematode (CCN) is becoming one of the important soil-borne pathogens in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) monocropping or wheat- maize (Zea mays L.)-wheat cropping systems of central China. Heterodera fi lipjevi (Madzhidov, 1981) Stelter, 1984 was recently recognized as a causal agent of CCN in China, but little informa- tion is available on sources of resistance against this nematode species. The present study was initiated to determine the current status of resis- tance in wheat cultivars against H. fi lipjevi and to identify effective resources for improvement of CCN resistance in China. A 3-yr fi eld study of CCN resistance that involved 174 wheat cul- tivars or wheat-Thinopyrum derivatives was conducted in a wheat fi eld in Xuchang, Henan Province, China, where H. fi lipjevi had been present for years. Greenhouse experiments were conducted with representative resistant entries from each group of accessions. None of the 78 wheat cultivars and breeding lines from China was resistant in fi eld tests. Wheat cultivar Madsen from Washington State was most resis- tant among the entries tested both in fi eld and under controlled environment. New sources of resistance to H. fi lipjevi were identifi ed in some wheat-intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium (Host) Barkworth & D. R. Dewey) and wheat-tall wheatgrass (Thinopyrum ponti- cum (Podp.) Barkworth & D. R. Dewey) partial amphiploids, which will diversify resistance resources in enhancing resistance of wheat against CCN.

Background: A debilitating anemia associated with low serum iron often accompanies inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Increased production of the iron regulatory hormone hepcidin is implicated in its pathogenesis and may also contribute to the inflammatory process itself. Hepcidin expression is dependent on bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) like BMP6, but the mechanisms that increase hepcidin levels during intestinal inflammation are not clear. Here we test the hypothesis that inhibiting hepcidin expression may have beneficial effects in IBD, and also shed light on the mechanism of colitis-induced hepcidin upregulation. Methods: Mice with T cell transfer colitis were treated with vehicle or one of three anti-BMP reagents: HJV.Fc, a recombinant protein that prevents binding of BMPs to their receptor, LDN-193189, a small molecule inhibitor of BMP signal transduction, and an anti-BMP6 antibody. The effects of these reagents on colitis severity, liver hepcidin mRNA, and serum iron were determined. The mechanism of hepcidin upregulation was investigated by examining BMP6 expression and activity and the effects of IL-6 deficiency. Results: All the anti-BMP reagents inhibited hepcidin expression and increased serum iron levels in the colitic mice. They also produced modest reductions in colon inflammatory cytokine expression. Although hepcidin upregulation during colitis was dependent on BMP6, it was not associated with increased BMP6 expression or activity. IL-6 was required for increased hepcidin expression during colitis. Conclusions: Inhibiting hepcidin expression may help to correct the anemia of IBD and may also attenuate intestinal inflammation. The mechanism of colitis-induced hepcidin upregulation involves both BMP6 and IL-6. (Inflamm Bowel Dis 2011)

Copper and manganese based catalysts with different supports were prepared by impregnation method for toluene oxidation in the presence of water vapor. Their catalytic activity was tested in the absence and presence of water vapor. The results showed that the activity of catalysts CuMn(y)Ox/γ-Al2O3 was higher than that of catalysts CuOx/γ-Al2O3 and MnOx/γ-Al2O3. The presence of water vapor had a negative effect on catalytic activity due to the competition of water molecules with toluene molecules for adsorption on surface active sites. The durability to water vapor followed the order: CuMn(1)Ox/Cordierite > CuMn(1)Ox/TiO2 > CuMn(1)Ox/γ-Al2O3.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α requires the recruitment of two pairs of adaptors to the Toll-like receptor 4 cytoplasmic domain. The contribution of one pair – Toll-interleukin-1 receptor domain-containing adaptor inducing interferon-β (TRIF) and TRIF-related adaptor molecule (TRAM) – to TNF-α expression is not well understood. To clarify this issue, we studied TRAM knockout bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM). LPS-stimulated TRAM-deficient BMDM had decreased TNF-α protein expression even at times when TNF-α mRNA levels were normal, suggesting impaired translation. Consistent with this idea, knockdown of TRAM in RAW264.7 macrophages decreased translation of a reporter controlled by the TNF-α 3′ untranslated region, while transfection of TRAM in HEK293T cells increased translation of this reporter. Also consistent with a role for TRAM in TNF-α translation, LPS-induced activation of MK2, a kinase involved in this process, was impaired in TRAM-deficient BMDM. TRIF did not increase translation of the TNF-α 3′ untranslated region reporter when expressed in HEK293T cells. However, BMDM that lacked functional TRIF produced reduced levels of TNF-α protein in response to LPS despite normal amounts of the mRNA. Unlike BMDM, LPS-stimulated TRAM-deficient peritoneal macrophages displayed equivalent reductions in TNF-α protein and mRNA. Our results indicate that TRAM- and TRIF-dependent signals have a previously unappreciated, cell type-specific role in regulating TNF-α translation.

Siderocalin is a secreted protein that binds to siderophores to prevent bacterial iron acquisition. While it has been shown to inhibit the growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) in extracellular cultures, its effect on this pathogen within macrophages is not clear. Here, we show that siderocalin expression is up-regulated following M.tb infection of mouse macrophage cell lines and primary murine alveolar macrophages. Furthermore, siderocalin added exogenously as a recombinant protein or over-expressed in the RAW264.7 macrophage cell line inhibited the intracellular growth of the pathogen. A variant form of siderocalin, which is expressed only in the macrophage cytosol, inhibited intracellular M.tb growth as effectively as the normal, secreted form, an observation that provides mechanistic insight into how siderocalin might influence iron acquisition by the bacteria in the phagosome. Our findings are consistent with an important role for siderocalin in protection against M.tb infection and suggest that exogenously administered siderocalin may have therapeutic applications in tuberculosis.

l-α-glycerophosphorylcholine (GPC) was obtained by hydrolysis of lecithin extracted from eggs. FT-IR and 1H-NMR analysis indicated a successful preparation of GPC. Polylactide-based phospholipid polymer (PLLA-PC) was synthesized by ring-opening polymerization of l-lactide in the presence of GPC to improve the cell/material interfacial reaction of PLLA for tissue engineering applications. The yield of the reaction strongly depended on the reaction time. Values above 80% were obtained which are much higher than those reported in literature. Copolymers with the largest molecular weights were obtained at 122 °C for 48 h. The properties and biocompatibility of the PLLA-PC copolymers were characterized. Surface rearrangement was detected due to the dynamic molecular motion according to X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy data. Besides, increase in hydrophilicity and decreases in fibrinogen adsorption and platelet adhesion were observed due to the hydrophilic phosphorylcholine moieties in the copolymer.

The influence of PLLA-PC membranes on the behavior of vascular ECs is studied. It was found that the membranes were not cytotoxic. The cell adhesion and spread on PLLA-PC 30/1 were initially depressed. After 1 d, however, cells attached and spread on the copolymer, and proliferated beyond 2 d. To elucidate the mechanism of this behavior, the surface morphology and the degradation products of the PLLA/PC 30/1 membrane during the culture period were tested, and Fg adsorption to the membranes was examined. It is concluded that the behavior of ECs can be regulated by a dynamically changed microenvironment of the PLLA-PC membrane. PLLA-PC copolymers might therefore serve as a novel material for tissue engineering.

The distribution of several pathogenic helminth infections coincides geographically with many devastating microbial diseases, including enteric bacterial infections. To dissect the mechanisms by which helminths modulate the host’s response to enteric bacteria and bacteria-mediated intestinal inflammation, we have recently established a coinfection model and shown that coinfection with the helminth Heligmosomoides polygyrus exacerbates colitis induced by infection with the Gram-negative bacterial pathogen Citrobacter rodentium. The disease severity of the coinfected mice was correlated with high Citrobacter loads in the gut, translocation of the bacteria into mucosal and systemic immune compartments, delayed bacterial clearance, and a significantly enhanced colonic TNF-α response. In the present study, using our in vivo coinfection model as well as in vitro approaches, we test the hypothesis that the phenotypic and functional alterations in macrophages induced by the helminth-driven T cell response may contribute to the observed alterations in the response to C. rodentium. We show that via a STAT6-dependent mechanism H. polygyrus coinfection results in a marked infiltration into the colonic lamina propria of F4/80+ cells that have the phenotype of alternatively activated macrophages. Functional analysis of these macrophages further shows that they are impaired in their killing of internalized bacteria. Yet, these cells produce an enhanced amount of TNF-α in response to C. rodentium infection. These results demonstrate that helminth infection can impair host protection against concurrent enteric bacterial infection and promote bacteria-induced intestinal injury through a mechanism that involves the induction of alternatively activated macrophages.

Inflammation-induced jejunal cell death and oxidative stress have been observed in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but now, there is still no systematic animal model of jejunal oxidative stress for the evaluation of potential therapies. Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the dynamic changes of pro-inflammatory cytokines and antioxidant expression on the jejunal inflammation. In this study, Hydrogen peroxide(H2O2, 10 ml/kg)was administrated intragastrically to mice in a single dose of 1%, 3%, or 5%. The incidence of death, histomorphometry, inflammatory cytokines (including TNF-α,IL-1β,and IL-5), and antioxidant genes were measured via RT-PCR. During the whole period, a massive infiltration of neutrophils was observed in the jejunum. Intragastric administration of H2O2 significantly up-regulated the expression of TNF-α,IL-1β, and IL-5 (P

The effect of oxygen precipitates on minority carrier lifetime and performance of solar cell was studied by means of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), quasi-steady state photoconductance (QSSPCD), optical microscope, spectrum response and solar cell efficiency test. The minority carrier lifetime and performance of solar cell reduced depend on oxygen precipitates. A few of oxygen precipitates have formed after single-step annealing; and they do not impact the efficiency dramatically. Pre-annealing at 650 °C for 4 h enhances the oxygen precipitation when it is subjected to middle temperature annealing. The solar cells performance decayed sharply. Especially annealing at 950 °C for 3 h, the V os and I sc of cells decrease 12% and 25% respectively. Few oxygen precipitates have formed in silicon after high temperature annealing at about 1050 °C whether pre-annealing is used or not, and the performance of cells is not be affected.

To improve the performance of the adsorption refrigeration of CaCl2–ammonia adsorption system, activated carbon has been distributed uniformly in the mass of CaCl2, thereby helping to enhance mass transfer and uplift the cooling power density. A multifunctional heat pipe adsorption refrigerator, in which activated carbon-CaCl2 is used as compound adsorbent and ammonia as refrigerant, is designed. Water and acetone are used as working liquids for the heat pipe. This paper presents a study on the adsorption refrigeration performances of this adsorption refrigerator under two different working conditions, ice-maker for fishing boat driven by the waste heat from exhaust gases, and solar ice-maker driven by solar water heating. The obtained average SCP (specific cooling power) and the COP (coefficient of performance) of the refrigerator were measured to be 770.4 W/kg and 0.39 at about � 20 C of evaporating temperature for the former working condition, and they were 161.2 W/kg and 0.12 at about � 15 C of evaporating temperature for the later working condition.

Oxide precipitation behavior in heavily doped silicon after rapid thermal process (RTP) in Ar ambient was investigated. The samples were heavily B-, As- and Sb-doped wafers with a diameter of 150 mm, the concentration of interstitial oxygen was between 6 and 26 ppm. RTP temperatures were changed from 1200 to 1260 °C. The experiment showed that (1) High-density oxygen precipitates (above 10 5 /cm 2 ) were found in heavily B-doped wafer, denuded zone was found only at 1260 °C, (2) compared to the heavily B-doped wafers, the densities of oxygen precipitates in heavily As- and Sb-doped wafers were rather low. The formation of oxygen precipitates was restrained. The reason is discussed in this paper.

Considering the rapid growth of China’s elderly rural population, establishing both an adequate and a financially sustainable rural pension system is a major challenge. Focusing on financial sustainability, this article defines this concept of financial sustainability before constructing sound actuarial models for China’s rural pension system. Based on these models and statistical data, the analysis finds that the rural pension funding gap should rise from 97.80 billion Yuan in 2014 to 3062.31 billion Yuan in 2049, which represents an annual growth rate of 10.34%. This implies that, as it stands, the rural pension system in China is not financially sustainable. Finally, the article explains how this problem could be fixed through policy recommendations based on recent international experiences.

The nanocrystals of title are prepared at different pH values by hydrothermal reaction of Na2WO4 and either MnCl2, MnCO3, or Mn(OH)2 as Mn source (autoclave, 150 °C, 3 h).

The myristoylated capsid precursor mP1-2A of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV), when expressed in mammalian cells and processed by the FMDV 3C protease, can self-assemble into virus-like particles (VLPs). In the present study, nine amino acids of the 3C protease were replaced by site-directed mutagenesis to create a mutant 3C protease, 9m3C. To coexpress mP1-2A and 9m3C and test the resulting proteolytic processing and VLP assembly, two recombinant goatpox viruses (rGTPVs) were constructed by the insertion of two coding regions, one for mP1-2A and the other for either 9m3C (rGTPV-mP1-2A-9m3C) or Theileria protective antigen (TPA) as a control (rGTPV-mP1-2A-TPA). The two exogenous genes were inserted into an intergenic region between loci gp_24 and gp_24.5 of the rGTPV genome. Western blotting of cells infected with rGTPV-mP1-2A-9m3C showed that proteins VP0, VP1, and VP3 from the mP1-2A processed by the 9m3C protease could be detected by polyclonal FMDV sera. As observed by electron microscopy, the infected cells produced VLPs with a diameter of about 25 ± 2 nm. Titers of neutralizing antibody against FMDV were significantly higher in mice inoculated with rGTPV-mP1-2A-9m3C, which expresses the 9m3C protease together with mP1-2A, than mice inoculated with the control rGTPV-mP1-2A-TPA, which does not express the protease. An ovine immunization test determined that sheep inoculated intramuscularly with rGTPV-mP1-2A-9m3C produced FMDV-specific neutralizing antibody, but its titers did not meet the requirement of the World Organization for Animal Health. The result indicates that further modifications of rGTPV-mP1-2A-9m3C are necessary to produce an effective vaccine.

Urbanization, industrialization, population expansion and other economic activities have been occurring among different regions in China in varying degrees. Zhangjiagang city is one of the fastest growing cities among all Eastern Chinese cities and was chosen in the current investigation as a city of China in miniature for studying the cultivated land instability degree (CLID) based on 3S technologies and cellular automaton models, the productivity changes of main grain crops and agricultural ecological security situations by using remote sense and geographic information system (GIS) technology during the period of 2004–2008. The results indicated that the CLID value in Zhangjiagang city had obvious spatial heterogeneity. Faster reduction of cultivated land occurred in the area with higher CLID value. Although the area of cultivated land in Zhangjiagang city reduced year by year, the food amount per capita did not show significant changes due to gradually increasing crop yields. During this period, the agricultural ecological deficit in Zhangjiagang city increased by 16.23 %. The Grassland ecological deficit had the largest proportion, and cultivated land ecological deficit increased slightly, but the forest ecological deficit and the hydrosphere ecological deficit remained stable. Steady decline in agricultural land area and drop in agricultural ecological carrying capacity were probably the main reasons to cause the consequences. The results of this investigation in Zhangjiagang may project the tendency of urbanization, industrialization, population expansion and other economic activities nationwide in China.

To investigate the effect of acute hyperinsulinemia and the resulting decrease in plasma free fatty acid (FFA) concentrations on intramuscular TG synthesis.U-(13)C(16)-palmitate was infused for 3 h in anesthetized rabbits after overnight food deprivation. Arterial blood and leg muscle were sampled during the tracer infusion. Plasma samples were analyzed for free and TG-bound palmitate enrichments and concentrations. The enrichments and concentrations of palmitoyl-CoA and palmitoyl-carnitine as well as the enrichment of palmitate bound to TG were measured in muscle samples. Fractional synthetic rate (FSR) of intramuscular TG was calculated using the tracer incorporation method. The rabbits were divided into a control group and a hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp group. Insulin infusion decreased the rate of appearance of plasma free palmitate (2.00±0.15 vs 0.68±0.20 μmol⋅kg(-1)⋅min(-1); P.001), decreased plasma FFA concentration (327±61 vs 72±25 nmol/mL; P.01), decreased the total concentration of intramuscular fatty acyl-CoA plus fatty acyl-carnitine (12.1±1.6 vs 7.0±0.7 nmol/g; P.05), and decreased intramuscular TG FSR (0.48±0.05 vs 0.21±0.06%/h; P.01) in comparison with the control group. Intramuscular TG FSR was correlated (P.01) with both plasma FFA concentrations and intramuscular fatty acyl-CoA concentrations.Fatty acid availability is a determinant of intramuscular TG synthesis. Insulin infusion decreases plasma and intramuscular fatty acid availability and thereby decreases TG synthesis.

BACKGROUND: Abnormal expression of the liver peptide hormone hepcidin, a key regulator of iron homeostasis, contributes to the pathogenesis of anemia in conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Since little is known about the mechanisms that control hepcidin expression during states of intestinal inflammation, we sought to shed light on this issue using mouse models. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Hepcidin expression was evaluated in two types of intestinal inflammation caused by innate immune activation-dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis in wild-type mice and the spontaneous colitis occurring in T-bet/Rag2-deficient (TRUC) mice. The role of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α was investigated by in vivo neutralization, and by treatment of a hepatocyte cell line, as well as mice, with the recombinant cytokine. Expression and activation of Smad1, a positive regulator of hepcidin transcription, were assessed during colitis and following administration or neutralization of TNFα. Hepcidin expression progressively decreased with time during DSS colitis, correlating with changes in systemic iron distribution. TNFα inhibited hepcidin expression in cultured hepatocytes and non-colitic mice, while TNFα neutralization during DSS colitis increased it. Similar results were obtained in TRUC mice. These effects involved a TNFα-dependent decrease in Smad1 protein but not mRNA. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: TNFα inhibits hepcidin expression in two distinct types of innate colitis, with down-regulation of Smad1 protein playing an important role in this process. This inhibitory effect of TNFα may be superseded by other factors in the context of T cell-mediated colitis given that in the latter form of intestinal inflammation hepcidin is usually up-regulated.

Our goal was to assess the validity of the enrichments of plasma free palmitate and intramuscular (IM) fatty acid metabolites as precursors for calculating the IM triglyceride fractional synthetic rate. We infused U-13C16-palmitate in anesthetized rabbits for 3 h and sampled adductor muscle of legs using both freeze-cut and cut-freeze approaches. We found that IM free palmitate enrichment (0.70 ± 0.07%) was lower (P < 0.0001) than IM palmitoyl-CoA enrichment (2.13 ± 0.17%) in samples taken by the freeze-cut approach. The latter was close (P = 0.33) to IM palmitoyl-carnitine enrichment (2.42 ± 0.16%). The same results were obtained from the muscle samples taken by the cut-freeze approach, except the enrichment of palmitoyl-CoA (2.21 ± 0.08%) was lower (P = 0.02) than that of palmitoyl-carnitine (2.77 ± 0.17%). Plasma free palmitate enrichment was ∼2-fold that of IM palmitoyl-CoA enrichment and palmitoyl-carnitine enrichment (P < 0.001). These findings indicate that plasma free palmitate overestimated IM precursor enrichment owing to in vivo IM lipid breakdown, whereas IM free palmitate enrichment underestimated the precursor enrichment because of lipid breakdown during muscle sampling and processing. IM palmitoyl-carnitine enrichment was an acceptable surrogate of the precursor enrichment because it was less affected by in vitro lipid breakdown after sampling.

Mice deficient in the hemochromatosis gene, Hfe, have attenuated inflammatory responses to Salmonella infection associated with decreased macrophage TNF-alpha and IL-6 biosynthesis after exposure to LPS. In this study, we show that the abnormal cytokine production is related to impaired TLR4 signaling. Despite their abnormal response to LPS, Hfe KO macrophages produced amounts of TNF-alpha similar to those in WT cells after TLR2 stimulation. Consistent with this finding, LPS-induced activation of Mal/MyD88-dependent events was normal in the mutant macrophages. However, LPS-induced IFN-beta expression, a TRAM/TRIF-dependent response activated by TLR4, was reduced by Hfe deficiency. This reduction could be replicated in WT macrophages with the use of iron chelators. In contrast, TLR3-activated expression of IFN-beta, a TRIF-dependent response, was normal in Hfe KO macrophages and was unaffected by iron chelation. Our data suggest that low intracellular iron selectively impairs signaling via the TLR4/TRAM/TRIF pathway proximal to TRIF and results in reduced LPS-induced cytokine expression. Furthermore, by mimicking the altered iron metabolism associated with Hfe deficiency, we found that 3 different inhibitors of hepcidin attenuated Salmonella-induced and noninfectious enterocolitis. Thus, manipulation of iron homeostasis could represent a new therapeutic approach to controlling inflammation.

Social security system which is a necessary means to retain social stability and economic development is an important sign of modern nations and society with civilization. Firstly, this paper analyses the relations among the sub indexes of development level for social security systems. Secondly, it sets up differential equations model to quantitatively analyze the relations among the sub indexes based on the hypotheses. Finally, it studies the solutions by the entropy method and estimates the parameters by the nonlinear least square method. Through the development of more than several hundreds years, since the adoption of the poor law by industrialized nations, the contemporary social security system has formed a relatively complete system and a major component of the socio-economic system of all countries.(1) But the premature social security system coverage and imbalance development levels are differential between different provinces. Establishing and strengthening the social security system that matches the economic development is a guarantee to the stability of a nation. There are two main methods to measure the development level: one is the absolute quantity method, the other is the relative level method.(2) The micro level absolute quantity method is the ratio of expenditure for social security to social wage, while the middle level absolute quantity method is the ratio of expenditure for social security to public finance expenditure; the macro level absolute quantity method is the ratio of expenditure for social security to GDP.(3-4) The vertical design procedure which based on time series analysis compares the evaluation indicator in only one region at different time. The horizontal design procedure which based on factorial analysis compares the evaluation indicator in different regions at the same time.(5) This paper which based on the modern theory of social security systems combined with related mathematical methods and control theory, set up a differential equations model to quantitatively analyze the relations among the evaluation indexes of development level for social security systems. This research is theoretical important for studying the sustainable development for social security systems.

This communication deals with the key issues of a hybrid actuation system operating in active/no-load mode. The hybrid actuation system under study is made of a servo valve controlled hydraulic actuator (SHA) and an electro-mechanical actuator (EMA). In active/no-load mode, both actuators are actively controlled; the SHA is in position control while the EMA is controlled to generate null force. Virtual prototype of the hybrid actuation system is firstly built in the AMESim simulation environment and validated through experiments. Then, three operating modes of the hybrid actuation system are analyzed and simulated using the validated virtual prototype. Finally, the control strategies in active/no-load modes are discussed. The active/no-load mode is proved to be a promising operating mode with high dynamics, low failure transient, reduced wear and power consumption.

A series of novel biodegradable and bionic functional polymers, PLLA-PC-PLLA, were synthesized using L-lactide ring-opening polymerization by L-a-Glycerophosphorylcholine (PC) from nature source. The hydrophilicity of the polymers was investigated. The results made known that, as PC group was brought into the backbone of PLLA, PLLA-PC-PLLA gained much better hydrophilicity than did PLLA, and polar phosphatidylcholines probably transferred to the sample surface in aqueous environment. The relative growth ratios of ECV304 cells to the lixivium of all PLLA-PC-PLLA were higher than 84% in 5 d culture. The cells adhesion of ECV304 on the films of PLLA-PC-PLLA lagged as compared to that on PLLA, but they could proliferate and cover the films in total. The difference between PLLA-PC-PLLA and PLLA was due to the existence of PC group. Thus, PLLA-PC-PLLA, the same as PLLA, are not cytotoxic, and ECV304 can attach and proliferate on them. PLLA-PC-PLLA have potential applications in the fields of tissue engineering and drug delivery system.

The influence of PLLA-PC membranes on the behavior of vascular ECs is studied. It was found that the membranes were not cytotoxic. The cell adhesion and spread on PLLA-PC 30/1 were initially depressed. After 1 d, however, cells attached and spread on the copolymer, and proliferated beyond 2 d. To elucidate the mechanism of this behavior, the surface morphology and the degradation products of the PLLA/PC 30/1 membrane during the culture period were tested, and Fg adsorption to the membranes was examined. It is concluded that the behavior of ECs can be regulated by a dynamically changed microenvironment of the PLLA-PC membrane. PLLA-PC copolymers might therefore serve as a novel material for tissue engineering.

Iron is an essential micronutrient for both microbial pathogens and their mammalian hosts. Changes in iron availability and distribution have significant effects on pathogen virulence and on the immune response to infection. Recent advances in our understanding of the molecular regulation of iron metabolism have shed new light on how alterations in iron homeostasis both contribute to and influence innate immunity. In this article, we review what is currently known about the role of iron in the response to infection.