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To improve product family design methods for mass customization currently, scale-based modular method for product family design is proposed. On the basis of it, a web-based customization product design system is built. Three processes are included in the system: modeling product family, customizing individual product and estimating cost. Key technologies used in the system are studied on focus that include modular design, scale factors design, tabular layouts of article characteristics (LAC), Case-Based Reasoning (CBR), parametric CAD (SolidWorks) and so on. Finally, taking MK2110 internal grinder as an example, the web-based customization design system is set up.

The influence of coanion on self-assembly of CuSO 4 and 4,4′-dipyridyl sulfide (dps) was studied in this paper. During the formation of Cu(II)/dps coordination polymers, coanions Cl − , SCN − and PF 6 - were added in the solution respectively. Three novel coordination polymers were obtained, {[Cu(dps) 2 · (SO 4 ) 2 ][Cu(dps) · Cl · (H 2 O) 2 ] 2 · 12H 2 O} n ( 1 · 12H 2 O, a 3D network), {[Cu(SCN) 2 (dps)(CH 3 OH) 2 ][Cu(dps) 2 · SO 4 ][Cu(dps)(CH 3 CH 2 OH) 2 · SO 4 ] · 5H 2 O} n ( 2 · 5H 2 O, a 3D network), and {[Cu(dps) 2 (H 2 O) 2 ] · (PF 6 ) 2 · 3H 2 O} n ( 3 · 3H 2 O, a 2D lattice network). Different coanion shows different influence on framework construction. In 1 and 2 , Cl − and SCN − act as terminal ligands and similar 3D frameworks were composed of [Cu(dps)] layer with larger cavity (ca. 400 A) and sulfate bridge; in 3 , PF 6 - replaces SO 4 2 - entirely and the 3D framework was broken due to the removal of bridging SO 4 2 - anions. However, a 2D [Cu(dps)] 4 undulating grid was preserved in 3 .

This paper focuses on the dynamic fracturing process of jointed rock masses due to blast wave loading. A coupled numerical method using both LS-DYNA (a transient dynamic finite element program) and UDEC (an universal discrete element code) is outlined first. The blast-induced fracture extension in two representative jointed rock masses is studied subsequently. Besides, the effects of loading density of explosive charge on fracture evolution and the effects of the preexisting earth stress and free face on the fracturing process of rock masses are also explored in detail. The numerical results capture some of the well-known phenomena observed in the field and expected theoretically, and thus can offer useful guidelines to blasting design in rock masses.

To explore the correlation between the cognitive functions and syndromes of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), and to provide evidence for clinical syndrome differentiation treatment.Six hundred subjects from Dongzhimen Hospital and seven communities in Beijing, aged between 40 and 85 years, accepted neuropsychological assessments, imaging and biochemical examinations, and syndrome differentiation, from whom 159 aMCI patients, 213 normal control (NC) subjects and 171 Alzheimer's dementia (AD) patients were screened out. Correlation between the cognitive functions and TCM syndromes in aMCI patients was analyzed.Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score in aMCI patients was closely correlated with kidney essence vacuity and deficiency of blood and qi (r = -0.11, r = -0.11; P = 0.003, P = 0.015). Delayed Word Recall (DWR) score was correlated with kidney essence vacuity (r = -0.20, P = 0.020). Instant Story Recall (ISR) and Delayed Story Recall (DSR) scores were respectively correlated with turbid phlegm blocking upper orifices (r = -0.11, r = -0.27; P = 0.021, P = 0.000). Language function was correlated with kidney essence vacuity and deficiency of blood and qi (r = -0.11, r = -0.13; P = 0.042, P = 0.007). Attention/calculation was also closely correlated with kidney essence vacuity and deficiency of blood and qi (r = -0.10, r = -0.21; P = 0.039, P = 0.010). Attention score of aMCI patients was correlated with excess of heat toxin syndrome (r = -0.29, P = 0.026).The memory decline of aMCI is correlated with kidney essence vacuity and turbid phlegm blocking upper orifices. Furthermore, turbid phlegm blocking upper orifices is correlated with episodic memory decline, which is closely related to AD. The aMCI patients with phlegm have the risk to progress into AD. Although other cognitive functions of aMCI remain relatively intact, the patients' language function, attention/calculation and the whole cognitive function may be worsen as the aggravation of kidney essence vacuity, deficiency of blood and qi, phlegm and heat toxin, and may eventually lead to multiple cognitive domains impairment, even dementia.

This paper presents two evolution laws for dynamic tensile damage of brittle rock based on light gas gun (LGG) tests. By analyzing the attenuation of sound-wave propagation in the rock samples before and after impact tests, one evolution law for dynamic tensile damage of rock is introduced and incorporated into the finite element code LS-DYNA through a user-defined subroutine. The improved code is then applied to the simulation of the tensile damage and blast crater near free face of rock mass, and the resulting crater geometry is compared with empirical formula. In addition, based on the phenomenological point of view and the velocity–time histories recorded in LGG tests, another evolution law of tensile damage is proposed to consider the nucleation and growth of microflaws in rock. Parametric analyses are carried out with the self-developed finite difference code and an optimization procedure for the parameter determination is suggested.

The paper focuses on the numerical analysis of blast-induced stress wave propagation and related spalling damage in a rock plate or wall. Firstly, a large-scale contact explosion is simplified as a one-dimensional (1-D) strain problem, and a cross-format centered finite-difference scheme is presented. Secondly, the finite-difference code is used to explore the wave propagation in a rock plate, and compared with the commercial software LS-DYNA. Thirdly, a continuum damage constitutive model for rock is introduced and successfully incorporated into the LS-DYNA through its user-defined subroutine. Coupling with the erosion technique, the improved LS-DYNA is used to simulate the blast-induced spalling damage at the back-side of rock plate. Numerical results show that the 1-D finite difference code is convenient and accurate. Also, the user-defined subroutine can well describe the process of spalling damage.

Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete (SFRC) possesses many excellent dynamic performances such as high resistance to explosion and penetration. In the present study, three types of SRFC specimens with 0.0%, 3.0% and 6.0% (percentage by volume) of ultrashort steel fibers are fabricated and subjected to impact compression tests conducted on 74-mm-diameter split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB). Based on the stress–strain curves of different strain-rates, as well as the random statistical distribution hypothesis for SFRC strength, a dynamic damage constitutive model of SFRC composite under compression is proposed. The relations of main parameters with strain-rate and steel-fiber content (volume fraction) are also explored and presented in this paper. It is established that both the volume fraction of steel-fiber and strain-rate of loading exert significant influences on the SFRC strength. The new constitutive model is capable of capturing the fundamental dynamic behaviors of the SFRC composite and its theoretical results are in good agreement with experimental data. (A) Reprinted with permission from Elsevier.

Glass-fiber-reinforced cloth (GFRC) composites have gained wide industrial applications as automotive parts and aircraft components. This work presents an investigation into the static and dynamic mechanical behaviors of the high-alkali GFRC over a wide range of strain rates. Based on a series of experiments, a nonlinear viscoelastic model and a high-pressure equation of state (EOS) are proposed for the compression behavior of the high-alkali GFRC. This is followed by the introduction of a cross-format centered difference scheme. With the implementation of the constitutive model and the EOS, the effects of high-alkali GFRC composites on stress waves are eventually simulated and analyzed.

This paper starts with a discussion on the theory of finite deformation and various types strain energy functions of rubber like material, the material parameter of elastic law of Gao[3] is estimated by experiment and numerical simulation. Because there are various types of strain energy functions, a user subroutine is programmed to implement the strain energy function of Gao[3] into the program of MSC.Marc, which offers a convenient method to analyze the stress and strain of rubber-like material with the strain energy function that is needed. Two examples will be presented in this paper to demonstrate the use of the framework for rubber like materials. One is to simulate a foam tube in compression. The other one is to simulate a rectangle board with a circular hole. After numerical analysis, it is proved the numerical results based on Gao model are in perfect agreement with the results based on Mooney model and the estimated material parameters are valid.

Inhibition and restoration of different concentrations of phenol on the bioactivity of anaerobic granular sludge were investigated with laboratory-scale equipment. It indicated that phenol concentration lower than 50 mg/l show no inhibitory effect on bioactivities of granular sludge. However, methane productivity, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) content, and coenzyme F(420) activity were decreased by varying degrees when phenol concentration adopted for inhibition ranged between 50 and 400 mg/l. Noticeably, methane productivity could be fully or partly restored in case the phenol was removed after 24 h of phenol inhibition.

The prediction of blast crater in brittle rock due to an underground explosion has gained importance in recent years due to the great number of accidental events that affected engineering safety. This paper uses the Taylor–Chen–Kuszmaul (TCK) continuum damage model to analyze dynamic fracture behavior of rock in tension due to blast loading. The TCK damage model, together with an erosion algorithm, was implemented into the explicit FE code, LS-DYNA, as a constitutive augmentation. The damage pattern around the blasthole and the formation of blast crater near a free surface were subsequently simulated using the developed numerical tool. It is shown that the free surface is vitally responsible for the blast crater. Furthermore, the size and shape of the blast craters can be reasonably predicted if the erosion criterion of critical tensile damage is well calibrated. The effects of common charge modes on blast craters were also investigated numerically, and the mechanisms of the coupled, air-decoupled and water-decoupled charge mode are compared and presented.

Civil defense shelters are often constructed beneath the ground to provide protection against blast loadings. Concrete is widely used as the material for the defense layer of the shelters. This paper adopts a continuum damage model of brittle media to numerically investigate the dynamic fracture and attenuation effect of perforated concrete defense layer on stress waves from planar charge. The model includes damage accumulation and loading rate-dependence, and has been succinctly implemented into the dynamic finite element code, LS-DYNA, via its user defined subroutine. The numerical results reveal that the adopted model can well predict the tensile damage owing to the reflection of pressure waves from cavities and free boundaries. Again, the elastoplastic properties of concrete play significant roles in the stress-wave attenuation and the peak values of hydrostatic pressure beneath a circular cavity are largely reduced. One empirical formula is finally proposed to relate the decay factor of peak hydrostatic pressure to the cavity dimensions and relative position.

Finite element method (FEM) have been widely used for the calculation of settlement of embankment on soft soils in the last decade. However, due to the complexity of construction, spatial inhomogeneity of soils, as well as sensitivity of numerical results to the variation of soil parameters, large discrepancy typically exists between numerical outputs and field observations. This paper presents a novel method, combining FEM and an improved back-propagation (BP) neural network, for correction of soil parameters in numerical prediction of embankment settlement. Duncan–Chang hyperbolic soil model is adopted with the sensitivity of eight constitutive parameters numerically investigated. The soil parameters with large sensitivity are identified, and together with the representative settlements, are used for the training of the improved BP neural network which, once established, generates correction factors of soil parameters for subsequent more accurate FEM forward predictions. It is demonstrated that the proposed numerical back-analysis framework is very efficient in practical engineering applications to calculate highway settlement.

Due to its second-order accuracy and unconditional stability, the Crank–Nicholson scheme is widely used to obtain numerical solutions of Biot’s consolidation theory. However, spurious oscillation may occur when interpolations have equal orders for displacement and pore water pressure. This spurious oscillation may substantially degrade numerical accuracy. In order to avoid or alleviate spurious oscillation and improve numerical accuracy, a radial point interpolation meshless technique is proposed, with a polynomial for displacement that is one-order higher than for pore pressure. Three examples are numerically investigated with this meshless technique: a typical Terzaghi consolidation problem, a 2D consolidation problem, and a multi-layer consolidation problem. The numerical results are compared with the closed-form solution, the equal-order radial point interpolation method or FEM. The effects of the parameters of the current meshless method on spurious oscillation are studied. It is found that such an interpolation has consistent derivatives for both displacement and pore water pressure in an equilibrium equation. Spurious oscillation can thus be alleviated or even avoided, leading to high accuracy.

The RNA transcripted in vitro was used as the standard quantitative template to make the standard curve and establish the fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR (FQ-PCR) method. By means of FQ-PCR, the transcription changes of HSP70 and HSP90 mRNA in the livers and hearts of transport stressed pigs were studied. The level of HSP70 mRNA transcription increased continuously from the beginning of transportation. The inductions of HSP70 mRNA transcription in the livers and hearts of 10 h transport stressed pigs were 2.5 and 4.1 times higher than that of the un-transport stressed pigs (P＜0.01). However, the transcription levels of HSP90 mRNA in the livers and hearts decreased with the transport stress.

In the design of defense structures, concrete slabs are often used to provide protection against incidental dynamic loadings such as the impact of a steel projectile. In the present study, the Taylor - Chen - Kuszmaul (TCK) continuum damage model is further improved and successfully implemented into the dynamic finite element code, LS-DYNA, with erosion algorithm. The numerical predictions of impact and exit craters of concrete slab as well as the residual velocity of projectile using the newly-implemented numerical tool show good agreement with experimental observations. The performance of the modified TCK model is evaluated by comparing with the material Type 78 (Mat_Soil_Concrete) and Type 111 (Mat_Johnson_Holmquist_Concrete) available in LS-DYNA. The effect of CRH (caliber-radius-head) ratio of the ogive-nose projectile on the impact crater is also investigated using the new numerical tool. Finally, the maximum penetration depth of steel projectile into a concrete slab is studied and an empirical formula is proposed.

The effects of irreversible electroporation (IRE) on the proliferation, migration, invasion and adhesion of human cervical cancer cell lines HeLa and SiHa were investigated in the present study. HeLa and SiHa cells were divided into a treatment group and control group. The treatment group cells were exposed to electric pulses at 16 pulses, 1 Hz frequency for 100 µsec with 1,000 V/cm strength. Cellular proliferation was determined 24 h after treatment using a Cell Counting Kit‑8 (CCK‑8) assay and carboxyfluorescein diacetate‑succinimidyl ester (CFDA‑SE) labeling assay. The different phases of the cell cycle were detected using flow cytometry. Wound healing, Transwell invasion and Matrigel adhesion assays were performed to evaluate the migration, invasion and adhesion abilities of HeLa and SiHa cells. The expression levels of metastasis‑associated proteins were determined by western blot analysis. CCK‑8 and CFSE labeling assays indicated that the inhibition of cellular proliferation occurs in cells treated with IRE. Additionally, cell cycle progression was arrested at the G1/S phase. A western blot analysis indicated that the expression levels of p53 and p21 proteins were increased, whilst those of cyclin‑dependent kinase 2 (CDK2) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) proteins were decreased. However, wound healing, invasion and adhesion assays indicated that cellular migration, invasion and adhesion abilities were not significantly altered following exposure to IRE. IRE was not observed to promote the migration, invasion or adhesion capacity of HeLa and SiHa cells. However, IRE may inhibit the capacity of cells to proliferate and their progression through the cell cycle in vitro. Preliminary evidence suggests that the underlying mechanism involves increased expression levels of p53 and p21 and decreased expression levels of CDK2 and PCNA.

Civil defense shelters are often constructed below ground to provide protection against blast loading. Concrete has been used extensively as a construction material for the defense layer of the shelters. In order to achieve expected attenuation of blast-induced stress-waves, geofoam or cavity inclusions are sometimes embedded in the concrete layer. This paper studies the attenuation of stress-waves in a concrete medium behind a rectangular inclusion of expanded polystyrene (EPS) geofoam with different dimensions. The effects of EPS geofoam inclusions on the reduction of peak axial stress σ y and hydrostatic pressure P are studied, respectively. One approximation formula is proposed to correlate the decay factor for peak σ y to the dimensions of the EPS geofoam inclusion based on numerical simulations. This formula is applicable in defense engineering design to estimate the decay factors at different locations or the dimensions of EPS geofoam when other parameters are prescribed. Finally, the effects of multiple rectangular inclusions of EPS geofoam on stress-waves are numerically investigated.

Civil defense shelters are often constructed beneath the ground to provide protection against blast loads. Concrete is widely used as the material for the defense layer of the shelters and artificial cavities are often embedded in the concrete to ensure adequate attenuation of the air-blast waves. This paper employs the Johnson–Holmquist-Concrete model, an elastoplastic damage model, to investigate the effects of artificial cavities on the attenuation of air-blast waves in the concrete defense layer. The results reveal that the peak axial stress beneath a cavity is largely reduced and the elastoplastic and damage properties of the concrete play significant roles on the wave attenuation. Two empirical formulae are then proposed to relate the decay factor of peak axial stress to the dimensions and relative positions of rectangular and circular cavities. Finally, the effects of multiple cavities on the attenuation of air-blast waves are investigated.

Seismic stability, liquefaction, and deformation of earth structures are critical issues in geotechnical earthquake engineering practice. At present, the equivalent linear approach is considered the ‘state of practice’ in common use. More recently, dynamic analyses incorporating nonlinear, effective-stress-based soil models have been used more frequently in engineering applications. This paper describes a bounding surface hypoplasticity model for sand [Wang ZL. Bounding surface hypoplasticity model for granular soils and its applications. PhD Dissertation for the University of California at Davis, U.M.I. Dissertation Information Service, Order No. 9110679; 1990; Wang ZL, Dafalias YF, Shen CK. Bounding surface hypoplasticity model for sand. ASCE, J Eng Mech 1990;116(5):983–1001; Wang ZL, Makdisi FI. Implementing a bounding surface hypoplasticity model for sand into the FLAC program. In: Proceedings of the international symposium on numerical modeling in geomechanics. Minnesota, USA; 1999. p. 483–90] incorporated into a two-dimensional finite difference analysis program [Itasca Consulting Group, Inc. FLAC (Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua), Version 4. Minneapolis, MN; 2000] to perform nonlinear, effective-stress analyses of soil structures. The soil properties needed to support such analyses are generally similar to those currently used for equivalent linear and approximate effective-stress analyses. The advantages of using a nonlinear approach are illustrated by comparison with results from the equivalent linear approach for a rockfill dam. The earthquake performance of a waterfront slope and an earth dam were evaluated to demonstrate the model's ability to simulate pore-pressure generation and liquefaction in cohesionless soils.

Resonance characteristics of gapped power bus structures with a slit or a gap were studied, using a fast algorithm based on a full cavity-mode resonator model and the segmentation method. Inductance and capacitance models were used to account for a field coupling along the slit and across the gap, respectively. The effectiveness of the segmentation method and the inductance model for the slit has been demonstrated by good agreement between the calculated and measured results, while the capacitance model for the gap is shown to be useful when the coupling between the segments is relatively weak.

Based on the cavity-mode model, we have developed a fast algorithm for calculating power bus impedance in multilayer printed circuit boards. The fast algorithm is based on a closed-form expression for the impedance Z matrix of a rectangular power bus structure; this expression was obtained by reducing the original double infinite series into a single infinite series under an approximation. The convergence of the single series is further accelerated analytically. The accelerated single summation enables much faster computation, since use of only a few terms is enough to obtain good accuracy. In addition, we propose two ways to compensate for the error due to the approximation involved in the process of reducing the double series to the single series, and have demonstrated that these two techniques are almost equivalent.

This paper proposes a method that can be used to synthesize carbon microspheres with controllable sizes, rich amino groups and oxygen-containing groups. The synthesized materials are portrayed by various methods including SEM, FT-IR, XRD, and EDX. The resulting carbon spheres presented an amorphous characteristic, which displayed a broad range in diameter, high degree of sphericity, and smoothness with amino groups and oxygen-containing groups. Pyknotic and smooth silver shells were deposited on carbon spheres by electroless silver plating. Moreover, it could directly reduce Ag + to Ag in aqueous silver nitrate. These materials can potentially be used as adsorbents for heavy-metal removal from aqueous solutions.

One of the major sources of radiated EMI is attributed to power bus resonance in a printed circuit board (PCB). A fast algorithm, combined with the segmentation method, is applied for calculating resonance characteristics of a power bus whose pattern consists of several segments of rectangles and/or right-angled triangles. Good agreement between the calculated and measured results demonstrates the usefulness and accuracy of the fast algorithm and the segmentation method.

Some recent results from research conducted in the EMC group at Okayama University are reviewed. A scheme for power-bus modeling with an analytical method is introduced. A linear macro-model for ICs/LSIs, called the LECCS model, has been developed for EMI and EMS simulation. This model has a very simple structure and is sufficiently accurate. Combining the LECCS model with analytical simulation techniques for power-bus resonance simulation provides a method for high-speed EMI simulation and decoupling evaluation related to PCB and LSI design. A useful explanation of the common-mode excitation mechanism, which utilizes the imbalance factor of a transmission line, is also presented. Some of the results were investigated by implementing prototypes of a high-speed EMI simulator, HISES.

The effort to model sand behavior within the framework of critical-state soil mechanics would benefit from a state variable that relates the current void ratio and mean pressure of the soil to its ...

Soil salinity is an increasingly serious problem worldwide that reduces agricultural output potential. Selected beneficial soil bacteria can promote plant growth and augment tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Bacillus subtilis strain GB03 has been shown to confer growth promotion and abiotic stress tolerance in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Here we examined the effect of this beneficial soil bacterium on salt tolerance in the legume forage crop, white clover. Plants of white clover (Trifolium repens L. cultivar Huia) were grown from seeds with or without soil inoculation of the beneficial soil bacterium Bacillus subtilis GB03 supplemented with 0, 50, 100, or 150 mM NaCl water into soil. Growth parameters, chlorophyll content, malondialdehyde (MDA) content and osmotic potential were monitored during the growth cycle. Endogenous Na(+) and K(+) contents were determined at the time of harvest. White clover plants grown in GB03-inoculated soil were significantly larger than non-inoculated controls with respect to shoot height, root length, plant biomass, leaf area and chlorophyll content; leaf MDA content under saline condition and leaf osmotic potential under severe salinity condition (150 mM NaCl) were significantly decreased. Furthermore, GB03 significantly decreased shoot and root Na(+) accumulation and thereby improved K(+)/Na(+) ratio when GB03-inoculated plants were grown under elevated salt conditions. The results indicate that soil inoculation with GB03 promotes white clover growth under both non-saline and saline conditions by directly or indirectly regulating plant chlorophyll content, leaf osmotic potential, cell membrane integrity and ion accumulation.

This study aimed to establish a method for the detection and identification of H7N9 avian influenza viruses based on the NA gene by pyrosequencing. According to the published NA gene sequences of the avian influenza A (H7N9) virus, a 15-nt deletion was found in the NA gene of H7N9 avian influenza viruses. The 15-nt deletion of the NA gene was targeted as the molecular marker for the rapid detection and identification of H7N9 avian influenza viruses by pyrosequencing. Three H7N9 avian influenza virus isolates underwent pyrosequencing using the same assay, and were proven to have the same 15-nt deletion. Pyrosequencing technology based on the NA gene molecular marker can be used to identify H7N9 avian influenza viruses.

This paper presents a simple method to measure the relative permittivity of glass-epoxy printed circuit boards (PCBs). In this method, the relative permittivity as a function of frequency is measured using an actual PCB. In order to estimate the relative permittivity, the reflection coefficient is measured with a network analyzer. The relative permittivity is calculated by observing the frequencies of the resonant cavity modes. We show that the relative permittivity of an FR-4 sample decreases from 4.3 to 4.2 at frequencies from 300 MHz to 2 GHz.

Background Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) is up-regulated in rejecting allografts and is protective against allograft arteriosclerosis; it suppresses neointimal smooth muscle cell accumulation and inhibits adhesion of platelets and leukocytes to the endothelium. However, the functional importance of endothelial NOS (eNOS) in the rejecting allografts remains unclear. Methods We examined the effects of selective eNOS deficiency in aortic allografts in a murine chronic rejection model using grafts from eNOS knockout (KO) mice (C57BL/6 background; H2b) and normal C3H (H2K) as recipients. Grafts from wild-type C57BL/6 mice served as controls. Grafts from iNOS KO mice served as a second group of controls where the contribution from iNOS was eliminated but eNOS was preserved. Aortic grafts were harvested and analyzed at days 10-14, 18-22, and 26-30 after transplantation. Results Endothelial NOS-deficient grafts showed significantly increased intima/media ratios at days 26-30 compared to controls. Immunostaining demonstrated that in eNOS KO grafts, eNOS was not detectable whereas iNOS was expressed prominently in infiltrating recipient mononuclear cells. In control grafts, eNOS expression was preserved in the endothelium even by day 30, and associated with a decrease in intimal thickening. We further demonstrated that early overexpression of iNOS by ex vivo gene transfer completely prevented the development of arteriosclerosis associated with eNOS deficiency. Conclusions We found that eNOS plays a protective role in allografts, and that in eNOS-deficient allografts, early overexpression of iNOS is capable of preventing the development of allograft arteriosclerosis. In allografts with dysfunctional vascular endothelium and impaired eNOS activity as a result of ischemia or native arteriosclerotic disease, iNOS gene therapy may serve to improve their long-term survival and function.

A bounding-surface hypoplasticity model is modified to incorporate the basic premises of critical-state soil mechanics and cover both dense and loose sand behavior. The modification consists of rendering the phase-transformation line a function of the state parameter, which measures the difference between the current and critical void ratios at the same value of p, such that when the state parameter is zero, the phase-transformation line becomes identical to the critical-state line in q-p space. As a result the dilatancy depends on the state in a way that yields a zero value at critical state. This dependence allows a realistic modelling of the response of a sand in either loose or dense state, or in the transition from one state to another state. A comparison between model simulations and a sequence of experimental results for drained, undrained, monotonic, and cyclic loading conditions shows that the proposed concept and modelling technique work effectively over a wide range of densities and confining pressures using a unique set of parameters (or parameter dependence) for a given sand.Key words: bounding surface, critical state, dilatancy, phase transformation, soil plasticity, state parameter.

Using an equivalent-circuit model, frequency-selective surfaces (FSS's) with gridded- and double-square elements have been designed and tested for suppressing the harmonics radiation in microwave power transmission system. It is shown that the angular sensitivity of the frequency response of the FSS arrays can be reduced with a combination of TE- and TM-polarized incident waves or a circularly polarized incident waves instead of a single TE- or TM-polarized incident wave. The FSS arrays have also been measured in a microwave anechoic chamber and a good agreement is obtained between the theoretical calculations and experimental results.

Two major earthquakes (M= 6.2 and M= 7) with different characteristics took place in the eastern coast of Taiwan in 1986 within a 4-month period. A test site at Lotung was located near the epicenters of the two quakes. The site was instrumented with three-dimensional (3D) surface and downhole accelerometer arrays and pore-pressure transducers embedded at depths from 3 to 16 m below the ground surface. Field investigation of the site, including sampling “undisturbed” soils, was carried out before the two events, and followed by a laboratory test program aimed at gaining detailed soil properties. Based on the available information, numerical analyses were performed using a fully coupled, multidirectional dynamic procedure incorporating a bounding surface hypoplasticity model. The calculated responses for the two different events showed equally reasonable agreements with the field records in both 3D acceleration and pore-pressure time histories. This paper reports the methodology of the analyses and presents...

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 has been detected in ocular tissues; however, the mechanism of entry has not been established. It has been hypothesized that the blood-retinal barrier (BRB), a critical guardian against microbial invasion of the eye, may be compromised in the presence of HIV-1 in the eye. In vivo and in vitro model systems have shown that the breach of tight junctions induced by HIV-1-associated factors contributes to the breakdown of the BRB. The present study reviews the mechanism of tight junction disruption, focusing on signaling pathways, the expression of enzymes, including metalloproteinases, and cytokines that affect inflammation. The studied pathways may be potential targets for the prevention of ocular HIV complications.

Virus-like particles (VLPs) are composed of multiple copies of one or more expressed recombinant viral structural proteins which spontaneously assemble into particles upon expression. VLPs are non infectious because they assemble without incorporating genetic material. VLPs have structural characteristics and antigenicity similar to the parental virus because they mimick the wild-type virus structure. Hence, they are recognized readily by the immune system which induces strong anti-viral immune responses to stop virus infection. VLPs have therefore shown dramatic effectiveness as candidate vaccines and diagnostic reagent for virus. Here, in order to provide reference to the research of influenza VLPs, we reviewed the current research progress of influenza VLPs, and discussed the characteristics associated with producing VLPs for influenza virus.

The scattering of light by a silver film with a random rough surface and the excitation of surface-plasmon modes at the metal surface are studied by means of the stochastic functional approach, assuming that the random surface is a homogeneous Gaussian random field. The stochastic wave fields are represented in terms of the Wiener-Hermite orthogonal functionals, and the approximate solutions are obtained for the Wiener kernels. For the attenuated total reflection configuration considered in the paper, the angular distributions of incoherent scattering into both crystal and air are numerically calculated by using first- and second-order Wiener kernels for various combinations of the parameters. In the angular distributions of incoherent scattering into crystal, strong peaks can be observed corresponding to the excitation of forward- and backward-traveling plasmon modes, which are mainly described by the first-order Wiener kernel, and an enhanced scattering peak appears in the backward direction. In the angular distributions of incoherent scattering into air, an enhanced scattering peak also appears in a certain direction, related to the incident angle on the crystal side. The random wave fields at the resonant scattering on the surface of a random rough grating are also numerically calculated from the higher Wiener kernels with an iterative procedure. Localized modes can be clearly observed in the spatial distribution of the random wave fields. The enhanced scattering comes from the second-order Wiener kernel that describes the ``double-scattering'' processes of the ``dressed'' plasmon modes, and is due to the interference of the two double-scattering processes in the reciprocal directions, where the strongly excited plasmon modes take part in the intermediate scattering processes, while the wave localization is a result of ``multiple'' scattering of strongly excited dressed plasmon waves traveling in the ``random media'' created by the surface roughness. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.

The scattering problem of an incident wave from a waveguide structure with a slightly rough surface is studied. The waveguide structure is considered to be a dielectric film deposited on a planar, perfectly conducting metal surface, and the top surface of the film is assumed to be a randomly rough surface. The stochastic scattered wave fields are represented in terms of orthogonal functionals with the Wiener coefficients. These coefficients are determined by applying the approximated boundary conditions expanded up to the third order of the random surface function. The analytical expressions for the coefficients of the first three terms are obtained rigorously up to the second order of the surface roughness so as to satisfy the reciprocity. It can be easily shown that our results are the same as those obtained by perturbation theory if we expand them in powers of the surface roughness. However, we have the so-called mass operator in the denominator of the coefficients, which can be used to determine the perturbed propagation constants of the guided waves in the presence of a rough surface and remove the divergence difficulty in the common perturbation theory. The numerical calculations show that there are some well-pronounced satellite peaks in the incoherent scattering distribution, in addition to the enhanced backscattering peak, when the waveguide structure can support two or more than two guided modes. This is caused by the interference of two double-scattering processes and is attributed to the existence of the guided waves in the scattering structure.

Based on the genomic sequence of NDV08-004 strain (GenBank accession number FJ794269), seven pairs of primers were designed to amplify the genomic fragments by RT-PCR and cloned into pGEM-Teasy vector. The fragments (named A to G) were sub-cloned into transcription vector pOLTV5 according to the universal RE site and the plasmid named NDV08-004-pO which contained the full length cDNA of NDV08-004 strain was constructed. Three helper plasmids (pCI-NP, pCI-P and pCI-L) together with NDV08-004-pO were co-transfected into BSR T7/5 cells, and the transfection supernatant was inoculated into SPF embryonated eggs to rescue the virus. The virus was rescued successfully and identified by HA and RT-PCR and sequencing. The rescue system constructed in this study provided a good foundation for the further related research.

“Greenhouse Effect”, which is scientifically proven to be main caused by the increasing concentration of CO2, has become a topic of national and international concern. Mineral carbonation, such as carbonation of alkaline silicate Ca/Mg minerals, analogous to natural weathering processes, is a potentially attractive route to mitigate possible global warming on the basis of industrial imitation of natural weathering processes. In this paper, three typical natural mineral candidates in China, serpentine, olivine and wollastonite, were selected as carbonation raw materials for direct mineral carbonation experiments under middle and low-pressure. A series number of experiments were carried out to investigate the factors that influence the conversion of carbonation reaction, such as reaction temperature, reaction pressure, particle size, solution composition and pretreatment. The solid products from carbonation experiments were filtered, collected, dried and analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (FSEM-EDX) to identify the reaction of mineral carbonation. And the method of mass equilibrium after heat decomposition was used to calculate the mineral carbonation conversion. All the XRD and FSEM analysis validate that carbonation reaction was occurred during the experiments and mineral carbonation is one of the potential techniques for carbon dioxide sequestration. The data of mass equilibrium after heat decomposition was collected and then the conversion formula was used to calculate the carbonation conversion of all the three mineral candidates. The mass equilibrium results show that, for all of the three mineral materials, the carbonation conversion increases with the increasing of reaction temperature. But once the temperature increases above 150°C, the conversion of serpentine decreases a little. Reaction pressure is also an important factor to mineral carbonation process. For all of the three mineral materials, the carbonation conversion increases with the increasing of reaction pressure. Decrease of mineral particle sizes and use of heat treatment before carbonation experiments can effectively improve the carbonation conversion of mineral carbonation. And the addition of NaHCO3, which had a buffering effect that kept the solution pH in a certain range, can also improve the carbonation conversion. In this paper, a highest carbonation conversion of 89.5% was obtained under the condition of T = 150°C, \( {{\text{P}}_{{{\rm{C}}{{\rm{O}}_2}}}} \) = 4.0 MPa, particle sizes

Eradication can be defined as permanent elimination of the occurrence of a given infectious disease. A joint FAO/OIE announcement of global rinderpest eradication was declared in 2011. The announcement from two international organizations indicates that the rinderpest virus, like the smallpox virus, will remain only in authorized laboratories. After rinderpest eradication, the relevant researchers shifted their focus on next target-peste des petits ruminants, since they mostly share similarities in such characteristics as etiology and pathology. This paper, on the one hand, analyzed objective and subjective factors in global rinderpest eradication, and on the other hand, reviewed the pros and cons of global peste des petits ruminants eradication.

The guided normal waves or modes in a waveguide would be perturbed if the boundaries of the waveguide were to become statistically irregular or rough. Due to the accumulation effects of multiple scattering along the entire propagation path, even very slight boundary irregularities can give rise to a considerable influence on the propagation characteristics of the guided modes. In this paper, a way is proposed to treat the scattering problem of guided waves in a waveguide with a slightly rough boundary by applying the stochastic functional approach, which has been used successfully in the scattering problems of a plane scalar or electromagnetic wave in free space from various shaped random rough surfaces and has been shown to be good for treating the multiple scattering effects. As a prototype of the basic theory, only the planar structure of the waveguide and the Dirichlet boundary condition are considered. The waveguide's Green's function is expanded in terms of the Wiener-Hermite stochastic functionals of a homogeneous Gaussian random surface. Expressions for the modified normal waves (modes) of the average or coherent Green's function are given for the Dirichlet boundary condition. A mass operator is derived which contains the information of the multiple scattering ofmore » the modes from the rough boundary and can be evaluated in an iterative way. The second order statistical moment or the correlation function of the Green's function is also considered. Some numerical examples are given for illustration. It has been shown that our approach gives more thorough results than those given by the graphical or Feynman diagram method.« less

To investigate the correlation between cognitive function and the Chinese medicine syndrome characteristics of vascular cognitive impairment (VCI).A total of 774 subjects (age from 41 to 87 years old) from Beijing of China accepted neuropsychological assessments and differentiation of Chinese medicine syndromes. The mini-mental state examination (MMSE) and clinic dementia rating (CDR) were used to access the global cognitive function; the Hachinski ischemia scale (HIS) and the Hamilton depression scale (HAMD) were used for differential diagnosis; the ability of daily living (ADL) scale was used to assess the ability of daily living; the clock drawing test was used to access the executive function; the investigation of syndrome manifestations and the syndrome differentiation scale of vascular dementia (SDSVD) were used for diagnosis of syndrome manifestations. According to the diagnostic criteria of vascular cognitive impairment, subjects were subgrouped as normal cognition (NC) group and VCI group, and then the correlation between the cognitive functions and Chinese medicine syndromes was analyzed.The correlation between cognitive scales and Chinese medical syndrome: in the VCI group, the syndrome of phlegm turbid blocking upper orifices showed negative correlation with the scores of MMSE and CDT (r=-0.525, r=-0.321, P=0.000, P=0.001), and the ADL demonstrated positive correlation to the syndrome (r=0.424, P=0.000). The correlation between cognitive function and Chinese medical syndrome: the phlegm turbid blocking upper orifices was closely correlated with the total orientation, time orientation and place orientation (r=-0.451, r=-0.448, r=-0.392, P=0.001, P=0.000, P=0.004); instant word recall and delayed word recall were closely correlated with the syndrome of phlegm turbid blocking upper orifices (r=-0.355, r=-0.225, P=0.000, P=0.021); calculation/attention, language function and executive function had negative correlation to the syndrome of phlegm turbid blocking upper orifices (r=-0.379, r=-0.448, r=-0.321, P=0.000, P=0.000, P=0.013). The scores of orientation, calculation/attention, delayed word recall and language function in the patients with phlegm turbid blocking upper orifices were significantly lower than the patients with non-phlegm turbid blocking upper orifices (P0.05).The syndrome of phlegm turbid blocking upper orifices is significantly correlated to the scores of MMSE and ADL, indicating that the phlegm turbid blocking upper orifices is related to the cognitive function and ability of daily living in the VCI patients. Treatment of the phlegm is important in the cognitive impairment in VCI patients.

The enterprise market value includes the fair value of net assets, the fair value of residual income, and the impact of Non-Economic Factors on share prices. In addition to the fair value of net assets, the measurement of enterprise excess profitability (Self-created Goodwill) could revise the differences between the fair value of financial statements' items and the stock value, and help the fair value to regain the value relevance. The Non-Economic Factors should be considered not only during the value relevance test, but also when to explain the results.

The nucleotide sequences of P gene from a field strain of peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) ("China/Tib/Gej/07-30") was firstly determined. The P gene is 1,655 nucleotides long with two overlapping open reading frames (ORFs). The first ORF is 1530 nucleotides long and would produce P protein of 509 amino acid residues. The second ORF is 534 nucleotides long and would produce C protein of 177 amino acid residues. The first ORF produces a second mRNA transcript of 897 nucleotides long with an extra G nucleotide at position 751. Translation from this mRNA would produce V protein of 298 amino acid residues. The nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequence were compared with the homologous region of other PPRV isolates. At the amino acid level, the "China/Tib/Gej/07-30" shares homology of 86.10%-97.3%, 84.3%-94.9%, and 82.9%-96.3% for P, C, and V proteins respectively. Several sequence motifs in the P genes were identified on the basis of conservation in the PPRVs and the morbilliviruses.