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Adsorbents including CuCl2-AC, CuCl2-13X, Cu(NO3)2-AC and Cu(NO3)2-13X were prepared to remove trace phosphine from recycled hydrogen in the Siemens process of producing polysilicon, and adsorptive mechanisms were determined by X-ray diffraction and intermittent breakthrough experiments. CuCl2 could disperse better on supporters than Cu(NO3)2, and it existed in its original form. However, Cu(NO3)2 decomposed into copper oxide or basic cupric nitrate, and showed conspicuous thermal aggregation effect after calcination. Interactive effects between cupric components and supporters varied form species to species and deactivated the reactivity of CuCl2 and Cu(NO3)2 in different degree, which resulted in disparities of adsorbents’ performances. CuCl2-AC and Cu(NO3)2-AC had better performances than CuCl2-13X and Cu(NO3)2-13X because cupric components were deactivated more when loaded on 13X zeolite. Chemical transformation of phosphine made adsorbents’ surface renewable, and the renewed rate depended on the reactivity of cupric components. All of adsorbents showed significant recoveries of efficiencies in intermittent experiments.

We investigated the effects of low temperature (8.5°C) on the growth and feeding rates and feed conversion efficiency of juvenile P. olivaceus with an average initial weight of 3.87 ± 0.06 g (mean ± SE). Fish were exposed to 8.5°C for 0 (control), 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks, and then to 20°C for 10, 9, 8, 7 and 6 weeks, respectively. Low temperature clearly led to growth depression. The weight of fish exposed to low temperature for 1 week was restored to that of control, while that of fish exposed to low temperature longer was significantly decreased (P 0.05). Feeding rate and feed conversion efficiency were reduced at low temperature in juvenile P. olivaceus. The compensatory growth of juvenile P. olivaceus may therefore be attributed to the improvement of feeding rate. Our results suggested that growth depression occurs when juvenile P. olivaceus are exposed to low temperature for more than one week.

Reports about dissimilar joining of aluminum alloy and nickel base alloy are rare. The friction stir welding (FSW) technique reveals advantages over fusion welding in terms of dissimilar jointing. In the present research, FSW was employed to produce lap joints of aluminum alloy (2A70) and nickel-base alloy (Inconel 600) with various plunge depths (0–0.5 mm) under a given welding and rotation speed (1200 rpm, 40 mm/min). Macrographs were taken and the microstructure of the cross-section of the lap joints was investigated by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. A fine-grained zone was discovered on both sides of the interface. A thin Al3Ni interlayer was generated at the interface. The plunge depth has a vital influence on the joint strength. The lap joint failed at a very low load when the pin did not reach the nickel alloy surface, while the maximum shear strength of the lap joint was obtained under a plunge depth of 0.3 mm and reached 7.9 KN.

Chicoreus asianus is an ecologically and economically important species of Muricidae, which comprises a highly diverse group of carnivorous marine snails. However, the taxonomic classification and ...

Phascolosoma is one of the most important genera of Sipuncula, many species of which including P. scolops are economic important species in the fishery of southeast China. However, the synonym and ...

Siphonosoma cumanense is economic important species in the fishery of southeast China. However, the current classification and the phylogeny of genus Siphonosoma had not been verified yet. Here, we report the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of S. Siphonosoma. The mitogenome has 15,917 base pairs and made up of total of 38 genes (13 protein-coding, 23 transfer RNAs and 2 ribosomal RNAs), and a putative control region. This study was the first available complete mitogenomes of Siphonosoma and will provide useful genetic information for future phylogenetic and taxonomic classification of Sipuncula.

Mammilla mammata is an ecologically and economically important species of Caenogastropoda, which is the largest and most evolutionary successful group of marine gastropods. However, the phy...

The evolution of interfacial morphology and shear strengths of the joints soldered with Sn-0.3Ag-0.7Cu (SAC0307) and SAC0307-0.05Pr aged at 150 &deg, C for different times (h, up to 840 h) were investigated. The experiments showed the electronic joint soldered with SAC0307-0.05Pr has a much higher shear strength than that soldered with SAC0307 after each period of the aging process. This contributes to the doping of Pr atoms, &ldquo, vitamins in alloys&rdquo, which tend to be adsorbed on the grain surface of interfacial Cu6Sn5 IMCs, inhibiting the growth of IMCs. Theoretical analysis indicates that doping 0.05 wt.% Pr can evidently lower the growth constant of Cu6Sn5 (DCu6), while the growth constant of Cu3Sn (DCu3) decreased slightly. In addition, the electronic joint soldered with SAC0307-0.05Pr still has better ductility than that soldered with SAC0307, even after a 840-h aging process.

Light and gravity are two key determinants in orientating plant stems for proper growth and development. The organization and dynamics of the actin cytoskeleton are essential for cell biology and critically regulated by actin-binding proteins. However, the role of actin cytoskeleton in shoot negative gravitropism remains controversial. In this work, we report that the actin-binding protein Rice Morphology Determinant (RMD) promotes reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton in rice (Oryza sativa) shoots. The changes in actin organization are associated with the ability of the rice shoots to respond to negative gravitropism. Here, light-grown rmd mutant shoots exhibited agravitropic phenotypes. By contrast, etiolated rmd shoots displayed normal negative shoot gravitropism. Furthermore, we show that RMD maintains an actin configuration that promotes statolith mobility in gravisensing endodermal cells, and for proper auxin distribution in light-grown, but not dark-grown, shoots. RMD gene expression is diurnally controlled and directly repressed by the phytochrome-interacting factor-like protein OsPIL16. Consequently, overexpression of OsPIL16 led to gravisensing and actin patterning defects that phenocopied the rmd mutant. Our findings outline a mechanism that links light signaling and gravity perception for straight shoot growth in rice.

Powder metallurgy (PM) is a versatile technique to fabricate the particulate reinforced aluminum matrix composites (AMCs) by combining Al alloy powders with various types of reinforcement particles. However, the AMCs fabricated by PM generally lack ductility due to processing-related factors such as porosity, oxygen content, and undesirable microstructural features initiated by the contamination during powder preparation or sintering. In this study, the 5 wt% SiC/Al–Mg-Sc-Zr nanocomposite produced by PM was subjected to friction stir processing (FSP) to obtain the dense, uniform and refined microstructures and the attendant improved mechanical properties. The effect of FSP passes on the microstructural features and mechanical properties of as-PM nanocomposite was investigated, and the strengthening and toughening mechanism of FSPed nanocomposite was revealed. The results showed that the FSP passes with the opposite moving direction of FSP tool between the consecutive passes, largely affected the microstructure of the stir zone. Increasing FSP passes significantly reduced the microdefects and homogenized the microstructure. After 4-pass FSP, the whole stir zone consisting of the dense, uniform and refined microstructure, was obtained. This resulted in an increase in yield strength from 92 MPa in the as-PM condition to 161 MPa after 4-pass FSP, and a simultaneous nearly double enhancement in fracture strain from 0.11 to 0.29.

Ethylene aplenty signals soil compaction It's tough to drive a spade through compacted soil, and plant roots seem to have the same problem when growing in compacted ground. Pandey et al. found that the problem is not, however, one of physical resistance but rather inhibition of growth through a signaling pathway. The volatile plant hormone ethylene will diffuse through aerated soil, but compacted soil reduces such diffusion, increasing the concentration of ethylene near root tissues. The cellular signaling cascades triggered by too much ethylene stop root growth. Therefore, gaseous diffusion serves as a readout of soil compaction for plant roots growing in search of productive nutrition. Science , this issue p. 276

The Gerchberg–Saxton (GS) algorithm, which retrieves phase information from the measured intensities on two related planes (the source plane and the target plane), has been widely adopted in a variety of applications when holographic methods are challenging to be implemented. In this work, we showed that the GS algorithm can be generalized to retrieve the unknown propagating function that connects these two planes. As a proof-of-concept, we employed the generalized GS (GGS) algorithm to retrieve the optical transmission matrix (TM) of a complex medium through the measured intensity distributions on the target plane. Numerical studies indicate that the GGS algorithm can efficiently retrieve the optical TM while maintaining accuracy. With the same training data set, the computational time cost by the GGS algorithm is orders of magnitude less than that consumed by other non-holographic methods reported in the literature. Besides numerical investigations, we also experimentally demonstrated retrieving the optical TMs of a stack of ground glasses and a 1-m-long multimode fiber using the GGS algorithm. The accuracy of the retrieved TM was evaluated by synthesizing high-quality single foci and multiple foci on the target plane through these complex media. These results indicate that the GGS algorithm can handle a large TM with high efficiency, showing great promise in a variety of applications in optics.

The need of jointing aluminum and steel is increasing in automobiles industry. The FSW has advantages over fusion welding in dissimilar welding, and studies about FSW of aluminum and steel has been reported widely. However, FSLW of aluminum and steel using Zn as filler metal is few. In this study, sound Al Zn-steel “sandwich” joints were achieved. With the tool pin inserted into zinc foil, vast zinc was stirred into aluminum fabricating Al Zn mixing layer structure in the upper part of aluminum side. Thin steel-Zn mixing layer structure was discovered at the interface. No intermetallic compound interlayer was discovered at the interface. The lap joints with zinc foil as filler metal showed better strength than joints without filler metal. The microstructure of joints and the effect of Zn foil thickness on the joint strength were discussed.

In this paper, tungsten particles were dispersed into 1060 Al matrix by multi-pass friction stir processing (FSP) to fabricate W/1060Al composites. The effects of the number of FSP passes on the microstructure, mechanical properties and electrical resistivity were investigated. Microstructural observations revealed that increasing the number of FSP passes contributed to W uniform distribution and grain refinement without changing the size and morphology of W particles. Detailed interfacial microstructure analysis indicated that an excellent metallurgical bonding consisting of an element solid solution was formed at the W/Al interface. The mechanical test results showed that, as the number of FSP passes increased, the microhardness values were remarkably enhanced with a more uniform distribution and at the same time both the strength and ductility of FSPed composites were also improved. The maximum microhardness, strength and ductility were achieved in 5-pass FSPed composite reaching to approximate 86 HV, 126 MPa and 24%, respectively. It was also found that the W particles reinforced Al composites exhibited excellent electrical conductivity and increasing the number of FSP passes caused a negligible enhancement in the electrical resistivity of FSPed composites.

In this study, friction stir brazing (FSB) was applied to join 6061 aluminum to H62 brass with the aid of zinc foil. The thermal history of interface was measured by thermocouple. The interfacial microstructure variations under different welding speeds were analyzed via scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Additionally, an overlap shearing test was conducted to evaluate the influences of welding speeds on the failure loads of corresponding FSBed joints. Furthermore, typical sound joint was evaluated by peel test to investigate the effect of zinc foil on the fracture behavior and the diffusion reaction products on both aluminum and brass side. The results reveal that the change of traveling speed has significant effect on the thickness of interlayer as well as the cooling rate, but little on the peak temperature. Besides, the maximum failure load can be achieved as high as 7.62 KN at rotational speed of 1800 rpm and the traveling speed of 60 mm/min, respectively. Worthy of note is that the presence of zinc foil has a more positive effect on joint strength, which may be possibly attributed to more Cu Zn intermetallic compounds (IMCs) formed at aluminum side instead of the appearance of more harmful Al Cu IMCs.

Silicon materials used in semiconductor and photovoltaic products have strict purity requirements. The quality of materials will be affected severely if even trace amounts of PH3 are contained in the hydrogen of the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) stove. Thus, it is critical that the content of PH3 be controlled under a certain level. In contrast to series of metal oxide adsorbents reported in other research, 13X zeolite modified with ZnCl2 (Zn-13X) and CuCl2 (Cu-13X) was prepared to adsorb trace PH3 in this study. Breakthrough curves and adsorption capacities at different temperatures from −15 to 50 °C were investigated to determine the performance of the adsorbents. X-ray diffraction and surface analysis were carried out to characterize the adsorbents and the adsorption mechanism. The results showed that CuCl2 was dispersed on 13X in monolayer or submonolayer form, and ZnCl2 would change the structure of 13X under the experimental condition. New diffraction peaks at 35.6° and 38.8° appeared after loadin...

In this study, dissimilar butt joining of 6061 aluminum alloy and commercially pure copper via friction stir welding was performed with varying tool offset value. The mechanical properties were compared using transverse tensile testing. It was found that as the tool offset decreased from a position of 2 mm–0 mm, the ultimate tensile strength of the welded joint increased, and then decreased drastically when the offset was more than 1.6 mm. X-ray tomography results showed that an effective mechanical interlocking structure was formed with a chaotic interface along the joint line. In addition, in-situ tool temperatures measurement showed that the stir zone peak temperature was highly dependent on tool offset.

Background GPR110 is a member of the adhesion G protein-coupled receptor family, which has been identified as an oncogene in various cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma, lung cancer, prostatic cancer and glioma. Whereas the expression and the clinical relevance of GPR110 in gastric cancer has not been investigated. The research purpose of this study was to explore the expression pattern of GPR110 and evaluate its clinical-pathological and prognostic value in gastric cancer. Methods In this study, the expression of GPR110 was detected in 117 paired gastric cancer tissues and adjacent non-tumorous tissues by using qRT-PCR and immunohistochemical assays. Univariate Kaplan-Meier and multivariate Cox analysis were used to determine the prognostic value of GPR110 in GC. Results We demonstrated that the mRNA and protein levels of GPR110 in GC tissues were overexpressed than the adjacent non-tumorous tissues. Furthermore, elevated GPR110 protein expression was correlated with decreased overall and recurrence-free survival (P = 0.001 and P = 0.000, respectively). Univariate and multivariate analysis indicated that GPR110 protein level may serve as an independent prognostic indicator for determining prognosis of GC patients. Conclusions Our study revealed that high expression of GPR110 predicts the poor prognosis of GC patients, and GPTR110 may function as a potential biomarker for the diagnosis of GC.

Root traits such as root angle and hair length influence resource acquisition particularly for immobile nutrients like phosphorus (P). Here, we attempted to modify root angle in rice by disrupting the OsAUX1 auxin influx transporter gene in an effort to improve rice P acquisition efficiency. We show by X-ray microCT imaging that root angle is altered in the osaux1 mutant, causing preferential foraging in the top soil where P normally accumulates, yet surprisingly, P acquisition efficiency does not improve. Through closer investigation, we reveal that OsAUX1 also promotes root hair elongation in response to P limitation. Reporter studies reveal that auxin response increases in the root hair zone in low P environments. We demonstrate that OsAUX1 functions to mobilize auxin from the root apex to the differentiation zone where this signal promotes hair elongation when roots encounter low external P. We conclude that auxin and OsAUX1 play key roles in promoting root foraging for P in rice., Plant root architecture can adapt to different nutrient conditions in the soil. Here Giri et al. show that the rice auxin influx carrier AUX1 mobilizes auxin from the root apex to the differentiation zone and promotes root hair elongation when roots encounter low external phosphate.

Root angle has a major impact on acquisition of nutrients like phosphate that accumulate in topsoil and in many species; low phosphate induces shallower root growth as an adaptive response. Identifying genes and mechanisms controlling root angle is therefore of paramount importance to plant breeding. Here we show that the actin-binding protein Rice Morphology Determinant (RMD) controls root growth angle by linking actin filaments and gravity-sensing organelles termed statoliths. RMD is upregulated in response to low external phosphate and mutants lacking of RMD have steeper crown root growth angles that are unresponsive to phosphate levels. RMD protein localizes to the surface of statoliths, and rmd mutants exhibit faster gravitropic response owing to more rapid statoliths movement. We conclude that adaptive changes to root angle in response to external phosphate availability are RMD dependent, providing a potential target for breeders., The orientation of plant roots responds to gravity and influences nutrient acquisition. Here the authors show that the formin RMD buffers movement of specialized gravity-sensing organelles and report enhanced RMD expression during phosphate deficiency that could alter root angle to improve phosphate uptake.

Root traits such as root angle and hair length influence resource acquisition particularly for immobile nutrients like phosphorus (P). Here, we attempted to modify root angle in rice by disrupting the OsAUX1 auxin influx transporter gene in an effort to improve rice P acquisition efficiency. We show by X-ray microCT imaging that root angle is altered in the osaux1 mutant, causing preferential foraging in the top soil where P normally accumulates, yet surprisingly, P acquisition efficiency does not improve. Through closer investigation, we reveal that OsAUX1 also promotes root hair elongation in response to P limitation. Reporter studies reveal that auxin response increases in the root hair zone in low P environments. We demonstrate that OsAUX1 functions to mobilize auxin from the root apex to the differentiation zone where this signal promotes hair elongation when roots encounter low external P. We conclude that auxin and OsAUX1 play key roles in promoting root foraging for P in rice.

Melo melo is an ecologically and economically important species of Neogastropoda, which is an ecologically diverse group of carnivorous marine gastropods. However, the taxonomic classification and phylogenetic studies have so far been limited. In this study, we report the second complete mitochondrial genome of Volutidae from M. melo. The mitogenome has 15,721 base pairs (68.3% A + T content) and made up of total of 37 genes (13 protein-coding, 22 transfer RNAs and 2 ribosomal RNAs), and a control region. This study was the second available complete mitogenomes of Volutidae and will provide useful genetic information for future phylogenetic and taxonomic classification of Neogastropoda.

The green tiger prawn, Penaeus semisulcatus, is one of the economically important penaeid shrimp due to its larger body size compared with other shrimps in Penaeidae family. However, the taxonomic revision studies of Penaeidae have been one of the most controversial issues in recent years. Moreover, there are at least two morphotypes of the green tiger prawn, one with banded antenna, another with non-banded antenna. In this study, we report the complete mitochondrial genome of P. semisulcatus. The mitogenome has 16,002 base pairs (68.6% A + T content) and made up of total of 37 genes (13 protein-coding, 22 transfer RNAs and 2 ribosomal RNAs), and a control region. This study adds one more available complete mitogenomes of Penaeus and will provide useful genetic information for future evolutionary and taxonomic classification of Penaeidae.

The rare-spined murex (Murex trapa) is an ecologically and economically important species of Muricidae, which comprises a highly diverse group of predatory marine snails. However, the taxonomic classification and phylogenetic studies have so far been limited. In this study, we report the first complete mitochondrial genome of Murex from M. trapa. The mitogenome has 15,408 bp (66.3% A + T content) and made up of total of 37 genes (13 protein-coding, 22 transfer RNAs, and 2 ribosomal RNAs), and a control region. This study provided the first complete mitogenome of Murex and will provide useful genetic information for future phylogenetic and taxonomic classification of Muricidae.

The black sea cucumber, Holothuria leucospilota, is an ecologically and economically important holothuroid in China due to broader environmental adaptation and valuable pharmacological compounds. However, the wild stocks of H. leucospilota, have been declining steadily due to overexploitation in recent years. The stock enhancement programme has become an increasingly important priority. In this study, we report the complete mitochondrial genome of H. leucospilota. The mitogenome has 15,839 base pairs (57.6% A + T content) and made up of total of 37 genes (13 protein-coding, 22 transfer RNAs and 2 ribosomal RNAs), and a putative control region. The complete mitogenomes of H. leucospilota will provide useful genetic information for future conservation and management of this valuable and vulnerable species.

The sea cucumber, Stichopus monotuberculatus, is an economically important holothuroid in China due to its larger body size and valuable nutrition. However, the taxonomic revision studies of Stichopodidae have been one of the most controversial issues in recent years. Moreover, there remain considerable doubts about a complex of cryptic species within S. monotuberculatus. In this study, we report the complete mitochondrial genome of S. monotuberculatus. The mitogenome has 16,274 base pairs (60.4% A + T content) and made up of total of 37 genes (13 protein-coding, 22 transfer RNAs and 2 ribosomal RNAs), and a putative control region. This study adds one more available complete mitogenomes of Stichopus and will provide useful genetic information for future evolutionary and taxonomic classification of Stichopodidae.

Hemifusus tuba is an ecologically and economically important species of Buccinoidea, which comprises an ecologically diverse group of carnivorous marine gastropods. However, the taxonomic classification and phylogenetic studies have so far been limited. In this study, we report the first complete mitochondrial genome of Melongenidae from H. tuba. The mitogenome has 15,483 bp (68.2% A + T content) and made up of total of 37 genes (13 protein-coding, 22 transfer RNAs, and 2 ribosomal RNAs), and a control region. This study was the first to provide complete mitogenome of Melongenidae and will provide useful genetic information for future phylogenetic and taxonomic classification of Buccinoidea.

A 10-week feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of replacing fish meal (FM) with meat and bone meal (MBM) on growth and body composition of juvenile snakehead Ophiocephalus argus. Six approximately isonitrogenous (450 g kg−1 crude protein) and isoenergetic (18.5 MJ kg −1 gross energy) diets were formulated by replacing 0, 200, 400, 600, 800 and 1000 g kg−1 FM protein with MBM protein, and the diets were designated as control, MBM20, MBM40, MBM60, MBM80 and MBM100, respectively. Each diet was fed to triplicate groups of fish with initial mean body weight of 12.11 ± 0.08 g (mean ± SD) in floating cages in an earthen pond, and each cage was initially stocked with 40 fish. Both specific growth rate (SGR) and protein efficiency ratio (PER) in the control and MBM20 group had no significant differences (p > 0.05), but were significantly higher (p

Bioturbation by Sipunculus nudus in a fish-Sipunculus polyculture system was investigated using two controlled experiments. The first experiment was conducted in 20 breeding tanks (water volume 550 L) in which unfed S. nudus (mean weight 1.2 ± 0.1 g) were stocked in the bottom sandy sediment at four different densities: 0 (control), 50, 100 and 150 individuals per tank. In each tank, 3 juvenile Mugil cephalus (mean weight 24.5 ± 0.5 g) were cultured with a normal ration supply in a net cage (diameter 0.8 m, height 0.6 m) suspended in the seawater above. The experiment was conducted for 60 d. The second experiment, which was conducted for 20 d, quantified the transportation ability of S. nudus on the surface sediment. S. nudus (mean weight 1.3 ± 0.1 g) were stocked in the sandy sediment in 25 aquaria (31 cm × 20 cm × 30 cm) at five densities (0, 4, 8, 12 and 16 individuals per aquarium). The sediment was prepared in layers: the bottom layer was a 6-cm-thick layer of medium sand (grain size 0.40–1.10 mm), and the top layer was a 1-cm-thick layer of fine sand (grain size 0.10–0.28 mm). In the first experiment, 1) S. nudus exhibited excellent survival in all experimental groups, but positive weight gain was only observed in the low-stocking-density group (50 individuals per tank); the best M. cephalus growth also occurred in this group (P The above results indicate that S. nudus can mitigate sediment organic waste accumulation in an aquaculture system by transporting surface sediment to the bottom; thus, the polyculture of S. nudus with other aquaculture animals is both ecologically and economically feasible.

LaNi 4.8 Al 0.2 alloy particles encapsulated by SiO 2 matrix were prepared by the sol gel method. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) imaging was applied to determine the silica network outside the encapsulated alloy. The hydriding kinetics, pulverization and poisoning characteristics of LaNi 4.8 Al 0.2 alloy were investigated before and after being encapsulated by silica. The results reveal that the hydriding properties of encapsulated alloy are excellent. The hydrogenation rate of encapsulated alloy is faster than that of the original alloy. The quantities of hydrogen stored by the encapsulated and original alloy are 169.3 Nml/g and 147.1 Nml/g, respectively. The LaNi 4.8 Al 0.2 alloy particles are broken up into powder after 10 times hydrogen absorption/desorption cycles, while the encapsulated alloy do not show any breakdown after 30 times hydrogen adsorption/desorption cycles. The quantities of hydrogen absorbed by original alloy particles are less than 8.2 Nml/g in H 2 -14.4% CO and 18.6 Nml/g in H 2 -12.8% CO 2 , while the quantities of hydrogen absorbed by encapsulated alloy agglomerations are 84.5 Nml/g in H 2 -14.4% CO and 168.9 Nml/g in H 2 -12.8% CO 2 . These results clearly indicate that the pulverization and poisoning resistance properties of LaNi 4.8 Al 0.2 alloy are evidently enhanced after being encapsulated by silica network.

Classically activated macrophages (M1) are proinflammatory effectors and closely related to the progression of neurotoxicity. As a powerful psychostimulant and addictive drug, methamphetamine (Meth) abuse could result in long-lasting abnormalities in retina. This study investigated the effect of Meth at nontoxic concentration on macrophage activation state and its resultant toxicity to photoreceptor cells. Results showed that cytotoxicity was caused by Meth on 661 W cells after coculturing with RAW264.7 macrophage. RAW264.7 cells tended to switch to the M1 phenotype, releasing more proinflammatory cytokines after treatment with Meth. Meth could also upregulate the M1-related gene and protein expression. Our study demonstrated that Meth promoted macrophage polarization from M0 to M1 and induced inflammatory response, providing the scientific rationale for the photoreceptor cell damage caused by the Meth abuse.

Vehicle direct yaw moment control can significantly improve vehicle driving stability and safety. The closed-loop simulation of man-vehicle-road based on the driver model is valuable for the evaluation of control algorithms. In this paper, the co-simulation method based on the single-point preview driver model and veDYNA dynamics software is studied. A direct yaw moment control algorithm based on sliding-mode variable structure control theory is proposed, and the Dugoff tyre model is improved. Based on the non-linear tyre model, the target slip rate is determined. The simulated test of the single-shift line condition on a high-, and low-adhesion road was carried out by MATLAB™/Simulink/veDYNA. The results show that the proposed yaw moment control method can effectively improve the speed and accuracy of yaw rate tracking, reduce the vehicle centre-of-mass slip angle, and enhance driving safety.

The StreetScan pavement-management system (PMS) is introduced. It empowers cities to make more cost-effective road repair decisions. At the heart of the system is a vehicle outfitted with a patented, multimodal sensor array that rapidly collects data for every street in the city. A combination of sensor-specific algorithms and multisensor data fusion are applied to convert the raw data into more actionable condition indices. Decision trees and mathematical models are then applied to determine what repairs are needed and how to prioritize them in the most cost effective manner. Users are able to visualize and interact with the repair suggestions and condition indices through an innovative web-based geographic information system (GIS) application. At less than half the cost, the StreetScan PMS is considerably more affordable than conventional PMSs. This paper validates its effectiveness in the real world by taking a look at two recent applications: (1) a city-wide application in Beverly, Massachuset...

International audience; The hormone auxin is critical for many plant developmental processes. Unlike the model eudicot plant Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), auxin distribution and signaling in rice tissues has not been systematically investigated due to the absence of suitable auxin response reporters. In this study we observed the conservation of auxin signaling components between Arabidopsis and model monocot crop rice (Oryza sativa), and generated complementary types of auxin biosensor constructs, one derived from the Aux/IAA-based biosensor DII-VENUS but constitutively driven by maize ubiquitin-1 promoter, and the other termed DR5-VENUS in which a synthetic auxin-responsive promoter (DR5rev) was used to drive expression of the yellow fluorescent protein (YFP). Using the obtained transgenic lines, we observed that during the vegetative development, accumulation of DR5-VENUS signal was at young and mature leaves, tiller buds and stem base. Notably, abundant DR5-VENUS signals were observed in the cytoplasm of cortex cells surrounding lateral root primordia (LRP) in rice. In addition, auxin maxima and dynamic re-localization were seen at the initiation sites of inflorescence and spikelet primordia including branch meristems (BMs), female and male organs. The comparison of these observations among Arabidopsis, rice and maize suggests the unique role of auxin in regulating rice lateral root emergence and reproduction. Moreover, protein localization of auxin transporters PIN1 homologs and GFP tagged OsAUX1 overlapped with DR5-VENUS during spikelet development, helping validate these auxin response reporters are reliable markers in rice. This work firstly reveals the direct correspondence between auxin distribution and rice reproductive and root development at tissue and cellular level, and provides high-resolution auxin tools to probe fundamental developmental processes in rice and to establish links between auxin, development and agronomical traits like yield or root architecture.

An experimental study on gas-particle flow behavior in a spout-fluid bed with a draft tube was performed in a 182 mm diameter cylindrical column with a flat distributor. Sub-millimeter grade silicon particles with wide particle size distribution were used as bed materials to investigate the effect of operating conditions and geometrical parameters on the flow behavior. The pressure drop and its standard deviation were recorded using a capacitive differential pressure transducer, which can be applied to evaluate the hydrodynamic properties. The effects of fluidizing gas and geometrical parameters of the bed on the hydrodynamic characteristics were analyzed. The results show that the minimum spout-fluidizing velocity increases with increasing the length of entrainment zone and the draft tube diameter, but it decreases with the increasing of fluidizing gas flow rate and static bed height. Furthermore, a correlation on the minimum spout-fluidizing velocity which has practical value is proposed based on the present experimental data, and the calculated data is in good agreement with the experimental results. In addition, seven flow regions can also be observed in different spouting and fluidizing gas velocity, and a new flow regime map for a spout-fluid bed is established with the consideration of the influence of flow regime on geometrical parameters. Such results mentioned above can provide important information on the flow behavior in the spout-fluid bed with a draft tube for process design.

Biodiversity in plant shape is mainly attributable to the diversity of leaf shape, which is largely determined by the transient morphogenetic activity of the leaf margin that creates leaf serrations. However, the precise mechanism underlying the establishment of this morphogenetic capacity remains poorly understood. We report here that INDOLE-3-BUTYRIC ACID RESPONSE 5 (IBR5), a dual-specificity phosphatase, is a key component of leaf-serration regulatory machinery. Loss-of-function mutants of IBR5 exhibited pronounced serrations due to increased cell area. IBR5 was localized in the nucleus of leaf epidermis and petiole cells. Introducing a C129S mutation within the highly conserved VxVHCx2GxSRSx5AYLM motif of IBR5 rendered it unable to rescue the leaf-serration defects of the ibr5-3 mutant. In addition, auxin reporters revealed that the distribution of auxin maxima was expanded ectopically in ibr5-3. Furthermore, we found that the distribution of PIN1 on the plasma membrane of the epidermal and cells around the leaf vein was compromised in ibr5-3. We concluded that IBR5 is essential for the establishment of PIN-FORMED 1 (PIN1)-directed auxin maxima at the tips of leaf serration, which is vital for the elaborated regulation during its formation.

Resistance random access memory (RRAM) has attracted considerable scientific and industrial attention as a next-generation data memory system. In this work, zinc–aluminium layered double hydroxide Zn-Al (LDH) films were sequentially prepared by direct deposition on alumina (Al) foil substrate. Further, a sandwich Ag/Zn-Al (LDH)/Al structure was prepared by printing Ag as a top electrode. The device displays a variable OFF/ON resistance ratio (from 104 to 102) due to the stacked, layered structure and interaction of Ag ion and anion inside Zn-Al (LDH) layer. To explain the conductive mechanism, the formation and rupture of nanoscale Ag filament inside the Zn-Al (LDH) vertical nanosheets are recommended to describe the memory performance. This work indicates that Zn-Al (LDH) vertical nanosheets have great potential to be used in flexible memory devices in the near future.

This paper aims to offer a novel friction stir welding (FSW) for improving the joint integrity. It uses the upper sheet and grooved backing plate to avoid thickness reduction and root flaws. The effect of process parameters on the microstructure and mechanical properties was investigated by Taguchi method. The results showed that thickness reduction and root flaws in the joints could be completely eliminated. The morphologies of stir zone (SZ) were able to be divided into typical stacked layers and onion ring structures. Besides, all the SZ contained fine equiaxed grains and its grain size increased as the ω/v ratio increased. The signal to noise (S/N) ratio showed the optimum parameters were rotational speed of 1000 rpm, welding speed of 65 mm min−1 and tilt angle of 2.5°, which reached the largest tensile strength of 238 MPa, approximately 84.1% of base metal (BM). The fracture morphology of the joint contained plenty of dimples, exhibiting typical ductile fracture.

Isobaric vapor–liquid equilibria (VLE) of binary systems formed by 1-chloro-2-ethylhexane + 2-ethyl-1-hexanol as well as 1-chloro-2-ethylhexane or 2-ethyl-1-hexanol + p-xylene (PX), or N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) were determined at a pressure of 40.0 kPa using a recirculating still. The Wilson, nonrandom two-liquid (NRTL), and universal quasichemical (UNIQUAC) activity coefficient models were used to describe the nonideality of the liquid phase. The vapor phase was regarded as ideal. The experimental data were checked with the Herington consistency and point consistency test methods, which showed thermodynamic consistency.

Toll like receptor (TLR) 7, 8 and 9 are intracellular TLRs which play important roles in host immune defense against bacterial or virus pathogens. In this study, TLR7, 8 and 9 were identified from golden pompano (Trachinotus ovatus), a marine teleost with great economic values. Sequence analysis revealed that the three TLRs contained several conserved characteristic features, including signal peptides, 25 leucine-rich repeat (LRR) motifs, a transmembrane domain and a TIR motif. These three TLRs shared high sequence identity and similarity with their counterparts from other teleosts. The phylogenetic tree analysis showed the three TLRs were clustered well with their piscine counterparts, confirming the correctness of their nomenclatures and closed relationships during evolution. Quantitative real-time PCR revealed that the three TLRs were ubiquitously expressed in all the tested tissues from normal pompano, with high expression in spleen and head kidney, indicating their role in immune reaction. Further, pompano TLR7 and TLR8 was up-regulated in spleen and head kidney from 12 h to 48 h following polyI:C challenge, but remained no changes to Vibrio alginilyticus infection. In contrast, pompano TLR9 could be induced by V. alginilyticus infection but remained apathetic to polyI:C challenge. These results indicated that pompano TLR7, 8 and 9 might have distinct roles in response to bacterial or virus pathogens. Our results provided the basis for further study on ligand specificity and signaling pathways of fish TLRs which are required for elucidating the immune functions of fish TLRs.

As the heart of a power system, the safe running of a power transformer is important. The rate of transformer failures caused by the winding deformation remains high, therefore the study on detecting the transformer winding deformation is of great significance to avoid unexpected failures and improve the reliability of the operation in power systems. To detect the winding deformation within a power transformer effectively, people develop lots of non-destructive methods, such as frequency response analysis (FRA), short circuit impedance (SCI), sweep frequency impedance (SFI), low voltage impulse (LVI), and so on. As a novel detection technique, the SFI method is widely used for onsite tests due to its anti-jamming ability and definite standard code, but its characteristics still need be studied further. In this paper, a fast, economical, and nondestructive testing system was established to study influence factors, which included the length of the grounding line and the inside short circuit line, on SFI method during detecting winding deformation within a power transformer. The experimental results show that: 1) the longitudinal change of the short circuit line between two disks affect the tendency of the SFI curve at medium frequency band during simulating a short circuit fault within a power transformer. 2) the change of the grounding line length leads to the change of the SFI curve at high frequencies, which results in the misjudgment of the transformer winding deformation.

The TES, CPS and TMS are very important ancillary systems for operation of the TBM because most of the TBM experiment data will be got by operation of these systems. This paper introduces the progress of the R&D on these systems. A hydrogen isotope separation subsystem is integrated into the TES for accurate measurement of tritium as well as less tritium contamination hydrogen release into the environment compare with the original design of the TES. A tested assembly of a TES based on the results has been designed based on the results. Experiment results on the components show that the present design is feasible.

As one of the important components of computational flight mechanics and control, numerical algorithms of trajectory optimization for flight vehicles are currently studied by many researchers in aerospace engineering to completely solve these difficult problems, but few papers on the survey of this research field have been published recently. Based on the investigation of more than one hundred literatures, considering the application perspectives of computational flight mechanics and recent developments of trajectory optimization, the numerical algorithms of trajectory optimizations for aerospace vehicles are summarized and systematically analyzed. This paper summarized the basic principle, characteristics and application for all kinds of current trajectory optimization algorithms; and introduced some new methods and theories appearing in recent years. Finally, collaborative trajectory optimization for many flight vehicles, and hypersonic vehicle trajectory optimization were mainly reviewed in this paper. In the conclusion of this paper, the future research properties are presented regarding to numerical algorithms of trajectory optimization and control for flight vehicles as follows: collaboration and antagonization for many flight vehicles and multiple targets, global, real-time online, high accuracy of 7-D trajectory, considering all kinds of unknown random disturbances in trajectory optimization, and so on.

Tritium extraction system (TES) is one of the most important components in the helium cooled solid breeder test blanket modules (TBMs) of ITER. TES will extract various isotopic species of hydrogen by the liquid nitrogen cooled molecular sieve adsorber beds (MSB). The cryogenic hydrogen adsorption properties of several kinds of molecular sieves have been investigated at the pressure of hydrogen of 100 Pa, 200 Pa, and 0.2 MPa in order to offer the suitable molecular sieve for the MSB in TES. The saturated hydrogen adsorption capacities of the MS5A-2 and MS13X-2 have been measured at 100 Pa hydrogen pressure. To demonstrate the hydrogen extraction from continuous He–H2 purge gases, the MS5A-2 has been tested in circulating 99.79% He–0.21% H2 mixture with a flow rate of 16.8 L/min. The results show that the globular MS5A-2 with a diameter of 3–5 mm can adsorb/desorb hydrogen quickly. The saturated hydrogen adsorption capacity of MS5A-2 is 7.55 ml g−1 (NTP) and MS5A-2 could effectively extract trace hydrogen from mixture gases. As a result, this type of molecular sieve can be the candidate of the one in the MSB in ITER TBM.

Vapor–liquid equilibrium (VLE) data for toluene + acrylic acid, toluene + acetic acid, and cyclohexane + acrylic acid systems have been determined at 20 kPa (absolute pressure) using a circulating VLE still. The Hayden and O'Connell equation has been used to account for the nonideality of the vapor phase. The experimental data were checked both with the Herington consistency test and point consistency test methods, which showed thermodynamic consistency. Only the toluene and acetic acid system presents an azeotrope at 20 kPa and 332.29 K with the mole fraction of toluene as 0.525. All equilibrium data were correlated with Wilson, nonrandom two-liquid (NRTL), and universal quasichemical (UNIQUAC) activity coefficient models to obtain the binary interaction parameters of these models using Aspen Plus commercial software to introduce them in the simulation model.

A process composed of a fixed-bed and a distillation column with a side withdraw, mainly methanol, is developed to hydrolyze methyl acetate (MA) as a typical byproduct in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and pure terephthalic acid (PTA) factory. The process is simulated by employing the equilibrium stage model RadFrac and plug flow model Rplug in Aspen Plus. Experiments are also carried out in a lab-scale to evaluate the process. The results show that at the molar ratio of water to methyl acetate about 4.0-5.0 in the feed stream and the volume ratio of distillate to feed MA above a critical value, the side product contains more than 80% (by mass) (MeOH) and less than 2% (by mass) MA, while the bottom contains more than 46% (by mass) acetic acid (HAc) and less than 0.5% (by mass) methanol with almost complete conversion of MA. Compared with the old catalytic distillation process we proposed before, this process can cut down 47.6% energy consumption and a distillation column.

Global 4-D trajectory (x, y, z, t) is optimized for a spacecraft, which is launched from the Earth to fly around the Sun, just as star-drift of 1437 asteroids in the solar system. The spacecraft trajectory is controlled by low thrust. The performance index of optimal trajectory is to maximize the rendezvous times with the intermediate asteroids, and also maximize the final mass. This paper provides a combined algorithm of global 4-D trajectory optimization. The algorithm is composed of dynamic programming and two-point-boundary algorithm based on optimal control theory. The best 4-D trajectory is obtained: the spacecraft flies passing 55 asteroids, and rendezvous with (following or passing again) asteroids for 454 days, and finally rendezvous with the asteroid 2005SN25 on the day 60521 (MJD), the final mass of the spacecraft is 836.53 kg.