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Isorhamnetin, a flavonoid compound extracted from plants' fruit or leaves, like sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.), has many biological functions, including anti-tumor, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effect. The present study is in order to explore the hepatoprotective effect of isorhamnetin on concanavalin A (ConA)-induced acute fulminant hepatitis and the underlying mechanism. Mice were injected with ConA (25 mg/kg) to induce acute fulminant hepatitis, three doses of isorhamnetin (10/30/90 mg/kg) was intraperitoneally administrated about 1 h previously. The serum and liver tissues were harvested at 2, 8, and 24 h after ConA injection. The levels of serum liver enzymes and proinflammatory cytokines were significantly reduced in isorhamnetin administration groups. Besides, isorhamnetin improved pathological damage. Furthermore, isorhamnetin affected P38/PPAR-α pathway, and subsequently regulated the expression of apoptosis and autophagy related proteins. The present study investigated that isorhamnetin inhibits apoptosis and autophagy via P38/PPAR-α pathway in mice.

A series of Eu3+-activated red phosphors ZnBi2B2O7:xEu3+ were synthesized by high temperature solid-state reaction method. Rietveld refinement on the powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) data was performed to study the local crystal environment of Eu3+ in ZnBi2B2O7 host. The refinement results disclose that the doped Eu3+ do not change the host structure. Although two different cation sites are available, the doped Eu3+ is inclined to occupy Zn site instead of Bi site. This indicates that there is only one luminescent center when Eu3+ is doped into ZnBi2B2O7 phosphor, which is further confirmed by the luminescence properties of ZnBi2B2O7:xEu3+. The influences of the doping concentration and the excitation wavelength on the one-center luminescence of Eu3+ in ZnBi2B2O7 are discussed along with the decay characteristics. Based on the temperature-dependent PL spectra, the fast decrease of emission intensity with the increase of temperature is due to the non-radiative relaxation.

Spray winding is a method that draws carbon nanotube sheets from carbon nanotube array, winds them onto rotating mandrel and sprays polymer matrix on each layer of carbon nanotube sheet in the meantime. It is proved to be an effective way to produce aligned carbon nanotubes reinforced polymer composite, in which most of the carbon nanotubes align along the length direction of composite. However, it is found that misalignment and waviness of carbon nanotubes hinder the performance of polymer-nanotube composites in authors’ previous study. In order to further improve the carbon nanotube orientation, we demonstrate a methodology employing spray winding followed by a prestraining strategy to enhance the carbon nanotube orientation in a CNT/polyimide composite. Multifunctional carbon nanotube/polyimide composites with high CNT volume fraction were developed with remarkable enhancement in mechanical, thermal and electrical properties. The tensile stress and Young’s modulus appreciated by 262% and 205.9%, respectively; upon subjecting the composites to a prestrain of 6%. Significant improvement in the electrical and thermal conductivities was also observed due to prestraining. We attribute the latter to the formation of effective phonon and electron transfer paths resulting from improved carbon nanotube orientation.

The impact behavior of warp-knitted spacer fabrics (WKSFs) impregnated with shear thickening fluid (STF) under low-velocity impact loadings have been investigated from experimental and finite element analyses (FEA) approaches. From the experimental approach, the impact load–displacement curves have been obtained. It was observed that the WKSF impregnated with the STF composite material (the WKSF/STF composite) shows a higher stiffness and lower peak force than those of the WKSF under the same impact loadings. In FEA approach, the geometrical models of the WKSF and the WKSF/STF composite material were established based on the WKSF fabric architectures. The dynamic responses including the impact load–displacement curves and impact deformation of the samples were predicted based on finite element analyses at the microstructure level. It was found that the STF and the coupling effect between the STF fluid and fiber tows are the key factors which influence the cushioning behaviors of the composite. The energy absorption mechanisms include the buckling of the spacer finer tows and the thickening effect of the STF under impact loading. The WKSF/STF composite could be expected as a damping or energy-absorptive materials under impact loading.

Mn(2+)-activated red phosphor α-LiZnBO3:Mn(2+) was synthesized by solid state reaction. ESR spectra prove that the doped ions are Mn(2+). The doped Mn(2+) ion is inclined to occupy Zn(2+) site, which is a tetrahedral coordination. The diffuse reflection spectra indicate that α-LiZnBO3:Mn(2+) has strong absorption in the range of 400-450 nm. Excited at 431 nm, an abnormal red emission band in the wavelength of 550-800 nm is observed, which is because of the strong crystal field induced by the distorted tetrahedral. The emission bands are centered at 647 nm, regardless of the excitation wavelength and Mn(2+) doping concentration. The temperature-dependent PL results reveal that α-LiZnBO3:Mn(2+) is thermally stable but the emission peak moves to shorter wavelength as temperature increases because of the decrease of the crystal field.

Hepatic ischemia reperfusion (IR) injury contributes to the morbidity and mortality associated with liver surgery. This study investigated the protective function and mechanism of propylene glycol alginate sodium sulfate (PSS), a sulfated polysaccharide, in a mouse hepatic IR injury model. PSS (25 or 50 mg/kg) or saline were injected intraperitoneally to male Balb/c mice 1 h before 45 min of 70% warm hepatic ischemia and 2, 8, and 24 h of reperfusion. Serum and liver tissue samples were collected for evaluation of hepatocellular damage, liver histology, and assay of inflammatory cytokines, apoptosis- and autophagy-related proteins, and proteins in the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPKs). Histological injury and release of transaminases, and inflammatory cytokine production were significantly reduced by PSS pretreatment. The expression of apoptosis- and autophagy-related proteins, and the activation of MAPK signal, including jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), and P38 were all affected by PSS treatment compared with IR model controls. PSS protected the liver from IR injury by suppressing the MAPK signaling and down-regulating inflammation, apoptosis, and autophagy.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of quercetin on hepatic fibrosis, a characteristic response to acute or chronic liver injury. Mice were randomized to bile duct ligation (BDL) or carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) cirrhosis models. Quercetin (100 mg/kg or 200 mg/kg daily) was administered by gavage for 2 or 4 weeks. Liver tissue and blood samples were collected for histological and molecular analysis. The results of our experiments showed that quercetin reduced BDL or CCl4 liver fibrosis, inhibited extracellular matrix formation, and regulated matrix metallopeptidase (MMP)-9 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1. Quercetin attenuated liver damage by suppressing the TGF-β1/Smads signaling pathway and activating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway to inhibit autophagy in BDL- or CCl4- induced liver fibrosis. Quercetin prevented hepatic fibrosis by attenuating hepatic stellate cell activation and reducing autophagy through regulating crosstalk between the TGF-β1/Smads and PI3K/Akt pathways.

In this paper, we consider the Collaborative Ranking (CR) problem for recommendation systems. Given a set of pairwise preferences between items for each user, collaborative ranking can be used to rank un-rated items for each user, and this ranking can be naturally used for recommendation. It is observed that collaborative ranking algorithms usually achieve better performance since they directly minimize the ranking loss; however, they are rarely used in practice due to the poor scalability. All the existing CR algorithms have time complexity at least O(|Ω|r) per iteration, where r is the target rank and |Ω| is number of pairs which grows quadratically with number of ratings per user. For example, the Netflix data contains totally 20 billion rating pairs, and at this scale all the current algorithms have to work with significant subsampling, resulting in poor prediction on testing data. In this paper, we propose a new collaborative ranking algorithm called Primal-CR that reduces the time complexity to O(|Ω|+d1 |d2 r), where d1 is number of users and |d2 is the averaged number of items rated by a user. Note that d1 |d2 is strictly smaller and often much smaller than |Ω|. Furthermore, by exploiting the fact that most data is in the form of numerical ratings instead of pairwise comparisons, we propose Primal-CR++ with O(d1|d2 (r+ log |d2)) time complexity. Both algorithms have better theoretical time complexity than existing approaches and also outperform existing approaches in terms of NDCG and pairwise error on real data sets. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first collaborative ranking algorithm capable of working on the full Netflix dataset using all the 20 billion rating pairs, and this leads to a model with much better recommendation compared with previous models trained on subsamples. Finally, compared with classical matrix factorization algorithm which also requires O(d1d2r) time, our algorithm has almost the same efficiency while making much better recommendations since we consider the ranking loss.

Hepatic ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, which can result in severe liver injury and dysfunction, occurs in a variety of conditions such as liver transplantation, shock, and trauma. Cell death in hepatic I/R injury has been linked to apoptosis and autophagy. Shikonin plays a significant protective role in ischemia/reperfusion injury. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the protective effect of shikonin on hepatic I/R injury and explore the underlying mechanism. Mice were subjected to segmental (70%) hepatic warm ischemia to induce hepatic I/R injury. Two doses of shikonin (7.5 and 12.5 mg/kg) were administered 2 h before surgery. Balb/c mice were randomly divided into four groups: normal control, I/R, and shikonin preconditioning at two doses (7.5 and 12.5 mg/kg). The serum and liver tissues were collected at three time points (3, 6, and 24 h). Shikonin significantly reduced serum AST and ALT levels and improved pathological features. Shikonin affected the expression of Bcl-2, Bax, caspase 3, caspase 9, Beclin-1, and LC3, and upregulated PI3K and p-Akt compared with the levels in the I/R group. Shikonin attenuated hepatic I/R injury by inhibiting apoptosis and autophagy through a mechanism involving the activation of PI3K/Akt signaling.

Objective. The present study was conducted to compare the efficacy of metformin combined with diammonium glycyrrhizinate enteric-coated capsule (DGEC) versus metformin alone versus DGEC alone for the treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Subjects and Methods. 163 patients with NAFLD and T2DM were enrolled in this 24-week study and were randomized to one of three groups: group 1 was treated with metformin alone; group 2 was treated with DGEC alone; group 3 received metformin plus DGEC combination therapy. Anthropometric parameters, liver function, lipid profile, serum ferritin (SF), metabolic parameters, liver/spleen computed tomography (CT) ratio, and fibroscan value were evaluated at baseline and after 8, 16, and 24 weeks of treatment. Results. After 24 weeks, significant improvements in all measured parameters were observed in three groups (P<0.05) except for the improvements in low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and metabolic parameters in group 2 which did not reach statistical significance (P>0.05). Compared with group 1 and group 2, the patients in group 3 had greater reductions in observed parameters apart from CB and TB (P<0.05). Conclusions. This study showed that metformin plus DGEC was more effective than metformin alone or DGEC alone in reducing liver enzymes, lipid levels, and metabolic parameters and ameliorating the degree of hepatic fibrosis in patients with NAFLD and T2DM.

This paper reports a computational scheme on three-dimensional orthogonal woven composites (3DOWC) fatigue behavior under three-point low-cycle bending. Based on three-point cyclic bending fatigue tests, a microstructure model was established at yarn level for predicting the fatigue behaviors. The stiffness degradation and damage morphologies of the 3DOWC were obtained from finite element analysis (FEA) and compared with those from experimental. The stress distribution, energy absorption and damage morphologies in the different parts of the 3DOWC sample were obtained to analyze fatigue failure mechanisms. The influences of warp yarns, weft yarns and Z-yarn systems were discussed. It is found that warp yarn system bears the most cyclic load as well as energy absorption. The stress concentration area was located in the central loading area, especially in the warp yarns that is close to the Z-yarns side and its channels. The triangle damage area was gradually generated from up to down in the stress concentration area as the loading cycle increased.

This paper presents numerical analyses of fatigue behaviors of three-dimensional (3-D) 4-step rectangular braided composite material under three-point low-cyclic bending. A microstructure model of the 3-D braided composite was established to calculate the bending fatigue deformation and failure with a finite element method (FEM). The stiffness degradation and failure morphologies were obtained from the FEM results and compared with those from experimental. The stress distributions, stress hysteresis and failures of fiber tows and resins at different parts of the 3-D braided composite material have been collected from the FEM calculations to analyze the fatigue failure mechanisms. The influences of the braided preform microstructure on the fatigue damage were discussed. It is found that the surface yarns share more loads than the yarns of the inner part. The stress concentration appeared at the regions with larger changes of fiber tow orientation angles. The fatigue damage evolutions were also used to explain the mechanical behaviors degradation. The crack generation and fatigue damages development of the braided composite appeared at early stages and followed by crack propagation afterwards. A series of damage evolution at the different loading cycles were obtained to unveil the fatigue damage mechanisms. From the investigation, the fatigue resistance of 3-D braided composite could be optimized from improving the mechanical behaviors of surface fiber tows and decreasing the change of fiber tows orientation angles.

This paper describes the damage behaviors of plain-woven basalt-unsaturated polyester laminates under low-velocity impact from experimental and finite-element approach. Experimental tests were carried out in an INSTRON® drop-weight machine with different initial impact energy levels varying from 15 J, 30 J, 50 J, and 70 J with specimen thicknesses of 4 mm. The results showed that as the impact energy increased, the peak force, the energy absorbed, i.e. area under the force–displacement curve, and the damage area increased. The damage mechanism included matrix crack, delamination with fiber bending, and breakage. Finite-element analyses were carried out to verify further the impact mechanism and correlation between these parameters with the induced damage by using software ABAQUS®. The finite-element method results were in good accord with the experimental results regarding peak force, maximum absorbed energy, and damage area.

The reduction of hippocampal volume remains controversial in depression because of the variability among individuals in clinical studies. Here, a reliable experimental rat model of depression, established by chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS), was used. Thirty rats were randomly divided into two groups (CUMS group and control group). Hippocampal volume was dynamically measured every 2 weeks in a 56-day chronic stress procedure using structural magnetic resonance imaging, and the correlation between the hippocampal volume and the learning and memory changes was investigated. Our results demonstrated that CUMS rats showed significantly smaller volumes of the bilateral hippocampus compared to that of the controls, changing dramatically with the development of CUMS procedure. The left hippocampal volume was reduced earlier and more markedly than the right one from the 2nd week to the 8th week of the CUMS procedure (on the 8th week: left: approximately 15.3 %; right: approximately 8.4 % reduction). Additionally, the hippocampal volume of CUMS rats was significantly negatively correlated with the learning and memory changes. Of note, it showed that the more obviously the hippocampal volume reduced, the more severely the learning and memory damaged. In conclusion, the hippocampal volume decreased gradually and dynamically and was correlated with the impairment of the learning and memory in depression.

This paper reports the numerical analyses of three-point bending fatigue behavior of four-step three-dimensional braided composite with three types of representative unit cell (RUC) model. The three types of unit cell models are the unit cell model for the interior, surface, and corner regions of the three-dimensional braided composite. A user-defined material subroutine was developed to characterize the stiffness matrix and fatigue damage evolution of the unit cells and furthermore the braided composite. The fatigue bending behaviors were calculated from the unit cell model with finite element method. It is found that the stress concentration and large deflection located at the middle of the braided composite specimen and both the ends of the bottom areas. As the increase of the stress level, the braided composite is subjected to larger deformation and faster damage accumulation, resulting in a fast fatigue failure. The RUC model could be extended to predict and design the bending fatigue performance of ...

The compression behaviors of 2D plain woven basalt/vinyl ester resin composites along the thickness direction under high strain rates have been investigated experimentally and by use of finite element analyses. The compression stress–strain curves, compressive damage, and rate sensitivity of the compressive behaviors was obtained experimentally. The dynamic responses including the compression stress–strain curves, compression damages, and energy absorptions of the plain woven composite samples were predicted based on finite element analyses at the microstructure level. From the finite element analyses results, it was concluded that the plain woven fabric structure and the rate dependent behaviors of the matrix were the key factors which affect the strain rate sensitivity of the compressive properties. The plain woven fabric structure distortion, instability of woven architecture, and matrix crack were the main failure modes of the plain woven composites under high strain rate compression. The compressive behaviors of plain woven composite could be improved with better design of the woven fabric structures and superior matrix properties.

This paper reports bending deformation and damage of four-step 3D braided composite materials from experimental and finite element analyses approaches. In experimental, the three-point bending deformation and damage of the braided composite materials were observed and the load–deflection curves were obtained for analyzing the bending behaviors. In finite element analyses, three types of repeating unit cell geometrical models were established to characterize the microstructures of 3D braided composite materials. The critical damage area failure criteria were employed in the finite element analyses. The repeating unit cell geometrical models and the finite element analyses were verified with the experimental results. The influences of structure parameters in the repeating unit cells on the bending behaviors were analyzed. It was found that the volume fraction of surface and corner repeating unit cells were around 30%, and their elastic modulus along axis Z was about 5 times that of inner repeating unit cell. The surface and corner repeating unit cells play the important role for the entire structure under bending and cannot be neglected.

A series of Ba2ZnB2O6:Eu3+ phosphors with a red-emitting band centered at 616 nm were prepared by traditional high temperature solid-state reaction methods. The site-preferred occupancy of Eu3+ in Ba2ZnB2O6 and luminescence properties of Ba2ZnB2O6:Eu3+ were studied combined with X-ray diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectra and emission (PL) spectra as well as temperature-dependent PL and decay curves. The Rietveld refinements indicate that the Eu3+ ions prefer to occupy Zn (1) (4a) and Zn (2) (4a) sites simultaneously. The PL intensity is improved with increasing Eu3+ content and the optimal dopant content is 0.05. The temperature-dependent PL spectra indicate that the emission intensity decreases with the temperature because of the enhancement of the non-radiative transition. The PL emission intensities of Ba2ZnB2O6:0.05Eu3+ phosphors with Li+, Na+ and K+ as charge compensators are enhanced significantly, and the phosphor compensated by Li+ ions emits the strongest emission. The Commission Internationale de I'Eclairage (CIE) color coordinates of Ba2ZnB2O6:0.05Eu3+ are very close to the CIE of standard red light.

// Jingjing Li 1 , Kan Chen 1 , Fan Wang 1 , Weiqi Dai 1 , Sainan Li 1 , Jiao Feng 1 , Liwei Wu 1 , Tong Liu 1 , Shizan Xu 1, 2 , Yujing Xia 1 , Jie Lu 1 , Yingqun Zhou 1 , Ling Xu 3 and Chuanyong Guo 1 1 Department of Gastroenterology, Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072, China 2 Department of Gastroenterology, Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital, School of Clinical Medicine of Nanjing Medical University, Shanghai 200072, China 3 Department of Gastroenterology, Shanghai Tongren Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200336, China Correspondence to: Ling Xu, email: xiaoling05@126.com Chuanyong Guo, email: guochuanyong@hotmail.com Keywords: Warburg effect, hexokinase 2, hepatoma, methyl jasmonate, glycolysis Received: December 14, 2016 Accepted: April 11, 2017 Published: April 27, 2017 ABSTRACT Methyl jasmonate has recently been found to have anti-cancer activity. Methyl jasmonate detached hexokinase 2 from a voltage dependent anion channel causing a reduction in mitochondrial transmembrane potential that led to the release of cytochrome C and apoptosis inducing factor resulting in intrinsic apoptosis. Blocked adenosine triphosphate synthesis caused by mitochondrial injury hampered oxidative phosphorylation and led to cell necrosis. The results were applied to the in vivo treatment of nude mice with a satisfactory effect. Collectively, our results suggest that methyl jasmonate may be an adjuvant therapy for liver tumors due to its mechanism in cancer cells compared to that in normal cells: The major function is to inhibit glycolysis instead of changing aerobic metabolism.

The effects of thermoplastic polyimide (PI) and polypropylene (PP) fibers and areal density of toughened layer on interlaminar fracture toughness and impact performance of carbon fiber/epoxy (CF/EP) laminated composites were studied. Mode I interlaminar fracture toughness (GIC) was analyzed via double cantilever beam (DCB) tests. When comparing for the toughener type, PI played a positive role in enhancing the mode-I fracture toughness, while PP was not effective due to the less fiber bridge formed during composite curing. The toughening effects of areal density of PI were further investigated by end notched flexure (ENF) testing and low velocity impact testing to better understand the toughening mechanisms. The results revealed that the toughening effect reached its best effectiveness when the areal density of toughened layer was 30 g/m2. Compared with the control group, GIC and GIIC of CF/EP laminated composite were increased by 98.49% and 84.07%, and Fmax and Ee were enhanced by 92.38% and 299.08% under low velocity impact. There is no obvious delamination phenomenon on the surface of laminates after low velocity impact, indicating the improved interlaminar and impact performance of laminated composite.

Aims.To investigate cerebral hemodynamics in cirrhotic patients with HE and to observe effects of treatment in cerebral hemodynamics and correlations among ammonia, cerebral hemodynamics, and cognitive function.Methods. There were four groups: healthy controls (group 1), cirrhosis without HE (group 2), cirrhosis with MHE (group 3), and cirrhosis with OHE (group 4). Ammonia and cerebral hemodynamics (by TCD) were assessed. Patients in group 3 were subsequently randomized to two subgroups: the control (group A) and the treated (group B, treated with lactulose for two months), and they were retested for ammonia and TCD after treatment. Results. Ammonia,Vm,Vd, PI, and RI were statistically different before treatment, and ammonia, PI, and RI levels paralleled the severity of HE (P<0.05). In group B,Vdincreased and ammonia, PI, and RI declined following treatment (P<0.05), while there were no differences in group A (P>0.05). Correlations were found between ammonia andVd, PI, RI, NCT-A, and DST and also found betweenVd, PI, RI, and NCT-A and DST (P<0.05).Conclusions. This study revealed that cerebral hemodynamics were related to the severity of HE and cerebral autoregulation was impaired. There were tight correlations among ammonia, cerebral hemodynamics, and cognitive function, and, following treatment, cerebral hemodynamics improved.

Glycolysis, as an altered cancer cell-intrinsic metabolism, is an essential hallmark of cancer. Phosphofructokinase (PFK) is a metabolic sensor in the glycolytic pathway and restricting the substrate availability for this enzyme has been researched extensively as a target for chemotherapy. In the present study, we investigated that the effects of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), an active component of green tea, on inhibiting cell growth and inducing apoptosis by promoting a metabolic shift away from glycolysis in aerobic glycolytic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. EGCG modulated the oligomeric structure of PFK, potentially leading to metabolic stress associated apoptosis and suggesting that EGCG acts by directly suppressing PFK activity. A PFK activity inhibitor enhanced the effect, while the allosteric activator reversed EGCG-induced HCC cell death. PFK siRNA knockdown-induced apoptosis was not reversed by the activator. EGCG enhanced the effect of sorafenib on cell growth inhibition in both aerobic glycolytic HCC cells and in a xenograft mouse model. The present study suggests a potential role for EGCG as an adjuvant in cancer therapy, which merits further investigation at the clinical level.

Solvent-free microwave extraction coupled with headspace single-drop microextraction was developed for extracting the essential oils from Eugenia caryophyllata Thunb. Carbonyl iron powders were mixed with the sample to extract essential oils from the dried plant materials and single-drop solvent was used to simultaneously extract essential oils from the headspace. The single-drop of decane was suspended from the tip of a microsyringe and exposed to the headspace above the sample. After the extraction was finished, the single-drop was injected into gas chromatographic system and analyzed by GC-MS. The effects of the experimental parameters, including microwave power, microwave irradiation time, the ratio of carbonyl iron powder to sample, extraction solvent, single-drop volume and extraction time, were investigated. Sixteen compounds in the essential oils of E. caryophyllata T. were obtained and identified. The constituents of essential oils obtained by hydro-distillation and solvent-free microwave extraction-headspace single-drop microextraction were not obviously different. Compared with hydro-distillation, the proposed method required shorter extraction time and less amount of the sample.

A foam floatation (FF) process and a solid phase extraction (SPE) process were synchronously applied to the separation and concentration of ginsenosides from extracts of Panax quinquefolius L. The selectivity and sensitivity for the determination of the ginsenosides were improved. The experimental conditions, including volumes of the sample solutions, pH value of sample solution, the flow rate of nitrogen gas and floatation time for FF and elution conditions for SPE were examined and optimized. Average recoveries for protopanaxadiol (PPD) ginsenosides Rc, Rb2, Rb3, Rd, and Rb1 were between 84.5 and 98.8%. The relative standard deviations were lower than 6.73% for the PPD ginsenosides. The results were satisfactory since both FF and SPE were synchronously applied to both the separation and concentration. The proposed method is not only of importance for the concentration and separation of ginsenosides in extracts from P. quinquefolius L., but also of great potential in the separation and concentration of trace compounds in the other solution samples.

Ce0.8Sm0.2O1.9 (SDC) nanopowders were synthesized by an acrylamide polymerization process. The XRD results showed that SDC powders prepared at 700 °C possessed a cubic fluorite structure. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) indicated that the particle sizes of powders were in the range of 10–15 nm. A 98.3% of theoretical density was obtained when the SDC pellets were sintered at 1350 °C for 5 h, indicating that the powders had good sinterability. The conductivity of the sintered SDC ceramics was 0.019 S/cm at 600 °C and the activation energy was only 0.697 eV. Furthermore, a unit cell was fabricated from the powders and the maximum power density of 0.169 W/cm2 was achieved at 700 °C with humidified hydrogen as the fuel and air as the oxidant.

The red emitting phosphors ZnBi2B2O7:xEu3+ (x = 0-0.035) are prepared by reactive sintering of Eu2O3, ZnO, Bi2O3, and H3BO3 in air (1.

The volumetry of the hippocampal subregion may provide additional information in the early investigation of amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and the T2 signal intensity (T2-SI) of the hippocampal subregion has not been well studied quantitatively by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in aMCI.Using combined MRI-based hippocampal volumetry and T2-SI at the levels of the whole hippocampus and hippocampal subregion, 18 patients with aMCI and 18 age-matched controls were investigated.Significantly lower left whole hippocampal and hippocampal head volumes and higher T2-SI in the bilateral whole hippocampus and hippocampal head were shown, whereas atrophy of the right whole hippocampus and hippocampal subregion was not significant in aMCI. Additionally, correlations were found among the hippocampal volume, T2-SI and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores for aMCI in the whole hippocampus and some hippocampal subregions and an almost perfect correlation was found between T2-SI of the left hippocampal head and MMSE scores regarding aMCI (r = -0.831, P = 0.000).Abnormalities of the hippocampal volume and T2-SI were documented in aMCI, whereas T2-SI was implied to be more susceptible than the volume in the pathohistological progression in aMCI. Additionally, T2-SI in the left hippocampal head may be a potential biomarker to facilitate the early diagnosis of aMCI.

The purpose is to solve the problem of wind power curtailment in the wind power generation system. A new type of wind power generation system made of flexible blades is proposed. Combined with the experimental method and numerical simulation method, the impeller blades are analyzed by flow field. The values of the lift coefficient of the leaves under different working conditions were obtained and analyzed. The optimum curvature and the range of the best angle of attack are determined. The influence of the parameters such as the curvature of the blade and the angle of attack on the hydrodynamic performance of the blade and impeller in the power generation system is obtained. The results showed that the best curvature K was 0.019 and the best angle of attack was 20°. Therefore, it can be concluded that it reveals the influence of blade curvature and angle of attack on the lift coefficient.

In order to solve the problem of excessive temperature in the discharge process of lithium-ion battery and the temperature difference between batteries, a heat dissipation of electric vehicle based on safety architecture optimization is designed. The simulation is used to optimize the temperature field of the heat dissipation of the battery. A reasonable heat dissipation control scheme is formulated to achieve heat dissipation requirements. The results show that the ideal working temperature range of the lithium ion battery is 20?~45?, and the temperature difference between the batteries should be controlled within 5?. A cooling fan is arranged at the original air outlet of the battery model, and the two cooling fans work in turn to realize the reciprocating flow. The temperature difference is controlled within 5? to ensure the good temperature uniformity between the batteries of the electric vehicle. Based on the above finding, it is concluded that the heat dissipation design for electric vehicle batteries is safe and effective, which is the most effective methods to ensure battery life and vehicle safety.

A novel nano-stages system included wafer stage and reticle stage used for LED photolithography equipment with 0.8 micro technology node (half pitch) was proposed. A method of standstill dynamic error of synchronization control (SDSC) minimized the relative difference between motions of two stages. In order to improving the synchronization control error of two stages, reticle stage servo stiffness compensated against the synchronization error and wafer stage acceleration error fed forward on the reticle stage were described in the method. Through modeling and simulation, an optimization results were carried out to verify that SDSC method effectively minimized the relative location error. Finally, the advantages of the method were proved by prototype test data as a conclusion.

An optimized structure of a voice coil motor with a lower force ripple was presented. Through improving the part of the magnet or the back iron of a voice coil motor's structure, its internal vertical peak flux density was reduced greatly. In this way, the motor's peak force was also reduced with force ripple. Different optimization results were compared and analyzed, and an electromagnetic simulation was carried out to verify the theoretical analysis. Finally, the advantages of the optimization scheme were given as a conclusion.

This paper discusses the problems associated with purposeful gazing and fixation of attention for systems with active vision. To help bridge the gap between our current standpoint in active gazing and where advantages that holding gaze brings, we propose solution to the important problems involved in gaze stabilization, i.e. vergence error extraction, and vergence servo control. In the first part, we focus on vergence error extraction. In the next paper, ‘Gaze Stabilization in Active Vision II: Multi-rate Vergence Control’, we shall focus on vergence control. Binocular gazing is realized by decreasing the disparity which represents the vergence error. In order to obtain the disparity for extraction of vergence error, a phase-based approach that efficiently estimates vergence disparity is developed. Experiments are conducted to investigate the effects of window size, segmentation techniques, and illumination.

Vergence error extraction and vergence servo control is important issues in gaze stabilization. In the previous paper, ‘Purposeful Gazing for Active Vision 1: Vergence Error Extraction’, we have discussed the techniques in fixation point selection and the phase-based vergence disparity extraction algorithm. In this paper, we introduce a feedback information prediction and dynamic vision-based self-tuning control strategy to achieve vergence control. This strategy reflects the nature and function of visual processing involved in vergence control loop and tends to correct some confusion in existing vision-based control system development.

The purposeful-gazing capability of active vision offers advantages to many manufacturing tasks. This paper discusses the problems associated with purposeful gazing and fixation of attention for active vision. In binocular active vision, gazing at a selected target refers to directing the visual axes to capture the target in the (appropriate part of) the visual field by both sensors (cameras), and holding gaze refers to directing the visual axes of the sensors so as to maintain the target or point of interest in the visual field of both sensors. This paper proposes solutions to the important problems involved in gaze stabilization by developing techniques for vergence error extraction, and vergence servo control. Vergence is the tilt movement process of two visual sensors (in a binocular system) in opposite directions to fixate at a selected point. Binocular gazing is realized by decreasing the disparity which represents the vergence error. In order to obtain the disparity for extraction of vergence error, a phase-based approach that robustly and efficiently estimates vergence disparity is developed. To control vergence, we present a dual sampling-rate approach for vision-sensor-based dynamic servo control.

A series of Ce3+ or Tb3+ doped and Ce3+, Tb3+, and Na+ co-doped SrB2O4 phosphors were synthesized by solid-state reaction method. Luminescence intensity was increased as M+ (M+ = Li+, Na+, K+) ions were used to compensate the valance in SrB2O4:Ce3+, in which the charge compensation by Na+ ion in SrB2O4:Ce3+ showed the strongest luminescence intensity. When the content of Ce3+ was fixed at 2 mol. % by tuning the contents of Tb3+ ions from 1 mol. % to 10 mol. %, SrB2O4:0.02Ce3+, yTb3+, zNa+ showed both an emission (360 nm) from Ce3+ and a yellowish-green emission (541 nm) from Tb3+, which disclose that an effective energy transfer from Ce3+ to Tb3+ exists in the phosphor. The energy transfer efficiency reaches as high as 80.2% for a Tb3+ concentration of 10 mol. %. The QE of SrB2O4:0.02Ce3+,0.03Tb3+, SrB2O4:0.02Ce3+, 0.03Tb3+, 0.05Na+ phosphors are 41.3% and 54.7% excited at 319 nm. The energy transfer mechanism was proved to be dipole–dipole interaction. The CIE chromaticity coordinates of the optimized SrB2O4:0.02Ce3+, 0.03Tb3+, 0.05Na+ phosphor, which were thermal stable revealed by temperature-dependent PL results, were calculated to be (0.3035, 0.4812).

This chapter elaborates on the research the authors engaged in for improving young learners learning competence and effectiveness. This research investigates learning styles and learning strategies, based on which comes up with principles, contents and activities for the design and development of a Web-Facilitated Learning Strategy Guidance System (WFLSGS). A Quisi-Experiment is designed to test the function and implementation of WFLSGS and 3 distinctive findings comes out from the experiment: the research subjects’ learning strategy level is generally low, thus learning strategies guidance is needed for improving learners learning effectiveness; the learning strategy guidance based on learning styles is effective for improving learning strategies, especially cognitive strategies and meta-cognitive strategies; the application of learning strategies is influenced by many factors such as teaching environment, learning content and learner self and so on. By designing and developing learning strategy guidance system, this study enriches the research of learning strategy and provides the teachers and young learners with operational advices and approaches to imporoving individualized learning competence and effectiveness.

Yttrium-doped IZO (YIZO) thin films with different thickness have been prepared on soda-lime glass (SLG) and P-Si substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering at room temperature. Structural morphology and optical properties of the films have been investigated. YIZO thin film transistors (TFTs) with the bottom-gate-structure are fabricated on P-Si substrates. The output and transfer characteristics of YIZO-TFT have been studied. It has been found that all YIZO thin films prepared at room temperature are amorphous, and the YIZO TFTs exhibit n-channel depletion mode. YIZO-TFT with active layer thickness of 20 nm shows an on/off ratio over 10 5 , a sub-threshold swing of 2.20 V/decade at a low operating voltage of -1.0 V, and saturation mobility values over 0.57 cm 2 /(V· s).

A vortex-assisted ionic liquid microextraction method coupled with ultra fast liquid chromatographic separation and detection was developed for the analysis of three aromatic amines, 4-chloroaniline, 1-naphthylamine and 4-aminobiphenyl, in environmental water samples. 1-Hexyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate [C6MIM][PF6] was used as the extraction solvent as it can disperse in water completely and quickly with the aid of vortex mixing. A dispersive solvent was not required. Several parameters such as type and volume of extraction solvent, vortex velocity, extraction time, centrifugation time, pH of sample solution and ionic strength in sample solution were investigated. Under the optimized conditions, the intra-day and inter-day precision of the proposed method were 2.3–3.5% (n = 5) and 2.8–5.3% (n = 5), respectively. The limits of detection and quantification were in the range of 0.24–0.57 μg L−1 and 0.80–1.90 μg L−1, respectively. The proposed method was applied in the determination of three aromatic amines in several real water samples. Acceptable recoveries of the analytes, ranging from 79% to 111% (the relative standard deviations ≤6.0%), were obtained.

In this paper, we propose a design of an active vision system for intelligent robot application purposes. The system has the degrees of freedom of pan, tilt, vergence, camera height adjustment, and baseline adjustment with a hierarchical control system structure. Based on this vision system, we discuss two problems involved in the binocular gaze stabilization process: fixation point selection and vergence disparity extraction. A hierarchical approach to determining point of fixation from potential gaze targets using evaluation function representing human visual behavior to outside stimuli is suggested. We also characterize different visual tasks in two cameras for vergence control purposes, and a phase-based method based on binarized images to extract vergence disparity for vergence control is presented. A control algorithm for vergence control is discussed.