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In this paper, a bicycle light-emitting diode (LED) headlamp is design for the purpose of meeting the regulation and removing the unwanted reflection of some specific parts. In addition to the optical design of the headlamp, a three-dimensional mask is designed to block the LED light source to remove the specific unwanted light on the front tyre of the bicycle and then reduce the glare effect to the rider. The experimental results show that the 3D mask can effectively eliminate 97.7% of the unwanted light on the wheel of the bicycle and keeps 98.6% of the original illuminance at the A point of the K-mark regulation. The proposed mask approach will be helpful to the design by using LED as a light source.

A new subgenus, Reticularisus Wu, Wu & Han, subgen. n., with type species Rhamnosa henanensis Wu, 2008, of the genus Rhamnosa Fixsen, 1887 is described and illustrated. For the sake of contrast, the type species of the other two subgenera in this genus have been given, including adults and male genitalia. Rhamnosa (Reticularisus) shierbeihoua Wu, Wu & Han, sp. n., a Limacodidae collected from the southwest of China is described as new to science. Also, the new species is illustrated with images of the adult and male genitalia and compared with the similar species Rh. henanensis.

Tetraalkylammonium bromide is produced in situ. The effect of the length of bromoalkyl chains is recognized, indicating the importance of side-chain engineering. The hydrogen evolution rate is improved significantly by the presence of Pd.

Influence of leading ultrasonic vibrations on the process forces in the friction stir lap welding of AA 6061-T6 with and without ultrasonic vibrations is investigated at varied welding speeds. The axial force, traverse force, and tool torque in the processes are determined by adopting a recently developed method that uses electrical signals of the servo motors and main spindle AC motor of the friction stir welding machine during the welding process. It is found that the exerted ultrasonic vibrations decrease the welding forces without compromising the mechanical properties of welds. The effect of ultrasonic vibrations on traverse force is more pronounced than that on the tool torque and axial force. Force measurements at different welding speeds indicated that the axial force and traverse force varied significantly with travel speed of tool. Not much difference is found in the tool torque variation. With ultrasonic vibrations, the reduction in welding force in different directions is affected differently by welding speed. The ultrasonic effect on welding forces is found to be governed by the travel speeds of both the tool and workpiece.

Tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) induces cell apoptosis by transducing apoptosis signals. Recently, accumulating evidence demonstrated that TRAIL regulates autoimmune inflammation and immune cell homeostasis in several autoimmune animal models, suggesting a novel immunoregulatory role of TRAIL in autoimmune diseases. However, the impact of TRAIL in inflammatory bowel disease is yet undefined. This study is to address the therapeutic effects and immunoregulatory role of TRAIL in autoimmune gut inflammation. We demonstrated herein that TRAIL significantly suppressed gut inflammation and reduced the severity of colitis in a dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis model. Suppression of gut inflammation was not due to induction of apoptosis in colonic T cells, dendritic cells, or epithelium cells by TRAIL. In contrast, TRAIL directly inhibited activation of colitogenic T cells and development of gut inflammation in an adoptive transfer-induced colitis model. The anti-inflammatory effects of TRAIL on colitis were abolished when T cells from TRAIL receptor (TRAIL-R) knockout mice were adoptively transferred, suggesting that TRAIL regulates autoreactive colitogenic T-cell activation in the development of gut inflammation. Our results demonstrate that TRAIL effectively inhibited colonic T-cell activation and suppressed autoimmune colitis, suggesting a potential therapeutic application of TRAIL in human inflammatory bowel disease.

Objective: The soluble guanylate cyclase stimulator riociguat is approved for the treatment of adult patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and inoperable or persistent/recurrent chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) following Phase 3 randomized trials. The EXPosurE Registry RiociguaT in patients with pulmonary hypertension (EXPERT) study was designed to monitor the long-term safety of riociguat in clinical practice. Methods: EXPERT was an international, multicenter, prospective, uncontrolled, non-interventional cohort study of patients treated with riociguat. Patients were followed for at least 1 year and up to 4 years from enrollment or until 30 days after stopping riociguat treatment. Primary safety outcomes were adverse events (AEs) and serious adverse events (SAEs) coded using Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities preferred terms and System Organ Classes version 21.0, collected during routine clinic visits and collated via case report forms. Results: In total, 956 patients with CTEPH were included in the analysis. The most common AEs in these patients were peripheral edema/edema (11.7%), dizziness (7.5%), right ventricular (RV)/cardiac failure (7.7%), and pneumonia (5.0%). The most common SAEs were RV/cardiac failure (7.4%), pneumonia (4.1%), dyspnea (3.6%), and syncope (2.5%). Exposure-adjusted rates of hemoptysis/pulmonary hemorrhage and hypotension were low and comparable to those in the long-term extension study of riociguat (Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension Soluble Guanylate Cyclase–Stimulator Trial [CHEST-2]). Conclusion: Data from EXPERT show that in patients with CTEPH, the safety of riociguat in routine practice was consistent with the known safety profile of the drug, and no new safety concerns were identified. © 2020 The Authors

An initial study is proposed in order to evaluate the outcomes of ultrasonic vibration in friction stir welding of Al and Mg alloys for lap configuration. A novel ultrasonic assembly is designed and developed such that ultrasonic vibrations could be enforced along the welding direction into the weldment via the welding tool. Various sets of welding parameters are picked out for experimentation and thereafter optimum are evaluated. With ultrasonic assistance during pin and shoulder plunging, a substantial diminution in welding load, up to 30 and 19.75% are obtained while the noteworthy reduction in tool torque and input power is also perceived at optimum parameters. Additionally, lap shear tests result into an improvement of 37.88 and 39.24%, respectively, in context to failure load and weldment elongation. Macrostructure analysis portrays elimination of defects, enhanced material mixing, and broadening of the stirred zone with acoustic assistance.

A novel process variant of friction stir welding (FSW), i.e., ultrasonic vibration-enhanced FSW (UVeFSW), has been developed to improve the joint quality and lower the welding loads. To elucidate the underlying mechanism of the UVeFSW process, an integrated 3D model is developed to analyze the effects of ultrasonic vibration on welding loads quantitatively. The predicted traverse force and tool torque agree well with the experimental measured ones. It is found that superimposing ultrasonic vibration in UVeFSW can reduce the traverse force and tool torque, and the reduction percentage of welding loads decreases with an increase of tool rotation speed. Analytic formulae are developed to calculate the traverse force and tool torque in UVeFSW under different levels of welding speed and rotation speed. The predicted welding loads from the analytic formulae fit well with both experimentally measured data and the numerically simulated data by using the validated integrated 3D model. The work lays the foundation for optimizing the process parameters in UVeFSW in order to efficiently use the ultrasonic vibration energy.

In this study, the accuracy of the model developed for oscillating laser-GMA hybrid welding has been improved by integrating more experimentally measured parameters, such as the droplet velocity, transient arc power, and fusion area on sheets at the transverse cross-section. The effects of lateral distance of hybrid heat source relative to the top sheet edge on heat transfer and fluid flow in weld pool are numerically simulated. It is found that with more offset of the hybrid heat source to the top sheet, a larger depression and stronger lateral flow occur in weld pool, which leads to a delayed and weak backwards flow. These characteristics of heat transfer and fluid flow play a great role in the formation of weld bead defects of lap joint configuration, such as irregularity, discontinuity, lack of fusion at the top sheet. Compared to the experimental investigation, the numerical simulation provides not only quantitative description of the occurrence of those weld bead defects but also a deep physical insight into the whole process. Thus, it is useful for the parameter optimizations and further applications of this hybrid welding process.

Simple and complex ultrasonic horns used in ultrasonic vibration-assisted friction stir welding are designed and analyzed using the finite element method. Modal analysis of the designs shows that the computed frequency in axial direction comes out ~ 19.5 kHz, that is close to the intended working frequency. The frequencies in the axial and non-axial direction make a large gap, eliminating the possibility of modal coupling. Safe design of the ultrasonic horn depends on amplitude and stress concentration at its end face. Harmonic response analysis of the designs reveals that the maximum ultrasonic amplitude occurs at the horn’s small end. Besides, the maximum amplitude in case of the complex horn is lower than that of the simple horn, and the reduction in amplitude is appropriately discussed. The maximum von Misses stress on the horns is confined to a narrow region while the magnitude of maximum stress is lower than the yield strength of the respective material. The simulation results suggest that the designed simple and complex horns are safe within the design and metallurgical limits and are validated by real-time monitoring using laser vibrometer.

After more than 50,000 dams were built in the Yangtze basin, especially the Three Gorges Dam (TGD) in 2003, the sediment discharge to the East China Sea decreased from 470 Mt/yr before dams to the current level of ~140 Mt/yr. The delta sediment's response to this decline has interested many researchers. Based on a dataset of repeated samplings at 44 stations in this study, we compared the surficial sediment grain sizes in the southern Yangtze subaqueous delta front for two periods: pre-TGD (1982) and post-TGD (2012). External factors of the Yangtze River, including water discharge, sediment discharge and suspended sediment grain size, were analysed, as well as wind speed, tidal range and wave height of the coastal ocean. We found that the average median size of the sediments in the delta front coarsened from 8.0 µm in 1982 to 15.4 µm in 2012. This coarsening was accompanied by a decrease of clay components, better sorting and more positive skewness. Moreover, the delta morphology in the study area changed from an overall accretion of 1.0 cm/yr to an erosion of − 0.6 cm/yr. At the same time, the riverine sediment discharge decreased by 70%, and the riverine suspended sediment grain size increased from 8.4 µm to 10.5 µm. The annual wind speed and wave height slightly increased by 2% and 3%, respectively, and the tidal range showed no change trend. Considering the increased wind speed and wave height, there was no evidence that the capability of the China Coastal Current to transport sediment southward has declined in recent years. The sediment coarsening in the Yangtze delta front was thus mainly attributed to the delta's transition from accumulation to erosion which was originally generated by river damming. These findings have important implications for sediment change in many large deltaic systems due to worldwide human impacts.

Ionic liquids (ILs) have been proposed as potential solvents for absorbing dichloromethane (DCM), while screening a promising IL with high absorption performances from numerous ILs remains challenging. In this work, a framework of multi-scale investigation on DCM absorption using ILs was established. A screening method based on COSMO-RS model that optimized by 79 reported experimental data points was proposed, and the effect of cationic and anionic structures on DCM absorption and the mechanisms were systematically studied combining quantum chemical calculation. Based on the above results, 1-ethyl-1-methylpiperidinium acetate ([C2MPip][C1COO]) was determined as the optimal IL for DCM absorption with Henry’s Constant of 3.29 kPa. The screened IL was further evaluated through process simulation comparing to the conventional IL and traditional organic solvent. The annual variable operation cost of [C2MPip][C1COO]-based process for DCM absorption was the lowest among the studied cases, showing broad prospects in applications.

This work studies the effect of tensile strain on the pore size and the flow capability of needle-punched nonwoven geotextiles. Laboratory tests were conducted to investigate the variations of pore size, thickness, porosity and mean discharge velocity of water through geotextile samples (permittivity) while under different uniaxial and biaxial tensile strains ranging from 0 to 20%. Comparison of test and predicted results suggests the values of the shape factor β, describing path tortuosity and the dimensionless parameter ξ to account for the evaluations of permeability and filtration opening size for needle-punched nonwoven geotextiles under various tensile strains. The experimental data collected from three needle-punched nonwoven geotextiles show that strained geotextiles exhibit smaller pore size than unstrained geotextiles. The mean discharge velocity of water through strained geotextiles tends to decrease initially, with an increase in tensile strain for geotextiles in low strain regions, but this decreasing trend of mean discharge velocity then reverses for the same geotextiles submitted to higher strain.

During ultrasonic vibration enhanced friction stir welding (UVeFSW) process, the ultrasonic energy is transmitted directly into a localized area of the workpiece near and ahead of the rotating tool by a specially-designed sonotrode. Understanding the effect of ultrasonic vibration on the thermal and material flow behaviors in friction stir welding (FSW) is of great significance for optimizing the UVeFSW process. In this study, a numerical model of UVeFSW is developed using computational fluid dynamics method coupled with computational ultrasonic field to quantitatively analyze the effect of ultrasonic vibration on thermo-physical phenomena in UVeFSW. Evolution of sound pressure and distribution of ultrasonic energy density during the UVeFSW are calculated by computational ultrasonic field. The effect of ultrasonic vibration on the total heat generation, heat transfer, material flow patterns and deformation regions during the welding process are elucidated in detail. Both the experimental and simulated results show that superimposing ultrasonic vibration on FSW increases the material flow velocity and strain rate; enlarges the flow region and deformation region. The calculated thermal cycles at typical locations and the boundaries of thermo-mechanically affected zone match with those obtained from experiments. Keywords: Friction stir welding, Acoustoplastic effect, Numerical modeling, Computational ultrasonic field, Thermal process, Material flow

A marigold-like SiC@MoS

By carefully following the spatial and temporal criteria of the Debye-H\"uckel (DH) approximation, we present a detailed theoretical study on the redshifts of the spectroscopically isolated ${\mathrm{He}}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}}$ lines corresponding to the $1s2p{\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}}^{1}P\ensuremath{\rightarrow}1{s}^{2}\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}^{1}S$ emission from two-electron ions embedded in external dense plasma. We first focus our study on the ratio $R=\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}{\ensuremath{\omega}}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}}/{\ensuremath{\omega}}_{o}$ between the redshift $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}{\ensuremath{\omega}}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}}$ due to the external plasma environment and the energy ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{o}$ of the ${\mathrm{He}}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}}$ line in the absence of the plasma. Interestingly, the result of our calculation shows that this ratio $R$ turns out to vary as a nearly universal function of a reduced Debye length ${\ensuremath{\lambda}}_{D}(Z)=(Z\ensuremath{-}1)D$. Since the ratio $R$ dictates the necessary energy resolution for a quantitative measurement of the redshifts and, at the same time, the Debye length $D$ is linked directly to the plasma density and temperature, the dependence of $R$ on $D$ should help to facilitate the potential experimental efforts for a quantitative measurement of the redshifts for the ${\mathrm{He}}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}}$ line of the two-electron ions. In addition, our study has led to a nearly constant redshift $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}{\ensuremath{\omega}}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}}$ at a given $D$ for all He-like ions with $Z$ between 5 and 18 based on our recent critical assessment of the applicability of the DH approximation to atomic transitions. These two general features, if confirmed by observation, would offer a viable and easy alternative in the diagnostic efforts of the dense plasma.

The stable condition for π-polarization emission in an a-cut Nd:YLF laser is numerical analyzed to find the critical pump power for generating the orthogonally polarized emission. With the numerical analysis, an orthogonally polarized SML lasers at wavelength of 1047 nm and 1053 nm is experimentally achieved in a simple concave-plano cavity without any additional optical element. It is experimentally observed that the polarization switching and coexistence was successfully demonstrated by introducing gain competition and anisotropic thermal lens effect. In the orthogonal polarization mode-locked operation, the pulse durations are found to be 19.1 and 18.8 ps for π- and σ-polarization with pulse repetition rates of 3.85 and 3.89 GHz, respectively.

We experimentally demonstrate an orthogonally polarized SML lasers at wavelength of 1047 nm and 1053 nm in a simple concave-plano cavity without any additional optical element. In the orthogonal polarization mode-locked operation, the pulse durations are found to be 19.1 and 18.8 ps for π- and σ-polarization with pulse repetition rates of 3.85 and 3.89 GHz, respectively.

Summary Background Photodynamic therapy (PDT), a therapeutic approach employing a photosensitizer and a specific wavelength of light, is an emerging option for treating neoplastic and nonneoplastic diseases. Keloids are fibroproliferative dermal lesions characterized by the proliferation of fibroblasts. Recently, PDT has been demonstrated as a potential treatment for keloids. Aim To investigate the effects of our newly synthesized photosensitizer 2-(4-aminophenyl)-7-methoxybenzothiazole (6d) plus ultraviolet (UV)A irradiation (6d-UVA) on proliferation and apoptosis in keloid fibroblasts (KFs). Methods Fibroblasts cultured from normal skin and keloids were treated with 6d-UVA. Relevant assays including 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine incorporation assay, immunofluorescence assay and flow cytometry analysis were performed. Results The combination of 6d (2.0 or 5.0 μmol/L) and UVA 0.5 J/cm2 significantly decreased the viability and proliferation of KFs but not normal fibroblasts (NFs). Cell cycle analyses showed significant G0/G1 arrest and increased sub-G1 distribution in NFs induced by UVA-activated 6d at 5.0 μmol/L (hereafter referred to as 6d-UVA). This treatment also significantly induced generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm), and increased expression of active caspase-3. Pretreatment with N-acetyl-L-cysteine (aROS scavenger) reversed the increased active caspase-3 expression induced by 6d-UVA, indicating the involvement of ROS in 6d-UVA-induced apoptosis. Conclusions This study indicates that 6d-UVA treatment exerts antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic effects in KFs. We propose that 6d-UVA could be a potentially usefull ancillary method for keloid treatment.

Polycrystalline BiFeO3 films were fabricated by radio frequency magnetron sputtering using a Bi1.1FeO3 target onto the glass and Si/SiO2/Ti/Pt substrates respectively. The samples which were annealed with different annealing conditions are pure without impurities. Our results indicate that there are relatively wider growth conditions for pure polycrystalline BFO phases.

Background Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a commonly encountered inflammatory skin disease. Although acute lesions of acute AD are characterized by intense inflammation, the hallmarks of chronic AD lesions include lichenified fibrosis and thickening of the upper dermis. The increased expression of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1), a well-known fibrogenic cytokine, is observed in chronic AD lesions. Tacrolimus (FK506) ointment has been reported to be effective for treating AD as well as some TGF-β1-induced fibrotic diseases. Objectives To evaluate the effect of tacrolimus on TGF-β1-stimulated cultured normal human dermal fibroblasts and explore the potential signalling pathways involved. Methods Fibroblasts cultured from healthy adult human foreskins were treated with TGF-β1 with or without tacrolimus. The impact on cell viability and proliferation were assessed by [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] (MTT) assay and BrdU incorporation assay respectively. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), quantitative real-time PCR, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and western blotting were performed to evaluate the relevant expressions of mRNA or proteins in fibroblasts. Results Our results revealed that the increased expressions of transforming growth factor-β receptor I (TGF-βRI) and TGF-βRII in TGF-β1-treated fibroblasts were suppressed by tacrolimus treatment. In addition, tacrolimus significantly inhibited fibroblast proliferation enhanced by TGF-β1. TGF-β1 increased type I collagen production, and this enhancing effect was suppressed by tacrolimus. The down-regulation of MMP-1 and up-regulation of TIMP-1 induced by TGF-β1 were reversed by tacrolimus. The increase in phosphorylated p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK) expression stimulated by TGF-β1 was down-regulated by tacrolimus. Moreover, the fibroblasts treated with p38MAPK inhibitor significantly reduced type I collagen expression induced by TGF-β1. Conclusions The present results demonstrated that tacrolimus significantly inhibited physiological functions of fibroblasts enhanced by TGF-β1 in vitro. Clinically, we propose that topical tacrolimus may not only reduce AD recurrence but also ameliorate dermal fibrosis often seen in chronic AD lesions.

Background:This study aimed to evaluate the association of chronic rhinosinusitis with sudden sensorineural hearing loss using a population-based database.Methods:Sampled subject data were obtained from the Taiwan Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000. A total of 3325 patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss were identified and 9975 controls were randomly selected. A conditional logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratio for having been previously diagnosed with chronic rhinosinusitis, for cases and controls.Results and conclusion:The adjusted odds ratio of having prior chronic rhinosinusitis among cases compared to controls was 1.36 (95 per cent confidence interval = 1.16–1.60). The significant relationship between sudden sensorineural hearing loss and chronic rhinosinusitis was most pronounced among those patients aged 44 years or less (compared to controls) (odds ratio = 2.18; 95 per cent confidence interval = 1.63–2.92). However, the significant relationship between sudden sensorineural hearing loss and prior chronic rhinosinusitis was not sustained for patients older than 60 years compared to controls.

This paper contributes to propose a 2D practical interface tracking algorithm of volume-of-fluid (VOF) method through the improved interface reconstruction, namely using both mixed Youngs centered column method (MYCCM) and the Lagrangian split advection scheme. A computationally efficiency and second-order accuracy for interface reconstruction method is presented and approximated by heuristic algorithms based on the piecewise linear interface calculation (PLIC) concept. The method can be accurately estimated by a regular structured mesh without any geometrical modifications. Besides, a linear mapping technique is implemented to improve the efficiency of numerical simulations with regard to the approximation for capturing the interface. The computational tests include widely used benchmark cases, such as the solid-body translations and rotations and the swirled single vortex of fluid body. Its performances of the improved algorithm are compared against other classical VOF advection methods. Good results are obtained by using present algorithm.

Summary Background Although chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyps (CRSsNP) and psoriasis both share immunological disturbances as pathological factors, no prior study has investigated the risk for psoriasis among patients with CRSsNP. Objectives To investigate the subsequent risk for psoriasis following a diagnosis of CRSsNP by utilizing a cohort study design and a population-based dataset in Taiwan. Methods In total, 13 242 subjects with CRSsNP were included in the study cohort and 39 726 subjects were randomly extracted for the comparison cohort. We individually tracked each individual in this study (n = 52 968) for a 5-year period following their index date to identify those subjects who received a subsequent diagnosis of psoriasis. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was conducted to calculate the 5-year risk of subsequent psoriasis following a diagnosis of CRS among the sampled subjects. Results The incidence rate of psoriasis during the 5-year follow-up period was 1·41 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1·14–1·71] per 1000 person-years and 0·69 (95% CI 0·59–0·81) per 1000 person-years for the study and comparison cohort, respectively. Stratified Cox proportional hazards regression revealed that the hazard ratio for psoriasis during the 5-year follow-up period for subjects with CRSsNP compared with the control group was 2·01 (95% CI 1·54–2·62) after adjusting for monthly income, geographical region, hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease and hyperlipidaemia, and censoring the cases who died during the 5-year follow-up period. Conclusion This study detected an increased risk for psoriasis among patients with CRSsNP.