Search

Highlights A novel composite fungal agent was used to pretreat straw. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the lignocellulosic structure was obviously damaged by the composite fungal agent. The methane yield per g of straw was 51.7% higher than that of the untreated group. The T80 (time taken to reach 80% gas production) was shortened by 31.8%. Abstract. In this study, the fungal agent consisting of Phanerochaete chrysosporium (Pc) and Trametes gallica (Tg) were studied. The effects pretreatment temperature, pretreatment time, fungi liquid addition, and fungi ratio had on the degradation of corn straw were studied. The anaerobic methane production performance of untreated and composite fungal agent treated corn straw was evaluated. To maximize the gas production, the response surface method was used to determine the optimal parameters of the pretreatment of straw by the composite fungal agent, The proportion of the fungi was Tg: Pc= 3:1, and the amount of fungi added was 6%. The pretreatment temperature was 28.5℃ and the pretreatment time was 11 d. The cellulose content in the corn straw pretreated by this condition was (29.6±1.4)%, the hemicellulose content was (22.0±1)%, the lignin content was (8.9±0.6)%, and the gas production after pretreatment was (232.9±4.8) mL/gstraw, the gas production was increased by 51.7% compared with the untreated control group, and the T80 (time taken to reach 80% gas production) was shortened by 31.8%. In addition, the degradation effect of composite fungal agent pretreatment under scanning electron microscope (SEM) was observed. The SEM showed that the bundle structure of cellulose was obviously damaged, indicating that the composite fungal agent had a significant effect on straw degradation.

In recent years, the ecological environment along highways in Tibetan Plateau has been severely affected due to the rapid construction of highways. In order to solve the problems of multiple indicators and inconsistent criteria in the ecological impact assessment of highways, and to scientifically screen assessment indicators, the paper proposes a multi-round indicator screening method, which combines literature analysis, expert rating, and statistical analysis. Based on this screening method, normalized difference vegetation index, land surface temperature, elevation, and normalized difference soil index are screened out. Combined with multiple linear regression, an ecological impact assessment model is established and applied to ecological impact assessment of Gonghe-Yushu Expressway. The results show that the expressway construction is the first driving force for the deterioration of the ecological environment along the roadside, and its interference range on the desert grassland ecosystem is greater than that on the agroforestry system. The ecological environment within 150 m on both sides of the expressway should be protected.

The AnluoHuaxian pill (AHP) is a widely used patented medicine for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis that has been used in China for more than 15 years. However, data are lacking on whether monotherapy with AHP can be effective in CHB patients with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels less than 2 times the upper limit of normal (ALT2ULN) and early liver fibrosis (F ≤ 2).We aimed to investigate whether monotherapy with AHP improves liver histology in these patients.In this double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, 270 CHB patients with ALT2ULN and F ≤ 2 were treated in 12 hospitals in China. The patients were randomly assigned to an intervention (AHP) group and a placebo group at a ratio of 2:1. Of these 270 enrolled patients, 147 had paired liver biopsies. The primary end point was histological change after 48 weeks of treatment.Per-protocol analysis revealed that the rate of histologic improvement in liver fibrosis patients in the AHP group was significantly higher than that in the placebo group (37.7% vs. 19.5%, P = 0.035) after 48 weeks of treatment, which was consistent with results from intention-to-treat and sensitivity analyses. Moreover, after adjusting for baseline characteristics, AHP was superior to placebo with respect to improving liver fibrosis (odds ratio [OR] = 2.58, 95% confidence interval [CI]: (1.01, 6.63),P = 0.049) and liver histology (OR = 3.62, 95% CI: (1.42, 9.20),P = 0.007). In noninvasive measurement of liver fibrosis (FibroScan®), the level of liver stiffness measurement (LSM) had decreased significantly at 48 weeks (5.1 kPa) compared with that at baseline (5.7 kPa) (P = 0.008) in the AHP group, whereas it did not decrease significantly in the placebo group. Cirrhosis developed in one patient in the placebo group but in no patients in the AHP group. No serious side effects occurred in the AHP-treated patients.Treatment of CHB patients who had ALT2ULN and F ≤ 2 with the traditional Chinese medicine AHP for 48 weeks improves liver fibrosis. However, due to the short duration of treatment and the limited sample size of liver pathology, the long-term benefits of AHP in reducing fibrosis and the risk of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma in these patients need to be further studied in the future.

A NiCoCrAlYTa coating was synthesized successfully onto a Ni-based superalloy by arc ion plating (AIP) technology. After accomplishing the coating, a vacuum heat treatment was carried out and the coating was then subjected to isothermal oxidation in air at 1050 °C for up to 200 h. The microstructural evolution and interface diffusion behavior were studied systematically using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning transmission electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (STEM-EDX) combined with other characterization methods, such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The results revealed that the thickness of the obtained NiCoCrAlYTa coating was 60–70 μm and the coating was primarily composed of γ-Ni and γ’-Ni3Al phases. During the oxidation process, the Al content was gradually reduced and the oxide scales eventually formed a multi-layer structure, consisting of an outer layer of mixed oxides, namely α-Al2O3, Cr2O3, and NiO, and an inner dense α-Al2O3 layer with columnar microstructure. More particularly, after 100 and 200 h of oxidation, a Ta-riched oxide and (Al0.9Cr0.1)2O3 were detected, respectively. The finding provides solid experimental evidence demonstrating that the external diffusion of cations during the growth of oxide scales plays a greater role in the oxidation of the coating compared with the internal diffusion of oxygen.

The Maoling gold deposit is located in the southwestern part of the Liaodong rift, NE China, and has estimated reserves of 25 t. In this paper we present the results of an investigation into the geochronology and geodynamic mechanisms of igneous activity and metallogenesis within the Maoling gold deposit. New zircon U–Pb age data, biotite 40Ar/39Ar age data, whole-rock geochemistry, and Hf isotopic analyses are presented in order to constrain the petrogenesis and mineralization of the deposit. Zircon U–Pb dating of the Wolongquan biotite monzogranite and Maoling biotite granite yielded mean ages of 194.0 ± 1.1 Ma and 196.1 ± 1.1 Ma, respectively. All the granites are characteristically high-K calc-alkaline, enriched in light rare earth elements and large ion lithophile elements, and depleted in high field strength elements, which is consistent with the geochemical characteristics of arc-type magmas. The Hf isotope characteristics indicate that the granites formed by partial melting of early Paleoproterozoic crustal material. In addition, biotite 40Ar/39Ar dating indicates that the Maoling gold deposit formed at 188.9 ± 1.2 Ma, implying that the mineralization was related to both the granite intrusions. Taking into account previous data on S–Pb–O–H isotopes and our new age data, the Maoling deposit can be classified as an intrusion-related gold deposit. Taking into account the geology of the study area and adjacent regions, we propose that the Maoling gold deposit and its associated granitic intrusions formed in a geodynamic setting that was dominated by subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate beneath the Eurasian continent.

Liaoning Province in China is an area known for the occurrence of numerous copper and/or molybdenum deposits of variable size. However, the age of mineralization and tectonic setting in this region are still a subject of debate. In this study we describe the geology of these deposits and apply zircon U–Pb and molybdenite Re–Os isotopic dating to constrain their ages and define the metallogenic epochs of this province. The Huatong Cu–Mo deposit yields molybdenite Re–Os model ages of 127.6–126.3 Ma and an isochron age of 127.4 ± 0.7 Ma. The Dongbeigou Mo deposit yields molybdenite Re–Os model ages of 132.6–127.1 Ma, an isochron age of 128.1 ± 5.1 Ma, and a zircon U–Pb age of 129.4 ± 0.3 Ma for the associated monzogranite. The granodiorite associated with the Wanbaoyuan Cu–Mo deposit yields a zircon U–Pb age of 128.4 ± 1.1 Ma; the plagiogranite associated with the Yaojiagou Mo deposit yields an age of 167.5 ± 0.9 Ma; and the biotite–plagioclase gneiss from the Shujigou Cu deposit yields an age of 254...

In this paper, the problems existing in highway landscape design is studied on. The quantitative analysis index system of highway landscape design is set up, which is made up of diversity indices, spatial indices, sensitivity indices. The method of determining these indices is analyzed. In sensitivity indices, landscape sensitivity index and visual acuity index are set up based on the dynamic and static characters of highway landscape.

Knowledge reduction is a basic issue in knowledge representation and data mining. Although various methods have been developed to reduce the size of classical formal contexts, the reduction of formal fuzzy contexts based on fuzzy lattices remains a difficult problem owing to its complicated derivation operators. To address this problem, we propose a general method of knowledge reduction by reducing attributes and objects in formal fuzzy contexts based on the variable threshold concept lattices. Employing the proposed approaches, we remove attributes and objects which are non-essential to the structure of a variable threshold concept lattice, i.e., with a given threshold level, the concept lattice constructed from a reduced formal context is made identical to that constructed from the original formal context. Discernibility matrices and Boolean functions are, respectively, employed to compute the attribute reducts and object reducts of the formal fuzzy contexts, by which all the attribute reducts and object reducts of the formal fuzzy contexts are determined without changing the structure of the lattice.

The main task of highway natural regionalization is to reveal the regional differences of the natural environment of highway engineering, and provide scientific basis for highway construction decision. To have a quantitative and automatic study on China Highway Natural Regionalization, obtain scientific and objective regionalization conclusion, we studied the framework, spatial data mining model and development methods of China Highway Natural Regionalization GIS (HR-GIS). This paper studied integration method and framework of HR-GIS according to the guideline and methods of the research of Natural Regionalization for China Highway. Based on object-rational model, the spatial database has been built for massive data management. The spatial data mining methods were put forward to accomplish quantitative calculation of environmental indices. Using ArcGIS Engine technology, the HR-GIS has been developed and completed, and it has the functions of spatial analysis and information inquiry of natural regionalization.

The present study aimed to compare the overall and recurrence-free survival rates following hepatic resection (HR) and transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) in patients with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) classified intermediate-stage Child-Pugh A hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A total of 443 patients were examined, among whom 274 underwent HR, whereas 169 received TACE. The overall survival, recurrence-free survival between groups and subgroups, and risk factors with respect to mortality and recurrence, were analyzed. The 1-, 3- and 5-year overall and recurrence-free survival rates were 70, 46 and 37% and 73, 52, and 37%, respectively after HR, compared with 38, 15, and 12% and 44, 25 and 16%, respectively after TACE. Overall and recurrence-free survival rates were significantly increased following HR compared with TACE. Subgroup analysis in the multi-nodule group showed that the 1-, 3- and 5-year overall survival rates were 68, 38 and 30% after HR, compared with 36, 10 and 0% following TACE. In the solitary tumor group, 1-, 3- and 5-year overall survival rates were 71, 50 and 38% after HR, and 41, 22 and 15% after TACE. The overall survival rate after HR was significantly increased compared with that after TACE in the solitary tumor and multi-nodule groups. The risk factors for mortality include solitary tumor diameter >10 cm, multi-nodules, serum albumin level ≥35 g/l, prothrombin time >13 sec, alphafetoprotein levels >400 ng/ml, and patients with hepatitis B virus. Solitary tumor diameter >10 cm, multi-nodules, and hepatitis B virus (P

To study the design rationality of intersection and gateways, reduce traffic congestion and accidents, based on the function design conception,this paper took connected roads in Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration as research object, combined theoretical analysis and VISSIM simulations, analyzed the traffic characteristics, reasonable forms, traffic organization design methods in the intersections, as well as the locations and reasonable intervals of passageways. The results show that: length of left-turn lanes on city agglomeration connection roads can be 40m to100m, while the length of right-turn lanes for acceleration or deceleration can be 40m~60m. When the distance between two gateways ranges is 800m~900m, the running speed will increase obviously and the longest queue length will decrease remarkably; But when it is over 900m, the variation of running speed and queue length will change to be smaller.So the distance recommended value is 900m-1200m.

The flaxseed lignans were extracted with 70% ethanol solution at ambient temperature. Based on the first Fick’ law, the extraction model was established; according to the experimental data obtained at different conditions, the model was solved by means of “minimum two multiplication” method and the pending constants were determined; the model was validated with experimental data and the results proved that the forecasting precision of this model was error less than 7%. Key words: solvent method, flaxseed, lignans, extraction model

We analyzed the characteristics of highway simulation system; established framework for a Multi-Agent based simulation system, and identified the construction framework for the highway safety simulation model. Through constructing computer simulation models – vehicle model, driver model, road model and barrier crash simulation model – to simulate vehicle operation on highway, we obtained quantitative indices such as operating speed, acceleration, and brake requirement, and evaluated highway design specifications. In consideration of specific highway project, we analyzed and evaluated the application effect of the simulation model in alignment safety evaluation and barrier setting safety evaluation, confirmed that the practicality of the simulation model. The result showed that computer simulation can help designers find design problems during the design period, make timely correction, and improve the scientificity and appropriateness.

Natural Zoning for Highways is the important basis of highway network planning and establishment of related specifications and standards. Determination method for influence coefficients of comprehensive zoning indices analysis model is the key to increase quantization degree of comprehensive zoning indices analysis. Based on the theories of fuzzy clustering and rough set, this paper put forward the method to reasonably determine the influence coefficients of single elements and calibrate the analysis model of comprehensive zoning indices through analyzing the calculation elements data by random sampling method. Highway surface configuration index(HSCI) was analyzed with this method. The map of HSCI reflects the influence degree of surface configuration on highway engineering in different regions in China correctly. Analysis result shows that the method improves the quantization degree of comprehensive zoning indices analysis.

Daqing Oilfield has more than 10,000 million kilograms of oil through tertiary recovery every year. However, eccentric wear of sucker rod and tubing severely impede the implementation effectiveness and large-scale utilization of tertiary oil production when injecting viscoelastic fluids containing polymer. Therefore, a plunger pump lifting viscoelastic fluid is designed based on the analysis of the mechanism of eccentric wear. The principle to reduce eccentric wear is increasing hydraulic and viscoelastic friction, and expanding clearance. Due to make use of the plunger pump lifting viscoelastic, laboratory experiment and field application have demonstrated effective reduction of eccentric wear, extend the life of the sucker rod and tubing, and improve pump efficiency.

International tension between energy supply and demand boost developments of energy-saving industry. Structure drawbacks of four linkage bar of the conventional beam pumping unit in oil field artificial lift led to the study of a single crank flexible pumping unit. Because of beam pumping unit issues, such as many energy transfer links, high energy consumption and investment, and so on, the single crank flexible pumping unit made the flexible delivery instead of rigid, substantially reduce the energy transfer links, to reduce the weight of the load rod as a breakthrough to achieve light and compact oil production ground equipment, while minimizing energy consumption, increased functionality, lower investment and overall cost. Field tests show that significant energy savings are found in the single crank flexible pumping unit, which is worth of promoting.

Extent-intent and intent-extent operators are introduced between two complete lattices in this paper and a mathematical model for concept granular computing system is established. We proved that the set of all concepts in this system is a lattice with the greatest element and the least element. This framework includes formal concept lattices from formal contexts, L fuzzy concept lattices from L fuzzy formal contexts and three kinds of variable threshold concept lattices, i.e. the extension and the intension of a concept are a crisp set and a crisp set, a crisp set and a fuzzy set, a fuzzy set and a crisp set, respectively. Finally, some iterative algorithms for constructing concepts are proposed and they are proved to be optimal concepts under some conditions in this system.

Tanshinone I (Tan I), a diterpene quinone extracted from herbal medicine Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge, has recently been reported to have antitumor effects. As the mechanism of its proapoptotic effects on human myeloid leukemia cells has not been extensively studied, we performed an in-depth evaluation of the effects of Tan I on apoptosis in human K562 and HL-60 cells. The results revealed that Tan I could inhibit the growth of leukemia cells and cause apoptosis in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Apoptosis was observed clearly by flow cytometry and Hoechst 33258 staining, as well as DNA fragmentation analysis. After treatment by Tan I for 48 h, the percentage of disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm) was increased in a dose-dependent manner. Western blotting analysis demonstrated the cleavage of caspase-3 zymogen protein and a dose-dependent cleavage of poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase. Tan I-induced apoptosis was accompanied by a significant decrease in survivin and an increase in Bax. Moreover, Tan I treatment remarkably downregulated the phosphorylation of both P85/PI3K and Akt in a time-dependent manner, and the PI3K/AKT-specific inhibitor (LY294002) mimicked the apoptosis-inducing effects of Tan I. We therefore conclude that the induction of apoptosis by Tan I in these leukemia cells is mainly related to the disruption of Δψm, the upregulation of Bax expression, and the activation of caspase-3. This process is highly correlated with the inactivation of PI3K/Akt/survivin signaling pathways. The results indicate that Tan I may serve as an effective adjunctive reagent in the treatment of leukemia.

Tanshinone I (Tan-I) is a diterpene quinone extracted from the traditional herbal medicine Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge. Recently, Tan-I has been reported to have anti-tumor effects. In this study, we investigated the growth inhibition and apoptosis inducing effects of Tan-I on three kinds of monocytic leukemia cells (U937, THP-1 and SHI 1). Cell viability was measured by MTT assay. Cell apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry (FCM) and AnnexinV/PI staining. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and PCR-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were used to detect human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) expression and telomerase activity before and after apoptosis. The activity of caspase-3 was determined by Caspase colorimetric assay kit and Western blot analysis. Expression of the anti-apoptotic gene Survivin was assayed by Western blot and Real-time RT-PCR using the ABI PRISM 7500 Sequence Detection System. The results revealed that Tan-I could inhibit the growth of these three kinds of leukemia cells and cause apoptosis in a time- and dose-dependent manner. After treatment by Tan-I for 48 h, Western blotting showed cleavage of the caspase-3 zymogen protein with the appearance of its 17-kD subunit, and a 89-kD cleavage product of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), a known substrate of caspase-3, was also found clearly. The expression of hTERT mRNA as well as activity of telomerase were decreased concurrently in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, Real-time RT-PCR and Western blot revealed a significant down-regulation of Survivin. We therefore conclude that the induction of apoptosis by Tan-I in monocytic leukemia U937 THP-1 and SHI 1 cells is highly correlated with activation of caspase-3 and decreasing of hTERT mRNA expression and telomerase activity as well as down-regulation of Survivin expression. To our knowledge, this is the first report about the effects of Tan-I on monocytic leukemia cells.

Formal Concept Analysis of real set formal contexts is a generalization of classical formal contexts. By dividing the attributes into condition attributes and decision attributes, the notion of real decision formal contexts is introduced. Based on an implication mapping, problems of rule acquisition and attribute reduction of real decision formal contexts are examined. The extraction of “if–then” rules from the real decision formal contexts, and the approach to attribute reduction of the real decision formal contexts are discussed. By the proposed approach, attributes which are non-essential to the maximal s rules or l rules (to be defined later in the text) can be removed. Furthermore, discernibility matrices and discernibility functions for computing the attribute reducts of the real decision formal contexts are constructed to determine all attribute reducts of the real set formal contexts without affecting the results of the acquired maximal s rules or l rules.

In this study two monocytic leukemia cell lines, U937 and THP-1 cells, were used to investigate the anti-proliferation effects caused by ponicidin. Cell viability was measured by an MTT assay. Cell apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry as well as DNA fragmentation analysis. Cell morphology was observed using an inverted microscope and Hoechst 33258 staining. RT-PCR and Western blot analysis were used to detect survivin as well as Bax and Bcl-2 expressions after the cells were treated with different concentrations of ponicidin. The results revealed that ponicidin could inhibit the growth of U937 and THP-1 cells significantly by induction of apoptosis. The suppression was in both time- and dose-dependent manner. Marked morphological changes of cell apoptosis were observed clearly after the cells were treated with ponicidin for 48 approximately 72 h. RT-PCR and Western blot analysis demonstrated that both survivin and Bcl-2 expressions were down-regulated remarkably while Bax expression remained constant before and after apoptosis occurred. We therefore conclude that ponicidin has significant anti-proliferation effects by inducing apoptosis on leukemia cells in vitro, downregulation of survivin as well as Bcl-2 expressions may be the important apoptosis inducing mechanisms. The results suggest that ponicidin may serve as potential therapeutic agent for leukemia.

The optimal conditions for the extraction of lignans from flaxseed were determined. A second-order regression for rotation-orthogonal composite design was used to investigate the effects of three independent variables, namely ethanol concentration (%), extraction temperature (°C), and extraction time (h) on the response, the acquired ratio of lignans. The independent variables were coded at five levels and their actual values selected on the basis of results of single-factor experiment. The second-order regression for rotation-orthogonal composite design consisted of 23 experimental points and 9 replications at the central point. Data were analyzed using MATLAB software. The results indicated that acquired ratio of lignans might be beyond 8% at a probability of 95% in the range of ethanol concentration: 56.6–83.4%, extraction time: 26.7–27.9 h, extraction temperature: 38.7–40.1 °C. And the optimal extraction conditions were ethanol concentration of 70%, extraction time of 28 h and extraction temperature of 40 °C according to the analysis of response surface. In this condition, the experimental acquired ratio of lignans was 8.975% (w/w; lignans/defatted flaxseed powder), which is close to the predicted value (9.316%).

To study the prevention and treatment mechanism of Qingxia therapy (based on Yinchenhao Decoction and Dachengqi Decoction) on hepatocyte apoptosis in rats with acute hepatic injury induced by lipopolysaccharide plus D-galactosamine (LPS/D-GalN).The acute hepatic injury model was established by LPS/D-GalN and then intervened with Qingxia therapy. Serum liver function, PT and liver tissue pathology were observed, hepatocyte apoptosis index was detected by Tunel, protein expressions of BCL-2, BAX and Caspase-3 were detected by Western blotting.Qingxia therapy could significantly decrease serum ALT, AST and TBIL levels (P0.01 or 0.05), reduce hepatocyte necrosis and inflammatory cell infiltration. There were more apoptotic cells in model group, which had significant differences compared with Qingxia group and control group. Protein expressions of BAX and Caspase-3 in model group were significantly higher than those in control group and Qingxia group (P0.05), but BCL-2 protein expression in model group was lower (P0.05).Qingxia therapy can ameliorate the liver function and hepatic tissue pathology of rats with hepatic injury induced by LPS/D-GalN, alleviate hepatocyte apoptosis in rats, prevent and treat hepatocyte apoptosis by down-regulating the protein expressions of Caspase-3 and BAX, up-regulating the protein expression of BCL-2, and adjusting the balance of BCL-2/BAX.

Strain engineering has been recently recognized as an effective way to tailor the electrical properties of graphene. In the optical domain, effects such as strain-induced anisotropic absorption add an appealing functionality to graphene, opening the prospect for atomically thin optical elements. Indeed, graphene is currently one of the notable players in the intense drive towards bendable, thin, and portable electronic displays, where its intrinsically metallic, optically transparent, and mechanically robust nature are major advantages. Given that the intrinsic transparency of a graphene monolayer is 97.7 %, any small, reproducible, controllable, and potentially reversible modulation of transparency can have a significant impact for graphene as a viable transparent conducting electrode. Even more so, if the degree of modulation is polarization dependent. Here we show that the transparency in the visible range of graphene pre-strained on a Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate exhibits a periodic modulation (0.1 %) as a function of polarization direction, which we interpret as strain-induced optical anisotropy. The degree of anisotropy is varied by reversible external manipulation of the level of pre-strain. The magnitude of strain is monitored independently by optical absorption and Raman spectroscopy, and the experimental observations are consistent with the theoretically expected modification of the optical conductivity of graphene arising from the strain-induced changes in the electronic dispersion of graphene. The strain sensitivity of the optical response of graphene demonstrated in this study can be potentially utilized towards novel ultra-thin optical devices and strain sensing applications., 18 pages, 4 figures