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SUMMARY: Understanding the genetic basis of population divergence and adaptation is an important goal in population genetics and evolutionary biology. However, the relative roles of demographic history, gene flow, and/or selective regime in driving genomic divergence, climatic adaptation, and speciation in non‐model tree species are not yet fully understood. To address this issue, we generated whole‐genome resequencing data of Liquidambar formosana and L. acalycina, which are broadly sympatric but altitudinally segregated in the Tertiary relict forests of subtropical China. We integrated genomic and environmental data to investigate the demographic history, genomic divergence, and climatic adaptation of these two sister species. We inferred a scenario of allopatric species divergence during the late Miocene, followed by secondary contact during the Holocene. We identified multiple genomic islands of elevated divergence that mainly evolved through divergence hitchhiking and recombination rate variation, likely fostered by long‐term refugial isolation and recent differential introgression in low‐recombination genomic regions. We also found some candidate genes with divergent selection signatures potentially involved in climatic adaptation and reproductive isolation. Our results contribute to a better understanding of how late Tertiary/Quaternary climatic change influenced speciation, genomic divergence, climatic adaptation, and introgressive hybridization in East Asia's Tertiary relict flora. In addition, they should facilitate future evolutionary, conservation genomics, and molecular breeding studies in Liquidambar, a genus of important medicinal and ornamental values. Significance Statement: We assembled a chromosome‐scale genome of Liquidambar formosana and resequenced 160 individuals of L. formosana and its high‐altitude sister species L. acalycina. Benefiting from advanced analytical methods and robust evidence, we found that multiple "genomic islands" mainly evolved as a result of divergence hitchhiking and recombination rate variation, as likely fostered by long‐term refugial isolation and recent differential introgression in low‐recombination genomic regions; and identified some candidate genes associated with climatic adaptation and reproductive isolation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoparticles (NPs) and exosomes used to transport therapeutic drug molecules to cells have attracted considerable attention in biopharmaceuticals. However, soft NPs entering cells with different angles are hard to be simulated by traditional theoretical endocytic models, let alone clustering of NPs with varied shapes. Here, the endocytic model based on the co-rotational grid method is implemented. The endocytosis of a single soft NP and a nanoparticle cluster (NPC) are investigated. Both the actin force and the dynamic assembly of the clathrin coat have been considered. The results show that NP size is the main factor affecting the internalization efficiency, followed by the aspect ratio, and finally the entry angle. The increase in NP size, aspect ratio, and entry angle will lead to a decrease in internalization efficiency. However, the final configuration of the endocytic vesicle and the internalization efficiency are both independent of the entry angle for NPs with an equivalent radius greater than 15 nm. Besides, a large entry angle can assist a large soft NP in successfully entering cells. The increase in NP stiffness also reduces the internalization efficiency considering the actin force required during endocytosis. The transformation of the NP from the inclined configuration to the vertical configuration is mainly due to NP deformation. Compared with a single NP, NPC has a lower internalization efficiency. The results provide new mechanistic insights into the endocytosis of soft NPs and NPCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lug is one of the most important lap joints in many engineering structures, especially airframes. Through‐thickness and part‐through cracks emanating from pin‐loaded lug hole are frequently encountered due to stress concentration. Stress intensity factors for various crack geometries are the prerequisite for damage tolerance design of attachment lug. In this paper, analytical 2D weight functions for through‐thickness crack in lug are derived considering the contact condition between the pin and lug. With the derived 2D weight function, a highly efficient 3D slice synthesis weight function method (SSWFM) is then developed to determine 3D SIFs of hole‐edge corner/surface crack in straight and tapered lugs under various pin loadings. The resulting 3D SIFs are verified by comparisons with the numerical FEM/Franc3D solutions and literature data. The SSWFM is about 1800 times faster than the numerical FEM/Franc3D and therefore will significantly enhance damage tolerance analysis capability for attachment lugs. Highlights: Accurate and wide‐range weight functions of pin‐loaded cracked lug are derived considering the contact constraint.A 3D weight function method for corner and surface cracks of lug is established.It is accurate and much faster than FEM for SIF calculation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are superior ion adsorbents for selectively capturing toxic ions from water. Nevertheless, they have rarely been reported to have lithium selectivity over divalent cations due to the well-known flexibility of MOF framework and the similar physiochemical properties of Li+ and Mg2+. Herein, we report an ion-sieving adsorption approach to design sunlight-regenerable lithium adsorbents by subnanoporous MOFs for efficient lithium extraction. By integrating the ion-sieving agent of MOFs with light-responsive adsorption sites of polyspiropyran (PSP), the ion-sieving adsorption behaviors of PSP-MOFs with 6.0, 8.5, and 10.0 Å windows are inversely proportional to their pore size. The synthesized PSP-UiO-66 with a narrowest window size of 6.0 Å shows high LiCl adsorption capacity up to 10.17 mmol g−1 and good Li+ / Mg2+ selectivity of 5.8 to 29 in synthetic brines with Mg/Li ratio of 1 to 0.1. It could be quickly regenerated by sunlight irradiation in 6 min with excellent cycling performance of 99% after five cycles. This work sheds light on designing selective adsorbents using responsive subnanoporous materials for environmentally friendly and energy-efficient ion separation and purification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stress intensity factor (SIF) is the foundation of fracture mechanics analysis. Accurate determination of SIFs is at the very heart of damage tolerance design and fatigue crack growth life prediction. The weight function method (WFM) is a powerful method for SIF‐determination involving complex load conditions. This article presents a review of the historical development over the past five decades and the current state‐of‐the‐art in three‐dimensional (3D) WFMs. The discussions are focused on the slice synthesis weight function method (SSWFM) and the point weight function method (PWFM). The powerfulness of the 3D WFMs is shown by a variety of examples with complex part‐through crack configurations under uni‐ and bi‐variant loadings. Solution accuracy is verified by comparisons of SIFs with various numerical methods. Use of the substitute geometry concept to expand the capability of 3D WFMs for solving real‐world engineering 3D crack problems is demonstrated. Some remaining challenges are briefly discussed. Highlights: This article presents a review of the historical development and the current state‐of‐the‐art in 3D WFMs.The 3D WFMs is powerful for complex part‐through crack configurations.The WFMs can solve real‐world 3D crack problems with substitute geometry concept.Some remaining challenges are briefly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoparticles have been extensively adopted to deliver therapeutic drug molecules to cells through clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME). The size and shape of nanoparticles are important factors in the design of a drug delivery system. Both the clathrin coat and actin force induce the bending of the membrane during CME. However, due to the complex coupled effects of size, shape, and surface properties, nanoparticle shape effects are difficult to elucidate through experiments. Herein, we establish a comprehensive framework considering both the actin force and the dynamic assembly of the clathrin coat. To explore the effect of the nanoparticle size and shape on CME, we construct a clathrin coat growth model with actin force feedback. The clathrin coat growth model, nanoparticle internalization efficiency, and transportation efficiency are discussed through numerical analysis. The transportation efficiency is defined by the energy cost of the cell absorbing unit dose target drug. Numerical results illustrate that the proposed clathrin coat growth model is consistent with the actual physiological process, especially for CME considering receptor-mediated effects. The elliptical nanoparticle exhibits higher internalization and transportation efficiencies. A larger nanoparticle has lower internalization efficiency but higher transportation efficiency. Our results demonstrate that the internalization and transportation efficiencies of nanoparticles with an intermediate aspect ratio are higher than those with low or high aspect ratios. Our model provides insight into the intrinsic mechanism of CME and useful guidance for the practical design of the size and shape of nanoparticles for biopharmaceutical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) is considered the sixth highly prevailing malignant neoplasm and is ranked third in terms of cancer mortality rates. To enable an early and efficient diagnosis of GC, it is important to detect the fundamental processes involved in the oncogenesis and progression of gastric malignancy. The understanding of molecular signaling pathways can facilitate the development of more effective therapeutic strategies for GC patients. Methods: The screening of genes that exhibited differential expression in early and advanced GC was performed utilizing the Gene Expression Omnibus databases (GSE3438). Based on this, the protein and protein interaction network was constructed to screen for hub genes. The resulting list of hub genes was evaluated with bioinformatic analysis and selected genes were validated the protein expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Finally, a competing endogenous RNA network of GC was constructed. Results: The three genes (ITGB1, LUM, and COL5A2) overexpressed in both early and advanced GC were identified for the first time. Their upregulation has been linked with worse overall survival (OS) time in patients with GC. Only LUM was identified as an independent risk factor for OS among GC patients by means of additional analysis. IHC results demonstrated that the expression of LUM protein was increased in GC tissue, and was positively associated with the pathological T stage. LUM expression can effectively differentiate tumorous tissue from normal tissue (area under the curve = 0.743). The area under 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival relative operating characteristics were greater than 0.6. Biological function enrichment analyses suggested that the genes related to LUM expression were involved in extracellular matrix development-related pathways and enriched in several cancer-related pathways. LUM affects the infiltration degree of cells linked to the immune system in the tumor microenvironment. In GC progression, the AC117386.2/hsa-miR-378c/LUM regulatory axis was also identified. Conclusion: Collectively, a thorough bioinformatics analysis was carried out and an AC117386.2/hsa-miR-378c/LUM regulatory axis in the stomach adenocarcinoma dataset was detected. These findings should serve as a guide for future experimental investigations and warrant confirmation from larger studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In direct dark matter (DM) detection via scattering off the electrons, the momentum transfer plays a crucial role. Previous work showed that for self-interacting DM, if the DM particle has a size (the so-called puffy DM), the radius effect could dominate the momentum transfer and become another source of velocity dependence for self-scattering cross-section. In this work, we investigate the direct detection of puffy DM particles with different radii through electron recoil. We find that comparing with the available experimental exclusion limits dominated by the mediator effect for XENON10, XENON100 and XENON1T, the constraints on the puffy DM-electron scattering cross-section become much weaker for large radius DM particles. For small-radius DM particles, the constraints remain similar to the point-like DM case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work establishes H¹-norm stability and convergence for an L2 method on general nonuniform meshes when applied to the subdiffusion equation. Under mild constraints on the time step ratio ρk, such as 0.4573328≤ ρ k ≤ 3.5615528 for k\geq 2, the positive semidefiniteness of a crucial bilinear form associated with the L2 fractional-derivative operator is proved. This result enables us to derive long time H¹-stability of L2 schemes. These positive semidefiniteness and H¹-stability properties hold for standard graded meshes with grading parameter 1 < r ≤ 3.2016538. In addition, error analysis in the H¹-norm for general nonuniform meshes is provided, and convergence of order (5 α)/2 in the H¹-norm is proved for modified graded meshes when r > 5/α 1. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first work on H¹-norm stability and convergence of L2 methods on general nonuniform meshes for the subdiffusion equation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a comprehensive study on the self-interaction cross-section of puffy dark matter (DM) particles, which have a significant intrinsic size compared to their Compton wavelength. For such puffy DM self-interaction cross-section in the resonant and classical regimes, our study demonstrates the significance of the Yukawa potential and the necessity of partial wave analysis: (i) Due to the finite-size effect of puffy DM particles, the new Yukawa potential of puffy DM is found to enlarge the Born-effective regime for the self-interaction cross-section, compared with the point-like DM; (ii) Our partial wave analysis shows that depending on the value of the ratio between Rχ (radius of a puffy DM particle) and 1/mϕ (force range), the three regimes (Born-effective, resonant and classical) for puffy DM self-interaction cross-section can be very different from the point-like DM; (iii) We find that to solve the small-scale anomalies via self-interacting puffy DM, the Born-effective and the resonant regimes exist for dwarf galaxies, while for the cluster and Milky Way galaxy the non-Born regime is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address the problem that the energy capture efficiencies of existing flapping airfoil power generators are lower than those of traditional turbine generators, a dual‐layer flapping airfoil structure was adopted to improve the energy capture performance of the semiactive flapping airfoil, inspired by the multiwing flying mode of dragonflies in nature. The influence of the dual‐layer flapping airfoil structure on the energy capture performance of a semiactive flapping airfoil was systematically analyzed by a Taguchi experimental design and computational fluid dynamics simulations. The results showed that the dual‐layer flapping airfoil structure mainly improved the energy capture efficiency of the flapping airfoil by increasing the lift force and reducing the maximum sweep distance. Under the optimized parameter combination, the energy capture efficiency of the dual‐layer flapping airfoil reached 28.80%, which was 17.74% higher than that of the single‐layer flapping airfoil. Furthermore, the influence of the dual‐layer flapping airfoil structure on the energy capture performance of a semiactive flapping airfoil was related to the mass ratio of the system, and a larger mass ratio (M* ≥ 40) caused the performance of the dual‐layer flapping airfoil to deteriorate. Analysis of the vortices around the flapping airfoil revealed that there were more attached vortices on the surface of the dual‐layer flapping airfoil, but the increase in the mass ratio led to an advance of the separation of the leading edge vortex, which was the reason that the dual‐layer flapping airfoil with a smaller mass ratio had a better energy capture performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Dirac-Born-Infeld (DBI) field theory in string theory is important and can provide the field of the universe's inflation. At the same time, it provides a causal mechanism for generating the original density perturbation, thereby providing the necessary density perturbation for existing the dense and sparse matter distributions of the universe. We deduce a symmetric DBI action, introduce it into inflationary cosmology to calculate various inflation parameters, further calculate the scalar perturbation spectrum and the tensor-scalar ratio, which are compared with Planck + WMAP9 + BAO data, the power spectrum predicted by the new general DBI inflation theory satisfies the CMB Experiment constraints, i.e., is consistent with the current theories and experimental observations. Consequently, the theory of this paper conforms to current experiments and is supplying the current theories, and also a new way of explaining the inflation of the universe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Several hypotheses are available to predict change in genetic diversity at expanding peripheral ranges. However, empirical evidence to test predictions of the centre–periphery hypothesis (CPH) at contracting range limits is scarce. To address this issue, we assessed spatial patterns of genetic variation, effective population size, and contemporary and historical gene flow in a widespread, Tertiary relict tree species from subtropical China. Location: Warm‐temperate deciduous forests of subtropical China. Taxon: Emmenopterys henryi (Rubiaceae) Methods: We applied kernel density estimation to determine the centre of the species' geographical range. Using microsatellite markers, we assessed genetic structure and diversity in 36 populations (503 individuals) sampled in the centre and periphery across the species' range. We further examined both historical and contemporary gene flow. Finally, we applied coalescent methods to simulate population demography. Results: In support of CPH predictions, the highest density of E. henryi coincided with the geographical centre of the species' distribution range, and genetic diversity significantly declined with distance from this range centre. Historical migration from the core to the edge was significantly higher than in the opposite direction, whereas contemporary migration followed an opposite pattern. Central and peripheral populations had similar levels of genetic differentiation. Main conclusions: Core‐to‐edge patterns of genetic diversity, but not genetic differentiation, were consistent with the CPH in E. henryi. Also in line with the CPH, historical (but not contemporary) migration from the core to the edge was significantly higher than in the opposite direction. Results suggest that the complex topography in subtropical China and population demographic processes may strongly influence whether CPH predictions are met in different population genetic parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glioma is the most common primary malignant tumor of the central nervous system and has a poor prognosis. Therefore, exploring the key molecular targets is a new opportunity for basic research and clinical treatment of glioma. Previous studies found that circRNA-hsa_circ_0073237 was upregulated in gliomas. Our further analyses of the biological function and molecular mechanism of hsa_circ_0073237 showed that hsa_circ_0073237 was also upregulated in glioma cell lines and could combine with miR-345 to inhibit its expression. miR-345 was downregulated in glioma tissues and cells, and targeted to regulate the expression of hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF), while HDGF expression was enhanced in glioma. Hsa_circ_0073237 promoted the expression of HDGF in glioma cells by adsorbing miR-345. Hsa_circ_0073237 siRNA, miR-345, and HDGF siRNA effectively inhibited cell viability and invasion and promoted cell apoptosis. When expression of hsa_circ_0073237 and miR-345 was inhibited simultaneously, cell viability, apoptosis, and invasion did not change significantly; however, after transfection with HDGF overexpression vector, the effects of hsa_circ_0073237 siRNA and miR-345 on glioma cell viability, apoptosis, and invasion were obviously reversed. Further construction of glioma xenograft models in nude mice confirmed that the introduction of miR-345 in vivo effectively inhibited tumor growth, significantly reduced tumor diameter and weight, and obviously decreased the expression of HDGF. Therefore, hsa_circ_0073237 can regulate the biological functions of glioma cells through miR-345/HDGF, thereby affecting the progression of tumors, indicating that the hsa_circ_0073237/miR-345/HDGF pathway may be a key target for the treatment of glioma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an improved technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution is proposed to select the optimal transportation service provider among several alternatives according to a multi-criterion method. An entropy method is embedded to determine the weights of different criteria and it is effective to avoid the subjectivity and arbitrary of choosing the weights. A case study demonstrates the proposed method is reasonable and valid for practical problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents a novel method for designing gradient-varying lattice structures based on explicit topology optimization. The proposed method employs a set of Moving Morphable Components (MMC) and NURBS-based partitioned coordinate mapping (PCM) functions to describe material distribution within the design domain and control points grid in the parametric space for local control of the lattice structure within each subdomain, thereby generating diverse microstructure topologies in different regions while being able to ensure clear structural boundaries and high-order smooth connections between adjacent microstructures. Since the optimization parameters include only the explicit geometric parameters of the components and the perturbation coefficients of the mapping function, the number of design variables is substantially smaller compared to existing algorithms. The proposed method can efficiently generate graded lattice structures for various loading conditions and graded-infill structures. Numerical results validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the light relativistic dark matter (DM) boosted by high energy cosmic ray, its scattering cross section with the nucleon is sensitively dependent on the momentum-transfer and such an dependence is caused by the mediator in the scattering. For puffy DM particle with a size, the momentum-transfer dependence can also arise from the DM radius effect. All these momentum-transfer dependences should be considered. In this note we study the direct detection limits on the cosmic ray-boosted puffy DM for a simplified model with a light mediator. For comparison, we first re-derive the direct detection limits on the cosmic ray-boosted point-like DM. We display the limits on various planes of parameters and find that the limits for the cosmic ray-boosted puffy DM are stronger than for the point-like DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was based on the specific binding ability of magnetic molecularly imprinted polymers (MMIPs) combined with a high-performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detector (HPLC-FLD) for the rapid determination of zearalenone (ZEN) in cereals. A novel magnetic molecularly imprinted polymer was prepared by surface imprinting technology. Warfarin was used as a virtual template, 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APTES) was used as the functional monomer, and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) was used as the cross-linking agent. Analysis by a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that MMIPs were prepared with a particle size about 450 nm, the imprinted molecular layer accounting for 10.7% of the total mass, and saturation magnetization of about 34.54 emu/g. The maximum adsorption capacity (Qmax) of the thermodynamic and kinetic adsorption experiments were 13.90 mg/g and 8.71 mg/g, respectively. The Langmuir model showed that the binding sites were uniformly distributed on the surface of the MMIPs. The Scatchard analysis showed that MMIPs had two types of binding sites with Qmax of 8.22 mg/g and 15.37 mg/g, respectively. In actual sample detection, the limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were 0.4 ng/kg and 0.9 ng/kg, respectively. The sample recovery rate was 90.56–99.96%, the daytime stability was 1.35–2.87%. These results showed that MMIPs had good performance in selectively identifying ZEN and were suitable for determining ZEN in cereals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to explore the causes of primary young onset trigeminal neuralgia (TN) and the clinical outcomes of these patients. From May 2015 to December 2020, 19 primary TN patients with onset age under 30 years underwent microvascular decompression (MVD) in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital. In this study, the clinical characteristics, surgical outcomes, and postoperative complications of these patients were analyzed retrospectively. Of the 19 patients, 5 were males and 14 were females, and the pain was located on the right side in 10 cases (52.6%). Vascular compression was observed in 17 patients, including 14 cases of superior cerebellar artery (SCA) alone, 2 cases of superior petrosal vein (SPV) alone, and 1 case of SCA and SPV combined. Two patients had no neurovascular conflict, and nerve combing was performed. After surgery, 18 patients got immediate pain relief; 1 patient improved but still had occasional pain. With a mean follow-up of 42.7 ± 22.3 months, one patient was found to have a relapse 45 months after MVD. Surgical complications including mild facial numbness in two patients and hearing impairment in one patient. Neurovascular compression is the main cause of young onset primary TN, and the most commonly encountered vascular was SCA. MVD is a safe and effective treatment for these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) has been shown to produce benefits in the muscle function of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. The definite effectiveness of NMES, applied in isolation or concurrently with conventional pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) or exercise training, remains unclear. This review was to determine the effects of NMES on exercise capacity, functional performance, symptoms, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in COPD patients. Electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library) were searched for relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Two investigators independently screened the eligible studies up to February 2020 that used NMES as the intervention group. The outcome measures were 6-min walking distance (6MWD), peak rate of oxygen uptake (VO2 peak), St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), and symptoms of dyspnoea and fatigue. Data were extracted using a predefined table and papers were appraised using Downs and Black tool. We analyzed 13 RCTs with 447 COPD patients. In the analysis of 6MWD, pooled estimates showed a significant increase in the NMES group, compared with the control group (mean difference (MD) = 27.05, 95% confidence interval (CI): 8.46-45.63, P<0.001). There were also improvements in symptoms of dyspnea or leg fatigue, and reduction in London Chest Activity of Daily Living (LCADL) scores. No statistically significant difference was observed in VO2 peak, peak power, and SGRQ. NMES could improve exercise capacity and reduce perceived sensation of dyspnea during exercise in patients with COPD, but not to be recommended as an effective alternative training modality in the rehabilitation of stable COPD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Wu‐Carlsson displacement‐based weight function method is extended to obtain the mode I and mode II weight functions for the edge‐ and centre‐cracked discs. Compared with Fett's direct adjustment weight functions for the edge‐cracked discs, the present weight functions are more accurate and are applicable for a wider range of crack lengths. Using the present weight functions, extensive and highly accurate mixed‐mode stress intensity factors are obtained for the cracked discs subjected to diametrically compressive forces. Assuming perfect contact and using Coulomb friction law and the present weight functions, the mode II stress intensity factors for the cracked discs with consideration of friction are obtained and widely compared with the corresponding results from finite element analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the role of geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase 1 (GGPPS1) in ventilator-induced lung injury along with the underlying mechanism. A murine VILI model was induced by high-tidal volume ventilation in both wild-type and GGPPS1 knockout mice. GGPPS1 expression was detected in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) supernatants of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) patients and healthy volunteers, as well as in lung tissues and BALF supernatants of the VILI mice using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), western bolt and immunohistochemical (IHC). The wet/dry ratio, total BALF proteins, and lung injury score were analyzed. The percentage of neutrophils was detected by flow cytometry and IHC. Inflammatory cytokine levels were measured by ELISA and qRT-PCR. The related expression of Toll-like receptor (TLR)2/4 and its downstream proteins was evaluated by western blot. GGPPS1 in BALF supernatants was upregulated in ARDS patients and the VILI mice. Depletion of GGPPS1 significantly alleviated the severity of ventilator induced lung injury in mice. Total cell count, neutrophils and inflammatory cytokines (interleukin [IL]-6, IL-1β, IL-18 and tumor necrosis factor-α) levels in BALF were reduced after GGPPS1 depletion. Moreover, addition of exogenous GGPP in GGPPS-deficient mice significantly exacerbated the severity of ventilator induced lung injury as compared to the PBS treated controls. Mechanistically, the expression of TLR2/4, as well as downstream proteins including activator protein-1 (AP-1) was suppressed in lung tissues of GGPPS1-deficient mice. GGPPS1 promoted the pathogenesis of VILI by modulating the TLR2/4–AP-1 signaling pathway, and GGPPS1 knockout significantly alleviated the lung injury and inflammation in the VILI mice. Image 1 • GGPPS1 promotes the pathogenesis of VILI by modulating the TLR2/4–AP-1 signaling pathway. • GGPPS1 knockout significantly alleviates the lung injury and inflammation in the VILI mice. • GGPPS1 expression was upregulated in ARDS patients undergoing mechanical ventilation [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the (n − 1) -dimensional FRW domain wall universe induced by n -dimensional charged dilaton black hole, observers on the domain wall interpret its movement in the bulk as the expansion or collapsing of universe. By analyzing, we found that in this static AdS space, the cosmologic behavior of domain wall is particularly single. Even more surprising, there is an anomaly that the domain wall has a motion area outside the horizon, which cannot be explained by our classical theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ERK1 is an important kinase in Ras–Raf–MEK signaling. We have recently demonstrated by mass spectrometry that Tyr210 of ERK1 can be nitrated, and the nitration leads to a novel CHIP–dependent ERK1 degradation pathway. This motivated us to investigate the effect of this nitration on local and global structures of human ERK1 by Gaussian calculations and molecular dynamics simulations. Our study shows that the nitration at either the CE1 or the CE2 positions introduces an intra-hydrogen bond between the hydroxyl group and the nitro group of the nitrated Tyr210 of ERK1. Our data indicate that the hydrogen bond between Tyr210 and Glu237 is not stable and the nitration of Tyr210 facilitates its breakage. The previous studies demonstrated that ERK1 can be autophosphorylated at tyrosine residue 204. We next studied the effect of the phosphorylation in combination with the nitration. We found that the nitration of Tyr210 modestly decreases its inter-residue electrostatic interactions, and the phosphorylation of Tyr204 increases its inter-residue electrostatic interactions as expected. In the active state of ERK1, the conserved Lys71 forms a salt bridge with the conserved Glu88 and this salt bridge is essential for the activity of ERK1. Our data demonstrate an additional salt bridge for Glu88 with Arg84, and this salt bridge is unphosphorylation-dependent. The phosphorylation of ERK1 with the nitration at CE2, not at CE1, slightly enhances the K71–E88 salt bridge. Collectively, our simulations have demonstrated formation of a tyrosine nitration–dependent hydrogen bond. Our molecular dynamics simulations in combination with the experimental data on the nitration of Tyr210 of ERK1 indicate that a post-translational modification of a protein can specifically alter local structural environments, and a local structural change could lead to changes of protein functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Determined the laminar burning velocities of EMC/air premixed flames at the elevated pressures. • Verified the first EMC kinetic mechanism proposed by Takahashi et al. • Determined the critical parameters of the onset of the cellular instabilities of EMC/air spherical expanding flames at elevated pressures. Ethyl methyl carbonate (EMC) gained great attention because of its advantages shown in practical applications both as a blend with conventional oil-derived liquid fuels, and as a solvent being used in Li-ion cell electrolyte compositions. Thus, a better knowledge of the combustion characteristics of EMC/air premixed flames is necessary, which has not yet been well-explored. Towards this goal, the laminar flame propagation of EMC/air mixture was investigated using a constant-volume combustion chamber at the initial pressures of 1, 2, 5 and 8 atm, with the unburned temperature of 423 K and the equivalence ratios ranging from 0.7 to 1.5. A recently established chemical kinetic mechanism of EMC by Takahashi et al. (Combust. Flame 2022) was adopted for the theoretical prediction, which accurately reproduced the measured LBVs at 1–5 atm; however, it underpredicted the LBVs for the lean flame condition at 8 atm. According to the flame instability analysis, the increase in pressure leads to the elevated hydrodynamic instability and the decreased critical radius of spherical premixed flame. Meanwhile, the rich flames of EMC/air had the smaller critical Peclet numbers and suffered the more severe thermal-diffusive instabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The abnormal IR effects (AIREs) characterized by a positive-going peak of platinum (Pt) nanostructured surface generated in a square-wave potential treatment upon CO molecule chemisorption was observed and analyzed with a consideration of the interparticle interaction and electron-hole damping between nanoislands and CO molecules. A theoretical simulation shows that the islanded nanostructured Pt surfaces, which gives rise to interparticle interaction, coupling with electron-hole mechanism, may contribute to the origins of positive-going peak (AIREs) observed by in situ Fourier transformation IR (FTIR) experiments. © 2004 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies the physicochemical properties of chiral and racemic phospholipid monolayers at the air-water interface. Development of the model used in the study; Interactions working on monolayer molecules; Mean electrical field of the monolayer; Calculation of the orientational order parameters.

Examines the polar orientational phase transition in smectic monolayer films. Analysis on the change of the first orientational order parameter; Details on the differential dielectric constant for monolayer films; Implication of changes of the first orientational order parameter for dielectric constant.

Introduction: Brain glioma is the most common type of primary malignancy in the central nervous system (CNS), with high recurrence and mortality rate, especially glioblastoma (GBM). Recent evidence suggests a role for many long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the pathogenesis, proliferation, apoptosis, metastasis, and chemotherapeutic resistance of cancer cells. Although the functions of some lncRNAs in the occurrence and development of gliomas have been confirmed, detailed mechanisms of action are lacking. Furthermore, the biological roles of many other lncRNAs in glioma have not been reported at all. Methods: In this study, we identified a novel lncRNA, UBE2R2-AS1, which was dramatically downregulated in glioma compared with normal tissue, by performing microarray detection of six pairs of glioma samples and adjacent normal tissues. In vitro experiments demonstrated that UBE2R2-AS1 regulated glioma cell proliferation, apoptosis, and migration. Results: UBE2R2-AS1 acted as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) to target Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) mRNA by binding to miR-877-3p. Furthermore, lncRNA UBE2R2-AS1 suppressed glioblastoma cell growth, migration, and invasion, as well as promoting cell apoptosis by targeting miR-877-3p/TLR4 directly. Conclusion: This information regarding UBE2R2-AS1 and its glioma-related molecular mechanisms will aid the future identification of new lncRNA-directed diagnostics and drug-targeting therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The figwort genus Scrophularia L. (Scrophulariaceae) comprises 200–300 species and is widespread throughout the temperate Northern Hemisphere. Due to reticulate evolution resulting from hybridization and polyploidization, the taxonomy and phylogeny of Scrophularia is notoriously challenging. Here we report the complete chloroplast (cp) genome sequences of S. henryi Hemsl. and S. dentata Royle ex Benth. and compare them with those of S. takesimensis Nakai and S. buergeriana Miq. The Scrophularia cp genomes ranged from 152 425 to 153 631 bp in length. Each cp genome contained 113 unigenes, consisting of 78 protein‐coding genes, 31 transfer RNA genes, and 4 ribosomal RNA genes. Gene order, gene content, AT content and IR/SC boundary structure were nearly identical among them. Nine cpDNA markers (trnH‐psbA, rps15, rps18‐rpl20, rpl32‐trnL, trnS‐trnG, ycf15‐trnL, rps4‐trnT, ndhF‐rpl32, and rps16‐trnQ) with more than 2% variable sites were identified. Our phylogenetic analyses including 55 genera from Lamiales strongly supported a sister relationship between ((Bignoniaceae + Verbenaceae) + Pedaliaceae) and (Acanthaceae + Lentibulariaceae). Within Scrophulariaceae, a topology of (S. dentata + (S. takesimensis + (S. buergeriana + S. henryi))) was strongly supported. The crown age of Lamiales was estimated to be 85.1 Ma (95% highest posterior density, 70.6–99.8 Ma). The higher core Lamiales originated at 65.6 Ma (95% highest posterior density, 51.4–79.4 Ma), with a subsequent radiation that occurred in the Paleocene (between 55.4 and 62.3 Ma) and gave birth to the diversified families. Our study provides a robust phylogeny and a temporal framework for further investigation of the evolution of Lamiales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective We investigated the effect of topotecan on injury and inflammation in a model of ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI). Methods Acute lung injury (ALI) was induced in mice by high-tidal volume ventilation, and the mice were then treated with topotecan or PBS. Lung tissue and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were collected to assess pulmonary vascular leaks, inflammation, and cell apoptosis. Results Compared to PBS treatment, topotecan significantly decreased the ALI score, myeloperoxidase (MPO) content, total protein concentration, and presence of inflammatory cells and inflammatory cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Topotecan also reduced caspase-3 activation and type Ⅱ alveolar epithelial cell apoptosis. Moreover, topotecan inhibited NF-κB expression and activation in the VILI model. Conclusion Topotecan alleviates acute lung injury in the model of VILI through the inhibition of the NF-κB pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adsorption of NH3 and NO on the β-MnO2 (1 1 0) surface has been investigated by density functional theory using periodic models. The energetically favourable sites of adsorption of the gases on the β-MnO2 surface are 4-fold coordinate Mn (Mn4-top) and 5-fold coordinate Mn (Mn5-top). The relative adsorption energies (Eads) of these gases on the Mn4-top site and Mn5-top site are in the orders NH3 (Eads = -1.02 eV) > NO (Eads = -0.96 eV) and NH3 (Eads = -0.63 eV) > NO (Eads = -0.49 eV). The N-H and N-O bond lengths, Mulliken charges and the densities of states of the NH3 and NO molecules are discussed after adsorption. The calculated results indicate that the coordination number of surface Mn ions has a significant influence on the adsorption capacity. Furthermore, the analysis of the results of the density of states determinations shows that when NH3 and NO are adsorbed with the NH3-Mn and NO-Mn configurations, the bonding mechanism is mainly from the interaction between the NH3 or NO molecule and the Mn d orbital, which is the major reason for the strong chemical adsorption of NH3 and NO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of NiFe mixed oxide catalysts were prepared via calcining hydrotalcite-like precursors for the selective catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxides (NOx) with NH3 (NH3-SCR). Multiple characterizations revealed that catalytic performance was highly dependent on the phase composition, which was vulnerable to the calcination temperature. The MOx phase (M = Ni or Fe) formed at a lower calcination temperature would induce more favorable contents of Fe2+ and Ni3+ and as a result contribute to the better redox capacity and low-temperature activity. In comparison, NiFe2O4 phase emerged at a higher calcination temperature, which was expected to generate more Fe species on the surface and lead to a stable structure, better high-temperature activity, preferable SO2 resistance, and catalytic stability. The optimum NiFe-500 catalyst incorporated the above virtues and afforded excellent denitration (DeNOx) activity (over 85% NOx conversion with nearly 98% N2 selectivity in the region of 210-360 °C), superior SO2 resistance, and catalytic stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite a growing body of evidence suggests that abnormal iron metabolism plays an important role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (PD), few studies explored its role in non-motor symptoms (NMS) of PD. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between abnormal iron metabolism and NMS of PD. Seventy PD patients and 64 healthy controls were consecutively recruited to compare serum iron, ceruloplasmin, ferritin, and transferrin levels. We evaluated five classic NMS, including depression, anxiety, pain, sleep disorder, and autonomic dysfunction in PD patients using the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), the short form of the McGill Pain Questionnaire, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Scale for Outcomes in Parkinson’s disease for Autonomic Symptoms, respectively. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to investigate the correlations between abnormal iron metabolism and NMS. No differences in serum ceruloplasmin and ferritin levels were examined between PD patients and healthy controls, but we observed significantly decreased serum iron levels and increased serum transferrin levels in PD patients in comparison with healthy controls. After eliminating confounding factors, HAMD scores and HAMA scores were both negatively correlated with serum iron levels and positively correlated with serum transferrin levels. In summary, abnormal iron metabolism might play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of depression and anxiety in PD. Serums levels of iron and transferrin could be peripheral markers for depression and anxiety in PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on a study which investigated the spectroscopic properties of lead fluoride+germanium dioxide+tungsten oxide glass ceramics doped with thulium and codoped with thulium and ytterbium ions. Measurement of the absorption, up-conversion emission, excitation, and time-resolved spectra; Observations from the codoped sample; Comparison between the experimental and theoretical results.

Accurate determination of the interlaminar mode II fracture toughness is much more difficult than that of mode I delamination, due to friction and crack closure. In this paper, A-scan is used to measure the crack growth length of end-loaded split (ELS) test through cyclic unloading and reloading. Interesting hysteresis loops are observed in the experimental load-displacement curve, which has not been fully understood by the existing literature. The frictional effect from the load fixture is analytically determined and numerically validated. It absorbs considerable energy during the creation of new crack surface, but has been overlooked. A simple method is proposed to determine the frictional coefficient and effect. To reduce the frictional effect, a new load fixture is proposed and validated by finite element analysis. The hysteresis loop is found to be caused by the friction and strain hardening during cyclic loading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A combination of the experiment and cohesive zone mode approach is proposed to determine the R-curve of 3D woven composite. • It overcomes the limitation of LEFM-based approach and avoids the difficulty in measuring the crack growth length. • The determined fracture toughness is about 860 kJ/m2, which is the highest. • The toughening mechanisms of are revealed. Characterization of the intralaminar fracture toughness of 3D woven composites is challenging owing to the limitation of linear elastic fracture mechanics-based approach. In this study, five different crack configurations are designed and tested. Only the single-edge notched tensile specimen can be used to measure the fracture toughness. A hybrid approach based on experiment and cohesive zone model is proposed to determine the R -curve of 3D woven composites. The fracture toughness of the present 3D woven composite is around 860 kJ/m2, considerably higher than those of the existing carbon fiber polymer reinforced composites. The mechanism underlying this high toughness is clarified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Although the rechargeable lithium–oxygen (Li–O2) batteries have extremely high theoretical specific energy, the practical application of these batteries is still limited by the instability of their carbon‐based air‐electrode, Li metal anode, and electrodes, toward reduced oxygen species. Here a simple one‐step in situ electrochemical precharging strategy is demonstrated to generate thin protective films on both carbon nanotubes (CNTs), air‐electrodes and Li metal anodes simultaneously under an inert atmosphere. Li–O2 cells after such pretreatment demonstrate significantly extended cycle life of 110 and 180 cycles under the capacity‐limited protocol of 1000 mA h g−1 and 500 mA h g−1, respectively, which is far more than those without pretreatment. The thin‐films formed from decomposition of electrolyte during in situ electrochemical precharging processes in an inert environment, can protect both CNTs air‐electrode and Li metal anode prior to conventional Li–O2 discharge/charge cycling, where reactive reduced oxygen species are formed. This work provides a new approach for protection of carbon‐based air‐electrodes and Li metal anodes in practical Li–O2 batteries, and may also be applied to other battery systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) regulate a variety of genes and biological processes. Lnc‐IL7R plays a considerable role in the regulation of inflammation, but its prognostic potential in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) has not been fully explained. In this study, the role of lnc‐IL7R as a potential biomarker in ARDS was examined. Objective: Role of lnc‐IL7R as potential biomarker in ARDS. Methods: LncRNA‐IL7R was isolated from the plasma of patients with ARDS and healthy controls and clinical indexes were obtained within 24 h after admission. The relative expression of lnc‐IL7R was obtained by quantitative real‐time PCR. The correlations between lnc‐IL7R and continuous variables in ARDS were tested using Spearman's coefficients. Results: A total of 85 ARDS patients and 49 healthy controls were included. Plasma lnc‐IL7R was significantly down‐regulated in ARDS compared with the levels in healthy control individuals, especially in severe ARDS (P < .01). The area under the curve (AUC) of lnc‐IL7R for ARDS diagnosis was 0.87 (sensitivity 75.3%, specificity 93.9%). The lnc‐IL7R levels were correlated with the severity of ARDS (ρ = −0.31, P = .0215), oxygenation index (ρ = 0.61, P < .001), APACHE II score (ρ = −0.04, P = .0230), CRP (ρ = −0.26, P = .0148) and WBC (ρ = −0.29, P = .0064). Lnc‐IL7R relative value ≥ 0.33 showed the lower 28‐day mortality in the patients with ARDS(P < .05).The survivors showed higher lnc‐IL7R level and lower APACHE II score, SOFA score and length of mechanical ventilation than in the non‐survivors (P = .0109, P < .001, P < .001 and P = .017, respectively). Conclusions: Lnc‐IL7R is a novel biomarker for the diagnosis of ARDS and predicts the severity of ARDS and 28‐day mortality in this patients cohort. Trial registration: The study was registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR‐DOD‐16008657). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A two-factor experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of two commercial shrimp feeds and four different C/N ratios on biofloc development, water quality, growth performance, feed utilization and input cost in an outdoor tank system stocked with Litopenaeus vannamei juveniles under high-density and zero-exchange conditions. The two feeds used in the study were: a less expensive feed (US$0.99 kg −1 ) formulated for semi-intensive production systems and a more expensive one (US$1.75 kg −1 ) designed for hyper-intensive systems. Organic carbon (molasses) was added daily to provide calculated carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratios of 12:1, 15:1, and 18:1 based on the carbon-nitrogen content of the feed and the carbon content of the molasses throughout the experiment. No molasses was added in the control group which had a C/N ratio of 9:1. Each treatment had four randomly assigned replicate tanks, and each tank filled with 500 L of biofloc-rich water. Juvenile shrimp (2.21 ± 0.11 g) were stocked into tanks at 150 shrimp tank −1 (300 juveniles m −3 ) and cultured for six weeks. The results showed that both feed and C/N ratio had significant effects on biofloc development, water quality, shrimp performance, feed utilization and input cost. Initiating the culture with biofloc-rich water and then adding a small amount of organic carbon regularly could effectively sustain the continued development of mixotrophic bioflocs in zero-exchange high-density shrimp culture systems. The best water quality, shrimp performance, and FCR results were achieved with the C/N ratio of 12:1 for both feeds. Analysis of feed and variable costs suggest improved economic benefits when using the less expensive feed of SI-35 under the conditions of this study. Furthermore, input costs could be decreased using a C/N ratio of 12:1 due mainly to reduced molasses and NaHCO 3 usage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fluorescence quenching property of graphene oxide (GO) has been newly demonstrated and applied for fluorescence imaging and biosensing. In this work, a new nanostructure was designed for effectively studying the quenching ability of GO. The key element in this design is the fabrication of a layer of rigid and thickness adjustable silica spacer for manipulating the distance between the GO and fluorophores. First, a silica core modified with organic dye molecules was prepared, followed by the formation of a silica shell with a tunable thickness. Afterward, the GO was wrapped around silica nanoparticles based on the electrostatic interaction between the negatively charged GO and positively charged silica. The quenching efficiency of GO to different dye molecules was studied at various spacer thicknesses and varying concentrations of GO. Fluorescence lifetime of fluorophores was measured to determine the quenching mechanism. We found that the quenching efficiency of GO was still around 30% when the distance between dyes and GO was increased to more than 30 nm, which indicated the long-distance quenching ability of GO and confirmed the previous theoretical calculation. The quenching mechanisms were proposed schematically based on our experimental results. We expected that the proposed nanostructure could act as a feasible model for studying GO quenching property and shed light on designing GO-based fluorescence sensing systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A superfluorescent fiber source (SFS) with the low Ge-doped and Er/Ce codoped photonic crystal fiber (ECPCF) is proposed to improve the radiation resistance of SFS. The radiation effects of SFSs for an Er/Ce codoped conventional fiber (ECF) and a low Ge-doped and ECPCF are investigated in a 60Co gamma-ray environment. Results show that the low Ge-doped photonic crystal fiber exhibits better radiation tolerance than its counterpart in the Er/Ce codoped fibers, and the attenuation of the power of ECPCF-SFS is significantly smaller than that of ECF-SFS. In addition, the radiation-induced spectral variation of ECPCF-SFS with increased radiation dose is less than that of ECF-SFS. ECPCF-SFS simultaneously exhibits higher recovery performance than ECF-SFS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to explore the relationship between miR-126 and glioma. miR-126 was highly expressed in low-grade clinical glioma tissue samples but lowly expressed in high-grade ones (P < .01). A human endogenous miR-126 expression vector was constructed. The migration capacity of cells transfected with the vector significantly decreased (P < .05). Up-regulation of miR-126 suppressed GATA4 protein expression. After transfection, they slightly contracted and became ovally or spherically shaped. F-actin significantly reduced, and microfilaments shortened or disappeared. The number of membrane-penetrating cells significantly decreased (P < .01). miR-126 inhibits the migration and invasion of glioma cells, which may be linked to GATA4 as a target gene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanism of β-sheet crystallization in silk fibroin remains unclear, due to the incomplete information of protein assembly and structural state. The emerging terahertz (THz) spectroscopy (<10 THz) has been taken as an important tool to detect new aspects of biomolecular structure and is used for the first time to analyze the methanol-water (MeOH) induced structural changes of Bombyx mori silk fibroin. Mid-infrared spectroscopy (IR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) results show that silk fibroin initially exists in a typical silk I form and reassemble into a predominant silk II (antiparallel β-sheet crystal) structure after MeOH treatment. The samples treated with MeOH-H2O mixed solutions show a predominant silk I structure without any silk-II-related peaks. As the MeOH concentration approaches 40 vol%, the absorbance of the β-sheet-related IR bands and the XRD peaks gradually increase, indicating a formation of β-sheet crystal during this process. THz spectrum shows the absorption capacity below 3 THz as well as the absorbance at 5.1 THz and 7.9 THz is indeed affected by the MeOH-H2O treatment, implying a MeOH-H2O-dependent change of intermolecular H-bonds in silk fibroin. The THz spectrum for silk fibroin gives additional information to the existing studies on the MeOH-H2O induced β-sheet crystallization of silk fibroin, which may help us understanding the structural changes of natural silk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of some halon replacements as the fire suppressants on premixed and non-premixed hydrocarbon flames was experimentally and numerically investigated. Unstretched flame speeds and extinction stretch rates of methane/air and propane/air flames with the addition of different loadings of C 2 HF 5 (HFC-125), C 2 HF 3 Cl 2 (HCFC-123), and C 3 H 2 F 3 Br (2-BTP) were measured for a range of fuel/air equivalence ratios. Experiments were conducted using the counterflow technique at ambient temperature and pressure. A newly-developed kinetic model, which was based on a C 1 ‒C 4 hydrocarbon model and agent-inhibition sub-models, was used to compare with the measured flame speeds and extinction stretch rates. Good agreement was obtained regarding the laminar flame speeds. For the extinction rate of the non-premixed flames, the absolute experimental data were over-predicted uniformly for the entire range of conditions examined, although the model correctly predicted the trends of increasing extinction stretch rates with the increasing fuel/(N 2 +agent) molar ratio. Since this new kinetic model was tested against the extinction limits for the first time, the optimization of the rate constants of the reaction(s) regarding the flame extinction is expected. Significant thermal expansion was detected in larger and brighter flames when the different agents were added to the neat mixture. This observation provided new experimental evidence of the fuel-like properties of the inhibitor. Despite the difference in the fuel type, C 2 HF 5 and C 3 H 2 F 3 Br were found to be less effective at reducing the flame speeds of the lean flames as compared to that of the rich flames. However, C 2 HF 3 Cl 2 reduced the flame speeds for all of the investigated mixture conditions. Thermodynamic equilibrium calculations were performed to interpret the behavior of these fire suppressants in hydrocarbon flames. The extinction data for non-premixed flames revealed that the resistance of the agents to extinction decreases in the order of C 2 HF 5 , C 2 HF 3 Cl 2 , and C 3 H 2 F 3 Br, which is consistent with the suppression effect on flame speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conventional electrolyte of 1 m lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is unstable against the Li metal anode and therefore cannot be used directly in practical Li-O2 batteries. Here, we demonstrate that a highly concentrated electrolyte based on LiTFSI in DMSO (with a molar ratio of 1:3) can greatly improve the stability of the Li metal anode against DMSO and significantly improve the cycling stability of Li-O2 batteries. This highly concentrated electrolyte contains no free DMSO solvent molecules, but only complexes of (TFSI−) aLi+(DMSO) b (where a + b = 4), and thus enhances their stability with Li metal anodes. In addition, such salt-solvent complexes have higher Gibbs activation energy barriers than the free DMSO solvent molecules, indicating improved stability of the electrolyte against the attack of superoxide radical anions. Therefore, the stability of this highly concentrated electrolyte at both Li metal anodes and carbon-based air electrodes has been greatly enhanced, resulting in improved cycling performance of Li-O2 batteries. The fundamental stability of the electrolyte in the absence of free-solvent against the chemical and electrochemical reactions can also be used to enhance the stability of other electrochemical systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study is to explore the cause of early abnormal muscle response (AMR) disappearance during microvascular decompression for hemifacial spasm and the clinical outcomes of these patients. Three hundred seventy-two patients received microvascular decompression (MVD) under intraoperative electrophysiological monitoring in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital in 2014; the characteristic AMR of HFS was observed in 359 patients during the operation. And the 359 patients were divided into two groups based on whether AMR had remained before the beginning of the decompression procedure for offending vessels. Thirty-three patients who showed a permanent disappearance of AMR before the beginning of decompression were regarded as group I. Dural opening and the succeeding CSF drainage produced a permanent disappearance of AMR in 13. During the dissection of lateral cerebellomedullary cistern, a permanent disappearance of AMR was found in 20 patients. Thirty-two patients were cured immediately; delayed resolution (7 days after surgery) was found in one patient. No complications were observed and no recurrence was found during the follow-up period in the 33 patients. In the other 326 patients (group II), AMR disappeared temporarily before the beginning of the decompression procedure for offending vessels in 42 patients. After decompression, AMR disappeared completely in 305 patients. Two hundred sixty-seven patients were cured immediately and 57 patients got a delayed resolution (2 days to 45 weeks after surgery). The two left did not get a complete abolition of spasm. Three cases of hearing loss, one hoarseness, and nine delayed facial paralysis were observed. The reason of early abnormal muscle response disappearance may be that the degree of neurovascular compression was not serious; these patients were more likely to get an immediate cure. Continuous intraoperative electrophysiological monitoring of AMR is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon nano-tubes as a kind of novel nanometer material have been extensively applied in cement-based composite materials to improve their properties. This study prepared carbon nano-tubes cement based composite materials by evenly scattering carbon nano-tubes in cement materials using ultrasonic method and emphatically investigation the improvement of the mechanical property. The results demonstrated that, the addition of carbon nano-tubes could significantly relieve the mechanical properties of cement based composite materials. When the mixing amount of carbon nano-tubes reached the optimal value, i.e., 0.1%, the improvement of the mechanical property of the carbon nano-tubes cement based composite materials was the best. The microstructure analysis using scanning electron microscope suggested that, carbon nano-tubes produced bridging and pullout effects in the cement-based materials, which enhanced the damage resistance of the cement based materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Considering the contradiction between PVMFGCI harmonic, reactive power compensation and active grid connection, the dynamic optimization method of power quality control under PVMFGCI working state (considering meteorological conditions) and non working state (at night) is constructed. • Make full use of the remaining capacity of PVMFGCI to optimize harmonic and reactive power, greatly improve the utilization rate of inverter, and reduce the investment and operation cost of power quality control devices (such as APF) of PV grid connected system. • The adaptive ant colony algorithm is used to solve the objective function of the three-level optimization method. The adaptive value of the objective function is the largest and the convergence speed is faster. In this paper, a new harmonic suppression and reactive power compensation strategy based on photovoltaic multi-functional grid connected inverter (PVMFGCI) and a three-layer optimization model based on adaptive ant colony algorithm are proposed for optimal control of power quality of grid connected photovoltaic (PV) power generation system. Here, an improved CPT (Conservative Power Theory) current detection method is used to extract harmonic and reactive current components from the load current, and a new PVMFGCI hierarchical optimization model is developed to optimize the power quality at the common connection point (CCP). The proposed three-layer optimization model is an improved form of the two-layer optimization model, which successfully solves the contradiction between the active power grid connection of the PV grid connected inverter and the power quality control. The main objective of the proposed three-layer optimization model is to meet the requirements of active power output of PV power generation, and at the same time, to utilize the remaining capacity of the inverter to control harmonics and compensate reactive power. However, when the remaining capacity of PVMFGCI is sufficient, PVMFGCI can reasonably allocate the remaining capacity through the three-layer optimization model to meet the optimal power quality at the CCP. In this process, the power quality of the microgrid is improved. PVMFGCI provides reactive power compensation, harmonic control and other power quality problems. In addition, when the remaining capacity of PVMFGCI is insufficient, it only needs to maximize the active power and make the harmonic distortion rate and power factor meet the grid connection requirements, which improves the utilization rate of PVMFGCI. The proposed techniques are modeled and the IEEE 33 bus systems are analyzed and their performances are verified experimentally on a developed prototype, in PV output active power variation condition, imbalance loading condition for linear/nonlinear loads, where it has shown a very good performance. The effect of harmonic control and reactive power compensation at each node of the system is obvious. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]