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Intestinal epithelial cells possess the requisite molecular machinery to initiate cell-intrinsic defensive responses against intracellular pathogens, including intracellular parasites. Interferons(IFNs) have been identified as cornerstones of epithelial cell-intrinsic defense against such pathogens in the gastrointestinal tract. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are RNA transcripts (>200 nt) not translated into protein and represent a critical regulatory component of mucosal defense. We report here that lncRNA Nostrill facilitates IFN-γ-stimulated intestinal epithelial cell-intrinsic defense against infection by Cryptosporidium, an important opportunistic pathogen in AIDS patients and a common cause of diarrhea in young children. Nostrill promotes transcription of a panel of genes controlled by IFN-γ through facilitating Stat1 chromatin recruitment and thus, enhances expression of several genes associated with cell-intrinsic defense in intestinal epithelial cells in response to IFN-γ stimulation, including Igtp, iNos, and Gadd45g. Induction of Nostrill enhances IFN-γ-stimulated intestinal epithelial defense against Cryptosporidium infection, which is associated with an enhanced autophagy in intestinal epithelial cells. Our findings reveal that Nostrill enhances the transcription of a set of genes regulated by IFN-γ in intestinal epithelial cells. Moreover, induction of Nostrill facilitates the IFN-γ-mediated epithelial cell-intrinsic defense against cryptosporidial infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advanced photovoltaics, such as ultra-flexible perovskite solar cells (UF-PSCs), which are known for their lightweight design and high power-to-mass ratio, have been a long-standing goal that we, as humans, have continuously pursued. Unlike normal PSCs fabricated on rigid substrates, producing high-efficiency UF-PSCs remains a challenge due to the difficulty in achieving full coverage and minimizing defects of metal halide perovskite (MHP) films. In this study, we utilized Al2O3 nanoparticles (NPs) as an inorganic surface modifier to enhance the wettability and reduce the roughness of poly-bis(4-phenyl) (2,4,6-trimethylphenyl) amine simultaneously. This approach proves essentials in fabricating UF-PSCs, enabling the deposition of uniform and dense MHP films with full coverage and fewer defects. We systematically investigated the effect of Al2O3 NPs on film formation, combining simulation with experiments. Our strategy not only significantly increases the power conversion efficiency (PCE) from 11.96% to 16.33%, but also promotes reproducibility by effectively addressing the short circuit issue commonly encountered in UF-PSCs. Additionally, our UF-PSCs demonstrates good mechanical stability, maintaining 98.6% and 79.0% of their initial PCEs after 10,000 bending cycles with radii of 1.0 and 0.5 mm, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: White matter injury (WMI) in basal ganglia usually induces long-term disability post intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Kv1.3 is an ion channel expressed in microglia and induces neuroinflammation after ICH. Here, we investigated the functions and roles of Kv1.3 activation-induced inflammatory response in WMI and the Kv1.3 blockade effect on microglia polarization after ICH. Methods: Mice ICH model was constructed by autologous blood injection. The expression of Kv1.3 was measured using immunoblot, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), and immunostaining assays. Then, the effect of administration of 5-(4-Phenoxybutoxy) psoralen (PAP-1), a selectively pharmacological Kv1.3 blocker, was investigated using open field test (OFT) and basso mouse score (BMS). RT-qPCR, immunoblot, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were taken to elucidate the expression of pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory factors around hematoma. PAP-1's function in regulating microglia polarization was investigated using immunoblot, RT-qPCR, and immunostaining assays. The downstream PAP-1 signaling pathway was determined by RT-qPCR and immunoblot. Results: Kv1.3 expression was increased in microglia around the hematoma significantly after ICH. PAP-1 markedly improved neurological outcomes and the WMI by reducing pro-inflammatory cytokine accumulation and upregulating anti-inflammatory factors. Mechanistically, PAP-1 reduces NF-κB p65 and p50 activation, thus facilitating microglia polarization into M2-like microglia, which exerts this beneficial effect. Conclusions: PAP-1 reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines accumulation and increased anti-inflammatory factors by facilitating M2-like microglia polarization via the NF-κB signaling pathway. Thus, the current study shows that the Kv1.3 blockade is capable of ameliorating WMI by facilitating M2-like phenotype microglia polarization after ICH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cryptosporidium is a zoonotic apicomplexan parasite that infects the gastrointestinal epithelium and other mucosal surfaces in humans. It is an important opportunistic pathogen in AIDS patients and a leading cause of infectious diarrhea and diarrheal-related death in children worldwide. The intestinal epithelial cells provide the first line of defense against Cryptosporidium infection and play a central role in activating and regulating the host's antiparasitic response. Increasing evidence suggests that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) participate in host-pathogen interactions and play a regulatory role in the pathogenesis of diseases but the underlying molecular mechanisms are not fully understood. We previously identified a panel of host lncRNAs that are upregulated in murine intestinal epithelial cells following Cryptosporidium infection, including U90926. We demonstrate here that U90926 is acting in a pro-parasitic manner in regulating intestinal epithelial cell-autonomous antiparasitic defense. Inhibition of U90926 resulted in a decreased infection burden of the parasite while overexpression of U90926 showed an increase in infection burden in cultured murine intestinal epithelial cells. Induction of U90926 suppressed transcription of epithelial defense genes involved in controlling Cryptosporidium infection through epigenetic mechanisms. Specifically, transcription of Aebp1, which encodes the Aebp1 protein, a potent modulator of inflammation and NF-κB signaling, was suppressed by U90926. Gain- or loss-of-function of Aebp1 in the host's epithelial cells caused reciprocal alterations in the infection burden of the parasite. Interestingly, Cryptosporidium carries the Cryptosporidium virus 1 (CSpV1), a double-stranded (ds) RNA virus coding two dsRNA fragments, CSpV1-dsRdRp and CSpV1-dsCA. Both CSpV1-dsRdRp and CSpV1-dsCA can be delivered into infected cells as previously reported. We found that cells transfected with in vitro transcribed CSpV1-dsCA or CSpV1-dsRdRp displayed an increased level of U90926, suggesting that CSpV1 is involved in the upregulation of U90926 during Cryptosporidium infection. Our study highlights a new strategy by Cryptosporidium to hijack a host lncRNA to suppress epithelial cell-autonomous antiparasitic defense and allow for a robust infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to reduce the uncertainty in the calculation process on hesitant fuzzy sets (HFSs). The innovation of this study is to unify the cardinal numbers of hesitant fuzzy elements (HFEs) in a special way. Firstly, a probability density function is assigned for any given HFE. Thereafter, equal-probability transformation is introduced to transform HFEs with different cardinal numbers on the condition into the same probability density function. The characteristic of this transformation is that the higher the consistency of the membership degrees in HFEs, the higher the credibility of the mentioned membership degrees is, then, the bigger the probability density values for them are. According to this transformation technique, a set of novel distance measures on HFSs is provided. Finally, an illustrative example of intersection traffic control is introduced to show the usefulness of the given distance measures. The example also shows that this study is a good complement to operation theories on HFSs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glacier retreat is altering the water regime of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) as the region's climate changes, but there remain substantial gaps in our knowledge of recent glacier loss in this region due to the difficulty of making direct high-mountain observations, and this limits our ability to predict the future of this important water resource. Here, we assessed 44 years of glacier area and volume changes in the major west Nyainqentanglha Range (WNR) that supplies meltwater to the densely populated Lhasa River basin and Nam Co, the second largest endorheic lake on the TP. Between the two periods 1976–2000 and 2000–2020, we found that the glacier areal retreat rate more than doubled (from -0.54±0.21 % a -1 to -1.17±0.30 % a -1), and surface lowering also accelerated (from -0.26±0.09 to -0.37±0.15 m w.e a -1) with particularly intense melting after 2014. This acceleration is similar in both timing and magnitude to that observed for Himalayan glaciers farther south. Besides, the areal retreat rate and mass loss rate of most glaciers in the WNR were not synchronized. To understand the sensitivity of WNR glaciers to climate forcing, we examined the effects of topography, debris cover and the presence of proglacial lakes on our observed changes. We found consistently faster areal retreat but slower thinning rates on steeper slopes and an inconsistent relationship with aspect. We concluded that our observed spatial and temporal patterns of glacier change were dominated by observed local variations in temperature and precipitation, the melt-reducing role of supraglacial debris, and the increasing influence of ice-marginal lakes on glacier ablation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cuproptosis is a newly discovered programmed cell death dependent on overload copper-induced mitochondrial respiration dysregulation. The positive response to immunotherapy, one of the most important treatments for invasive breast cancer, depends on the dynamic balance between tumor cells and infiltrating lymphocytes in the tumor microenvironment (TME). However, cuproptosis-related genes (CRGs) in clinical prognosis, immune cell infiltration, and immunotherapy response remain unclear in breast cancer progression. Methods: The expression and mutation patterns of 12 cuproptosis-related genes were systematically evaluated in the BRCA training group. Through unsupervised clustering analysis and developing a cuproptosis-related scoring system, we further explored the relationship between cuproptosis and breast cancer progression, prognosis, immune cell infiltration, and immunotherapy. Results: We identified two distinct CuproptosisClusters, which were correlated with the different patterns between clinicopathological features, prognosis, and immune cell infiltration. Moreover, the differences of the three cuproptosisrelated gene subtypes were evaluated based on the CuproptosisClusterrelated DEGs. Then, a cuproptosis-related gene signature (PGK1, SLC52A2, SEC14L2, RAD23B, SLC16A6, CCL5, and MAL2) and the scoring system were constructed to quantify the cuproptosis pattern of BRCA patients in the training cohort, and the testing cohorts validated them. Specifically, patients from the low-CRG_score group were characterized by higher immune cell infiltration, immune checkpoint expression, immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) scores, and greater sensitivity to immunotherapy. Finally, we screened out RAD23B as a favorable target and indicated its expression was associated with breast cancer progression, drug resistance, and poor prognosis in BRCA patients by performing real-time RT-PCR, cell viability, and IC50 assay. Conclusions: Our results confirmed the essential function of cuproptosis in regulating the progression, prognosis, immune cell infiltration, and response to breast cancer immunotherapy. Quantifying cuproptosis patterns and constructing a CRG_score could help explore the potential molecular mechanisms of cuproptosis regulating BRCA advancement and provide more effective immunotherapy and chemotherapy targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glacier retreat is altering the water regime of the Tibetan Plateau (TP) as the region’s climate changes, but there remain substantial gaps in our knowledge of recent glacier loss in this region due to the difficulty of making-direct high-mountain observations and this limits our ability to predict the future of this important water resource. Here, we assessed 44 years of glacier area and volume changes in the major West Nyainqentanglha Range (WNT) that supplies meltwater to the densely populated Lhasa River basin and Nam Co, the second largest endorheic lake on the TP. Between the two periods 1976–2000 and 2000–2020, we found that the glacier areal retreat rate was more than doubled (from -0.54 ± 0.21 % a-1 to -1.17 ± 0.30 % a-1) and surface lowering also accelerated ( from -0.26 ± 0.09 m w.e.a-1 to -0.37 ± 0.15 m w.e.a-1) with particularly intense melting after 2014. This acceleration is similar in both timing and magnitude to that observed for Himalayas glaciers farther south. Besides, the areal retreat rate and mass loss rate of most glaciers in WNT were not synchronized. To understand the sensitivity of WNT glaciers to climate forcing, we examined the effects of topography, debris-cover, and the presence of proglacial lakes on our observed changes. We found consistently faster areal retreat but slower thinning rates on steeper slopes and an inconsistent relationship with aspect. We concluded that our observed spatial and temporal patterns of glacier change were dominated by observed local variations temperature and precipitation, the melt-reducing role of supraglacial debris, and the increasing influence of ice-marginal lakes on glacier retreat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a new Preisach type hysteresis model for the high temperature superconductor. This model requires only the limiting hysteresis loop as the input data, and for this model, the limiting hysteresis loop is first separated into two limiting M-H loops based on the mechanisms, which can then be modeled by two separate modified Preisach algorithms. The area integrations of the Preisach distribution functions are determined only based on the limiting M-H loops. The validity and accuracy of this model is confirmed by comparing the simulation and experiment results of Bi-2223 and YBa2Cu3Ox superconducting tapes with external magnetic fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Idiosyncratic deals (i-deals), which involve personalised work arrangements negotiated between employees and their managers, offer a promising approach to accommodating the demands of a diverse workforce. In contrast with the traditional social exchange theory perspective, we integrate the theories of person-environment fit and selfefficacy to examine the effect of flexibility i-deals on both work-to-family conflict and enrichment. We specifically consider two mediating mechanisms: needs-supplies (N-S) fit and family-role efficacy. Results from two Chinese samples reveal that supervisor-rated flexibility i-deals relate positively with employees' family-role efficacy and N-S fit. These, in turn, relate to work-to-family conflict negatively and to work-to-family enrichment positively. Monte Carlo bootstrapping analyses confirm the indirect effects of N-S fit and family-role efficacy. By using an alternative theoretical perspective, we add to our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the i-deals effect. This study expands existing i-deals research to an empirically underrepresented area: work-family enrichment. Our findings also confirm the work-family benefits of i-deals and strengthen managers' confidence regarding the merits of implementing ideals in the workplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate warming is changing streamflow regimes and groundwater storage in cold alpine regions. In this study, a headwater catchment named Yangbajain in the Lhasa River Basin is adopted as the study area for quantifying streamflow changes and active groundwater storage in response to climate warming. The changes in streamflow regimes and climate factors are evaluated based on hydro-meteorological observations from 1979 to 2013. The results show that annual streamflow increases significantly at a rate of about 12.30 mm/10a during this period. Through baseflow recession analysis, we also find that the estimated groundwater storage that is comparable with the GRACE data increases significantly at the rates of about 19.32 mm/10a during these years. The rising of air temperature is the main factor for the increase in streamflow and groundwater storage, which has led to a loss of over 25 % of the total glacier volume for half century in this catchment. Parallel comparisons with other sub-basins in the Lhasa River Basin reveal that the increased streamflow at the Yangbajain station is mainly fed by the accelerated glacier retreat rather than frozen ground degradation. However, the increase of active storage capacity is caused by frozen ground degradation, which can accommodate the increasing meltwater in the valley. The huge gap between the melt-derived runoff and the increased water volume in groundwater storage and streamflow suggests that more than 60 % of the total ablation of glaciers should be discharged downstream through deep fault. This study provides a perspective to clarify the impact of glacial retreat and frozen ground degradation on hydrological processes, which fundamentally affects the water supply and the mechanisms of streamflow generation and change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vortices penetration into oxygen-free superconducting compounds FeAs-122 system is of interest in understanding superconductivity. This work studies the vortices motion in Ba(Fe1.8Co0.2)As2single crystal by means of magneto-optical imaging technique in zero field cooled and field cooled conditions. The captured magneto-optical images and corresponding flux profiles show that, at zero field cooled condition, vortices penetrate into the crystal from the edges as external magnetic field increases. A vortices-free region is observed at the center of sample as applied field is less than full penetration field. In field cooled condition, the introduced vortices leave the sample at the edges as field decreases and polarization of the vortices at the edges are opposite as decreasing field approaches to zero. The pinning strength decreases with increasing temperature. The observed vortex behavior is very similar to that in high Tc superconducting materials with strong pinning strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite common injury caused by snakebite, snakebite-induced ischemic stroke is rare. We reported on a patient who incurred a large cerebral infarction after being bitten by a Deinagkistrodon acutus, one of the most poisonous snakes in the southwestern of China. Applying 3D computed tomography (CT) of head combined with cerebral angiography examinations showed a large cerebral infarction, hernia in the right brain, developmental abnormalities of the right middle cerebral artery and cerebral artery of right brain. In conclusion, head CT imaging combined with cerebral angiography provides an efficient approach in diagnosis of stroke caused by snakebites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recent studies have demonstrated that complement C1q tumor necrosis factor related proteins (CTRPs) have diverse biological influences on the cardiovascular system. CTRP 3 is a member of the CTRP superfamily, which may play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease (CAD). Here, we investigated whether serum levels of CTRP 3 are associated with the prevalence and the severity of CAD.Methods: In this study, 145 eligible participants were included who underwent coronary angiography. According to the result of the coronary angiography, all participants were divided into two groups: non-CAD group (n = 66) and CAD group (n = 79). The CAD group was further divided into single-vessel (n = 25), double-vessel (n = 30) and triple-vessel (n = 24) disease groups in line with different lesioned vessels of CAD. Plasma CTRP 3 concentration was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Results: Serum levels of CTRP 3 were significantly higher in CAD patients than in non-CAD patients (CAD: 56.68 ± 3.63 ng/ml, non-CAD: 44.10 ± 3.20 ng/ml, p < 0.01). Significant differences of CTRP 3 levels were also found between single-vessel group and triple-vessel group (single-vessel group: 44.80 ± 3.14 ng/ml, triple-vessel group: 75.07 ± 9.41 ng/ml, p < 0.005). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that CTRP 3 levels, together with HDL cholesterol and glucose, correlated with CAD.Conclusions: Elevated serum CTRP 3 levels were closely related to the prevalence and severity of CAD, suggesting that it might be regarded as a novel biomarker for CAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the fundamental principle of the extended finite element method (XFEM) for electromagnetic field analysis. The accuracy analysis of structure with nearby interfaces within XFEM is presented. A numerical example applied to the parallel plate electrodes in 1-D static electric field is provided. Two types of meshing are used to analyse the accuracy of the meshing where the support of the enriched node are cut by more than one interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the paper, the concept of operator convexity on the co-ordinates is introduced and some new Hermite-Hadamard type inequalities for operator convex functions on the co-ordinates are established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a member of the microRNA (miR)-17-92 cluster, miR-20a has been indicated to be involved in the regulation of the proliferation and invasion of various cancer cells. Previous studies have observed elevated plasma levels of miR-20a in patients with uveal melanoma (UM), compared with normal controls. In the present study, the potential function of miR-20a in UM was investigated. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis was performed to detect the expression levels of miR-20a in UM cells and tissues. The functions of miR-20a on cell proliferation, migration and invasion were determined in vitro using 3-(4,5-dimethyl-thiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide and Transwell assays, respectively. The expression levels of miR-20a were significantly increased in the UM cells and tissues (P<0.05). Subsequently, miR-20a mimics were transfected into UM cells, which led to increases in cell growth, migration and invasion activities. By contrast, miR-20a inhibition markedly suppressed the viability and motility of UM cells in vitro. These data provided convincing evidence that miR-20a may function as an oncogenic miRNA, and may be involved in promoting cell growth and motility in the molecular etiology of UM, suggesting its potential as a candidate therapeutic target for the treatment of patients with UM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells play important roles in diabetic retinopathy (DR). Dickkopf 1 (DKK1) has been reported to be important in the regulation of cell proliferation and migration. However, there are few previous studies regarding DKK1 in RPE cells. Therefore, in the present study, we investigated the effect of DKK1 on the proliferation and migration of human RPE cells, and the signaling mechanisms underlying these effects. The results showed that the overexpression of DKK1 significantly inhibited the proliferation and migration of ARPE-19 cells. In addition, overexpression of DKK1 markedly inhibited the expression of β-catenin and cyclin D1 in ARPE-19 cells. Collectively, the present findings suggest that the overexpression of DKK1 inhibited the proliferation and migration of RPE cells by suppressing the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Therefore, DKK1 are able to augment the growth of human RPE, and further studies are warranted to investigate the effects of DKK1 effects on DR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: In this study, to investigate clinical characteristics, response, outcome, and prognosis of peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) for patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL).Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed the efficacy of PBSCT in 38 patients with PTCL. Kaplan-Meier methods were used in survival analysis, and the Cox regression model was applied in multivariate analysis. There were ten clinical parameters were analyzed.Results: The 2-year overall survival (OS) was 46%, and the 5-year OS was 34% after a median follow-up of 40 months. The patients who received allogeneic PBSCT (allo-PBSCT) had a higher nonrelapse mortality than autologous PBSCT (auto-PBSCT), but they could achieve a longer-term disease-free survival in the former, which OS could achieve 40%. Survival analysis with Kaplan-Meier method showed the pretransplant disease status, B symptoms, serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in early (>275 U/L), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score (>1), prognostic index for PTCL score (>2) were all prognostic factors for posttransplant OS. Pretransplant disease status is the only prognostic factor for allo-PBSCT.Conclusion: The key was to reducing transplant-related mortality of allo-PBSCT by reduced-intensity conditioning. Factors such as level of early serum LDH, extranodal involvement, B symptoms, ECOG score, Ann Arbor stage, and pretransplant disease status were all related to the prognosis of patients treated with PBSCT. Allo-PBSCT maybe suggested as the first line therapy for late-stage PTCL patients who could reach treatment remission before transplantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Congestion has become one of the most important factors leading to patient dissatisfaction and doctor-patient conflicts in the medical market of China. In this study, we explore the causes and effects of structural congestion in the Chinese medical market from an incentive structure perspective. Our analysis reveals that prior medical system reforms with price regulation in China have induced hospitals to establish incentives for capital-intensive investments, while ignoring human capital, and have driven medical staff and patients to higher-level hospitals, reinforcing an incentive structure in which congestion in higher-level hospitals and idle resources in lower-level hospitals coexist. The existing incentive structure has led to cost increases and degradation of human capital and specific factor effects. Recent reforms to reduce congestion in the Chinese medical market were not effective. Most of them had no impact on and did not involve the existing distorted incentive structure. Future reforms should consider rebalancing expectations for medical quality, free flow of human capital and price regulation reforms to rebuild a new incentive structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) film has been widely investigated as a sensing material due to its outstanding properties such as biocompatibility, high thermal stability, good chemical resistance, high piezo-, pyro- and ferro-electric properties. This paper reports on the design, test, and analysis of a biomimetic tactile sensor based on PVDF film. This sensor consists of a PVDF film with aluminum electrodes, a pair of insulating layers, and a "handprint" friction layer with a copper foil. It is designed for easy fabrication and high reliability in outputting signals. In bionics, the fingerprint of the glabrous skin plays an important role during object handling. Therefore, in order to enhance friction and to provide better manipulation, the ridges of the fingertips were introduced into the design of the proposed tactile sensor. And, a basic experimental study on the selection of the high sensitivity fingerprint type for the biomimetic sensor was performed. In addition, we proposed a texture distinguish experiment to verify the sensor sensitivity. The experiment's results show that the novel biomimetic sensor is effective in discriminating object surface characteristics. Furthermore, an efficient visual application program (LabVIEW) and a quantitative evaluation method were proposed for the verification of the biomimetic sensor. The proposed tactile sensor shows great potential for contact force and slip measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the optimum shape design of 550 kV disconnectors in Gas Insulated Switchgears (GIS) are firstly presented employing the Finite Element Method (FEM) for electric field analysis coupled with an optimal design method. For effective analysis, the FEM is conducted in transient quasistatic electric field, using a finite element FORTRAN code. The structure parameters of disconnectors that provide the required electric field strength are obtained by the Response Surface Method (RSM) and the optimal values are presented by the variation in maximal electric field strength. The RSM and optimal design methods are also conducted by FORTRAN codes. The optimal result reveals that a uniform electric field distribution is achieved in 550 kV disconnectors. Additionally, the optimal result of disconnectors is verified by the proposed disconnector undertaken power frequency withstanding voltage of 740 kV for 1 minute, lightening impulse of 1675 kV, and operating impulse of 1300 kV, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly(phenylene vinylene)/polyvinyl alcohol/Ag (PPV/PVA/Ag) composite nanofibers with excellent photoelectric properties were prepared by coaxial electrospinning using PPV/PVA as the shell and Ag nanoparticles (NPs) as the core, Ag NPs aqueous solution was prepared by the reduction method. The results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that Ag NPs are of a face-centered cubic structure, with an average diameter of 46 nm and the composite nanofibers have uniform and continuous morphology. With increasing Ag content, the diameters of the composite nanofibers decreased from 653 nm to 250 nm. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns verified that in the composite nanofibers, the Ag NPs are not transformed. In the photoluminescence spectra, the PPV/PVA/Ag composite nanofibers presented red-shift compared with PPV/PVA nanofibers. Under illumination, the as-prepared PPV/PVA/Ag composite nanofibers exhibited relatively high photocurrent intensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]