Search

BACKGROUND: Myocardial infarction (MI) is one of the main causes of disability and death in the world, leading to myocarditis and cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Studies have shown that microRNA (miRNA) is involved in myocarditis and apoptosis. The main purpose of this study was to explore the regulatory mechanism of miR-223-3p on myocarditis and apoptosis after MI. METHODS: We cultured H9c2 cells and detected the expression of miR-223-3p in cells treated with different concentrations of H(2)O(2). Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were fed with normal diet, constructed an MI model and detect the expression of miR-223-3p in heart tissue. Overexpression or inhibition of miR-223-3p was conducted in MI model cells in vitro, and the contents of the inflammatory factors tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-10 (IL-10) in cell supernatant were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry. Luciferase activity assay was used to detect the targeting relationship between miR-223-3p and FBXW7, and the expression of FBXW7 in cells was also detected. Overexpression of miR-223-3p was performed in MI rats to detect the expression of inflammatory factors, FBXW7, and apoptosis in rat cardiac tissue. RESULTS: The expression of miR-223-3p was down regulated in MI models established in vitro and in vivo. Overexpression of miR-223-3p can inhibit inflammatory response and apoptosis in H9c2 cells and cardiac tissues. It was revealed that miR-223-3p can inhibit the expression of FBXW7, reduce myocarditis and apoptosis after MI, and improve cardiac function. CONCLUSIONS: It is possible that miR-223-3p reduces myocarditis and apoptosis after MI and improves cardiac function by targeted inhibition of FBXW7 expression.

Additional file 1: Fig. S1. Total and mean oil content in different tissues of rapeseed seeds with different oil content.andrepresent the total and mean oil content in different tissues of rapeseed seeds, respectively. Fig. S2. Quantitative imaging of lipids in different tissues of seeds in the KN DH population based on three-dimensional reconstruction. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 represent the whole seed, seed coat, inner cotyledon, outer cotyledon, radicle and seed section, respectively. Fig. S3. Pearson correlation coefficients for trait pairs affecting the oil content of rapeseed seeds in the KN DH population. Fig. S4. Distribution of identified QTLs for oil content in different tissues of seeds in the A1, A8, A9, A10, C1, C3 and C9 linkage groups. WOC refers to identified QTLs for relative oil content detected by near-infrared spectroscopy. Fig. S5. The correlations among all 48 samples in different tissues at the two seed sampling stages of Ken-C8 and N53-2. Fig. S6. KEGG enrichment of the tissue-specific DEGsin the four tissues at 24 and 33 DAP. Fig. S7. The expression characteristics of genes involved in fatty acid synthesis, TAG synthesisand β-oxidationin four tissues of Ken-C8 and N53-2 at 24 and 33 DAF. Fig. S8. The expression characteristics of genes involved in fatty acid synthesis, TAG synthesisand β-oxidationin four tissues of Ken-C8 and N53-2 at 24 and 33 DAF.

Objective To investigate the discharge profiles of different types of neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) during associative motor learning and their correlation with learning behaviors. Methods Trace eyeblink conditioning (tEBC) was used as the behavioral model of associative motor learning. Freely-moving mice (n=4) were trained to acquire tEBC for 5 consecutive days. During daily tEBC training, the mice were received 100 paired presentations of the conditioned stimulus (CS, 150-ms blue LED pulse) and unconditioned stimulus (US, 100-ms corneal airpuff). Tungsten tetrodes were utilized to record the discharge activity of mPFC neurons. The mPFC neurons were categorized into putative pyramidal cells (n=174) and putative interneurons (n=40) according to the discharge rate and width of the mean spike waveform from trough to peak for each neuron. The correlation between the activity of distinct mPFC neurons and the performance of conditioned eyeblink responses (CR) was analyzed in either the early- or the late-learning stage. Results After 5 days' CS-US paired training, the mice exhibited increased CR incidence from (38.1±8.2)% on the 1st day to (66.7±10.0)% on the 5th day (P < 0.001). The statistical analysis revealed that the CS-evoked discharge activity of putative mPFC pyramidal cells at the late-leaning stage was significantly weaker than the early-learning stage (P < 0.05). In contrast, the CS-evoked discharge activity of putative interneurons at the late-learning stage was significantly greater than that at the early-learning stage (P < 0.05). Consistent with this, the proportion of CS-evoked increased firing interneurons was significantly greater at the late-learning stage (66.7%, 14/21) than the early-learning stage (25.0%, 4/16, P < 0.05). Moreover, there was no significant difference in the CS-evoked activity of mPFC pyramidal cells between the CR and the non-CR states (P>0.05), whereas the CS-evoked activity of mPFC interneurons in the presence of CRs was stronger than in the lack of CRs (P < 0.05). Conclusion During the acquisition of tEBC, the change of CS-evoked firing activities in mPFC interneurons is opposite to that in mPFC pyramidal cells, suggesting that these 2 types of mPFC neurons might participate in associative motor learning in different ways. In particular, the CS-evoked firing activity of mPFC interneurons is closely correlated with the CR performance.

Long-distance wireless energy transmission is realized by photoelectric conversion through lasers and photovoltaic cells. However, existing devices have low transmission power and low transmission efficiency. Exploring the main factors that limit the transmission efficiency during transmission is necessary to improve the transmission power and efficiency, and theoretically analyze these factors that affect transmission efficiency, such as beam quality, divergence angle, wavelength and so on. This will provide research directions for subsequent work. A multiwavelength laser wireless energy transmission experimental platform was built by using powersphere, laser with three different wavelengths and other devices. This platform was used for transmission efficiency verification experiment. The total electro-optical-electric conversion efficiency values obtained by the 532, 1030, and 808 nm lasers are 0.01%, 0.08%, and 0.11%, respectively. The corresponding laser-to-electric conversion efficiency values are 1.37%, 1.60%, and 0.73%, respectively. Experimental results show that the electro-optic conversion efficiency of the laser and the photoelectric conversion efficiency of the photovoltaic receiver is the main reasons for the low conversion efficiency of the system. In addition, factors such as the expansion ratio of the beam expander, laser collimation, laser uniformity at the photovoltaic receiver end, and circuit structure, affect the conversion efficiency of the system.

Thermal creep is a key property of zircaloy cladding. CZ developed by CGN is a new zircaloy used as PWR fuel cladding. This research is devoted to investigating the thermal creep behavior of CZ and build the thermal creep model of CZ. Twenty internal pressure creep tests were conducted, and the ranges of temperature and Tresca stress were 320–430 °C and 70–300 MPa, respectively. Real-time creep data were analyzed by separating primary creep and steady-state creep. Based on Soderberg model and creep test data, CZ thermal creep model is derived. As a whole, the mean value and the standard deviation of P/M of CZ saturated primary creep strain are very close to these from steady-state creep rate, however, the predictive effect of primary creep is less satisfactory. Four conditions, where there exists large deviation between predicted values and test data, are 320 °C and 300 MPa, 350 °C and 190 MPa, 380 °C and 160 MPa, 380 °C and 190 MPa, respectively. As primary creep was much smaller than steady-state creep in long-time operation, the thermal creep model built can be applied to predict the thermal creep behavior of CZ cladding.

The model of rotor vector (RV) reducer was established by 3D software, and was imported into ANSYS Workbench for transient dynamic analysis. The stress distribution diagram and total deformation diagram of the gear tooth surface during the meshing process of the cycloidal wheel and the pin wheel were obtained, and the stress distribution law of the cycloidal wheel in the process was also obtained. Comparing the calculation results of Hertz formula with the results of finite-element analysis showed that the deviation are smaller and within the allowable range, which provides the theoretical reference for the optimisation of the cycloidal wheel.

Objective To investigate the dynamic changes of neuronal activity in the cerebellar cortex during the acquisition of trace eyeblink conditioning (tEBC) in mice. Methods A 150-ms pulse of blue light conditioned stimulus (CS) followed by a 100-ms air-puff unconditioned stimulus (US) with a 250-ms trace interval for 5 consecutive training days was performed to train the mice (n=6) to establish tEBC. During daily tEBC training, the neuronal activities in the cerebellar cortex were continuously recorded by tetrode electrodes. Results During the acquisition of tEBC, the incidence of conditioned eyeblink response (CR) in mice was significantly increased (P < 0.01), with the incidence increased from (35.3±10.5)% on the 1st day to (70.9±3.2)% on the 5th day. In particular, 2 types of learning-related neuronal activities were observed in the cerebellar cortex: ① trace interval-decreased firing neurons (early stage: n=11, late stage: n=23) and ② trace interval-increased firing neurons(early stage: n=18, late stage: n=7). The proportions of 2 types of cerebellar cortical neurons were significantly different to those at the early-learning stage (P < 0.01): the percentage of trace interval-decreased firing neurons was increased (early stage: 16.7%, late stage: 36.5%), whereas that of trace interval-increased firing neurons was decreased (early stage: 27.3%, late stage: 11.2%). Moreover, with the acquisition of tEBC response, the latency of CS-evoked decreased firing activity in the cerebellar cortex was significantly prolonged (P < 0.05). In contrast, the magnitude of the firing responses failed to change (P>0.05). Conclusion During the acquisition of tEBC, the discharge of neurons in the cerebellar cortex exhibits changed pattern from the enhancement to attenuation, which is highly correlated to the CR acquisition.

Additional file 1. Table S1. OCT findings of atherosclerosis characters. Table S2. OCT findings in patients with and without TVD. Table S3. OCT structure parameters of RA in segment level. Table S4. Multivariate regression analysis of IMR. Table S5. OCT characteristics of coronary culprit lesion in patients with or without RAP. Figure S1. Study flow. Figure S2. Schematic representation of OCT observation of the RA. Figure S3. Morphometric measurements of RA by OCT in segment level. Figure S4. OCT imaging and measurements of crescent-shaped intimal hyperplasia. Figure S5. The distribution of RA plaques.

Traffic intelligence has become an important part of the development of various countries and the automobile industry. Roadside perception is an important part of the intelligent transportation system, which mainly realizes the effective perception of road environment information by using sensors installed on the roadside. Vehicles are the main road targets in most traffic scenes, so tracking a large number of vehicles is an important subject in the field of roadside perception. Considering the characteristics of vehicle-like rigid targets from the roadside view, a vehicle tracking algorithm based on deep learning was proposed. Firstly, we optimized a DLA-34 network and designed a block-N module, then the channel attention and spatial attention modules were added in the front of the network to improve the overall feature extraction ability and computing efficiency of the network. Next, the joint loss function was designed to improve the intra-class and inter-class discrimination ability of the tracking algorithm, which can better discriminate objects of similar appearance and the color of vehicles, alleviate the IDs problem and improve algorithm robustness and the real-time performance of the tracking algorithm. Finally, the experimental results showed that the method had a good tracking effect for the vehicle tracking task from the roadside perspective and could meet the practical application demands of complex traffic scenes.

With the continuous development of smart substations, higher requirements are put forward for the level of transformer intelligence. By continuously optimizing transformer online monitoring and fault diagnosis technology to improve its level of intelligence, to meet the safe, efficient and stable operation of the power system. Based on the analysis of the gas composition in transformer oil, this article uses data as the driving force to apply artificial intelligence neural network algorithms to transformer fault diagnosis. At the same time, in view of the deficiencies of the neural network algorithm, the genetic algorithm is used to optimize the neural network to improve the performance of transformer fault diagnosis. The simulation verification is carried out in the MATLAB environment, and the optimized BP neural network algorithm is compared with the traditional BP neural network algorithm. The simulation results show that the neural network model optimized by genetic algorithm can play a better role in transformer fault diagnosis.

Yield control in the integrated circuit manufacturing process is very important, and defects are one of the main factors affecting chip yield. As the process control becomes more and more critical and the critical dimension becomes smaller and smaller, the identification and location of defects is particularly important. This paper uses a machine learning algorithm based on transfer learning and two fine-tuned neural network models to realize the autonomous recognition and classification of defects even the data set is small, which achieves 94.6% and 91.7% classification accuracy. The influence of network complexity on classification result is studied at the same time. This paper also establishes a visual display algorithm of defects, shows the process of extracting the deep-level features of the defective image by the network, and then analyze the defect features. Finally, the Gradient-weighted Class Activation Mapping technology is used to generate defect heat maps, which locate the defect positions and probability intensity effects. This paper greatly expands the application of transfer learning in the field of integrated circuit lithography defect recognition, and greatly improves the friendliness of defect display.

When a fault occurs in power grid, the analytic model for power grid fault diagnosis could generate multiple solutions under one or more protective relays (PRs) and/or circuit breakers (CBs) malfunctioning, and/or one or more their alarm information failing. Hence, this paper, calling the electrical quantities, presents an optimal solution discrimination method, which determines the optimal solution by constructing the electrical criteria of suspicious faulty components. Furthermore, combining the established electrical criteria with the existing analytic model, a hierarchical fault diagnosis mode is proposed. It uses the analytic model for the first level diagnosis based on the switching quantities. Thereafter, aiming at multiple solutions, it applies the electrical criteria for the second level diagnosis to determine the diagnostic result. Finally, the examples of fault diagnosis demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the developed method.

Overlay marks contrast plays such a fundamental role for the overlay metrology that it dominants the accuracy control and draws much attention during mark evaluations. However, as the lithography nodes advances and the 3D device stacks accumulate, overlay marks sub-segmentation and opaque hard-masks are widely exploit, both of which can be drawbacks for mark contrast in certain cases. As a result, the overlay mark contrast improvement techniques become a necessity, and attract more research interests. In this paper, we introduced a method to improve the mark contrast by using pixel improvement technique and theoretical reference correlation analysis. Such method can potentially be very effective when measuring overlay marks with extreme low contrast through thick opaque layers.

Supplemental material, sj-docx-2-psp-10.1177_01461672211040677 for The Neural Basis Linking Achievement Motivation With Procrastination: Left Precuneus Connectivity With Right Anterior Cingulate Cortex by Yuhua Li, Libin Zhang, Rong Zhang, Ting Xu and Tingyong Feng in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin

Supplemental material, sj-docx-1-psp-10.1177_01461672211040677 for The Neural Basis Linking Achievement Motivation With Procrastination: Left Precuneus Connectivity With Right Anterior Cingulate Cortex by Yuhua Li, Libin Zhang, Rong Zhang, Ting Xu and Tingyong Feng in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin

Supplemental material, sj-docx-1-psp-10.1177_01461672211040677 for The Neural Basis Linking Achievement Motivation With Procrastination: Left Precuneus Connectivity With Right Anterior Cingulate Cortex by Yuhua Li, Libin Zhang, Rong Zhang, Ting Xu and Tingyong Feng in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin

Supplemental material, sj-docx-2-psp-10.1177_01461672211040677 for The Neural Basis Linking Achievement Motivation With Procrastination: Left Precuneus Connectivity With Right Anterior Cingulate Cortex by Yuhua Li, Libin Zhang, Rong Zhang, Ting Xu and Tingyong Feng in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin

Hongzhong Cheng1 ,* Wen Jiang1 ,* Zhengji Song,2 Ting Li,2 Yulian Li,2 Libin Zhang,1 Guoping Wang1 1Department of Thoracic Surgery, The First People’s Hospital of Yunnan Province, Kunming, Yunnan, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Gastroenterology, The First People’s Hospital of Yunnan Province, Kunming, Yunnan, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Guoping WangDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, The First People’s Hospital of Yunnan Province, Kunming City, Yunnan Province, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86-871-63638675Email cxdlib@163.comBackground: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are critical regulators of many diseases, including esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). A recent study has shown that circLPAR3 is highly expressed in ESCC, but its role and mechanism in ESCC are still unclear.Methods: The expression levels of circLPAR3, microRNA-375 (miR-375), miR-433, and high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The circular characteristic and localization of circLPAR3 were identified by Ribonuclease R (RNase R) and nuclear-cytoplasmic separation assay. Also, cell proliferation was detected by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and colony formation assays. Cell migration and invasion were tested by transwell assay. Moreover, Western blot (WB) analysis was used to test the levels of proliferation and metastasis-related protein, as well as the HMGB1 protein. Besides, mice xenograft models were constructed to assess the effect of circLPAR3 on ESCC tumor growth in vivo. In addition, dual-luciferase reporter and RNA pull-down assays were used to identify the mechanism of circLPAR3.Results: CircLPAR3 was upregulated in ESCC tissues and cells, and its high expression was related to the poor prognosis of ESCC patients. CircLPAR3 was a stable cyclic transcript, mainly located in the cytoplasm, and its knockdown hindered the proliferation, migration and invasion of ESCC cells and inhibited ESCC tumor growth in vivo. MiR-375/miR-433 could be sponged by circLPAR3, and their inhibitors could reverse the suppression effect of silenced circLPAR3 on ESCC progression. HMGB1 could be targeted by miR-375/miR-433, and its overexpression also could invert the inhibition effect of circLPAR3 knockdown on ESCC progression.Conclusion: CircLPAR3 might play an oncogenic role in ESCC through sponging miR-375/miR-433 to promote HMGB1 expression, which might provide a theoretical basis for circLPAR3 to become a biomarker for ESCC therapy.Keywords: ESCC, circLPAR3, miR-375, miR-433, HMGB1

Via location and metal coverage have direct correlation. Optical proximity correction (OPC) always do selective sizing for metal to offer enough via enclosure, such as extending line end or doing external expansion for related metal edge. Hence via poor landing or metal bridging are both potential hotspots. For 14nm technology node and below, process related weak patterns are highly correlated with via locations and corresponding metal dimensions. A via optimization methodology has been put forward to enhance the robustness of design for physical design in fabless. With the aid of lithography check, the yield killers with high potential relativity with vias will be conducted root cause analysis. This paper describes the main solutions for fabless, including pin location blockage, via shift, via shape change, metal sizing change and so on within design rule check (DRC) constraints. The simulation experiment results prove the effective of these solutions due to related simulated yield killers being eliminated.

The surface structure of bimetallic Pd/Au catalyst, accompanied by the presence of potassium acetate (KOAc) are critical for synthesis of vinyl acetate (VAc). In this study, different configurations of the Pd/Au (1 1 1) surface were constructed. The density functional theory (DFT) was used to investigate the adsorption of ethylene and acetate on the Pd/Au (1 1 1) surface. The reaction mechanism of VAc formation was studied by following the Samanos pathway. The existence of potassium ion (K+) enhanced the adsorption of ethylene and acetate on the Pd/Au (1 1 1) surface, and promoted the dehydrogenation of acetic acid. The Pd/Au (1 1 1) surface configuration, with two adjacent palladium atoms embedded on the gold surface, is the most favorable surface structure for VAc synthesis. The introduction of K+ was obstructive to the formation of ethyl acetate-like intermediates, but facilitated β-H elimination during the formation of VAc. This work provides a deeper mechanistic understanding of VAc synthesis on the Pd/Au (1 1 1) surface, which could shed some light on the catalysts design and the industrial control of VAc synthesis.

In this study, a high-temperature hardness tester was developed, and its basic structure, main performance and advantages were introduced. The high-temperature hardness tester has three main advantages: it significantly prevents the oxidation of the sample and the indenter; it does not affect the stiffness of the bearing platform; and ensures the accurate measurement of the relevant image at high temperatures. Then, the Vickers indentation test was carried out using the developed hardness tester. The contact surface of the indenter and the sample was found to be a curved surface, and the height of the middle of the indentation edge was found to be higher than the height of the indentation corner. Therefore, a three-dimensional model of indentation morphology was established, and hardness values at different temperatures were corrected. It was found that the hardness of CTS18D cemented carbide decreased with increasing temperature, and the value decreased by approximately 35% from room temperature to 1000 °C. In addition, at the same temperature, the corrected hardness value was smaller than the measured hardness value. Moreover, the difference value between the measured hardness and the corrected hardness decreased from 3.9% to 3.2% with an increase in temperature from 26 °C to 1000 °C.

The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effects and underlying mechanism of tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) on lung development using a rat model of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). Nitrofen was used to induce CDH. Pregnant rats were divided into three groups: control, CDH, and CDH+TMP. In the CDH and CDH+TMP, fetuses only with left diaphragmatic hernias were chosen for analysis. Lung and body weight were recorded and lung histologic evaluations, image analysis, and western blot analysis of YAP, p-YAP and LATS1 were performed after lung processing. A markedly abnormal structure was observed, as evidenced by pulmonary hypoplasia and vascular remodeling, in the CHD. These abnormalities were improved in the CDH+TMP. There were significant differences between the CHD and CHD+TMP in percentage of medial wall thickness, arteriole muscularization, radial alveolar counts, AA%, and alveolar septal thickness. YAP expression was markedly increased in the CHD compared to the controls, which was not affected by antenatal TMP administration. However, prenatal TMP intervention significantly increased expression of LATS1 and phosphorylation of YAP in the CDH fetuses. Our results demonstrate that antenatal TMP administration improved vascular remodeling and promoted lung development in a rat model of CHD, potentially through increasing expression of LATS1 and phosphorylation of YAP.

The powersphere is a device used for maximizing the conversion of light in wireless energy transmission via laser. It is a spherical structure made up of thousands of photovoltaic cells. Due to the large dimensions and existence of many holes in the spherical surface, there are some drawbacks in machining, such as limited movement space of the machines, long cycle, low precision, and high cost. In this context, with a powersphere irradiated by the laser as the model, the principle of powersphere is deduced theoretically. It is proven that the illuminance value at any position on the inner wall of the powersphere is equal, and the calculation formula of this value is derived. Based on this theory and the comparative analysis of processing methods and the results of processing experiments, the structure of the powersphere is designed. The experimental processing of the powersphere is carried out by selecting the welding method. Finally, two hemispherical powersphere frames are processed, which are connected by screws to form a ball frame for the installation of photovoltaic cells. The results show that the improved design and fabricating method can process the powersphere quickly, accurately, and economically. A comparative experiment of powersphere and photovoltaic panel was carried out. The experimental results show that the powersphere has the function of light uniformity and repeated use of laser. So, the designed and processed powersphere is consistent with the theoretical analysis.

As the light of the belt conveyor changes drastically and unevenly, it will cause the longitudinal tear detection rate of the traditional methods drop sharply. To improve the situation, a novel method, which replaces the traditional geometric features with the Haar features, is proposed. First, the Haar feature was employed to train weak classifiers. Then, the AdaBoost algorithm is utilized to upgrade the weak classifiers to strong classifiers. Finally, the Cascade algorithm is introduced to combine strong classifiers in series into a cascade classifier that can reduce the training and processing time. The experiment following the above proposed method has shown that the recall, accuracy, and precision of tear detection under uneven light almost approaches the level under the uniform light (less than 3% difference), which indicates that our method is more accurate and robust than the existing methods in real-time belt tear detection.

Sea cucumber, Apostichopus japonicus, is the main cultured species in China. The main culture style for this species is the sea ranching model. Field trials were conducted in bottom-cages to preliminary reveal optimal releasing size, as well as maximum density of A. japonicus in an integrated multi-trophic aquaculture sea ranching area. Different sizes (4–30 g ind−1) and densities (336–1342 g m−2) of sea cucumbers were cultured for 13 months in Rongcheng Bay, Shandong Province, China. The size experiment showed that sea cucumber of all sizes grew throughout the experimental period. Sea cucumbers 20 g ind−1) had no advantage of growth. Sea cucumber sizes of 15–20 g may be suitable for release, considering their higher survival rate and SGR. The density experiment showed that the high biomass group had a low SGR and that the maximum release biomass was 793 g m−2 based on a regression analysis. The optimal practical release season for sea cucumber was spring based on the results of two field experiments.

Single grit scratching is a basic form of material removal for many processes, such as grinding single point diamond turning and coating bonding performance tests. It has been widely used in the study of micro-scale and nano-scale material removal mechanisms. In this study, single grit linearly loading scratching tests were carried out on a scratching tester. A Rockwell indenter made of natural diamond was selected as the tool used, and the material of the workpiece was oxygen-free copper. Scratch topography was measured using a super-depth microscope to analyze the material deformation of the scratching process. A single grit scratching simulation has been developed by AdvantEdge™ to comprehensively study the material deformation of scratching processes. A material constitutive model and friction model were acquired using a quasi-static uniaxial compression experiment and a reciprocating friction test, respectively. These two models were used as the input models in the finite simulations. The simulated scratching forces aligned well with the experimental scratching forces, which verified the precision of the simulation model. Since only the scratching force could be obtained in the scratching experiment, the plastic strain, material flow, and residual stress of the scratching were further analyzed using simulations. The results showed that the plastic strain of the workpiece increased with the increase in scratching depth, and further analysis showed that the workpiece surface was distributed with residual compressive stress and the sub-surface was distributed with residual tensile stress in single grit scratching.

With the development of technology, the technology foresight becomes more and more important. Delphi method as the core method of technology foresight is increasingly questioned. This paper propose a new technology foresight method based on intelligent convergence in open network environment. We put a large number of scientific and technological innovation topics into the open network technology community. Through the supervision and guidance to stimulate the discussion of expert groups, a lot of interactive information can be generated. Based on the accurate topic delivery, effective topic monitoring, reasonable topic guiding, comprehensive topic recovering, and interactive data mining, we get the technology foresight result and further look for the expert or team engaged in relevant research.

Mg_2Si_(1−x)Sn_x solid solutions are promising thermoelectric materials to be applied in vehicle waste-heat recovery. Their thermal stability issue, however, needs to be addressed before the materials can be applied in practical thermoelectric devices. In this work, we studied the crystal structure and chemical composition of Mg_2Si_(1−x)Sn_x in inert gas atmosphere up to 823 K. We found that the sample was oxidized even in high-purity inert gases. Although no obvious structural change has been found in the slightly oxidized sample, carrier concentration decreased significantly since oxidation creates Mg vacancies in the lattice. We demonstrated that an atomic-layer deposited Al_2O_3 coating can effectively protect Mg_2Si_(1−x)Sn_x from oxidation in inert gases and even in air. In addition, this Al_2O_3 thin film also provides in situ protection to the Sb-doped Mg_2Si_(1−x)Sn_x samples during the laser-flash measurement and therefore eliminates the measurement error that occurs in uncoated samples as a result of sample oxidation and graphite exfoliation issues.

Periodontal diseases including tooth loss might increase systemic inflammation, lead to immune dysregulation, and alter gut microbiota, thereby possibly influencing colorectal carcinogenesis. Few epidemiological studies have examined the association between periodontal diseases and colorectal cancer (CRC) risk. We collected information on the periodontal disease (defined as history of periodontal bone loss) and number of natural teeth in the Nurses’ Health Study. A total of 77,443 women were followed since 1992. We used Cox proportional hazard models to calculate multivariable hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) after adjustment for smoking and other known risk factors for CRC. We documented 1,165 incident CRC through 2010. Compared to women with 25–32 teeth, the multivariable HR (95% CI) for CRC for women with < 17 teeth was 1.20 (1.04–1.39). With regard to tumor site, the HRs (95% CIs) for the same comparison were 1.23 (1.01–1.51) for proximal colon cancer, 1.03 (0.76–1.38) for distal colon cancer, and 1.48 (1.07–2.05) for rectal cancer. Additionally, compared to those without periodontal disease, HRs for CRC were 0.91 (95% CI 0.74–1.12) for periodontal disease, and 1.22 (95% CI 0.91–1.63) when limited to moderate to severe periodontal disease. The results were not modified by smoking status, body mass index, or alcohol consumption. Women with fewer teeth, possibly moderate or severe periodontal disease, might be at a modest increased risk of developing CRC, suggesting a potential role of oral health in colorectal carcinogenesis.

The VSC-HVDC technology, as the third generation HVDC transmission technology, is proactive and the most advanced transmission technology. The reliability of VSC-HVDC transmission system needs to be further researched since its short research duration and few projects. Based on reviewing VSC-HVDC technology development, this work investigates on the critical factors and equipment affecting normal operation. Then, the article summarizes reliability research status and presents deficiencies by contrasting with the reliability research methods for traditional HVDC transmission. Finally, combining with engineering example, some ideas and prospects for the application and development of VSC-HVDC reliability technology are proposed.

In this paper a segmentation algorithm for cucumber images is presented to solve the problems of target identification and position for a greenhouse cucumber‐harvesting robot. Amethod of combining the three basic colours, branch‐quantity and threshold processing is used to enhance the target im ages, increasing the contrast between background and target and reducing the information content of the colour image. The strengthened image is considered as a knowledge system. The cucumber images are then segmented by a classification decision table which is based on a knowledge‐reduction algorithm from rough set theory, choosing the image colour attribute as a condition attribute and standard colour as a decision attribute. The image noise is removed using an expansion algorithm of mathematical morphology. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm can enhance the image of greenhouse cucumbers and segment the profile of the cucumber image effectively. There is less noise in the image afte...

Compared to land 4D seismic surveys, reservoir monitoring based on marine towed streamer 4D is very challenging for non-repeatability of shot position, receiver position, marine condition, feather angle, etc. In 2003 and 2013, two towed streamer seismic surveys have been acquired in South China Sea respectively. During the monitor (2013) acquisition, we analyze the repeatability including statistical measure of shot positioning error ds, feather angle θ , feather angle error θ d , etc for 4D QC. Moreover, we propose a new approach for repeatable 4D seismic data reconstruction. If the sum of shot error and receiver error between baseline and monitor survey is below 100 meter, these trace pairs from two runs are chosen as the reconstructed data. The method tries to alleviate non-repeatability of acquisition and makes the 4D binning azimuthal preserved. Repeatable 4D seismic data reconstruction improves the repeatability, which is very beneficial to 4D seismic processing and prediction of remaining oil.

Queuing is common in urban public places. Automatically monitoring and predicting queuing time can not only help individuals to reduce their wait time and alleviate anxiety but also help managers to allocate resources more efficiently and enhance their ability to address emergencies. This paper proposes a novel method to estimate and predict queuing time in indoor environments based on WiFi positioning data. First, we use a series of parameters to identify the trajectories that can be used as representatives of queuing time. Next, we divide the day into equal time slices and estimate individuals' average queuing time during specific time slices. Finally, we build a nonstandard autoregressive (NAR) model trained using the previous day's WiFi estimation results and actual queuing time to predict the queuing time in the upcoming time slice. A case study comparing two other time series analysis models shows that the NAR model has better precision. Random topological errors caused by the drift phenomenon of WiFi positioning technology (locations determined by a WiFi positioning system may drift accidently) and systematic topological errors caused by the positioning system are the main factors that affect the estimation precision. Therefore, we optimize the deployment strategy during the positioning system deployment phase and propose a drift ratio parameter pertaining to the trajectory screening phase to alleviate the impact of topological errors and improve estimates. The WiFi positioning data from an eight-day case study conducted at the T3-C entrance of Beijing Capital International Airport show that the mean absolute estimation error is 147 s, which is approximately 26.92% of the actual queuing time. For predictions using the NAR model, the proportion is approximately 27.49%. The theoretical predictions and the empirical case study indicate that the NAR model is an effective method to estimate and predict queuing time in indoor public areas.

A vapor–liquid–solid circulating fluidized bed, which is a new type of evaporation boiling means for enhancing heat transfer and preventing fouling, is presented. Experiments were conducted in a 39 mm diameter 2.0 m high stainless steel column, in which the heat transfer coefficient was measured for different superficial velocities, pressure of the heating stream, particle concentration and kinds of particles. The experimental results show that the boiling heat transfer coefficient is enhanced and is about 1.5–2.0 times that of vapor–liquid two-phase flow. The heat transfer coefficient increased with increase in the pressure of the heating stream, but it exhibited a local minimum value with increasing liquid velocity.

In this paper, the authors briefly describe the present situation and future of research on metal matrix composites in China. Included are: the types and properties of metal matrix composites studied, fabricating methods, current key research, superplasticity of metal matrix composites (MMCs) and the application of these composites.

Voltage-gated sodium (Na(v)) channels are responsible for initiation and propagation of action potential in the neurons. To explore the mechanisms of chronic heart failure (CHF)-induced baroreflex dysfunction, we measured the expression and current density of Na(v) channel subunits (Na(v)1.7, Na(v)1.8, and Na(v)1.9) in the aortic baroreceptor neurons and investigated the role of Na(v) channels in aortic baroreceptor neuron excitability and baroreflex sensitivity in sham and CHF rats. CHF was induced by left coronary artery ligation. The development of CHF (6-8 weeks after the coronary ligation) was confirmed by hemodynamic and morphological characteristics. Immunofluorescent data indicated that Na(v)1.7 was expressed in A-type (myelinated) and C-type (unmyelinated) nodose neurons, but Na(v)1.8 and Na(v)1.9 were expressed only in C-type nodose neurons. Real-time RT-PCR and Western blot data showed that CHF reduced mRNA and protein expression levels of Na(v) channels in nodose neurons. In addition, using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique, we found that Na(v) current density and cell excitability of the aortic baroreceptor neurons were lower in CHF rats than that in sham rats. Aortic baroreflex sensitivity was blunted in anesthetized CHF rats, compared with that in sham rats. Furthermore, Na(v) channel activator (rATX II, 100 nM) significantly enhanced Na(v) current density and cell excitability of aortic baroreceptor neurons and improved aortic baroreflex sensitivity in CHF rats. These results suggest that reduced expression and activation of the Na(v) channels are involved in the attenuation of baroreceptor neuron excitability, which subsequently contributes to the impairment of baroreflex in CHF state.

The latest research of automobile ABS detection is devoted to create the test site with a special mix adhesion road, there is not currently a practical method of detection and performance evaluation for automobile ABS device, however ABS detection is an important one of automobile comprehensive performance detection, so the ABS detection method is researched on based on test-bed in the paper. The paper puts forward the method of stepless electricity simulation of the automobile inertia mass on the base of test-bed, and sets up mathematical model of that, then design the fuzzy control system of automobile test-bed, finally pointing to the method of electricity simulation, make a compare analysis to practical experiment data from the test site by SIMULINK simulation language.

Suspension is a crucial assembly for automobile controlling stability and safety. For achieving the effective and precise detection the suspension system, the simulation model based on 1/4 vehicle dynamic model is constructed. The model includes linear sinusoidal frequency excitation signal, 1/4 vehicle suspension’s two degree of freedom vibration system, body acceleration, relative dynamic load, the output model of suspension’s dynamic deflection. Simulation results show that in the condition of linear sinusoidal frequency excitation, the amplitude-frequency curves of vibration response values such as the vehicle body’s acceleration, the wheel’s relative dynamic load and suspension’s dynamic deflection which obtained by simulation accords with the law of 1/4 vehicle suspension’s vibration model and theoretical analysis. Vibration response value causes resonance phenomenon and generates peak values in the vicinity of 1 Hz and 11 Hz. From amplitude-frequency curve, we can determine frequency components and frequency distribution range of vibration signals, define the amplitude and energy of every frequency components, and accordingly carry out fault diagnosis on the vehicle’s suspension system.

The research of calibration model for the wheel alignment system is a crucial area for automobile safety. For the disability of calibrating measurement results of wheel alignment system, the theoretical errors based on the superposition principle are analyzed. Simulation results show that the errors are more than 0.4° whereas the common precision of wheel alignment system is 0.02°. Novel calibration model for caster and steering axle inclination (SAI) is presented according to independent generation principle in vertical plane and transverse plane of automobile. Method of calibration platform based on spherical kinetic pair is introduced, which achieves higher accuracy. The experimental results show that linear errors exist in the measurement of SAI and caster. The error of SAI is over 10' when caster is over 15° and system errors increase as the projective angles increase.

In this paper, we considered the request of Call Admission Control (CAC) for re-connection and multi-traffic business in order to improve the Quality of Service (QoS) of system, and proposed an CAC algorithm based on the priority re-connection and multi-traffic business service thresholds, named Re-Connection Priority Dynamic Call Admission Control (R-DMCAC), which dynamically adjusts service thresholds according to the system load. Simulation results showed that compared with existing fixed schemes, the proposed scheme can not only guarantee the priority of traffic, but also maintain better performance with the real-time changes of the traffic volume, and improved the QoS of system.

Publication in the conference proceedings of EUSIPCO, Lausanne, Switzerland, 2008

Type I myotonic dystrophy (DM1) is caused by a triplet repeat expansion in the 3′-untranslated region (UTR) of the dystrophia myotonia protein kinase (DMPK) gene. Pathogenesis is closely linked with production of a toxic RNA from the mutant allele, which interferes with function of several RNA-binding proteins, including CUGBP1. Here we show that expression of a mutant DMPK 3′-UTR containing 960 CUG repeats is sufficient to increase expression and stability of an mRNA encoding the potent proinflammatory cytokine, tumor necrosis factor (TNF). CUGBP1 specifically recognizes sequences within the TNF 3′-UTR that are dissimilar from its canonical UG-rich binding site. Depletion of CUGBP1 from mouse myoblasts results in increased abundance of TNF mRNA through stabilization of the transcript. Moreover, activation of the protein kinase C pathway by treatment with phorbol ester, which has been shown previously to result in CUGBP1 phosphorylation, also causes TNF mRNA stabilization. Our results suggest that the elevated serum TNF seen in DM1 patients may be derived from muscle where it is induced by expression of toxic DMPK RNA. Importantly, overexpression of this potent cytokine could contribute to the muscle wasting and insulin resistance that are characteristic of this debilitating disease.

It is vital to improve knowledge integration efficiency for sake of team effectiveness. Informal control could adjust knowledge with different characteristic through people's view instead of formal intervention. Based on combination of Williamson's transaction theory and knowledge based view, this paper suggested three types of trust orientation inclusive of market type, authority type and consensus type and analyzed the role of trust orientation in governing team knowledge integration. Finally, result if empirical study indicated that interdependency and tacitness of knowledge could be governed by trust, while appropriate not; consensus trust had the greater impact than authority trust, however, market trust could not have significant effects.

The evolution mechanism model for core rigidities was put forward in complex adaptive system perspective. It indicated that, the dynamic of core rigidities was rooted from the interaction between the legitimate system and the shadow system, while controlling parameters (information flow speed, diversity degree of members, contact level of members, power diversity and anxiety repression) were the conditions of evolution. Once parameters reached the critical value, the organization would enter the creative space from the stable zone. In case the shadow system was able to implement double-loop study, new core rigidities would emerge, and the legitimate system was replaced by the shadow system accordingly. Therefore, the organization would enter the higher level stable zone, and reinforced new core rigidities. With increase in the values of controlling parameters, core rigidities would encounter spiral ascendance evolution.