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A series of thermo- and light-responsive copolymers of poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) and 6-[4-(4-methoxy phenyl azo)-phenoxyl-hexyl methacrylate) (AzoMA) (PNIPAM-b-PAzoMA) were synthesized via reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) radical polymerization. The resulting copolymers had a narrow molecular weight distribution range of 1.06–1.24, in which Mn changed regularly with the monomer concentration. Subsequently, the diblock copolymers were successfully modified on the surface of iron oxide nanoparticles through the interaction between the chemical bonds to prepare Fe3O4@(PNIPAM-b-PAzoMA) nanoparticles. The size of fabricated nanoparticles with excellent thermo-sensitivity and photo-sensitivity was controlled at about 40–50 nm. Cell viability assays suggested that the nanoparticles showed no significant cytotoxicity and potential drug delivery in the tumor microenvironment.

Carbon nanotube (CNT) buckypapers, or films, have the potential for wide applications because of their unique properties. Neat buckypapers or pristine CNT (PCNT) films have relatively large elongation but low strength and low modulus due to the weak interaction between CNTs. Chemical modifications of PCNT films can significantly strengthen the interaction between CNTs, resulting in high strength and high modulus but usually accompanied by low elongation. Here, we report the functionalization of pristine CNT films by thiol-ended hyperbranched polymers (THBP-n) via a thiol-ene click reaction that can introduce simultaneous improvements on the strength, modulus, and elongation to the PCNT film by 689, 812, and 32.4%, respectively. The high thiol content of THBP-n enables the formation of a network with a high degree of cross-linking between carbon nanotubes, which provides high-efficiency load transfer that increases the tensile strength and modulus of the resulting films and at the same time a compressible hyperbranched structure that allows for deformation and slip between CNTs and consequently improved elongation. The main factors affecting the mechanical performance of the functionalized CNT film are also investigated.

Preparation of carbon nanotube (CNT) films with both high strength and high elongation is a key challenge to wide application of CNT. A simple method has been investigated to design and prepare high strength and elongation CNT films. This was achieved using a thiol-ene click reaction between the double bond groups of the CNT films and the thiol groups of mercaptans. The effects of mercaptans contents in the functionalized CNT film, click reaction time and the ratio between mercaptans and CNT film on their mechanical strength have been researched. The tensile strength of the functionalized CNT film was 560% higher than that of the prime CNT film. The improvement and functionalized mechanism of CNT film were studied by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Compared with prime carbon nanotube films, the inter-tube interaction of the functionalized CNT films has been changed from weaker van der Waals force to stronger chemical bond, and the cross-link network of mercaptans chain connected CNTs also enhances the load transfer among the CNTs and reduces the distance of the interfacial slippage, which contributes to the improved mechanical properties. This method about improving strength of CNT films will supply a new strategy for preparing high strength CNT film.

Xanthophylls extracted from corn distillers’ dry grain were successfully applied to dye wool fabrics. As a readily available and cost-effective grain processing byproduct, corn distillers’ dry grain contains appreciable amounts of isolable xanthophyll colourants, which can potentially be used in textile coloration. However, the application of xanthophylls as textile colourants has been limited, possibly owing to their hydrophobic nature and lack of stability at higher temperatures. In the present work, dyeing of wool fabrics with xanthophyll dyes was performed in the presence of a solubilising agent (diglyme) and an antioxidant (butylated hydroxytoluene). Dyeing conditions were modelled and optimised by the one-factor-at-a-time method and response surface methodology. Depth of shade of the wool fabrics dyed with 0.33 g l−1 of xanthophylls could be as high as 10.9 ± 0.5, while the colour fastness to laundering and crocking was better than grade 4. The prominent effect of butylated hydroxytoluene on depth of shade (K/S) was further studied using functionally and structurally related model compounds. The K/S-enhancing ability of butylated hydroxytoluene was found to be a synergistic result of its antioxidising and complexing abilities. Lab-extracted xanthophylls of various purities were applied to wool fabrics using the optimised dyeing and aftertreatment conditions. Depth of shade but not colour fastness was significantly affected by the impurities in xanthophylls extracted from corn distillers’ dry grain. The strategy developed by this work not only extends the scope of xanthophyll application into textile coloration but also could be used for other hydrophobic and unstable natural colourants.

Photovoltaic power generation is affected by weather and geographical environment, showing fluctuations and random multi-interference, and its output power is easy to change with changes in external factors. Therefore, the prediction of output power is crucial to optimize the grid-connected operation of photovoltaic power generation and reduce the impact of uncertainty. This paper proposes a hybrid model of both convolutional neural network (CNN) and long short-term memory neural network (LSTM) based on genetic algorithm (GA) optimization (GA-CNN-LSTM). First, the CNN module is used to extract the spatial features of the data, and then the LSTM module is used to extract the temporal features and nearby hidden states. Optimizing the hyperparameter weights and bias values of the LSTM training network through GA. At the initial stage, the historical data is normalized, and all features were analyzed by grey relational degree. Important features are extracted to reduce the computational complexity of the data. Then, the GA-optimized CNN-LSTM hybrid neural network model (GA-CNN-LSTM) is applied for photovoltaic power prediction experiment. The GA-CNN-LSTM model was compared with the single neural network models such as CNN and LSTM, and the CNN-LSTM hybrid neural network model without GA optimization. Under the Mean Absolute Percentage Error index, the GA-CNN-LSTM algorithm proposed in this paper reduces the error by 1.537% compared with the ordinary single neural network model, and 0.873% compared with the unoptimized CNN-LSTM hybrid neural network algorithm model. From the perspective of training and test running time, the GA-CNN-LSTM model takes a little longer than the single neural network model, but the disadvantage is not obvious. To sum up, the performance of GA-CNN-LSTM model for photovoltaic power predicting is better.

The design program of Vehicle Display and Control Terminal was introduced, it was based on the Embedded Linux which developed on the MPC5121e hardware platform. Through kernel cutting and transplanting of the Embedded Linux operating system, and transplanting the new generation of the Altia Designer to the MPC5121e hardware platform, the graphical user interface software of Vehicle Display and Control Terminal was developed successfully.

In this paper a multi-period planning and scheduling problem under demand correlations is addressed. A stochastic optimization model using restricted time structure is formulated. This model involves the minimization of the operation cost subject to constraints for the satisfaction of crude mix demands with a prespecified level of probability. A chance constrained programming that converts the stochastic programming to a deterministic one is developed for solving the problem. The deterministic problem is then solved by a proposed approximation algorithm iteratively. Finally, case studies are effectively solved by the proposed approaches. The results shows that the cost can be effectively reduced compared with the operations without considering the demand correlation.

Postprandial hypotension (PPH) is a unique clinical phenomenon in the elderly, but its underlying pathogenesis has not been completely elucidated, and drug treatment is still in clinical exploratory stage. The aim of the study was to evaluate the relationship between the fall in postprandial blood pressure and splanchnic blood flow, and to provide a theoretical basis for the treatment of PPH by taking acarbose.The study included 20 elderly inpatients diagnosed with PPH concomitant with abnormal glucose metabolism at stable condition. They were treated with 50 mg acarbose with their meal to observe the changes in blood pressure, heart rate, and blood glucose level, and to monitor the hemodynamics of the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) before and after treatment.Without acarbose treatment, patients after a meal had significantly decreased systolic and diastolic blood pressure, faster postprandial heart rate, higher postprandial glucose level at each period, and increased postprandial SMA blood flow compared with that at fasting state (P0.05). Acarbose treatment significantly attenuated the decrease of postprandial systolic blood pressures from 35.50±12.66 to 22.25±6.90 mmHg (P=0.000), the increase of heart rate from 9.67±5.94 to 5.33±3.20 beats/min (P=0.016), the increase of postprandial blood glucose from 3.55±1.69 to 2.28±1.61 mmol/l (P=0.000), the increase of postprandial SMA blood flow from 496.80±147.15 to 374.55±97.89 ml/min (P=0.031), and the incidence of PPH, syncope, falls, dizziness, weakness, and angina pectoris (P0.05). The maximal decrease of postprandial systolic blood pressure was positively associated with the maximal increase in postprandial SMA blood flow (r=0.351, P=0.026). Acarbose treatment showed no significant side effects.The increase in postprandial splanchnic perfusion is one of the reasons for PPH formation. Acarbose may exert its role in PPH treatment by reducing postprandial gastrointestinal blood perfusion. Giving 50 mg acarbose with a meal to treat PPH concomitant with abnormal glucose metabolism is effective and safe in very old patients.

Three aluminum complexes supported by Salen ligands derived from cis-1,2-cyclohexanediamine and salicylaldehyde derivatives were synthesized. They were characterized by 1H, 13C NMR spectra and elemental analysis. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that aluminum was in distorted square pyramidal geometry in 2. These complexes were employed as catalysts for the ring-opening polymerization of L-lactide and rac-lactide. Complex 2 showed the highest activity among these complexes with isopropanol for the ROP of L-lactide and 3 showed the highest stereoselectivity for the ROP of rac-lactide attaining partially isotactic polylactide with a Pm of 0.75. The kinetic data of the polymerization utilizing 3 as catalyst showed that the polymeric rate was first-order to the monomer and catalyst.

This paper delineates the images of Jiangxi Province as tourist destination perceived by about 2000 sample visitors at Lushan Mountain and other 3 famous resorts (Jinggangshan Mountains, Longhushan Mountain, and Sanqingshan Mountain), with a result that the most common image is the famous scenic mountain image with partial attribute of image of religious culture destination. In order to reveal the similarities and dissimilarities of images among the four destinations, a correspondence analysis on 16 image attributes was employed. The results indicate that the tourists’ images on Longhushan Mountain, Sanqingshan Mountain and Lushan Mountain are very similar: having a lot of good tourist sites, famous mountain scenery, being close to nature and having good guide service, and others, but religious culture and good shopping facilities having not made deep impression on tourist, while Jinggangshan Mountains is famous for its red culture. The correspondence analysis visualizes the strengths and weaknesses of the destinations, which is useful for market positioning among the competitive places. Finally, some marketing suggestions for the four destinations were provided.

The syntheses of three nonlinear reverse saturation absorption compounds-Indanthrone and its two derivatives are discussed. The properties of nonlinear reverse saturable absorption of the compounds were studied by using the Z-scanning technique, and the influences of its conjugated structure, on the absorption threshold value and the absorbable light density were discussed based on the reverse saturation absorption principle. The results shows that when the structure’s conjugation property of Indanthrone and its derivatives becomes more powerful, its absorption threshold reduces, the light lowest transmittance increases.

Based on a new variational principle in the time domain, a substructure synthesis method is developed for non-symmetric viscoelastic systems without precluding a symmetric formulation. The viscoelastic damping is assumed to be generally non-proportional and in an hereditary integral form. The traditional state space formulation is avoided by the proposed substructure synthesis method so that the approach is independent of viscoelastic models. On the basis of the Rayleigh-Ritz approach, each substructure is approximated by a set of admissible trial vectors. In accordance with substructure order reduction, the geometric compatibility conditions can be approximated by a weighted residual method. The method is independent of the viscoelastic damping models and the effort on the reduction process is similar to that of classic methods for undamped systems. If all the coefficient matrices are symmetric, the formulation preserves the symmetry in the reduced systems by choosing the same trial vectors and weighting vectors for both the original and adjoint systems. In the absence of damping, the method is further reduced to classical component mode synthesis if undamped substructure modes are used as trial vectors.

The method of substructure synthesis, originally conceived for undamped and viscously damped systems, has been extended to systems with viscoelastic damping in the hereditary integral form. Based on a new variational principle, the substructure synthesis method is formulated in the time domain. The displacement in each substructure is represented by a set of real admissible trial vectors. The traditional state space formulation is avoided by the proposed method so that the approach is independent of the form of viscoelastic models. Effectiveness of the method is illustrated through numerical examples.

The method of substructure synthesis, previously applicable to undamped and viscously damped systems, has been extended to systems with viscoelastic damping in hereditary integral form, differential operator form and steady-state corm. Based on a variational principle for symmetric systems, the corresponding substructure synthesis method is formulated in the frequency domain. Each substructure is represented by a set of admissible trial vectors in the Rayleigh-Ritz method. Eigenvectors of the corresponding undamped substructure and Ritz vectors obtained by spatial discretization of admissible functions are recommended as trial vectors. The traditional state-space formulation is avoided by the proposed substructure synthesis method so that the approach is independent of the form of viscoelastic models. The effectiveness of the proposed method in terms of reducing the size of final equations is illustrated through numerical examples

The condition for adiabatic approximation are of basic importance for the applications of the adiabatic theorem. The traditional quantitative condition was found to be necessary but not sufficient, but we do not know its physical meaning and the reason why it is necessary from the physical point of view. In this work, we relate the adiabatic theorem to the uncertainty relation, and present a clear physical picture of the traditional quantitative condition. It is shown that the quantitative condition is just the amplitude of the probability of transition between two levels in the time interval which is of the order of the time uncertainty of the system. We also present a new sufficient condition with clear physical picture., Comment: 5 pages

To investigate the value of quantitative tissue velocity imaging (QTVI) echocardiography in the evaluation of cardiac function and the diagnosis of left heart failure.30 heart failure (HF) patients, aged 66 +/- 12 (39 - 86), and 32 normal controls, 66 +/- 12 (40 - 82) underwent conventional echocardiography, and QTVI. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was calculated by Simpson's formula. Mitral annulus peak systolic velocity (Vs) and systolic displacement (Ds) from posteroseptal, lateral, anteroseptal, posterior, anterior, and inferior segments were determined by QTVI, and the mean Vs and Ds were calculated. The values of mean Vs and Ds of the HF patients and those of the normal controls, and the values of mean Vs and Ds of the HF patients before and after treatment were compared. The correlation of the mean Vs and Ds with LVEF was analyzed.The mean Vs of the HF patients was 2.8 cm/s +/- 0.6 cm/s, significantly lower than that of the normal controls (6.4 cm/s +/- 0.9 cm/s, P0.01). The mean Vs of the HF patients after treatment was 3.5 cm/s +/- 1.1 cm/s, significantly higher than that before treatment (2.8 cm/s +/- 0.6 cm/s, P0.01). The mean Ds of the HF patients was 5.2 mm +/- 1.5 mm, significantly lower than that of the normal controls (11.6 mm +/- 1.5 mm, P0.01). The mean Ds of the HF patients after treatment was 6.5 mm +/- 2.0 mm, significantly higher than that before treatment (5.2 mm +/- 1.5 mm, P0.01). The mean Vs and mean Ds were positively correlated with LVEF (r = 0.87, P0.01, and r = 0.89, P0.01). The area under the curve (AUC) of receiver operator characteristic (ROC) was 0.95 for the mean Vs to diagnose HF. The mean Vsor = 4.42 cm/s was used as a cut-off point to diagnosis left HF with a sensitivity of 97.5% a specificity of 90.2%, and an accuracy rating of 95.1%. The AUC of ROC was 0.96 for the mean Ds to diagnose HF. The mean Dsor = 8.49 mm was used as a cut-off point to diagnose left HF with a sensitivity of 97.5%, a specificity of 87.8%, and an accuracy rating was 95.1%.The mean systolic velocity and mean systolic displacement of mitral annulus determined by QTVI help evaluate the left ventricular systolic function. The value of the diagnosis is significant in left HF.