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To explore the effect and mechanism of taraxasterol on sepsis-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Twenty-four male SD rats were randomly divided into four groups: the control group, model (lipopolysaccharide, LPS) group, lipopolysaccharide+taraxasterol (LPS + TXL) group, and lipopolysaccharide+ulinastatin (LPS + UTI) group. The model of sepsis-induced ARDS was established by intraperitoneal injection of LPS. The lung water content of the rats in each group was determined by the dry/wet ratio. Pathology of rat lung tissue was observed through HE staining. Wright staining was applied to count the number of neutrophils, macrophages, and total cells. ELISA was utilized to measure the levels of the inflammatory factors TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Biochemical detection was adopted to check the levels of myeloperoxidase (MPO), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in lung tissue. Western blotting was performed to check the protein expression of IL-12, iNOS, Arg-1, and Mrc1 in lung tissue. Compared with the LPS group, both taraxasterol and ulinastatin significantly decreased lung tissue water content, improved lung tissue injury, reduced the number of neutrophils, macrophages and total cells, and decreased the level of inflammatory factors. In addition, taraxasterol and ulinastatin also reduced the content of MPO and the expression of IL-12 and iNOS and increased the activity of SOD and CAT as well as the protein expression of Arg-1 and Mrc1. Taraxasterol can suppress macrophage M1 polarization to alleviate the inflammatory response and oxidative stress, thereby treating sepsis-induced ARDS.

Infected pancreatic necrosis (IPN) is a highly morbid complication of acute necrotising pancreatitis (ANP). Since there is evidence of early-onset immunosuppression in acute pancreatitis, immune enhancement may be a therapeutic option. This trial aimed to evaluate whether early immune-enhancing Thymosin alpha 1 (Tα1) treatment reduces the incidence of IPN in patients with predicted severe ANP.We conducted a multicentre, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial involving ANP patients with an Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score ≥ 8 and a computed tomography (CT) severity score ≥ 5 admitted within 7 days of the advent of symptoms. Enrolled patients were assigned to receive a subcutaneous injection of Tα1 1.6 mg every 12 h for the first 7 days and 1.6 mg once a day for the subsequent 7 days or matching placebos (normal saline). The primary outcome was the development of IPN during the index admission.A total of 508 patients were randomised, of whom 254 were assigned to receive Tα1 and 254 placebo. The vast majority of the participants required admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) (479/508, 94.3%). During the index admission, 40/254(15.7%) patients in the Tα1 group developed IPN compared with 46/254 patients (18.1%) in the placebo group (difference -2.4% [95% CI - 7.4 to 5.1%]; p = 0.48). The results were similar across four predefined subgroups. There was no difference in other major complications, including new-onset organ failure (10.6% vs. 15%), bleeding (6.3% vs. 3.5%), and gastrointestinal fistula (2% vs. 2.4%).The immune-enhancing Tα1 treatment of patients with predicted severe ANP did not reduce the incidence of IPN during the index admission.

Purpose To study the effects of a bandage contact lens immersed in 0.1% diclofenac on pain management for patients undergoing transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy (TPRK). Methods In a prospective, comparative, contralateral, randomized, double-masked study, we assessed a total of 51 patients. The eyes of each patient were randomly divided into two groups. After TPRK, a normal soft bandage contact lens was placed on one eye as the control group, and a bandage contact lens soaked in diclofenac was placed on the other eye as the experimental group. When the bandage contact lens was not removed, postoperative pain and other ocular discomforts were compared at 2, 18, and 24 h and 2, 3, 4, and 5 postoperative days. Patients were then examined after 1 month. Visual acuity and subepithelial haze were also evaluated. Results The mean pain score was 2.69 ± 1.96 in the control group, which was significantly higher than that in the experimental group, which received the diclofenac-soaked bandage contact lens at 2 postoperative hours. The statistical difference between the two groups’ mean foreign body sensation at 2 postoperative hours was detected (p = 0.035). No differences were detected between the two groups’ subepithelial haze scores or visual acuity. Conclusion A bandage contact lens soaked in 0.1% diclofenac solution can be used as a potential drug-delivery system to relieve early postoperative pain and foreign body sensation after TPRK.

For wellbore stability in shale formations, the development of environmentally friendly and efficient shale inhibitors is urgently needed. Herein, we report the preparation of choline chloride-modified graphene (Ch-G). The inhibition and interaction mechanisms of choline chloride-modified graphene on montmorillonite were also investigated. We evaluated the inhibition of Ch-G

The problem of high friction and high torque is one of the most troublesome problems for engineers in extended reach wells and long horizontal wells. Generally, the friction coefficient of oil-based drilling fluid is around 0.08, while the friction coefficient of water-based drilling fluid exceeds 0.2, which is much higher than that of oil-based drilling fluid. With the increasingly stringent environmental regulations, water-based drilling fluids have gradually become a better choice than oil-based drilling fluids. Therefore, lubricants become a key treatment agent for reducing the friction coefficient of water-based drilling fluids. Although there have been many related studies, there is a lack of comprehensive reviews on environmentally friendly water-based drilling fluid lubricants. In general, water-based drilling fluid lubricants can be mainly divided into solid lubricants, ester-based lubricants, alcohol-based lubricants, and nano-based lubricants. Vegetable oil ester-based lubricants, biodiesel lubricants, and dispersible nano-lubricants are all promising environmentally friendly water-based drilling fluid lubricants. Understanding the lubrication mechanism of different types of lubricants and clarifying the evaluation methods of lubricants is an important prerequisite for the next development in high-performance water-based drilling fluid lubricants. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to give a comprehensive overview of water-based drilling fluid lubricants in recent years, in order to fully understand the development and lubrication mechanism of water-based drilling fluid lubricants, and provide new ideas for subsequent research on water-based drilling fluid lubricants.

Limited by the harsh downhole working environment and its structural feature, the sliding vane pump (SVP), which is an all-metal artificial lift method considered to be widely used in thermal recovery well and high gas/oil ratio well, has not been widely applied as expected. To further improve the efficiency of SVP, this study explores how to optimize the structure parameters and the usage of the pump based on its lifting characteristics, in view of the stagnation in the development of SVP. The main results show that (a) optimization of the inlet (outlet) position parameters will bring effective pre-expansion (precompression) of each chamber once it enters the closed state, to avoid ineffective suction and high-pressure backflow. (b) The mathematical model of the pressure difference between the two sides of the vane at any position is derived by means of piecewise function. (c) Increasing the number of vanes can not only increase the mean value of instantaneous displacement but also shorten the discharge period and reduce the flow pulsation. Compared with the adjacent even number of vanes, the odd number of vanes has a more uniform instantaneous displacement. (d) A larger cross-sectional area of the rotor groove can result in a lower volume efficiency at the same gas–liquid ratio, and the effect of rotor groove on volume efficiency is more significant under high gas–liquid ratio conditions.

Construction of two-dimensional (2D) metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for energy storage and conversion has attracted great attention due to the synergistic advantages of 2D nanostructures and MOFs. Herein, a Co-MOF material with different 2D morphologies of vertical nanoplate arrays and faveolate nanosheets are in-situ fabricated on Ni foam with and without using polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as a regulator. Toward the application in energy storage, both of two morphologies of the Co-MOF exhibit good electrochemical properties. In particular, the vertical Co-MOF nanoplate arrays deliver a high areal capacity of 8.56 C/cm2 at the current density of 5 mA/cm2, which is much higher than that of faveolate Co-MOF nanosheets (2.39 C/cm2 at 5 mA/cm2). Moreover, a hybrid supercapacitor (HSC) device using the Co-MOF nanoplate arrays positive electrode and activated carbon (AC) negative electrode is assembled, which delivers a volumetric capacitance of 17.9 F/cm3 at 10 mA/cm2, a high energy density of 7.2 mW h cm−3 and a good cyclic stability (retaining over 88.0% of initial capacitance after 3000 cycles). These findings demonstrate that the as-fabricated 2D Co-MOFs possess a huge potential in energy storage.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) constitutes a major global health threat due to the high incidence and mortality. Sorafenib is known as the first-line medication for advanced HCC; however, it only extends the limited benefit for HCC patients as the development of acquired resistance. Withaferin A exerts broad pharmaceutical applications in several cancers. However, its effects on HCC cell metastatic potential and sorafenib resistance remain elusive. Here, we corroborated that Withaferin A greatly restrained cell viability, invasion, vasculogenic mimicry (VM) formation, and VE-cadherin levels in HepG2 and SNU449 cells. Moreover, Withaferin A sensitized sorafenib (SR)-resistant HCC cells to sorafenib. In striking contrast to the parental cells, lower ferroptosis was observed in SR-resistant cells as the lower ROS, MDA, and higher intracellular GSH levels in SR-resistant cells. Of interest, Withaferin A enhanced ferroptosis in SR-resistant cells, which was reversed by ferroptosis antagonist liproxstation-1. Notably, Withaferin A elevated Keap1 expression to mitigate Nrf2 signaling activation-mediated epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and ferroptosis-related protein xCT expression. Importantly, blockage of the Keap1/Nrf2 signaling overturned Withaferin A-evoked ferroptosis and facilitated sorafenib resistance. In addition, knockdown of Keap1 antagonized the inhibitory efficacy of Withaferin A on HCC cell viability, invasion, and VM formation. Consequently, Withaferin A may attenuate the metastatic potential and sorafenib resistance by regulating Keap1/Nrf2-associated EMT and ferroptosis. Thus, Withaferin A may serve as a promising agent for HCC therapy, especially for advanced HCC.

In this paper, the development of two high power 220 GHz frequency triplers is proposed. The GaAs Schottky diodes with six nodes are applied to realize high efficiency 220 GHz tripler, while the application of GaN Schottky diodes with eight nodes is another attempt to improve power handling of the 220 GHz tripler. To reduce thermal effect of high power multipliers, the AlN substrates with high thermal conductivity are applied to provide better heat dissipation at the diode areas. A combination of electrical and thermal model of the Schottky diodes is established while the optimization of 220 GHz triplers are realized with 3D electromagnetic (EM) simulation and harmonic balanced simulation. Good agreement is achieved between the simulated results based on electro-thermal model and measured performances of the triplers. At room temperature, peak efficiency of the tripler based on GaAs Schottky diodes is 17.8%, while the maximum output of the tripler is 38.2 mW with 300 mW input power. As for the 220 GHz GaN Schottky diode tripler, measured results show that the maximum power handling is beyond 400 mW. The peak efficiency and maximum output are 4.7% and 18.4 mW, respectively. The proposed methods of developing high power multipliers can be applied in higher frequency band in the future.

To improve the service life and performance of lithium cells in new energy electric vehicles, the thermal management system of lithium cells in new energy vehicles is analyzed through simulation experiments in this research. Firstly, the calculation model of set of cells and cooling structure is built, and then a lithium cell management system is designed. On this basis, the cooling structure of lithium cell is optimized. Finally, the simulation results of the calculation model and the simulation results of the heat dissipation performance of the thermal management system in the cooling structure of lithium cell are analyzed, including influence of three factors (coolant flow, inlet temperature of coolant, and discharge multiple) on the heat dissipation of the thermal management system of lithium cell. The results show that the calculation model constructed in this research is feasible. When the optimal structure, coolant flow value, inlet temperature of coolant, and discharge multiple are determined, the thermal management system of lithium cell has a good cooling effect under the optimal parameters. Therefore, the results of this research can provide a good theoretical basis for heat management and heat dispersion technology in new energy electric vehicles.

Splines are irreplaceable in high-speed aviation fields due to their simplicity, reliability, and high specific power. Aviation splines are not only subjected to severe operating mechanical loads, but also sometimes operate under grease-lubricated and non-lubricated environments. All of this results in aviation splines suffering widespread failures. Since the 1960s, many researchers have carried out much research on aviation splines. The wide range of research topics demonstrates the technical challenges of understanding aviation spline. This paper reviews the research of aviation spline from the aspects of failure form, fatigue strength, surface contact stress, effects of lubrication, and misalignment on wear, as well as experiments. Relevant research shows crowned splines can mitigate the spline wear process induced by angular misalignment, and oil-lubricating splines experience almost no wear. This paper also looks forward to the future development directions of aviation splines.

Xene (X=Si, Ge, Sn) is a typical and promising two-dimensional topological insulator with many novel topological properties. Here, we investigate the topological properties of Xene tuned by a perpendicularly applied electric field, exchange field, and Rashba spin–orbit coupling (RSOC) using the tight-binding (TB) method. We show that in the presence of RSOC, the system can be converted from a quantum spin Hall (QSH) insulator into a conventional band insulator (BI) by a weak perpendicular electric field or into a quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) insulator by a weak exchange field. Additionally, a suitable combination of electric and exchange fields can give rise to a valley-polarized metallic (VPM) state. Furthermore, we explore the competition between the electric field and exchange field in tuning the topological states owing to the Rashba coupling effect. When the electric field is stronger than the exchange field, the system tends to be in a topologically trivial BI state; otherwise, it will be a QAH insulator. More intriguingly, for a fixed exchange field and RSOC, as the perpendicular electric field increase continuously from zero, the system undergoes multiphase (e.g. QSH-VPM-BI) transitions. This paves the way for designing multiphase transition devices through external single-field regulation.

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the flexural behavior of high-ductility fiber-reinforced concrete (HDC) and propose a suitable method for evaluating flexural toughness. The flexural strength, deformation, and toughness of HDC were investigated through four-point bending tests with specimens of 40 × 40 × 160 mm. The test parameters were fiber volume fractions (0%, 1%, 1.5%, and 2%), water–binder ratios (0.24, 0.26, 0.29, and 0.32), and ages (28 d and 56 d). The experimental results showed that polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers led to significant improvement in the flexural behavior of HDC due to its strain-hardening behavior and excellent crack dispersion capacity. The ultimate flexural strength of HDC with 2% PVA fibers of about 15.32 MPa showed an increase of up to 221%. The deformation and flexural toughness ratios were 23 times and 1.43 times higher, respectively, than the specimens without fibers. A simple and practical method for evaluating the flexural toughness of HDC was proposed, which solved many problems with the existing methods. This method made full use of the peak load, which overcame the difficulty of identifying the initial crack information, solved the insufficient deflection limit, and provided a more comprehensive and accurate evaluation by selecting characteristic points evenly distributed throughout the loading process.

It is known that chronic stress modulates multiple processes in a complex microenvironment, such as angiogenesis and immune function. However, the role of chronic stress inducing tumor angiogenesis and how it contributes to tumor progression are not quite clear. The following study assess psychological state from numerous ambulatory cancer cases (n=332), and chronic stress-related hormone levels were further measured. Here, we show that chronic stress not only causes behavioral changes in human, most importantly attributed to an elevated level of stress-related hormones. To address this, isoprenaline, the agonist of β2-adrenergic receptor (β2-AR), was utilized for simulating chronic stress and demonstrating the mechanism of stress in tumor angiogenesis at molecular level both in vivo and in vitro. As suggested by this study, isoprenaline promote VEGF autocrine of HUVECs, which can induce plexinA1 and VEGFR2 expression. Moreover, we show that isoprenaline promoted the expression of p-JAK2 and p-STAT3 in vitro. The results reveal that, isoprenaline enhances the autocrine of VEGF in HUVECs and up-regulating plexinA1 and VEGFR2 levels, thus activating the phosphorylation of JAK2-STAT3 pathway, the two essential parts during angiogenesis. The present work indicates that, the mechanism of chronic stress in enhancing angiogenesis is probably achieved through activating the plexinA1/VEGFR2-JAK2-STAT3 signal transduction pathway within HUVECs, and this is probably a candidate target for developing a strategy against angiogenesis in cancer.

BACKGROUND&AIMSInfected pancreatic necrosis (IPN) is a highly morbid complication of acute pancreatitis (AP). Since there is evidence of immunosuppression in the early phase of AP, immune enhancement using Thymosin alpha 1 (Tα1), which stimulates both innate and adaptive immunity, may be a therapeutic strategy to prevent IPN. Our aim was to assess the efficacy of early Tα1 treatment on the development of IPN.METHODSWe conducted a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in patients with predicted severe acute necrotizing pancreatitis (ANP). ANP patients with an APACHE II score≥8 admitted within seven days of the advent of symptoms were considered eligible. Enrolled patients were assigned to receive a subcutaneous injection of Tα1 1.6 mg, every 12 hours for the first 7 days and 1.6 mg once a day for the subsequent 7 days or matching placebo (normal saline). The primary outcome was the development of IPN during the index admission.RESULTSFrom Mar 2017 through Dec 2020, 508 patients were randomized at 16 hospitals, of whom 254 were assigned to receive Tα1 and 254 placebo. During the index admission, 40/254 (15.7%) patients in the Tα1 group developed IPN compared with 46/254 patients (18.1%) in the placebo group (difference -2.4% [95%CI -7.4% to 5.0%]; p=0.47). The results were similar in four predefined subgroups. There was no difference in other major complications, including new-onset organ failure (10.6% vs. 15.0%; p=0.15), bleeding (6.3% vs. 3.5%; p=0.15), and gastrointestinal fistula (2.0% vs. 2.4%; p=0.75) during the index admission.CONCLUSIONSThe immune-enhancing Tα1 treatment of patients with predicted severe ANP did not reduce the incidence of IPN during the index admission.Trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov registry: NCT02473406.

Protectin D1 (PD1), a DHA-derived lipid mediator, has recently been shown to possess anti-inflammatory and pro-resolving properties. To date, little is known about the effect of PD1 on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI) in mice. The aim of the present study was to investigate the therapeutic effects of PD1 on LPS-induced ALI and its potential mechanisms of action. ALI was induced via an intraperitoneal injection of LPS, where PD1 (2 ng/mouse) was administered intravenously 30 min after LPS challenge. Mice were sacrificed 24 h after modeling. Lung histopathological changes were assessed using hematoxylin and eosin staining and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity was tested using immunohistochemistry. Tumor necrosis-α and interleukin-6 levels in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and serum were measured using ELISA. To detect neutrophil extracellular traps produced by infiltrated neutrophils in the lung tissue, immunofluorescence staining was performed using anti-MPO and anti-histone H3 antibodies. The results indicated that PD1 significantly attenuated histological damage and neutrophil infiltration in lung tissue, reduced the lung wet/dry weight ratio, protein concentration and proinflammatory cytokine levels in BALF and decreased proinflammatory cytokine levels in serum. Moreover, neutrophil citrullinated histone H3 (CitH3) expression was also reduced after PD1 administration. In conclusion, PD1 attenuated LPS-induced ALI in mice via inhibition of neutrophil extracellular trap formation in lung tissue. Therefore, PD1 administration may serve to be a new strategy for treating ALI.

Gravity displacement often occurs when drilling a vertical fractured formation, causing a downhole complexity with risk of blowout and reservoir damage, well control difficulty, drilling cycle prolongation, and increased costs. Based on an experimental device created for simulating the gravity displacement, various factors affecting the displacement quantity were quantitatively evaluated by simulating the fracture width, asphalt viscosity, drilling fluid density, and viscosity under different working conditions, and a liquid–liquid displacement law was obtained. Using the theories of rock mechanics, fluid mechanics, and seepage mechanics, based on conformal mapping, as well as a fracture-pore double substrate fluid flow model, we established a steady-state mathematical model of fractured formation liquid–liquid gravity displacement by optimizing the shape factors and using a combination of gravity displacement experiments to verify the feasibility of the mathematical model. We analyzed the influence of drilling fluid density, fracture height and length, and asphalt viscosity on displacement rate, and obtained the corresponding laws. The results show that when the oil–fluid interface is stable, the fracture width is the most important factor affecting the gravity displacement, and plugging is the most effective means of managing gravity displacement.

NOx is a pollutant component of vehicle exhaust. On-board NOx sensors usually operate under electro-chemical reactions. Temperature and humidity can influence these reactions, resulting in the inaccuracy of measurements. Thus, a method based on long short-term memory (LSTM) network for temperature and humidity compensation of on-board NOx sensors is proposed in this paper. The LSTM network is trained with the sensor-measured and the true NOx concentrations alongside with the temperature and relative humidity of tested gas. The testing results of the LSTM network shows that this method has good performance for the temperature and humidity compensation, and can efficiently improve the accuracy of on-board NOx sensors.

In this paper, a G-band monolithic integrated power amplifier based on InP HEMT technology is presented. The 3-stage amplifier is designed using a balanced topology with Tan-dem-X couplers, which greatly improve InPut and output voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) while power combining. All impedance matching of the amplifier is done by grounded coplanar planar waveguide (GCPW) transmission lines for transmission loss reduction and parasitic substrate modes suppression. Through the accurate electromagnetic simulation by Sonnet's 3D Planar Electromagnetic software, the amplifier demonstrates a small signal gain of 12dB at 210GHz. The 3-dB compression saturated output power of 40mW is achieved at 215 GHz when an InPut signal of 5mW is injected. The InPut and output return loss are greater than 20dB.

The shale gas reservoir in Jiaoshiba area is well developed with bedding and shows strong anisotropy, which leads to the problems of wellbore instability in the drilling process. At present, for the shale rich in bedding, the conventional calculation model of shale wellbore collapse pressure cannot meet the needs of shale wellbore stability analysis. In this paper, the analytical method considering the influence of bedding is more accurate. Therefore, in this paper direct shear tests and tri-axial mechanic experiments were conducted on the down-hole core rocks of LongMaxi reservoir shale formation, and the obtained experimental results were combined with single discontinuity theory to establish the characterization method of shale strength anisotropy. Then, combining the characterization method of shale strength anisotropy with the sidewall stress distribution model, the calculation method of borehole collapse pressure is established. Finally, the JY1HF well is taken as an example for calculation and comparative analysis. The results show that the LongMaxi reservoir shale strength deteriorating after drilling fluid immersion is not the main control factor of borehole instability; the shear slip along the weak bedding plane is the main mechanical mechanism of borehole instability. The collapse pressure calculated by the conventional model decreases with the increase of the well inclination, and the collapse pressure calculated by the model in this paper shows a trend of increasing first and then decreasing with the increase of the well inclination, and the results calculated by the model in this paper are in good agreement with the actual working conditions. The research results of this paper can provide theoretical basis and reference for drilling design and borehole trajectory optimization of shale gas wells in Jiaoshiba area or other areas.

Sm0.4Er0.6FeO3 single crystals were successfully grown by optical floating zone method; high quality samples with various orientations were manufactured. Based on these samples, Magnetic property of Sm0.4Er0.6FeO3 single crystals were investigated systemically by means of the temperature dependence of magnetization. It indicated that compositional variations not only alter the spin reorientation temperature, but also the compensation temperature of the orthoferrites. Unlike single rare earth orthoferrites, the reversal transition temperature point of Sm0.4Er0.6FeO3 increases as magnetic field increases, which is positive for designing novel spin switching or magnetic sensor device.

The lean startup model emerging from the Silicon Valley recently has become worldwide practice. In this model, search and execution are the two primary activities conducted by entrepreneurial firms. Search activities focus on learning and discovery, such as exploring new customer and market segments, while execution activities focus on implementing well-defined plans and scaling up. Effectuation and causation are two different cognitive approaches an entrepreneur might use to conduct strategic moves. We argue that entrepreneurial effectuation cognition is associated with more search behaviors and that entrepreneurial causation cognition is associated with more execution behaviors. We test these hypotheses in a survey of 160 firms and find evidence in support of our arguments.

The rechargeable lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery has been considered as one of the most ideal energy storage systems on account of its high energy density and low cost. However, the inevitable shuttle effect of polysulfides (LiPSs) seriously restrains its commercial application. Here, nano-MgO with crab shell-based hierarchical porous carbon composites (nano-MgO@CSHPC) have been successfully prepared and employed as effective sulfur species micro-reactors for the Li-S battery. The hierarchical micro/mesoporous structure of CSHPC can provide enough area to physically restrict the LiPSs migration and accommodate the volume expansion. Besides, the nano-MgO formed in the carbon pore can chemically anchor the LiPSs and minimize LiPSs dissolution. Moreover, the nitrogen in the CSHPC can availably enhance LiPSs restriction and improve the conductivity of carbon network. Our work reveals that the rational design of sulfur species micro-reactor simultaneously achieves LiPSs immobilization and conversion, which is helpful to promote the practical application of Li-S battery.

The ReFeO3 compounds belong to non-collinear antiferromagnet with unique magnetic properties. A series of outstanding achievement about ultrafast opto-magnetism on rare-earth orthoferrites crystals have been reported since 2004, including ultrafast laser-induced spin reorientation phase transition and its coherent control by a single laser pulse. Ultrafast laser-induced spin reorientation phase transition is expected to have high impact on the development of novel devices based on ultrafast control of magnetic state of matter. As the continuous progress of THz technology, ultrafast optical modification of exchange interactions based on ReFeO3 single crystal will be significant to fundamental research in magnetism. In this paper, combined our investigation with international investigations on ReFeO3 crystal growth and ultrafast opto-magnetism, the authors introduce on the progress of ultrafast opto-magnetism in ReFeO3 crystals. Based on them, we make a perspective on ReFeO3 crystal growth and application.

We have theoretically studied the generation rate of longitudinal optical (LO) phonons in mid-infrared quantum cascade laser so as to learn the effect of phonons on electron transmission characteristics. The LO phonon performance was analyzed by combining the Monte-Carlo simulation with kinetic equations. We have obtained the LO phonon number under different applied field to show that the generating rate and the saturating number of optical phonon increases with applied field. At last we propose the pulsed pumping to point out the importance of LO phonon decaying into two acoustic phonons in electron transmission.

Heat exchange efficiency between each region of the wellbore and formation systems is influenced by the high thermal conductivity of the drill string and casing, which further affects temperature distribution of the wellbore. Based on the energy conservation principle, the Modified Raymond, Simplified and Full-scale models were developed, which were solved by the fully implicit finite difference method. The results indicated that wellbore and formation temperatures were significantly influenced at the connection points between the drill collar and drill pipe, as well as the casing shoe. Apart from the near surface, little change was observed in temperature distribution in the cement section. In the open-hole section, the temperature rapidly decreased in the circulation stage and gradually increased in the shut-in stage. Most important, the simulated result from the full-scale model coincided with the measured field data better than the other numerical models. These findings not only confirm the effect of the drill string assembly and casing programs on the wellbore and formation temperature distribution, but also contribute to resource exploration, drilling safety and reduced drilling costs.

In this work, Sm 0.3 Tb 0.7 FeO 3 single crystal was successfully grown by optical floating zone method. Sm 0.3 Tb 0.7 FeO 3 samples with a-, b-, and c-orientation were manufactured by means of Laue photograph. Magnetic properties of Sm 0.3 Tb 0.7 FeO 3 single crystals are studied over a wide temperature range from 2 to 400 K. Spin reorientation transition from Γ 2 to Γ 4 are observed by means of the temperature dependence of magnetization It indicated the reorientation transition temperature of Sm 1−x Tb x FeO 3 single crystals is lowered with the contents of Tb contents rising based on this work and our previous works, thus the spin reorientation transition temperature can be adjusted through changing the compound in orthoferrites materials, which means that we can get orthoferrites single crystals with high magnetism property in various temperature through material design.

The inherent nature of energy, i.e., physicality, sociality and informatization, implies the inevitable and intensive interaction between energy systems and social systems. From this perspective, we define U+201C social energy U+201D as a complex sociotechnical system of energy systems, social systems and the derived artificial virtual systems which characterize the intense intersystem and intra-system interactions. The recent advancement in intelligent technology, including artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies, sensing and communication in Internet of Things technologies, and massive high performance computing and extreme-scale data analytics technologies, enables the possibility of substantial advancement in socio-technical system optimization, scheduling, control and management. In this paper, we provide a discussion on the nature of energy, and then propose the concept and intention of social energy systems for electrical power. A general methodology of establishing and investigating social energy is proposed, which is based on the ACP approach, i.e., U+201C artificial systems U+201D U+0028 A U+0029, U+201C computational experiments U+201D U+0028 C U+0029 and U+201C parallel execution U+201D U+0028 P U+0029, and parallel system methodology. A case study on the University of Denver U+0028 DU U+0029 campus grid is provided and studied to demonstrate the social energy concept. In the concluding remarks, we discuss the technical pathway, in both social and nature sciences, to social energy, and our vision on its future.

High quality YFe0.6Mn0.4O3 single crystal was grown by floating zone technique using a four-mirror-image-furnace under flowing air. Powder X-ray diffraction gives well evidence that the specimen has an orthorhombic structure, with space group Pbnm. Temperature dependence of the magnetizations of YFe0.6Mn0.4O3 single crystal were studied under ZFC and FC modes in the temperature range from 5 K to 400 K. A clear spin reorientation transition behavior (Gamma(4)->Gamma(1)) is observed in the temperature range of 322-316 K, due to the substitution of Mn at the Fe site of YFeO3. Its Neel temperature is around 385 K. Moreover, the spin reorientation is verified by the change of magnetic hysteresis loops of the sample along [001] axis in the temperature range of 50-385 K. The thermal properties of the sample were measured by the differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) from 300 K to 500 K, which also clearly appear anomaly in the spin reorientation region. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

In distribution networks with distributed generation(DG) and flexible loads, the power of distributed power sources and flexible loads can change greatly in a short period of time. This results in a significant increase in the uncertainty of the distribution network, and the voltages of its nodes have a risk of exceeding the limits. This paper proposes a control strategy for distribution network voltage. By analyzing the real-time status of the distribution network, based on the analysis of the sensitivity between the reactive power and the voltage, the voltage regulation region is divided to adjust the reactive power of DG. Based on the improved particle swarm algorithm, the active power of DG is optimized, so that the node voltage of the distribution network system is adjusted, and the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy is verified through simulation.

High quality Sm0.4Er0.6FeO3 single crystal has been successfully grown by the floating zone method. Temperature dependence of the magnetizations of Sm0.4Er0.6FeO3 under ZFC process is studied in the temperature range of 4–300 K. Spin reorientation transition between Γ2 (Gz, Fx) and Γ4 (Gx, Fz) is observed in the temperature range of 170–210 K, which is significantly lower than that of SmFeO3, while much higher than that of ErFeO3. A compensation point (35.8 K) corresponding to zero magnetization and a spontaneous magnetization reversal transition at 49.5 K are observed in Sm0.4Er0.6FeO3. Temperature-induced SRT of Sm0.4Er0.6FeO3 is systematically studied by THz-TDS range from 40 K to 300 K. The temperature dependence of amplitude of AFM mode coincides well with the magnetization measurement which demonstrate that SRT in Sm0.4Er0.6FeO3 can be studied through the amplitude of AFM mode FID emission. The AF mode frequency is almost invariant, while the F mode frequency significantly decreases with increasing temperature, which could be explained by the temperature dependence of anisotropy energy.