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This work is devoted to the nonlinear buckling of the hemispherical shells subjected to extremely high external pressure. The shells are made of maraging steel with yield strength of 2100 MPa. The experiment on a tentatively devised laboratory-scale hemispherical shell is conducted in high pressure chamber, after preciously fabricated, optically and ultrasonically measured. Numerical predictions are carried out and proved to have a good agreement with experimental results. The laboratory-scale hemispherical shell can borne the pressure as high as about 139 MPa and demonstrates an unstable post-buckling character and a local dimple post-buckling mode near the base. Based on the study, a segmented hemispherical configuration is conceived and evaluated numerically, which can provide a reference for the deep-sea pressure hull design made of maraging steel.

Growing evidence suggested that energy deficiency might be involved in the pathophysiological mechanism of depression. Energy deficiency, mainly results from mitochondrial damage, can lead to the dysfunction of synaptic neurotransmission, and further cause depressive-like behavior. The antidepressant effect of resveratrol had been widely demonstrated in previous studies; however, the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. The present study aimed to investigate whether the antidepressant effects of resveratrol involved in the energy levels and neurotransmission in the hippocampus. We found that resveratrol and fluoxetine significantly attenuated depressive-like behaviors induced by chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS), which evidenced by the increased sucrose preference and the reduced immobility time in a forced swimming test. In addition, resveratrol increased hippocampal ATP levels, decreased Na+-K+-ATPase and pyruvate levels, and upregulated the levels of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), mRNA expression of sirtuin (SIRT)1 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator (PGC)1α. Furthermore, resveratrol and fluoxetine increased serotonin (5-HT) levels and downregulated the mRNA expression of 5-HT transporter (SERT) in the hippocampus. The decreased protein expression of growth-associated protein (GAP)-43 induced by CUMS was also ameliorated by resveratrol and fluoxetine. These findings demonstrated the antidepressant effects of resveratrol and suggested that resveratrol was able to promote mitochondrial biogenesis, enhance ATP and 5-HT levels, as well as upregulate GAP-43 expression in the hippocampus.

Investigations of protein folding, unfolding and stability are critical for the understanding of the molecular basis of biological structure and function. We describe here a microfluidic approach to probe the unfolding of unlabelled protein molecules in microliter volumes. We achieve this objective through the use of a microfluidic platform, which allows the changes in molecular diffusivity upon folding and unfolding to be detected directly. We illustrate this approach by monitoring the unfolding of bovine serum albumin in solution as a function of pH. These results show the viability of probing protein stability on chip in small volumes.

Protein identification and profiling is critical for the advancement of cell and molecular biology as well as medical diagnostics. Although mass spectrometry and protein microarrays are commonly used for protein identification, both methods require extensive experimental steps and long data analysis times. Here we present a microfluidic top down proteomics platform giving multidimensional read outs of the essential amino acids of proteins. We obtain hydrodynamic radius and fluorescence signals relating to the content of tryptophans, tyrosines and lysines of proteins using a combination of diffusional sizing of proteins, label-free detection and on-chip labelling of proteins with a latent fluorophore in the solution phase. We thereby achieve identification of proteins on a single microfluidic chip by separating and mapping proteins in multidimensional space based on their characteristic physical parameters. Our results have significant implications in the development of easy and rapid platforms to use for native protein identification in clinical and laboratory settings., Comment: 17 pages, 3 figures

Recently, a variety of carbon materials can be turned into pure polycrystalline diamond directly without any additives under extreme high pressures and high temperatures (pressure above 13 GPa and temperature above 2000 ℃). Polycrystalline diamond shows a broad application prospect because of its superior performance. However, it is difficult to realize the industrialization of pure polycrystalline diamond on current high pressure equipment due to the high synthetic conditions. The focus of our work is that the synthesis of pure polycrystalline diamond can be realized in the same synthesis range of single diamond produced from the solvent metal (pressure below 6 GPa and temperature below 1500 ℃). The carbon materials can precipitate from the solution in a form of diamond, and fill into the gaps between the diamond particles. According to some domestic scholars' researches on polycrystalline diamond, the solvent method can reduce the high temperature and high pressure conditions on which carbon may transform into diamond directly, and precipitate from the solution in the form of diamond into the gaps between diamond particles. Through a deep study of the approach, the low addition content, even pure polycrystalline diamond without gaps can be prepared. In this paper we have prepared pure polycrystalline diamonds under relatively lower conditions (the pressure being below 6 GPa and the temperature below 1500 ℃) by the method that the metal solution layer infiltrates into the gaps between the pure diamond particles and then the diamond particles will grow up. We also carry out a research on the mechanism of carbon transformation in the preparation of polycrystalline diamond. Compared with the traditional method of powder mixing technology, the melt infiltration and growth method is more advantageous to prepare high abrasive resistance and high density pure polycrystalline diamond.In order to prepare pure flawless polycrystalline diamonds without additives by China-type large volume cubic high-pressure apparatus (CHPA) (SPD-61200), we study thoroughly on the melt infiltration and growth method under high pressures; and this provides a theoretical guidance for pure polycrystalline diamond synthesis. In this paper, polycrystalline diamond is prepared by melt infiltration and growth method at pressures below 6 GPa and temperatures below 1500 ℃. Mechanism research of carbon transformation is made under high pressure and high temperature (HPHT). Through the analyses of optical microscope, X-ray diffraction, and field emission scanning electron microscope measurements, graphitization occurs on the surface of diamond in the procedure of metal solution infiltrating, and then the generated graphite quickly change into diamond-like carbon under HPHT. Meanwhile, the morphology of diamond particles changes distinctly in the syntheses process. From the analysis of experimental phenomena, carbon may undergo three transformations in the preparation: 1) graphite is generated due to the graphitization on the surface of diamond particles, which is caused by the metal solution infiltrating; 2) the generated graphite quickly fills into the gap with the form of diamond-like carbon during the sintering stage; 3) the diamond-like carbon is dissolved in a metal solution, and then precipitates between particles in the form of diamond. The mechanism research on carbon source transformation plays an important guiding role in the industrialization of no-additive, no-gap pure polycrystalline diamond preparation.