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The integration of vast quantities of clean energy causes intense impact on the power grid reliability. Digital Twin can be used to handle the high‐growth data flow generated in the power grid, and thus accelerate its digitalization process to fulfill the clean energy consumption target. As the traditional central cloud network structure can no longer effectively support the operation of digital twin power grid, the mobile edge network can be used as a reasonable substitute. To support the information interaction process of the mobile edge network, considering total profit, time delay and energy consumption, this paper proposes the mobile edge network communication and computing resource joint allocation model. On the basis, the GA‐PSO algorithm is proposed to solve the resource allocation optimization function. The feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed model is verified by the related simulation experiment. © 2023 Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteocytes are the terminally differentiated bone cells resulted from bone formation. Although there are two distinct processes of bone formation, intramembranous and endochondral ossifications contributing to the formation of calvarial and long bones, it is not clear whether the distinct pathways determine the differences between calvaria and femoral cortical bone derived osteocytes. In the present study, we employed confocal structured illumination microscopy and mRNA‐sequencing analysis to characterize the morphologic and transcriptomic expression of osteocytes from murine calvaria and mid‐shaft femoral cortical bone. Structured illumination microscopy and geometric modelling showed round shaped and irregularly scattered calvarial osteocytes compared to spindle shaped and orderly arrayed cortical osteocytes. mRNA‐sequencing analysis indicated different transcriptomic profiles between calvarial and cortical osteocytes and provided evidence that mechanical response of osteocytes may contribute to geometrical differences. Furthermore, transcriptomic analysis showed that these two groups of osteocytes come from distinct pathways with 121 ossification‐related genes differentially expressed. Analysis of correlation between ossification and osteocyte geometries via a Venn diagram showed that several genes related to ossification, cytoskeleton organization and dendrite development were differentially expressed between calvarial and cortical osteocytes. Finally, we demonstrated that aging disrupted the organization of dendrites and cortical osteocytes but had no significant effects on calvarial osteocytes. Together, we conclude that calvarial and cortical osteocytes are different in various aspects, which is probably the consequence of their distinct pathways of ossification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Citrus peel has long been used in traditional medicine in Asia to treat common cold, dyspepsia, cough, and phlegm. Narirutin–a flavanone‐7‐O‐glycoside–is the major flavonoid in citrus peel, and has anti‐oxidative, anti‐allergic, and anti‐inflammatory activities. However, the anti‐inflammatory mechanism of narirutin has not been fully elucidated. This study is aimed to investigate the effects of narirutin on the Nod‐like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3)‐mediated inflammatory response in vitro and in vivo, and determine the underlying mechanism. THP‐1 differentiated macrophages and bone marrow‐derived macrophages (BMDMs) were used for in vitro experiments, while dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)‐induced colitis and alum‐induced peritonitis mouse models were constructed to test inflammation in vivo. Narirutin suppressed secretion of interleukin (IL)‐1β and pyroptosis in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)/ATP‐stimulated macrophages. Narirutin decreased the expression of NLRP3 and IL‐1β in the LPS‐priming step through inhibition of NF‐κB, MAPK and PI3K /AKT signaling pathways. Narirutin inhibited NLRP3–ASC interaction to suppress NLRP3 inflammasome assembly. Furthermore, oral administration of narirutin (300 mg/kg) alleviated inflammation symptoms in mice with peritonitis and colitis. These results suggest that narirutin exerts its anti‐inflammatory activity by suppressing NLRP3 inflammasome activation via inhibition of the NLRP3 inflammasome priming processes and NLRP3–ASC interaction in macrophages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyclopentadiene (CPD) and methylcyclopentadiene (MCPD) are important intermediates that have been widely used in the production of high‐energy‐density rocket fuels, polymers and valuable chemicals. Currently, CPD and MCPD are produced from fossil energies at very low yields, which greatly limits their application. As a solution to this problem, we disclose an alternative two‐step bio‐route to access CPD and MCPD using xylose or extracted hemicellulose as the feedstock. In the first step, cyclopentanone (CPO) was directly produced by the selective hydrogenolysis of xylose or extracted hemicellulose over a commercial Ru/C catalyst in an acid‐free toluene/NaCl aqueous solution biphasic system. In the second step, CPO was selectively converted to CPD by a cascade hydrodeoxygenation/dehydrogenation reaction over zinc molybdate catalysts. When methanol was introduced with CPO and hydrogen, MCPD was selectively obtained by a cascade dehydrogenation/aldol condensation/selective hydrodeoxygenation reaction over zinc molybdate catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PCTA is an important copolyester that has been widely used in our daily necessities. Currently, its monomers are industrially produced from petroleum‐derived xylene. To reduce the reliance on fossil energy, we herein disclose an alternative route to access PCTA monomer (terephthalate/isophthalate=2.4/1) in 61 % overall yield using plant‐based acrylate and acetaldehyde as the feedstocks. The process includes Morita–Baylis–Hillman (MBH) reaction of acetaldehyde with acrylate, subsequent one‐step dehydration/Diels–Alder reaction with acrylate over H2SO4/SiO2 catalyst, and final Pd/C‐catalyzed dehydrogenation. Besides, when varying the final step to hydrogenation, another important monomer UNOXOL™ diol (1,4‐trans/1,4‐cis/1,3‐trans/1,3‐cis=5.2/2/2.5/1) can be produced in 67 % overall yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the heat sink with dual insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) modules in a direct current to direct current (DC‐DC) converter, the calculation of the temperature field of the cooling structure with low power consumption is completed by using Icepak simulation software, and analysis of the influence of the two IGBT module installation distance on the maximum temperature. The simulation results show that the maximum temperature of two heat sources decreases with the installation distance, but the maximum decline is not more than 0.5 °C. Based on field synergy theory, it is found that the local structure of the heat sink is not conducive to the natural convection heat transfer. Therefore, the improved measures of slotting the plate are proposed, and the effectiveness of this measure to reduce the heat source temperature is verified by simulation analysis and experiment. The influence of slot size on the maximum temperature of heat source is analyzed: the maximum temperature of heat source decreases with the increase of slot size. When the slot size is 16 mm, the cooling effect is obvious, and the maximum temperature drop is up to 6 °C compared with that before the slotting. Besides, the slot processing can also reduce the heat sink material and reduce the weight. © 2019 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synthesis of renewable jet fuel from lignocellulosic platform compounds has drawn a lot of attention in recent years. So far, most work has concentrated on the production of conventional jet fuels. JP‐10 is an advanced jet fuel currently obtained from fossil energy. Due to its excellent properties, JP‐10 has been widely used in military aircraft. However, the high price and low availability limit its application in civil aviation. Here, we report a new strategy for the synthesis of bio‐JP‐10 fuel from furfuryl alcohol that is produced on an industrial scale from agricultural and forestry residues. Under the optimized conditions, bio‐JP‐10 fuel was produced with high overall carbon yields (≈65 %). A preliminary economic analysis indicates that the price of bio‐JP‐10 fuel can be greatly decreased from ≈7091 US$/ton (by fossil route) to less than 5600 US$/ton using our new strategy. This work makes the practical application of bio‐JP‐10 fuel forseeable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osteoporosis has become a worldwide problem as the population ages. Although many advances have been made in the treatment of osteoporosis in the past few years, the outcome are sometimes disturbing because of the adverse effects of these treatments. Further studies are still needed to identify novel alternate agents to improve the therapeutic effect. Ginkgolide B (GB), a derivative of Ginkgo biloba leaves, has numerous pharmacological effects, including anticancer and anti‐inflammation activities. However, the effect of GB on the regulation of osteoblast activity and bone formation effect has not yet been investigated. In this study, we showed the in vitro and in vivo effects of GB on osteoblast differentiation and bone formation. We found that GB promotes osteoblast differentiation of Bone Mesenchymal Stem Cells (BMSCs) and MC3T3‐E1 cells in vitro in a Wnt/β‐catenin‐dependent manner. In an in vivo study, we constructed a cranial defect model in rats and treated with GB. Histomorphometric and histological analyses confirmed that the usage of GB significantly promotes bone formation. Further study on ovariectomy (OVX) rats demonstrated that GB is capable of alleviating ovariectomy‐induced bone loss by enhancing osteoblast activity. Our findings indicate that GB is a potential therapeutic agent of osteoporosis through an anabolic way in bone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Valuable polyester monomers and plasticizers—1,4‐cyclohexanedimethanol (CHDM), 1,4‐cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid (CHDA), and 1,2‐cyclohexanedicarboxylates—have been prepared by a new strategy. The synthetic processes involve a proline‐catalyzed formal [3+1+2] cycloaddition of formaldehyde, crotonaldehyde, and acrylate (or fumarate). CHDM is produced after a subsequent hydrogenation step over a commercially available Cu/Zn/Al catalyst and a one‐pot hydrogenation/oxidation/hydrolysis process yields CHDA, whereas 1,2‐cyclohexanedicarboxylate is obtained by a Pd/C‐catalyzed tandem decarbonylation/hydrogenation step. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

o-Xylene (OX) is a large-volume commodity chemical that is conventionally produced from fossil fuels. In this study, an efficient and sustainable two-step route is used to produce OX from biomass-derived pinacol and acrolein. In the first step, the phosphotungstic acid (HPW)-catalyzed pinacol dehydration in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([emim]Cl) selectively affords 2,3-dimethylbutadiene. The high selectivity of this reaction can be ascribed to the H-bonding interaction between Cl− and the hydroxy group of pinacol. The stabilization of the carbocation intermediate by the surrounding anion Cl− may be another reason for the high selectivity. Notably, the good reusability of the HPW/[emim]Cl system can reduce the waste output and production cost. In the second step, OX is selectively produced by a Diels-Alder reaction of 2,3-dimethylbutadiene and acrolein, followed by a Pd/C-catalyzed decarbonylation/aromatization cascade in a one-pot fashion. The sustainable two-step process efficiently produces renewable OX in 79 % overall yield. Analogously, biomass-derived crotonaldehyde and pinacol can also serve as the feedstocks for the production of 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the first time, we demonstrated two integrated processes for the direct synthesis of dodecanol or 2,4,8-trimethylnonane (a jet fuel range C12-branched alkane) using methyl isobutyl ketone (MIBK) that can be derived from lignocellulose. The reactions were carried out in dual-bed continuous flow reactors. In the first bed, MIBK was selectively converted to a mixture of C12 alcohol and ketone. Over the Pd-modified magnesium- aluminium hydrotalcite (Pd-MgAl-HT) catalyst, a high total carbon yield (73.0 %) of C12 oxygenates can be achieved under mild conditions. In the second bed, the C12 oxygenates generated in the first bed were hydrogenated to dodecanol over a Ru/C catalyst or hydrodeoxygenated to 2,4,8-trimethylnonane over a Cu/SiO2 catalyst. The as-obtained dodecanol can be used as feedstock in the production of sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) and sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS), which are widely used as surfactants or detergents. The asobtained 2,4,8-trimethylnonane can be blended into conventional jet fuel without hydroisomerization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we demonstrated an integrated process for the direct production of tri(cyclopentane) with cyclopentanone which can be obtained from lignocellulose. The reaction was carried out in a dual-bed continuous flow reactor. In the first bed, cyclopentanone was selectively converted to 2,5-dicyclopentylcyclopentanol over the Pd-MgAl-HT (hydrotalcite) catalyst. Under solvent-free and mild conditions (443 K, 0.1 MPa H2), high carbon yield (81.2%) of 2,5-dicyclopentylcyclopentanol was achieved. Subsequently, the 2,5-dicyclopentylcyclopentanol was further hydrodeoxygenated to tri(cyclopentane) in the second bed. Among the investigated catalysts, the Ni-Hβ-DP prepared by deposition-precipitation (DP) method exhibited the highest activity for the hydrodeoxygenation step. By using Pd-MgAl-HT as the first bed catalyst and Ni-Hβ- DP as the second bed catalyst, tri(cyclopentane) was directly produced at high carbon yield (80.0%) with cyclopentanone as feedstock. This polycycloalkane has high density (0.91 kg/L) and can be used as additive to improve the density and volumetric heating value of bio-jet fuel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our best results jet: C10 and C11 branched alkanes, with low freezing points, are synthesized through the aldol condensation of furfural and methyl isobutyl ketone from lignocellulose, which is then followed by hydrodeoxygenation. These jet‐fuel‐range alkanes are obtained in high overall yields (≈90 %) under solvent‐free conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydroxyalkylation-alkylation (HAA) coupled with hydrodeoxygenation is a promising route for the synthesis of renewable high-quality diesel or jet fuel. In this work, a series of solid-acid catalysts were firstly used for HAA between lignocellulose-derived furan and carbonyl compounds. Among the investigated catalysts, Nafion-212 resin demonstrated the highest activity and stability. Owing to the high activity of the reactants and the advantage in industrial integration, the HAA of 2-methylfuran (2-MF) and furfural can be considered as a prospective route in future applications. Catalyst loading, reaction temperature, and time had evident effects on the HAA of 2-MF and furfural over Nafion-212 resin. Finally, the HAA product of 2-MF and furfural was hydrogenated over a Pd/C catalyst and hydrodeoxygenated over Pt-loaded solid-acid catalysts. Pt/zirconium phosphate (Pt/ZrP) was found to be the best catalyst for hydrodeoxygenation. Over the 4 % Pt/ZrP catalyst, a 94 % carbon yield of diesel and 75 % carbon yield of C15 hydrocarbons (with 6-butylundecane as the major component) was achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The osteogenesis differentiation of human bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs) is essential for bone formation and bone homeostasis. In this study, we aim to elucidate novel molecular targets for bone metabolism diseases. Materials and methods: The dataset GSE80614 which includes mRNA expression profile during BMSCs osteogenic differentiation was obtained from the GEO database (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/). The osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs was measured by ALP staining, AR staining and expression of osteogenic markers in vitro. For in vivo assay, we seeded BMSCs onto beta‐tricalcium phosphate (β‐TCP) and transplanted them into muscle pockets of nude mice. Luciferase assay, co‐immunoprecipitation assay and in vitro ubiquitination assay were carried out to investigate the molecular mechanism. Results: We found that α‐B‐crystallin (CRYAB) expression was elevated during the process of BMSCs osteogenic differentiation. Further studies showed that upregulation of CRYAB significantly enhanced the osteogenic differentiation, while downregulation of CRYAB suppressed it. CRYAB regulated BMSCs osteogenic differentiation mainly through the canonical Wnt/β‐catenin signalling. In addition, we found that CRYAB could physically interact with β‐catenin and protect it from ubiquitination and degradation, which stabilized β‐catenin and promoted the Wnt signalling. Conclusions: The present study provides evidences that CRYAB is an important regulator of BMSCs osteogenic differentiation by protecting β‐catenin from ubiquitination and degradation and promoting the Wnt signalling. It may serve as a potential therapeutic target for diseases related to bone metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Back Cover picture shows a rooster and a hen in commemoration of 2017 being the Chinese rooster year. Both are labeled as MIBK (methyl isobutyl ketone). The rooster is eating the grass, which represents biomass and lignocellulose. Their products: two chickens; one represents SDS (sodium dodecylsulfate) and the other represents jet fuel. These are the two products that can be produced from our method using duel‐bed catalysis systems. More details can be found in the Communication by Sheng et al. on page 825 in Issue 5, 2017 (DOI: 10.1002/cssc.201601563). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The selective hydrogenation of levulic acid is investigated by screening Mo-modified noble metal-SiO2 catalysts at low temperature (80 °C) under aqueous solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]