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We confirmed that reducing the use of a ruthenium catalyst can achieve a similar depolymerization efficiency only by extending the reaction time, and butanone extraction can achieve the separation of inorganic salts and organic components.

Aging causes a decline in ovarian function and may contribute to ovarian failure and infertility. We investigated the effect of menstrual blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MenSCs) and their mitochondria on ovarian function in aged mice. We performed two treatment protocols: i) ovaries of recipient aged mice were treated

Core–shell composites with strong weather resistance, mechanical strength and creep resistance can be prepared using co-extrusion technology. Considering the weak bonding strength between core–shell interfaces, this study started from the concept of a mortise and tenon combination; three types of conical, rectangular and trapezoidal mortise and tenon joints were prepared, and their bending properties, long-term creep properties, interfacial bonding properties, and dimensional stability properties were tested. Results showed that the mortise and tenon structure could form a mechanical interlock between the outer-shell-layer polyvinyl chloride (PVC) wood–plastic composite (WPVC) and the inner-core-layer laminated veneer lumber (LVL), which could effectively improve the interface bonding property between the two layers. Among them, the trapezoidal mortise and tenon structure had the largest interface bonding force compared with the tapered and rectangular mortise and tenon structure, where the interface bonding strength reached 1.01 MPa. Excellent interface bonding can effectively transfer and disperse stress, so the trapezoidal mortise and tenon structure had the best bending properties and creep resistance, with a bending strength of 59.54 MPa and a bending modulus of 5.56 GPa. In the long-term creep test, the deformation was also the smallest at about 0.2%, and its bending properties, creep resistance and interface bonding performance were also the best. The bending strength was 59.54 MPa and the bending modulus was 5.56 GPa; in the long-term creep test, the strain curve was the lowest, about 0.2%. In addition, the mortise and tenon structure could disperse the stress of the inner shell LVL after water absorption and expansion, thus significantly improving the dimensional stability of the co-extruded composite after water absorption.

Depolymerization is an emerging and promising route for the value-added utilization of low-rank coal (LRC) resources, and how to use the complex depolymerized mixtures efficiently is of great importance for this route. In this work, we designed the rational route of using depolymerized mixtures from lignite via ruthenium ion-catalyzed oxidation (RICO) depolymerization directly without complex separation to construct a Zr-based hydrogenation catalyst. The prepared catalyst was applied into the catalytic transfer hydrogenation of biomass-derived carbonyl compounds. Meanwhile, a copper-based oxidation catalyst was also constructed via a similar route to investigate the universality of the proposed route. Special insights were given into how the depolymerized components with different structures influenced the performances of the catalysts. The effects of the solvents used during the catalyst preparation (H2O and DMF) were also studied. The results showed that the proposed route using the depolymerized mixtures from lignite via RICO to construct catalysts was feasible for both Zr-based and Cu-based catalysts. The two catalysts prepared gave high efficiency for their corresponding reaction, i.e., the Zr-based catalyst for catalytic transfer hydrogenation of biomass-derived carbonyl compounds and the Cu-based catalyst for selective oxidation of alcohols into aldehydes. Different depolymerized components contributed differently to the activity of the catalyst, and the solvents during the preparation process could also influence the activity of the catalyst. The depolymerized components and the solvents influenced the activities of the Zr-based catalyst mainly via changing the Zr contents, the microenvironment of Zr4+, and the specific areas of the catalyst.

Liu, Chunlei, Xu Chen, Ge Guo, Xiang Xu, Xin Li, Qingxia Wei, Yanying Shen, Hanlu Li, Jianxiu Hao, Ya Ping Tian, and Kunlun He. Effects of intermittent normoxia on chronic hypoxic pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular hypertrophy in rats.

A double-pole double-throw analog switch circuit structure with low power consumption, low on-resistance and capable of transmitting negative signals is designed in this paper, which has been developed in 0.18 μm BCD technology. The analog switch circuit is providing about 5 V high swing signal transmission for 2.7–5 V supply voltage in the temperature range of − 40 to 85 °C. The shortcomings of traditional analog switch structure are large on-resistance, large power consumption, etc. In this paper, the charge pump structure of the gate voltage bootstrap switch is designed to overcome the backgate effect, to control the turn-on and turn-off of each switching MOS transistor. A dynamic comparator structure is used to enhance the signal transmission capability, so that the analog switch can transmit negative signal. The measurement results show that under the voltage of 2.7–5 V, the overall designed circuit consumes 92 μW. The on-resistance of the analog switch is 3.9 Ω, and the leakage current is 12 nA. The analog switch has a good signal transmission and shutdown capabilities while occupying an area of 0.67 mm2.

Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) is a well-characterized transcription factor that protects cells against oxidative and electrophilic stresses. Emerging evidence has suggested that NRF2 protects cells against DNA damage by mechanisms other than antioxidation, yet the mechanism remains poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that knockout of NRF2 in cells results in hypersensitivity to ionizing radiation (IR) in the presence or absence of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Under ROS scavenging conditions, induction of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) increases the NRF2 protein level and recruits NRF2 to DNA damage sites where it interacts with ATR, resulting in activation of the ATR–CHK1–CDC2 signaling pathway. In turn, this leads to G2 cell cycle arrest and the promotion of homologous recombination repair of DSBs, thereby preserving genome stability. The inhibition of NRF2 by brusatol increased the radiosensitivity of tumor cells in xenografts by perturbing ATR and CHK1 activation. Collectively, our results reveal a novel function of NRF2 as an ATR activator in the regulation of the cellular response to DSBs. This shift in perspective should help furnish a more complete understanding of the function of NRF2 and the DNA damage response.

Due to the low utilization efficiency of lignite as a primary energy source, the valuable and clean use of lignite becomes important. Oxidative depolymerization of lignite into valuable organic acids (VOAs) has been identified to be feasible, but the difficulty in separating VOAs from the complex lignite depolymerized mixture (LDM) limits the potential application of this route. In this study, based on the coordination interactions between metal ions and carboxylate groups in VOAs, the metal ion-induced separation of VOAs from the LDM was proposed. The results proved that most of the studied metal ions (Mn+) could selectively form M–VOA precipitates with the VOAs in LDM and transferred the VOAs from the water phase into the solid precipitates. Then, the intermediate M–VOAs could be dissolved in diluted NaOH solution to release the VOAs, with Mn+ being transformed into M(OH)n. The separation yield and selectivity could be tuned facilely by various metal ions at different dosages, pH, and temperatures. The process could be fulfilled under near-room temperature in water without the use of organic solvents. Due to its efficiency, tunable selectivity, and green nature, the proposed separation strategy may find potential applications in the valuable and clean use of lignite sources.

In order to determine the key influencing factors, risk areas, and source pathways of heavy metals in the sediment of the Yellow River, 37 samples were collected in the surface sediment (0–5 cm) of the Inner Mongolia section of the Yellow River main stream for the determination of heavy metals copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), zinc (Zn), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd). Based on the geographical detector model (GDM) and ArcGIS 10.2 software, this paper selected 6 heavy metals and 15 influencing factors, including 8 natural factors and 7 anthropogenic factors, to detect key influencing factors, risk areas, and sources of heavy metals. The results showed that: (1) The average contents of heavy metals Cr and Cd in the sediments exceeded the average value in soil, the world average concentration in the shales, and the first-level standard of soil environmental quality in China, and they were the main risk metals, (2) Vegetation coverage (VC) was the largest influencing factor for the spatial distribution of heavy metals in the sediment, followed by per capita income (PI), and land use type (LUT) and road network density (RD) were smaller influencing factors. The interactions of the factors were enhanced, (3) The Wuhai section for a risk area was mainly polluted by Cd and Pb, which were caused by atmospheric deposition and industrial emission. The Baotou section for a risk area was mainly polluted by Cr, which mainly originated from river transportation and industrial discharge. The conclusions can provide a scientific basis for the environmental protection and management of the different areas in the Inner Mongolia section of the Yellow River.

Hydrogenation of biomass-derived ethyl levulinate (EL) to gamma-valerolactone (GVL) is an important step in the conversion of sustainable biomass resources into value-added chemicals. Exploration of highly efficient and easily obtainable catalysts is crucial for the large-scale application. In this work, a series of cobalt catalysts were prepared by one-step reduction route in different solvents and applied into the conversion of biomass-derived EL to GVL. Common solvents, including water, methanol, ethanol, glycol and glycerin were attempted as the solvent. Both the solvent effect on the catalyst synthesis and the hydrogenation reaction parameters during the conversion of EL into GVL were systematically investigated. The catalysts were characterized by SEM-EDS, TEM, powder XRD, N2 adsorption-desorption, and XPS. The results demonstrated that the solvents had significant influences on the morphology and structure of the as-prepared catalysts, which changed from dendrite (in water) to spheres (in glycerin). All the catalysts prepared in different solvents were effective for the conversion of EL. Under the optimized conditions, a high GVL yield of 91.4% was achieved when using cobalt catalyst prepared in ethanol at relatively mild reaction conditions. Furthermore, the catalyst could be reused at least 6 times without significant loss of the catalytic activity. As far as we know, this is the first work on the application of cobalt catalysts, synthesized by one-step solution phase reduction method, in the conversion of EL into GVL in biomass utilization.

A novel bipolar photon-controlled generalized memristor model with an avalanche photodiode (APD) passive quenching circuit is presented in this paper. The SPICE model of the circuit is established and its fingerprints are analyzed by the pinched hysteresis loops with different bipolar periodic stimuli. The dynamical characteristics of the proposed circuit model are investigated both theoretically and simulatively. The results verified by Cadence Spectre circuit simulator demonstrate that the proposed circuit model is a simple bipolar photon-controlled generalized memristor. Compared with the previously published memristor models, the biggest innovation of this paper is to propose a bipolar generalized memristor model instead of the traditional model, which can easily form the pinched hysteresis loop. Another highlight is that the generalized memristor model in this paper is controlled by photons while conventional memristors are charge-controlled/flux-controlled. Furthermore, the circuit level models are more stable, more reliable and more resistant to interference than the device level models. The topological structure of the proposed circuit model in this paper is much more simpler.

Maintenance of genome integrity is critical for faithful propagation of genetic information and the prevention of the mutagenesis induced by various DNA damage events. RecQ-mediated genome instability protein 1 (RMI1), together with Bloom syndrome protein and topoisomerase IIIα, form an evolutionarily conserved complex that is critical for the maintenance of genomic stability. Herein, we report that RMI1 depletion increases cell sensitivity to camptothecin treatment, as shown by an elevation of genotoxic stress-induced DNA double-strand breaks, a stronger activation of the DNA damage response, and a greater G2/M cell cycle delay. Our findings support that, upon DNA damage, RMI1 forms nuclear foci at the damaged regions, interacts with RAD51, and facilitates the recruitment of RAD51 to initiate homologous recombination. Our data reveal the importance of RMI1 in response to DNA double-strand breaks and shed light on the molecular mechanisms by which RMI1 contributes to maintain genome stability.-Fang, L., Sun, X., Wang, Y., Du, L., Ji, K., Wang, J., He, N., Liu, Y., Wang, Q., Zhai, H., Hao, J., Xu, C., Liu, Q. RMI1 contributes to DNA repair and to the tolerance to camptothecin.

A large amount of almond shells are disposed of every year. The anatomical and chemical characteristics of almond shells are investigated in this paper in order to contribute to better utilization of these shells. The micromorphology, surface elements, thermal stability, crystallization, chemical composition, and relative properties of almond shells are analyzed. Under observation by microscope and electron microscope, the diameter of almond shells is 300&ndash, 500 &mu, m for large holes, and 40&ndash, 60 &mu, m for small holes present in the shell. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy shows the elements of almond shells include C (72.27%), O (22.88%), N (3.87%), and Si (0.87%). The main chemical constituents of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin in almond shells account for 38.48%, 28.82% and 29.54%, respectively. The alkaline extract content of almond shells is 14.03%, and benzene alcohol extraction is 8.00%. The benzene alcohol extractives of almond shells mainly contain 17 types of organic compound, including benzene ring, ethylene, carbon three bond, and other mufti-functional groups. Thermal stability analysis shows almond shells mainly lose weight at 260 &deg, C and 335 &deg, C. These characteristics indicate that almond shells have the capacity to be used in composites and absorption materials.

In this study, high-density polyethylene (HDPE)/wood-flour composites with a basalt fiber (BF)-reinforced shell were prepared by coextrusion. After exposing these composites to ultraviolet weathering for 2000 h, their performances were examined from their measurements of color, surface morphology, and chemical properties. As a control, UV326 was also added to the shell formula. The weathered surface was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results revealed that the shells filled with 8% and 12% BF exhibited low lightness and color change in comparison to those filled with UV326 for a limited duration. The composite shells with the combined BF and UV326 exhibited the least discoloration and surface cracks. FTIR spectra revealed that the oxidation of the composites increases with the duration of exposure to the assessment of the carbonyl group concentration on the surface. The combination of BF and UV326 revealed a synergistic effect on the alleviation of the photooxidation of wood-plastic composite shell layers, verifying the UV-shielding effect.

In this study, a pulp beating machine was used to premix the pulp fibers with high density polyethylene (HDPE) particles in water. The wet or pre-dried pulp fiber/HDPE mixture was then melt-compounded by a twin screw extruder. For further improving the dispersion of pulp fiber, some mixture was forced to pass through the twin-screw extruder twice. The resulting mixture was compression molded to the composite. The fiber distribution was observed by the aid of an optic and scanning electron microscope. The mechanical and rheological properties and creep resistance of the composites were characterized. Test results demonstrate that when the wet pulp fiber/HDPE mixture was subjected to pre-pressing and oven drying prior to extrusion compounding, the resulting composites exhibited homogeneous fiber distribution, superior flexural property, creep-resistance, and high storage modulus. Particularly, its flexural strength and modulus were 57% and 222% higher, respectively, than that of the neat HDPE, while the composites prepared without pre-dried were 19% and 100% higher, respectively. Drying the wet mixture in advance is more effective than re-passing through the extruder for improving the fiber dispersion and composite performance.

Wood Plastic Composites (WPCs) are a new generation of green composites that could optimize the use of harvested trees and increase the entire value chain. In this study, the electrical and mechanical properties of WPCs containing carbon blacks (CB), flake graphite (FG) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been investigated. The electrical property of WPCs is improved significantly owing to the introduction of these carbon nanomaterial fillers. The volume and surface resistivity values of the investigated composites all obviously decreased with the increase in filler content, especially CNTs, which displayed the most satisfactory results. Based on a series of laboratory experiments carried out to investigate the mechanical performance, it can be concluded that the addition of the carbon nanomaterial fillers decreases the mechanical properties of WPCs slightly with the increase in filler content because of the weak interfacial interactions between the fillers and polymer matrix.

An efficient bifunctional NbOPO4 supported Ru catalyst (Ru-NbOPO4) was applied to the hydrodeoxygenation of aromatic ethers and phenols and the upgrading of bio-oil. Characterization results revealed that the Ru-NbOPO4 catalyst possessed strong acidity, including Lewis and Bronsted acids. The Lewis acid sites originated from the Nb O bonding structures, including slightly distorted octahedral NbO6, regular tetrahedral NbO4 and highly distorted octahedral NbO6. In combination with the strong acidity of the Nb O species and excellent hydrogenation activity of the metallic Ru, the bifunctional Ru-NbOPO4 catalyst exhibited an excellent catalytic activity in the hydrodeoxygenation of aromatic ethers and phenols with different structures, and even real bio-oil to alkanes. The hydrocarbon yield after real bio-oil upgradation was up to 88.2 %. Carbon deposition and enlargement of the Ru nanoparticles resulted in slight deactivation of the catalyst. The catalytic activity could be mostly recovered after being calcined and reduced.

The defects of creep deformation and brittle fracture, which coexist in wood plastic composites (WPCs), significantly restrict WPCs as structural engineering materials. This study aims to advance WPCs via structural design and co-extrusion technology, for the development of a lightweight, high-strength, tough, creep-resistant, and water-resistant composite, for structural engineering applications. Novel wood-plastic/lumber composites (WPLCs) were fabricated with high-strength lightweight laminated veneer lumber (LVL) as a core and water-resistant wood-polyvinyl chloride composites (WPVCs) as the shell layer using multi-phase co-extrusion technology. The effect of wood content in the shell layer on flexural properties, impact strength, low-velocity impact behavior, creep resistance, and dimensional stability of the WPLCs were investigated and compared with those of LVL and WPVCs. Increasing wood content within the scope of the experiment resulted in increased flexural strength and modulus in both WPVCs and WPLCs. The flexural modulus and impact strength of WPLC containing 60 phr wood in shell layer (WPLC60) were significantly increased by 112.8% and 303.6%, respectively, compared with that of the corresponding WPVC60 control. Factoring in composite density, the comparison between WPLCs and WPVCs showed specific flexural modulus and impact strength of WPLC60 as 284% and 704% of the values of WPVC60, respectively. The WPLCs exhibited higher impact resistance and bending stiffness and lower absorbed energy and permanent indentation than those of LVL. The creep strain of the WPLCs decreased with increasing wood content in the shell layers. Specifically, the creep strain of WPLC60 was 85.8% and 28.9% of the values of LVL and WPVC60, respectively. The WPLCs almost kept their original appearance except for discoloration after nine cycles of hot water immersion. The water absorption and thickness swelling of the WPLCs were below 1.0% and considerably lower than those of the LVL and pure PVC co-extruded samples. The experimental results indicated that the novel co-extruded wood-plastic/lumber composites effectively achieved excellent performance suitable for structural engineering applications.

Let G be a simple graph. The size of any largest matching in G is called the matching number of G and is denoted by v(G). Define the deficiency of G, def(G), by the equation def(G) = |V(G)|- 2v(G). A set of points X in G is called an extreme set if def(G-X)=def(G)+ |X|. Let c0(G) denote the number of the odd components of G. A set of points X in G is called a barrier if c0(G-X) = def(G) + |X|. In this paper, we obtain the following: (1) Let G be a simple graph containing an independent set of size i, where i ≥ 2. If X is extreme in G for every independent set X of size i in G, then there exists a perfect matching in G. (2) Let G be a connected simple graph containing an independent set of size i, where i ≥ 2. Then X is extreme in G for every independent set X of size i in G if and only if G = (U, W) is a bipartite graph with |U| = |W| ≥ i, and |Γ(Y)| ≥ m + 1 for any Y ⊆ U, |Y| = m(1 ≤ m ≤ i - 1). (3) Let G be a connected simple graph containing an independent set of size i, where i ≥ 2. Then X is a barrier in G for every independent set X of size i in G if and only if G=(U, W) is a bipartite graph with |U| = |W|= i, and |Γ(Y)| ≥ m + 1 for any Y ⊆ U, |Y| = m (1 ≤ m ≤ i - 1).

We consider the problem of finding a feasible flow in a directed networkG = (N,A) in which each nodei ź N has a supplyb(i), and each arc(i,j) ź A has a zero lower bound on flow and an upper bounduij. It is well known that this feasibility problem can be transformed into a maximum flow problem. It is also well known that there is no feasible flow in the networkG if and only if there is a subsetS of nodes such that the net supplies of the nodes inS exceeds the capacity of the arcs emanating fromS. Such a setS is called a"witness of infeasibility" (or, simply, awitness) of the network flow problem. In the case that there are many different witnesses for an infeasible problem, a small cardinality witness may be preferable in practice because it is generally easier for the user to assimilate, and may provide more guidance to the user on how to identify the cause of the infeasibility. Here we show that the problem of finding a minimum cardinality witness is NP-hard. We also consider the problem of determining aminimal witness, that is, a witnessS such that no proper subset ofS is also a witness. In this paper, we show that we can determine a minimal witness by solving a sequence of at mostn maximum flow problems. Moreover, if we use the preflow-push algorithm to solve the resulting maximum flow problems and organize computations properly, then the total time taken by the algorithm is comparable to that of solving a single maximum flow problem. This approach determines a minimal cardinality witness in O(n2m1/2) time using simple data structures and in O(nm logn) time using the standard implementation of the dynamic tree data structures. We also show that the recognition version of the minimal witness problem is equivalent to a recognition version of a related problem known as theminimum rooted cut problem. © 1998 The Mathematical Programming Society, Inc. Published by Elsevier Science B.V.

The maximum capacity augmentation algorithm is a variant of the Ford-Fulkerson labeling method in which each flow augmentation is along an augmenting path that yields the maximum increase in flow value. For networks with integer capacities this algorithm has been shown to be polynomial but not to be strongly polynomial, while for networks with real capacities it has been shown that it may require an infinite number of iterations. In this paper, we present two modified versions of the maximum capacity augmentation algorithm which we prove to be strongly polynomial even for real capacities. One of these is a simplex variant.

We consider the specialization of the primal simplex algorithm to the problem of finding a tree of directed shortest paths from a given node to all other nodes in a network of n nodes or finding a directed cycle of negative length. Two efficient variants of this shortest path simplex algorithm are analyzed and shown to require at most (n − 1)(n − 2)/2 pivots and O(n3) time.

A matching of a graph is a near-perfect matching if it covers all but one vertex. A connected graph G is said to be factor-critical if G − v has perfect matchings for every vertex v of G. In this paper, the enumeration problems for near-perfect matchings in special factor-critical graphs are solved. From this, the exact values of the number of perfect matchings in special bicritical graphs are obtained.