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In this study, a composite modifier (CMCDL) containing coal gasification residue, dicyandiamide waste slag, and lake sediments was used to modify steel slag at high-temperature. Five kind of raw materials was analyzed in physicochemical properties, mineral composition and microstructure, cementitious properties and soundness, and particle size analysis, the same to steel slag after high-temperature modification (SHTM). The new mineral phases were found that tricalcium aluminate (C3A), gehlenite (C2AS), magnetite (Fe3O4), spinels (MgFe2O4), quartz (SiO2), celite (C6AF2) and diopside (CMS2) formed in the SHTM when the mass fraction increase from 10% to 30% in CMCDL. The HTM with CMCDL increases the glass phase and hydrated mineral (C3A, C3S, C2S) and in raw steel slag, promoting the disassembled of RO phase, turning the phase from FeO into MgFe2O4 and Fe3O4. MgFe2O4 and Fe3O4 have similar crystal structures, and they form mixed spinels. When the content of CMCCL (coal gasification residue: dicyandiamide waste slag: lake sediments =7:9:4) is 20%, the temperature is 1250 °C, result showed that the mass fraction of f-CaO in SHTM using CMCCL decreases from 4.81% to 1.86%, with a decrease of 61.3%, the 28-day activity index of SHTM increases up to 17.6% compared with raw steel slag, reaching 86.2%. Therefore, the CMCDL-blended SHTM can be applied harmlessly in cement and concrete, enabling low-energy fine grinding of steel slag.

Three groups of composite cementitious materials (CCMs) were prepared by separate grinding, mixed grinding, and cascade grinding using iron and steel solid waste (ISSW) materials (granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS), iron ore tailings (IOTs), steel slag (SS) and desulfurization gypsum (DG)), and the influence on the strength of CCMs was investigated under different water-binder ratios (w/b). Then, the hydration hardening mechanism of the CCMs was revealed via hydration heat analysis, phase composition and structural analysis of hydration products. The results show that the properties of the CCMs prepared by cascade grinding (CGC) is better than that prepared by separate grinding and mixed grinding. When the mass percentage of IOTs and SS in the CGC was 2:3, the mix proportion of CGC is SS+IOTs: GBFS: DG=36:51.5:12.5, mixed with 1.0 % Na2SO4 and 1.2 % Na2SiO3ˑ9 H2O of the CGC, the compressive strength (CS) of mortar sample containing CGC in 28-days and 180-days reach 52.3 MPa and 70.7 MPa respectively under the conditions of standard curing and low water-binder ratios. The hydration degree of pure cement is higher than that of CGC, but types of the hydration products were similar with cement, mainly were Ca(OH)2, iolite, ettringite (AFt) and C-S-H gel. The CGC can greatly reduce the hydration heat of CCMs system in early age, and is suitable for massive concrete structures in which elevated temperature can be kept for a long time.

The microstructure and mechanical properties have a significant impact on the service performance of materials. This paper compared the microstructure and mechanical properties of 2024 aluminum alloy subjected to turning and ultrasonic surface rolling process (USRP). It was found that both turning and USRP can cause grain refinement and increased microhardness. The grain refinement induced by USRP was attributed to dislocation proliferation and T-phase fragmentation; At the same time, a quantitative relationship model between microhardness and microstructure during turning and USRP was constructed. The results showed that precipitation had the greatest impact on the microhardness induced by turning, while dislocations and grain refinement had the greatest impact on the microhardness induced by USRP; In addition, the mechanical performance response mechanism of the materials after turning and USRP was elucidated, and it was found that USRP can significantly enhance the yield strength of the materials.

The fatigue load that a material experiences and its microstructure are important factors influencing fatigue crack propagation behavior. This study employed laser scanning microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) technology, along with fatigue crack propagation experiments, to investigate the fatigue crack propagation behavior of 2024 aluminum alloy under varying stress ratios (R). The results showed that the stress amplitude (σp) was the main factor controlling the fatigue crack propagation life (N). Additionally, detailed characterization of the fatigue crack propagation path was conducted using crystal models and EBSD. A fatigue crack propagation model for 2024 aluminum alloy under different R-values was established based on the grain twist angle and Schmid factor. Finally, the impact of R on the crack tip shielding (Ks) was systematically analyzed, elucidating the intrinsic mapping relationship between R, microstructure, and crack propagation characteristics.

Trichloroethylene (TCE), a widely distributed environmental chemical contaminant, is extensively dispersed throughout the environment. Individuals who are exposed to TCE may manifest occupational medicamentose-like dermatitis due to trichloroethylene (OMDT). Renal impairment typically manifests in the initial phase of OMDT and is intricately linked to the disease progression and patient outcomes. Although recombinant human tumor necrosis factor-α receptor II fusion protein (rh TNFR:Fc) has been employed in the clinical management of OMDT, there was no substantial improvement in renal function observed in patients following one week of treatment. This study primarily examined the mechanism of TNFα- and IFNγ-induced endothelial cells (ECs) PANoptosis in TCE-induced kidney injury and hypothesized that the synergistic effect of TNFα and IFNγ could be the key factor affecting the efficacy of rh TNFR:Fc therapy in OMDT patients. A TCE-sensitized mouse model was utilized in this study to investigate the effects of TNFα and IFNγ neutralizing antibodies on renal vascular endothelial cell PANoptosis. The gene of interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF1) in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) was silenced by using small interfering RNA (siRNA), and the cells were then treated with TNFα and IFNγ recombinant protein to investigate the mechanism of TNFα combined with IFNγ-induced PANoptosis in HUVEC. The findings indicated that mice sensitized to TCE exhibited increased levels of PANoptosis-related markers in renal endothelial cells, and treatment with TNFα and IFNγ neutralizing antibodies resulted in a significant reduction in PANoptosis and improvement in renal function. In vitro experiments demonstrated that silencing IRF1 could reverse TNFα and IFNγ-induced PANoptosis in endothelial cells. These results suggest that the efficacy of rh TNFR:Fc may be influenced by TNFα and IFNγ-mediated PANoptosis in kidney vascular endothelial cells. The joint application of TNFα and IFNγ neutralizing antibody represented a solid alternative to existing therapeutics.

The hydrogen absorption/desorption kinetic properties of MgH2 can be effectively enhanced by doping specific catalysts. In this work, MOFs-derived NiCu@C nanoparticles (∼15 nm) with regular core-shell structure were successfully prepared and introduced into MgH2 (denoted as MgH2NiCu@C). The onset and peak temperatures of hydrogen desorption of MgH2–11 wt.% NiCu@C are 175.0 °C and 282.2 °C, respectively. The apparent activation energy of dehydrogenated reaction is 77.2 ± 4.5 kJ/mol for MgH2–11 wt.% NiCu@C, which is lower than half of that of the as-milled MgH2. Moreover, MgH2–11 wt.% NiCu@C displays great cyclic stability. The strengthening “hydrogen pumping” effect of reversible solid solutions Mg2Ni(Cu)/Mg2Ni(Cu)H4 is proposed to explain the remarkable improvement in hydrogen absorption/desorption kinetic properties of MgH2. This work offers a novel perspective for the design of bimetallic nanoparticles and beyond for application in hydrogen storage and other energy related fields.

ObjectivesThis paper aims to analyze the influence of polar low temperature environment and ballast water capacity on the dynamic change process of the temperature field in polar ship's ballast tank. MethodsThe volume of fluid (VOF) model was used to simulate the two phases of gas and liquid, and the standard k-ε turbulence model was used to simulate the fluid movement. The numerical analysis model of heat transfer in the ballast tank of polar ships was established to analyze the dynamic change process of the temperature field of the ballast tank at low temperature, and reveal the influence mechanism of multiple ambient temperatures and multiple loading heights on the temperature field of the ballast tank. ResultsWith the continuous occurrence of heat transfer, the temperature in the area above the waterline of the side ballast tank decreases rapidly, and the cooling area extends laterally to the cabin and downward along the bulkhead respectively. When there is more ballast water, the temperature field in the cabin is relatively stable due to the large heat capacity of water, but the air heat capacity is low and the temperature field changes greatly, which is prone to cyclones and further affects the temperature field distribution in the calculation domain. Under the condition of the same ballast water capacity, the lower the external ambient temperature, the greater the difference between internal and external temperatures, the more intense the heat exchange, and the faster the temperature of the ballast tank changes. ConclusionsThe VOF two-phase flow model and the standard k-ε turbulence model can better reveal the temporal and spatial evolution characteristics of the temperature field in the ballast tank in polar low temperature environment, and analyze the influence of internal and external thermal boundary conditions on the change of the temperature field in the ballast tank, which can provide necessary technical reference for the cold/freeze protection of polar ships' ballast tanks.

High-performance manufacturing (HPM) is essential for high-quality equipment and parts manufacturing, which requires not only geometric accuracy but also control of surface integrity to satisfy functional performance. Surface topography and residual stress are important elements of surface integrity. However, they are always investigated individually, and their collaborative formation pattern has been ignored for a long time. In this study, surface topography will be measured by a 3D laser scanning microscope and analyzed from the perspective of spectral wavelength (λ) along with its corresponding amplitude. Whereas the residual stress (RS) is going to be analyzed by X-Ray diffraction and finite element (FE) model. Thereafter we introduce the formation pattern of both surface topography and RS. Hereby, simulated points clouds of machined surface topography are generated by superimposing the normally distributed random numbers that take into account the springback of the workpiece material response on tool kinematics and geometry. Furthermore, the RS is divided into mechanical loads induced (RSM) and thermal loads induce (RST) according to the mechanism of formation, which were obtained in cutting speed (Y-direction) and feed direction (Z-direction) by the Mohr circle. Our experimental and numerical results showed that an increase in the feed rate (from 0.05 mm/r to 0.15 mm/r) significantly increases the surface roughness and cutting temperature. The increase in temperature increased the RST by up to 286.1%, resulting in a reduction of compressive RS in Z-direction and an increase of tensile RS in Y-direction. Moreover, the increase in cutting speed (from 40 m/min to 80 m/min) results in a more regular surface and a reduction in surface roughness because of the smaller springback. At the same time, it also leads to a decrease of RSM in Z-direction and an increase of RSM in Y-direction. In addition, the increment in cutting speed leads to a minor increase in temperature and RST (maximum increase of 47.0%). Combining the effects of RSM and RST, RS in both directions increases slightly.

Karst lands provide a poor substrate to support plant growth, as they are low in nutrients and water content. Common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) is becoming a popular crop for its gluten-free grains and their high levels of phenolic compounds, but buckwheat yields are affected by high water requirements during grain filling. Here, we describe a wild population of drought-tolerant Fagopyrum leptopodum and its potential for enhancing drought tolerance in cultivated buckwheat. We determined that the expression of a gene encoding a Basic leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factor, FlbZIP12, from F. leptopodum is induced by abiotic stresses, including treatment with the phytohormone abscisic acid, salt, and polyethylene glycol. In addition, we show that overexpressing FlbZIP12 in Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum) root hairs promoted drought tolerance by increasing the activities of the enzymes superoxide dismutase and catalase, decreasing malondialdehyde content, and upregulating the expression of stress-related genes. Notably, FlbZIP12 overexpression induced the expression of key genes involved in flavonoid biosynthesis. We also determined that FlbZIP12 interacts with protein kinases from the FlSnRK2 family in vitro and in vivo. Taken together, our results provide a theoretical basis for improving drought tolerance in buckwheat via modulating the expression of FlbZIP12 and flavonoid contents.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to verify whether there is a causal relationship between breast cancer and bone mineral density (BMD). Summary statistics for exposures and outcomes were obtained from corresponding genome-wide association studies. The bidirectional and multivariate mediated Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses were performed. In the bidirectional MR analysis, breast cancer might reduce the BMD of the heel (HE-BMD) (FDR = 1.51 × 10−4) as might its ER+ subtype (FDR = 1.51 × 10−4). From BMD to breast cancer, no significant association was found (FDR > 0.05). The mediating MR analysis showed that Higher free testosterone (FT) only mediated the causal relationship between breast cancer and HE-BMD by 2.9%; both ER+ type and FT were independent factors of HE-BMD (ER+: P = 0.021; FT: P = 6.88 × 10−6). Higher FT could increase the risk of breast cancer (FDR = 1.21 × 10−3) as could total testosterone (TT) (FDR = 5.81 × 10−3). Similarly, higher FT could increase the risk of ER+ subtype (FDR = 2.51 × 10−6) as could TT (FDR = 5.55 × 10−4). These results indicate that BMD is not a risk factor for breast cancer but breast cancer and its ER+ subtype are risk factors for BMD loss. Furthermore, higher FT and TT levels are associated with both an increased incidence of breast cancer and increased bone density.

Background: Oral mucositis is an acute adverse reaction with high incidence during radiotherapy. Severe oral mucositis can seriously affect patients’ quality of life and compliance with radiotherapy. The aim of this study was to identify the risk factors for severe oral mucositis and to develop a nomogram for predicting severe oral mucositis in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Methods: One hundred and ninety patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma were retrospectively screened in this study. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the best predictors of severe oral mucositis. A nomogram was constructed based on the factors. Finally, the discriminative ability of the nomogram was evaluated. Results: Four independent factors predicting severe oral mucositis were identified: age, N stage, the cycle of induction chemotherapy, and dose-volumetric parameter V40 (%) of oral cavity. The area under the receiver of operating characteristic curve of the nomogram was 0.759 (95% confidence interval: 0.691–0.827). Conclusions: A predictive nomogram for severe oral mucositis was established and validated in this study. The nomogram provides a reliable and practical model for clinically predicting the probability of severe oral mucositis in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma before intensity-modulated radiation therapy.

More and more clinical evidence shows that occupational medicamentose-like dermatitis due to trichloroethylene (OMDT) patients often present immune kidney damage. However, the exact mechanisms of cell-to-cell transmission in TCE-induced immune kidney damage remain poorly understood. The present study aimed to explore the role of high mobility group box-1 (HMGB 1) in glomerular endothelial cell-podocyte transmission. 17 OMDT patients and 34 controls were enrolled in this study. We observed that OMDT patients had renal function injury, endothelial cell activation and podocyte injury, and these indicators were associated with serum HMGB 1. To gain mechanistic insight, a TCE-sensitized BALB/c mouse model was established under the interventions of sirtuin 1 (SIRT 1) activator SRT 1720 (0.1 ml, 5 mg/kg) and receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) inhibitor FPS-ZM 1 (0.1 ml, 1.5 mg/kg). We identified HMGB 1 acetylation and its endothelial cytoplasmic translocation following TCE sensitization, but SRT 1720 abolished the process. RAGE was located on podocytes and co-precipitated with extracellular acetylated HMGB 1, promoting podocyte injury, while SRT 1720 and FPS-ZM 1 both alleviated podocyte injury. The results demonstrate that interventions to upstream and downstream pathways of HMGB 1 may weaken glomerular endothelial cell-podocyte transmission, thereby alleviating TCE-induced immune renal injury.

Introduction: The vanadium-titanium iron ore tailings (VTIOTs) has a significant amount of discharge, and serious pollution, which makes it difficult to use directly as a resources resource.Methods: High-strength fired water permeable brick (HSFWPB) was prepared using VTIOTs as the main raw material. The orthogonal test, X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), and synthetic precipitation leaching procedure (SPLP) were obtained to study the basic properties and firing mechanism of HSFWPB containing VTIOTs, and an economic benefit evaluation was conducted on the project investment of HSFWPB containing VTIOTs.Results: The results show that when the content of VTIOTs in HSFWPB is 78%, the firing temperature (FT) is 1080°C and the holding time is 120 min, the compressive strength and permeability coefficient of the fired product reach 70.4 MPa and 0.055 cmˑs−1, respectively, which meet the requirements of Cc60 grade products in Water permeable brick (JC/T 945–2005). The products of HSFWPB containing VTIOTs after firing are diopside (CaMgSi2O6) and augite (Ca (Mg, Fe, Al) (Si, Al)2O6), with the increase of FT and the extension of HT, the low melting point elements of P, Na, K dissolve out, and the content of Fe and Al in the firing products increases, most of Ca2+ in diopside is replaced by Fe3+, so that augite becomes the main crystal phase. With the increase of FT, the pores in the fired products are changed from: closed pores with different sizes→ connected pores with irregular diameters→ irregular collapse pores→ small and uniform circular pores, which provides a guarantee for the permeability of HSFWPB containing VTIOTs.Discussion: The full investment payback period of the project of HSFWPB containing VTIOTs is 1.77 years. When the production reaches 48.585% of the design output, it reaches a breakeven point, and the project has strong risk resistance ability. The research has improved the utilization rate of VTIOTs and provided a new approach for the large-scale application of VTIOTs.

Patients with occupational medicamentose-like dermatitis due to trichloroethylene often suffer from immune kidney injury. Our previous study reveals that C5b-9-dependent cytosolic Ca2+ overload-induced ferroptosis is involved in trichloroethylene sensitized kidney injury. However, how C5b-9 causes cytosolic Ca2+ rise and the specific mechanism whereby overloaded Ca2+ induces ferroptosis remain unknown. The purpose of our study was to explore the role of IP3R-dependent mitochondrial dysfunction in C5b-9 mediated ferroptosis in trichloroethylene sensitized kidney. Our results showed that IP3R was activated, and mitochondrial membrane potential was decreased in the renal epithelial cells of trichloroethylene-sensitized mice, and these changes were antagonized by CD59, a C5b-9 inhibitory protein. Moreover, this phenomenon was reproduced in a C5b-9-attacked HK-2 cell model. Further investigation showed that RNA interference with IP3R not only alleviated C5b-9-induced cytosolic Ca2+ overload and mitochondrial membrane potential loss but also attenuated C5b-9-induced ferroptosis in HK-2 cells. Mechanistically, IP3R-dependent cytosolic Ca2+ overload activated the mitochondrial permeability transition pore, resulting in the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential and ferroptosis of HK-2 cells. Finally, cyclosporin A, a mitochondrial permeability transition pore inhibitor, not only ameliorated IP3R-dependent mitochondrial dysfunction but also blocked C5b-9-induced ferroptosis. Taken together, these results suggest that IP3R-dependent mitochondrial dysfunction plays an important role in trichloroethylene sensitized renal tubular ferroptosis.

Asymmetric recurrent time-varying neural networks (ARTNNs) can enable realistic brain-like models to help scholars explore the mechanisms of the human brain and thus realize the applications of artificial intelligence, whose dynamical behaviors such as synchronization has attracted extensive research interest due to its superior applicability and flexibility. In this paper, we examined the outer-synchronization of ARTNNs, which are described by the differential-algebraic system (DAS). By designing appropriate centralized and decentralized data-sampling approaches which fully account for information gathering at the times tk and tki. Using the characteristics of integral inequalities and the theory of differential equations, several novel suitable outer-synchronization conditions were established. Those conditions facilitate the analysis and applications of dynamical behaviors of ARTNNs. The superiority of the theoretical results was then demonstrated by using a numerical example.

Occupational medicamentose-like dermatitis due to trichloroethylene (OMDT) is a key but unresolved question. OMDT patients often present multiple organ damage, including kidney damage. However, the underlying mechanism remains unknown. The purpose of our study was to explore the effect of tubule-specific C5b-9 deposition induced by TCE sensitization on renal tubular ferroptosis and its mechanism. By analyzing pathological changes of TCE-sensitization-mice kidney, we observed a significant renal tubular ferroptosis, which was alleviated by CD59, a C5b-9 inhibitory protein. Moreover, this phenomenon was also replicated in a C5b-9-attacked HK-2 cell model. Further experiments identified that C5b-9 induced cytosolic Ca2+ overload in renal tubular epithelia cells from TCE-sensitization-mice and HK-2 cells. Furthermore, in vitro experiments showed that BAPTA-AM, an intracellular Ca2+ chelator, could rescued ferroptosis induced by C5b-9 in HK-2 cells. Taken together, TCE sensitization induced renal tubular ferroptosis is mediated by C5b-9 and cytosolic Ca2+ overload may play a key role.

Patients with trichloroethene-induced Trichloroethylene hypersensitivity syndrome (THS) often present kidney injury. However, the role of Wnt 5a/Ca2+ pathway in renal tubular injury in Trichloroethylene (TCE) sensitized mice remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate how Wnt 5a/Ca2+ pathway induced renal tubular epithelial cell injury in TCE sensitized mice. A total of 84 female BALB/c Specific Pathogen Free mice aged 6–8 weeks were used to establish TCE sensitized mouse models. Renal histology and serum levels of α1-MG and β2-MG were used to assess the renal injury. The renal protein levels of Wnt 5a, ROR2, FZD5, PLC, p-CaMKII, IκB α, p-IκB α, NF-κB(p65), TNF α, IL 6 and IL 1β were measured. The levels of serum α1-MG and β2-MG and TNF α, IL 6 and IL 1β levels in the kidney tissue were significantly increased in TCE sensitized positive group. However, Box5 pretreatment inhibited the expression of PLC, p-CaMKII, p65 and attenuated the injury of renal tubular epithelial cells and suppressed the upregulated expression of the above cytokines. In addition, KN93 also reduced nuclear translocation of p65 and renal injury as well as the elevated cytokines by inhibiting CaMKII. These data identify Wnt 5a binding to ROR2 and FZD5, p65 nuclear translocation, and inflammatory cytokine release as a novel mechanism for renal tubular epithelial cells injury by sensitization with TCE. Box5 or KN93 pretreatment can block the expression of inflammatory cytokines and reduce the injury of renal tubular epithelial cells.

Undesirable chatter is one of the key problems that restrict the improvement of robot milling quality and efficiency. The prediction of chatter stability, which is used to guide the selection of process parameters, is an effective method to avoid chatter in robot milling. Due to the weak stiffness of the robot, deformation caused by milling forces becomes an unavoidable problem, which will change the tool–workpiece contact area and affect the stability prediction. However, it is often simplified and neglected. In this paper, a multipoint contact dynamic model of robot milling is established, which considers the influence of force-induced deformation on the regenerative effect and process damping. The tool–workpiece contact area is discretized into a finite number of nodes along the axial direction so that the force and deformation at each node can be calculated separately. The different contact forms of the tool–workpiece under different process parameters are discussed in different cases, and the interaction process between cutting force and force-induced deformation is analyzed in detail. An iterative strategy is used to calculate the deformation of each node and the result of the tool–workpiece contact boundary. Finally, chatter stability of robot milling is predicted by a fully discrete method. Robot milling experiments were carried out to verify the predicted results. The results show that force-induced deformation is an important factor improving the stability prediction accuracy of robot milling, and a more accurate prediction result can be obtained by simultaneously considering force-induced deformation and process damping.

We propose an effective method to measure the orbital angular momentum of a perfect optical vortex (POV) beam with a hybrid angular gradient phase grating (HAG-PG), which is a gradient grating with angular changing distribution. The HAG-PG performs the transformation from the POV to the dark stripes of the diffraction intensity patterns. From the number and the orientation of dark stripes of far-field diffraction patterns formed by the HAG-PG, the modulus of TC and sign of the incident POV beam can be determined. The high scalability of this method for being unrestricted by the Fourier plane and its adaptation for measuring the POV beams with different states are demonstrated by loading the HAG-PG hologram on a spatial light modulator. And the detection sensitivity of the POV beam can be significantly improved. The experimental results agree well with the theoretical simulations.

Robustness refers to the ability of a system to maintain its original state under a continuous disturbance conditions. The deviation argument (DA) and stochastic disturbances (SDs) are enough to disrupt a system and keep it off course. Therefore, it is of great significance to explore the interval length of the deviation function and the intensity of noise to make a system remain exponentially stable. In this paper, the robust stability of Hopfield neural network (VPHNN) models based on differential algebraic systems (DAS) is studied for the first time. By using integral inequalities, expectation inequalities, and the basic control theory method, the upper bound of the interval of the deviation function and the noise intensity are found, and the system is guaranteed to remain exponentially stable under these disturbances. It is shown that as long as the deviation and disturbance of a system are within a certain range, there will be no unstable consequences. Finally, several simulation examples are used to verify the effectiveness of the approach and are described below.

In this work, Magnesium nanoparticles with Pd decoration, ranging from 40 to 70 nm, were successfully coprecipitated from tetrahydrofuran (THF) solution, assigned as the Mg–Pd nanocomposite. The Mg–Pd nanocomposite exhibits superior hydrogen storage properties. For the hydrogenated Mg–Pd nanocomposite at 150°C, the onset dehydrogenation temperature is significantly reduced to 216.8°C, with a lower apparent activation energy for dehydrogenation of 93.8 kJ/mol H2. High-content γ-MgH2 formed during the hydrogenation process, along with PH0.706, contributes to the enhancing of desorption kinetics. The Mg–Pd nanocomposite can take up 3.0 wt% hydrogen in 2 h at a temperature as low as 50°C. During lower hydrogenation temperatures, Pd can dissociate hydrogen and create a hydrogen diffusion pathway for the Mg nanoparticles, leading to the decrease of the hydrogenation apparent activation energy (44.3 kJ/mol H2). In addition, the Mg–Pd alloy formed during the hydrogenation/dehydrogenation process can play an active role in the reversible metal hydride transformation, destabilizing the MgH2.

We consider the following inverse eigenvalue problem: to construct a special kind of matrix (real symmetric doubly arrow matrix) from the minimal and maximal eigenvalues of all its leading principal submatrices. The necessary and sufficient condition for the solvability of the problem is derived. Our results are constructive and they generate algorithmic procedures to construct such matrices.

In this paper, we develop a modified gradient based algorithm for solving matrix equations AXB+CXTD=F. Different from the gradient based method introduced by Xie et al., 2010, the information generated in the first half-iterative step is fully exploited and used to construct the approximate solution. Theoretical analysis shows that the new method converges under certain assumptions. Numerical results are given to verify the efficiency of the new method.

BACKGROUND: CyberKnife (CK) is a novel stereotactic radiosurgery system for treating tumors in any part of the body. It is a non-invasive or minimally invasive tumor treatment modality that can deliver high doses of spatially precise radiation and minimize exposure to neighboring healthy tissues or vital organs. The purpose of this study was to investigate the safety and efficacy of CK in the treatment of adrenal tumors. METHODS AND RESULTS: We performed a retrospective analysis of 26 patients with adrenal tumors who had been treated with CK in the radiotherapy center of our hospital between March 2009 and March 2012. Eight patients had primary adrenal tumors and 18 patients had metastatic adrenal tumors. In addition to CK, 4 patients received chemotherapy and 2 patients received immunotherapy. The average tumor volume was 72.1 cm(3) and the prescribed radiation dosage ranged from 30 to 50 Gy and was fractionated 3 to 5 times with a 58% to 80% isodose line. Abdominal CT was performed between 1 to 3 months after the CK treatment to evaluate the short-term efficacy with follow-up examinations once every 3 months. Three patients had complete remission, 12 patients had partial remission, 5 patients had stable disease, and 6 patients had progressive illness. The effective rate of pain relief was 93.8% and the disease control rate was 77% with a median overall survival of 17 months and a median progression-free survival of 14 months. Treatment Related toxicity was well-tolerated, but preventative measure need to be taken for radiation enteritis. CONCLUSIONS: CK is safe and effective for treating adrenal tumors with few adverse reactions. Nonetheless, its long-term effects requires further follow-up.