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A hyperspectral imaging system (HIS) is a helpful tool that acquires spatial and spectral information from a target. This study developed a coaxial heterogeneous HIS (CHHIS) to collect spectral images with wavelengths ranging from 400 to 1700 nm. In this system, a visible (VIS) spectrometer and a short-wave infrared (SWIR) spectrometer are combined with a coaxial optical path to share the same field of view. This structure reduces the complexity of spatial registration and maintains the scanning duration of two spectrometers as that of a single spectrometer. The spectrometers are also replaceable for extending the detecting spectral range of the system. The calibration methodologies, including spatial correction, spectral calibration, and reflectance calibration, were developed for this system. The signal-to-noise ratio of VIS and SWIR spectrometers in the CHHIS was up to 40 and 60 dB when the exposure time of the VIS and SWIR imaging sensors was 1000 and 10 ms, respectively. When the target distance was at 600 mm, the spatial error of VIS and SWIR images in the scanning direction was less than 1 pixel; these results proved that the system was stable.

Based on the self-made electrochemical device, by measuring the hardness removal rate, bicarbonate removal rate, energy consumption, pH value, etc., during the device operation, the effect of three electrochemical devices on the treatment of actual industrial wastewater, including no filling, filling swirl sheet, filling swirl sheet and mixed resin, was systematically studied. The results show that the removal efficiency of hardness and bicarbonate of industrial wastewater is the best when the swirl metal sheet was added into the electrochemical device. After 5 h, the removal rate of hardness and bicarbonate of cathode and anode was 38.6 and 21.8%, respectively, and the removal rate of bicarbonate of cathode and anode was 62.4 and 100%, respectively. The maximum difference of pH value of anode and cathode effluent just demonstrated that the electrolysis effect was the best. The structure of this device was very conducive to the application in industrial wastewater. In addition, the influence of operational voltage on the electrochemical device filled with swirl sheet was appropriately discussed from the perspective of hardness, current and electric power of the effluent. The analysis results show that 10 V was the best operational voltage. At this time, the current density was 8.11 A/m2, and the hardness removal rate was 89.4%. This study could expand the practical application of electrochemical technology in industrial wastewater treatment and adds some meaningful basic theoretical data.

Monocytes are important regulators for the maintenance of homeostasis in innate and adaptive immune system and have been reported to play important role in cancer progression. CD47-SIRPα recognition is a coinhibitory immune signal to inhibit phagocytosis in monocytes and macrophages and has been well-known as the "Don't eat me" signal. By using an approach of integrated sensing and activating proteins (iSNAPs), we have rewired the CD47-SIRPα axis to create iSNAP-M which activates pathways in engineered human monocytes (iSNAP-MC). The mRNA expression levels of the monocyte/macrophage markers CD11b, CD14, and CD31 are upregulated in iSNAP-monocytes (iSNAP-MC). With PMA induction, the iSNAP-MC-derived macrophages (iSNAP-MΦ) showed upregelation in CD86 and CD80, but not CD206. TNFα expression and secretion were also increased in iSNAP-MΦ. Furthermore, the injection of iSNAP-MC into mice bearing human B-lymphoma tumors led to the suppression of tumor progression. Therefore, the engineered monocytes, via blockage of coinhibitory immune signals by rewiring CD47-SIRPα axis, can be applied to suppress target tumors for cancer immunotherapy.

This study aimed to investigate the expression and role of CT10 regulated kinase like (CRKL) in human laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) progression.Seventy-four laryngeal cancer cases were detected by the immunohistochemistry S-P method and the results were analyzed. RNA interference was used to downregulate the expression of CRKL in Hep-2 cells. The silencing efficiency was detected by real-time PCR and Western blotting. The cell proliferation, migration, and invasion after transfection were detected by MTT, wound healing assay, transwell invasion assay, and apoptosis assay. Western blot was conducted to determine the function of CRKL/epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) signaling pathway.The expression of CRKL was higher in LSCC tissues. Patients with higher CRKL expression were correlated with lymph node metastasis and postoperative survival rates. CRKL promoted proliferation, migration, and invasion of Hep-2 cells in vitro.These findings suggested that CRKL gene silencing significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration, invasion, and EMT signaling pathway of Hep-2 cells. CRKL is considered to be a new target for the treatment of LSCC.

1,2,3,5-Tetra-O-acetyl-β-D-ribofuranose is an important pharmaceutical intermediate which is prepared via the cleavage of nucleosides, such as inosine,1 adenosine1 and guanosine.2 It is usually cry...

The effects of CO2 on physical and electrochemical properties of deep eutectic solvent (DES) containing Fe(II)/Fe(III) redox couple were studied. At 25 °C, the viscosity of the DES decreased from 690.4 cP to 620 cP (10.1% decrease), and the ohmic resistance reduced from 1867 Ω to 1409 Ω (24.5% decrease) with saturated CO2. The magnitude of the changes reduces with the increase of temperature. Moreover, the cyclic voltammetry curve shows that the addition of CO2 has no remarkable influence on the reaction kinetics of redox couple in DES. The results reported here imply that CO2 has positive effects on the physicochemical characteristics of DES, while further studies are needed for being used in a DES electrolyte flow battery.

The suitability of an optimisation workflow for the determination of the mixed-mode cohesive zone model parameters using digital volume correlation (DVC) data and the inverse finite element method was examined. A virtual compression experiment of a cylinder with a spherical inclusion was modelled using the finite element method. A bilinear traction separation law with a linear mixed-mode relationship was used to describe the interfacial behaviour. Known mode I and mode II fracture energies, = 20 J/m2and = 40 J/m2and damage initiation stress, = 0.09 MPa, were used to generate a target composite debonding behaviour. An objective function,, determined based on the debonding behaviour measurable by DVC was chosen. A full factorial experiment was carried out for the four cohesive parameters and showed that correlation between fracture energies/ damage initiation stresses and is non-linear and discontinuous with multiple local minima. Optimisations initiated at the local minima identified from the full factorial experiment correctly determined the target cohesive fracture energies and damage initiation stresses.

Particulate composites are found in a wide range of applications. Their heterogeneous microstructure affects their bulk behavior and structural performance, however tools for predicting this important structure-property relationship are still lacking. In this study, a numerical method that can provide predictions of the mechanical response of a particulate polymeric matrix composite as a function of volume fraction and particle mean diameter is presented. The work is derived for an alumina trihydrate filled poly(methyl methacrylate) but the methodology is generic and can be used for any particulate composite. Representative Volume elements are determined through images obtained from scanning electron microscopy. The model takes into account the possibility of failure through interface debonding as well as cracks through the matrix. The model predictions for the modulus and fracture strength of the composites are validated through independent experiments on the composite. The numerical results are also used to qualitatively explain the trends measured regarding the fracture toughness of the composites. Compared to other literature on particulate composites, our study is the first to report accurate stress–strain distributions as well as fracture predictions whilst all the necessary model parameters defining the failure criteria are all derived through independent experiments. This paves the way for a relatively simple methodology for determining structure-property relationships in composites design, enabling smarter material utilization and optimal mechanical properties.

We found a new way to prove the interaction between the two components in polyaniline (PANI-DTA)/La composites by studying the specific heat. It is firstly found that PANI-DTA has a phase transition peak at −50 °C. The composites (PLa) have no phase transition at −50 °C, so the thermal, magnetic and electrochemical properties are different from PANI-DTA. The heat capacities of the composites are higher than that of PANI-DTA and La complex. the magnetic field dependence of magnetization (M–H) curves of PANI-DTA and PLa-2 exhibit saturation magnetization and a hysteresis loop. The electrochemical performance of the composites are greatly improved compared with PANI-DTA and La complex.

The pathogenesis of tongue cancer (TA) has not been fully illustrated. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is correlated with the precancerous lesion of oral cavity mucosa and malignant transformation. The focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and gap junction protein connexin 43 (Cx43) are involved in the occurrence and progression of tumors. This study aimed to investigate the effect of celecoxib on the proliferation, malignant transformation, and expression of FAK and Cx43 proteins.Healthy male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats (4 months old) were divided into control, model and celecoxib group. 7,12-dimethylbenzanthracene (DMBA) was used to generate tongue mucosal carcinoma, coupled with celecoxib intervention. At 8, 12, 16, and 20 weeks after induction, the rat survival status, the tumor formation rate and the tongue tissue morphology were observed. Meanwhile, the expression of FAK and Cx43 was also evaluated by using immunohistochemistry (IHC).Tumor occurrence rates after induction were 0, 26.67%, 66.67%, and 80% at 8, 12, 16, and 20 weeks, respectively. The celecoxib treatment decreased such rats to 0, 0, 0, and 13.33%, respectively (p0.05 compared to model group). No significant change was observed in control group, whilst model group had mild to severe hyperplasia and squamous carcinoma with elongated time. Celecoxib treatment significantly improved the tissue morphology (p0.05). The model group also had elevated FAK and depressed Cx43 protein expression (p0.05). With elongated time, the FAK expression was further increased whilst Cx43 protein was depressed (p0.05 compared to model group).The focal application of celecoxib effectively inhibited the DMBA-induced rat TA, possibly via regulating FAK and CX43 protein expression, and inhibiting oral epidermal hyperplasia.

We investigated the photosynthetic characteristics of Chorispora bungeana under conditions of drought stress caused by different concentrations of polyethylene glycol-6000 (PEG; 0, 5, 20, and 40%) and various concentrations of exogenous glycine (0, 5, 10, and 20 mM) with 20% PEG. We showed that moderate and severe drought stress of PEG reduced the chlorophyll (Chl) content (both Chl a and b), maximal quantum yield of PSII photochemistry (Fv/Fm), actual photochemical efficiency of PSII in light (YII), and quantum yield of regulated energy dissipation (YNPQ), while Chl a/b and quantum yield of nonregulated energy dissipation (YNO) increased. The low and moderate drought stress increased Mg2+ and Fe3+ contents, while a decrease in Mg2+ and Fe3+ was found under severe drought stress. Compared to sole PEG stress, the addition of exogenous 10 mM glycine increased Chl, Mg2+ and Fe3+ contents, Fv/Fm, YII, and YNPQ, and reduced YNO. On the contrary, 20 mM glycine showed an opposite effect, except for YNO. Our results proved that Chl contents and fluorescence parameters are reliable indicators for drought tolerance of C. bungeana. We suggest that a proper glycine content can relieve the effect of drought stress on C. bungeana.

The fracture behavior of multiple collinear Griffith cracks in a one-dimensional quasicrystalline layer is investigated in this paper. Using the Fourier transform technique, the mixed boundary value problem is reduced to a system of Cauchy singular integral equations. The integral equations are further reduced to a system of algebraic equations. The stress intensity factors of the phonon and phason fields and the energy release rate are determined. Numerical results reveal the effects of geometric size, the distance of the cracks and loading parameter ratio of the phonon and phason fields on crack propagation and growth. The results seem useful for the design of quasicrystalline materials, structures and devices of high performance.

We have prepared N1-ethyl-5′-bromo-7-azaindirubin-3′-oxime due to its potential for being a pharmaceutical. Infrared and Raman spectra have been recorded and vibrational assignments have been suggested based mainly on our previous vibrational investigation of N1-isopropyl-5′-chloro-7-azaindirubin-3′-oxime and on group characteristic frequencies. Temperature variation study has revealed the presence of conformers due to the internal rotation of ethyl group. IR spectra collected for N1-ethyl-7-azaindirubin-3′-oxime have shown rather similar spectral features with that of N1-ethyl-5′-bromo-7-azaindirubin-3′-oxime. IR spectra of these compounds have revealed the association through hydrogen bonding in the solid state. IR spectra recorded for these samples after annealing at high temperatures indicated the thermal conversion temperature to be lowered than 270 °C. Results from thermal analyses have determined the beginning decomposition temperatures to be 250 °C and the decomposition enthalpies to be 94 kJ/mol for both N1-ethyl-5′-bromo-7-azaindirubin-3′-oxime and N1-ethyl-7-azaindirubin-3′-oxime.

Summary This paper studies the static fracture problems of an interface crack in linear piezoelectric bimaterial by means of the extended finite element method (X-FEM) with new crack-tip enrichment functions. In the X-FEM, crack modeling is facilitated by adding a discontinuous function and crack-tip asymptotic functions to the classical finite element approximation within the framework of the partition of unity. In this work, the coupled effects of an elastic field and an electric field in piezoelectricity are considered. Corresponding to the two classes of singularities of the aforementioned interface crack problem, namely, ϵ class and κ class, two classes of crack-tip enrichment functions are newly derived, and the former that exhibits oscillating feature at the crack tip is numerically investigated. Computation of the fracture parameter, i.e., the J-integral, using the domain form of the contour integral, is presented. Excellent accuracy of the proposed formulation is demonstrated on benchmark interface crack problems through comparisons with analytical solutions and numerical results obtained by the classical FEM. Moreover, it is shown that the geometrical enrichment combining the mesh with local refinement is substantially better in terms of accuracy and efficiency. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Clip domain serine proteases (CLIPs), characterized by one or more conserved clip domains, are essential components of extracellular signalling cascades in various biological processes, especially in innate immunity and the embryonic development of insects. Additionally, CLIPs may have additional non-immune functions in insect development. In the present study, the clip domain serine protease gene Bombyx mori serine protease 95 (BmSP95), which encodes a 527-residue protein, was cloned from the integument of B. mori. Bioinformatics analysis indicated that BmSP95 is a typical CLIP of the subfamily D and possesses a clip domain at the N terminus, a trypsin-like serine protease (tryp_spc) domain at the C terminus and a conserved proline-rich motif between these two domains. At the transcriptional level, BmSP95 is expressed in the integument during moulting and metamorphosis, and the expression pattern is consistent with the fluctuating 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) titre in B. mori. At the translational level, BmSP95 protein is synthesized in the epidermal cells, secreted as a zymogen and activated in the moulting fluid. Immunofluorescence revealed that BmSP95 is distributed into the old endocuticle in the moulting stage. The expression of BmSP95 was upregulated by 20E. Moreover, expression of BmSP95 was downregulated by pathogen infection. RNA interference-mediated silencing of BmSP95 led to delayed moulting from pupa to moth. These results suggest that BmSP95 is involved in integument remodelling during moulting and metamorphosis.

The present work showed that spider mite-infested leaves placed in the light were more attractive to predatory mites than the infested leaves placed in the dark; furthermore, an increase in the light intensity enhanced this attractiveness. However, the increase of the light intensity did not change the attractiveness of the uninfested leaves to predatory mites. The capacity of cyanide-resistant respiration and the photosynthetic rates of both the infested and uninfested leaves increased with increasing light intensities, whereas the photosystem (PS) II chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence decreased. The increase of the capacity of cyanide-resistant respiration in the infested leaves was more dramatic than that in the uninfested leaves, whereas the values of photosynthetic rates and Chl fluorescence were lower in the infested leaves than those in the uninfested leaves. Treatment of the infested and uninfested leaves with 1 mM salicylhydroxamic acid (SHAM, an inhibitor of cyanide-resistant respiration) decreased photosynthetic rates and caused further reductions in PSII fluorescence, especially under a higher light intensity. In contrast, the effects of SHAM on PSII fluorescence parameters and photosynthetic rates of the infested leaves were more dramatic than on those of the uninfested leaves. The treatment with SHAM did not significantly change the attractiveness of the infested or uninfested leaves to the predatory mites under all of the light intensities tested. These results indicated that cyanide-resistant respiration was not directly associated with the light-induced attraction of predators to plants, but it could play a role in the protection of photosynthesis. Such role might become relatively more important when photosynthesis is impaired by herbivores infestation.

For centuries Danggui Longhui Wan has been used to treat chronic ailments, such as myelocytic leukemia. In the 1960s, the active ingredient in Danggui Longhui Wan was isolated and identified as indirubin. Indirubin has shown potent inhibition of cyclin-dependent kinase through binding to the ATP-binding site. However, indirubin shows poor solubility and low absorption, hence many derivatives have been developed to enhance these properties. One such derivative is 5′-chloro-1-isopropyl-7-azaindirubin-3′-oxime (CIADO), investigated in the current work. Infrared and Raman spectra were collected and compared with predicted spectra using density functional theory. Based on theoretical calculations, the most stable form of CIADO isomer is found to be cis (Z) and trans (E) with respect to the ring system linkage and the 3′-oxime functional group respectively. Also observed were two distinct internal rotational minima for the 1-isoprooyl group separated by a large energy barrier. The presence of two distinct isopropyl conformations observed in our calculations was confirmed with temperature-dependent IR experiments. Assignment of experimental vibrational modes was carried out based on functional group displacement observed in the calculations.

In recent years, l-arabinose (1) and d-galactose (3) have received much attention as important pharmaceutical intermediates. 1 , 2 l-arabinose is a useful starting material for the chemical synthes...

A flat annular crack in a magnetoelectroelastic layer subjected to mechanical, electric and magnetic loadings is investigated under magnetoelectrically impermeable boundary condition on the crack surface. Using Hankel transform technique, the mixed boundary value problem is reduced to a system of singular integral equations. With the aid of Gauss-Chebyshev integration technique, the integral equations are further reduced to a system of algebraic equations. The field intensity factor and energy release rate are determined. Numerical results reveal the effects of electric and magnetic loadings and crack configuration on crack propagation and growth.

The morphology evolution and coarsening behaviour of γ′ (Ni3Al) phase in Ni–Al alloys were investigated by using the Cahn–Hilliard and Ginzberg–Laudan phase field equations, and the composition, order parameter and average particles size evolution coupling with the internal elastic strain were studied. Cubic γ′ phase was presented firstly and then the rectangle particles were formed by means of coarsening; the mechanisms of γ′ phase coarsening are Ostwald ripening or coalescence of neighbouring particles. The average particle size of γ′ phase increases rapidly at the initial stage, and it slows down at the coarsening dominated stage. The average particle size follows a cubic law of ‘Lifshitz–Slyozov’ encounter modified theory in the coarsening regime.

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of collection method and diet type on digestibility coefficients. In Exp. 1, 24 barrows were fed either a corn-soybean meal (CSBM) diet or CSBM with 20% dried distillers' grains with solubles (CSBM-DDGS). In Exp. 2, the effects of basal diet and collection method on determination of dried distillers' grains with solubles (DDGS) digestibility were studied using 24 barrows. The 4 diets used in Exp. 2 were: a CSBM (basal 1) , a barley-canola meal (BCM; basal 2), 80% basal 1 with 20% DDGS (CSBM-DDGS), and 80% basal 2 with 20% DDGS (BCM-DDGS). In both experiments, feces were collected using a time-based collection method (DY) or a "marker-to-marker" collection method (MM). Diets contained 0.5% of titanium dioxide (TiO) for estimating digestibility using the index marker approach (IM). The apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of DM and GE were lower (0.05) in the CSBM-DDGS diet than in the CSBM diet in Exp. 1 but were not different in Exp. 2. All the estimates of BCM-based diets were consistently lower (0.05) than those of CSBM-based diets. In Exp. 1, digestibility coefficients determined by the DY and MM were not different from each other, whereas those estimates were lower (0.05) using the IM than those using the total collection approach (TC; DY and MM). In Exp. 2, interactions (0.05) were observed between diet type and method for dietary digestibility coefficients. Digestibility and energy values estimated by the DY and MM were not different in pigs fed CSBM-based diets and the BCM-DDGS diet, whereas those estimates were greater (0.05) using the DY than those using the MM in pigs fed the BCM. There were no interactions between basal diet and method for estimating DDGS digestibility. The ATTD of DM and GE of DDGS using the MM were greater (0.05) than those using the IM, and ATTD of N tended to be greater (0.10) using the MM than that using the IM. All estimates using the DY were not different from those using the MM or the IM, except that DE of DDGS was greater (0.05) using the DY than when using the IM. Digestibility estimates of DDGS were not affected by basal diets. The mean DE and ME (as-fed basis) of DDGS were 3,994 and 3,688 kcal/kg, respectively, when estimated using the basal 1 diet and were 3,919 and 3,547 kcal/kg, respectively, when estimated using the basal 2 diet. In conclusion, both collection methods can be used to estimate energy and nutrient digestibility of diets and DDGS when using CSBM-based diets.

In recent decades, there has been considerable interest in ribavirin (1-β-D-ribofuranosyl-1,2,4-triazole-3-carboxamide, 4), as a broad-spectrum antiviral agent. 1 – 3 Because of its activity agains...

We present a model for the satellites of the Milky Way in which galaxy formation is followed using semi-analytic techniques applied to the six high-resolution N-body simulations of galactic halos of the Aquarius project. The model, calculated using the Galform code, incorporates improved treatments of the relevant physics in the LambdaCDM cosmogony, particularly a self-consistent calculation of reionization by UV photons emitted by the forming galaxy population, including the progenitors of the central galaxy. Along the merger tree of each halo, the model calculates gas cooling (by Compton scattering off cosmic microwave background photons, molecular hydrogen and atomic processes), gas heating (from hydrogen photoionization and supernova energy), star formation and evolution. The evolution of the intergalactic medium is followed simultaneously with that of the galaxies. Star formation in the more massive progenitor subhalos is suppressed primarily by supernova feedback, while for smaller subhalos it is suppressed primarily by photoionization due to external and internal sources. The model is constrained to match a wide range of properties of the present day galaxy population as a whole, but at high redshift it requires an escape fraction of UV photons near unity in order completely to reionize the universe by redshift z ~ 8. In the most successful model the local sources photoionize the pre-galactic region completely by z ~ 10. In addition to the luminosity function of Milky Way satellites, the model matches their observed luminosity-metallicity relation, their radial distribution and the inferred values of the mass within 300 pc, which in the models increase slowly but significantly with luminosity. There is a large variation in satellite properties from halo to halo, with the luminosity function, for example, varying by a factor of ~ 2 among the six simulations.

Ag underlayer (30 nm) has improved the degree of ordering and perpendicular magnetic anisotropy of CoPt films (7.5–10 nm). After annealing at 600 °C and 700 °C, the perpendicular coercivity of CoPt/Ag films has been raised as the thicknesses of CoPt layers are increased. The magnetic easy axis of CoPt/Ag films would change from a random orientation to an out-of-plane orientation. It is found that Ag underlayer with thickness of 30 nm can improve the perpendicular magnetic properties of CoPt layers with thicknesses in the range of 7.5–10 nm. The CoPt/Ag films would be a candidate for perpendicular magnetic recording media.

Diamond nucleation experiments on Si wafers, precoated with Ni, Al, and Ni–Al duplex intermediate layers, have been conducted in a microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition reactor. The diamond nucleation density is dependent on the thickness of the single Ni interlayer and also the ratio of Ni/Al. The diamond nucleation density increases with the Ni thickness up to approximately 100 nm. Above 100 nm, decrease in the nucleation density is observed. The nondiamond carbon concentration increases when the Ni thickness increases from 40 to 200 nm, along with a simultaneous increase of nondiamond carbon accumulation on the Si substrate surface. The diamond grown on Si with an Al interlayer is of high purity but of low nucleation density. For the Ni–Al duplex interlayer, increase of Al fraction enhances both the purity and nucleation density of diamond, and markedly reduces the formation of nondiamond carbon on the Si substrate surfaces.

Objectives: For reasons of provision of highlyspecific surface area and three-dimensional culture, microcarrier culture (MC) has garnered great interest for its potential to expand anchorage-dependent stem cells. This study utilizes MC for in vitro expansion of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) and analyses its effects on BMMSC proliferation and differentiation. Materials and methods: Effects of semi-continuous MC compared to control plate culture (PC) and serial bead-to-bead transfer MC (MC bead-T) on human BMMSCs were investigated. Cell population growth kinetics, cell phenotypes and differentiation potential of cells were assayed. Results: Maximum cell density and overall fold increase in cell population growth were similar between PCs and MCs with similar starting conditions, but lag period of BMMSC growth differed substantially between the two; moreover, MC cells exhibited reduced granularity and higher CXCR4 expression. Differentiation of BMMSCs into osteogenic and adipogenic lineages was enhanced after 3 days in MC. However, MC bead-T resulted in changes in cell granularity and lower osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation potential. Conclusions: In comparison to PC, MC supported expansion of BMMSCs in an up-scalable threedimensional culture system using a semi-continuous process, increasing potential for stem cell homing ability and osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation.

In this paper, we give a uniqueness theorem for the moving boundary of a heat problem in a composite medium. Through solving the Cauchy problem of heat equation in each subdomain, we finally find an approximation to the moving boundary for one-dimensional heat conduction problem in a multilayer medium. The numerical scheme is based on the use of the method of fundamental solutions and a discrete Tikhonov regularization technique with the generalized cross-validation choice rule for a regularization parameter. Numerical experiments for five examples show that our proposed method is effective and stable.

A novel AB2-type monomer diethyl 5-(4-hydroxyethoxyphenylazo)isophthalate for preparing hyperbranched azo polymers (HBPAZO) was synthesized. The monomer obtained was characterized by IR spectra, UV–Vis spectra, 1H NMR spectrum and C NMR spectrum. The TG-DTG/DTA curves show that the decomposition of the monomer proceeds in four steps. During the second-step decomposition, the mass loss occurs between 480.5 K and 579.0 K and the phenomena of condensing to HBPAZO for the melted monomer was found. So it is inferred that this temperature range is the best for polycondensation of the melted monomer, which is very important for synthesizing of HBPAZO.

The low-temperature heat capacities of 1-hexadecanol have been measured with an automatic adiabatic calorimeter over the temperature range from 80 to 370 K. A solid-liquid phase transition was observed at T-m=322.225 +/- 0.002 K and the molar enthalpy and entropy of fusion were determined to be 57.743 +/- 0.008 kJ mol(-1) and 179.19 +/- 0.04 J K-1 mol(-1), respectively. The purity, the real melting point (T-1) and the ideal melting point without any impurity or absolutely purity (To) of the sample under investigation were determined to be 99.162 mol%, 322.21 and 322.34 K, respectively, by fractional melting method. According to the polynomial equation of heat capacity and thermodynamic relationship, the thermodynamic functions of the compound relative to the reference temperature 298.15 K were calculated in the temperature ranges of 80 to 370 K with an interval of 5 K. In addition, further researches of thermal properties for this compound were carried out by means of TG/DTG.

The molar heat capacity C p,m of 1,2-cyclohexane dicarboxylic anhydride was measured in the temperature range from T=80 to 390 K with a small sample automated adiabatic calorimeter. The melting point T m, the molar enthalpy Δfus H m and the entropy Δfus S m of fusion for the compound were determined to be 303.80 K, 14.71 kJ mol−1 and 48.43 J K−1 mol−1, respectively. The thermodynamic functions [H T-H 273.15] and [S T-S 273.15] were derived in the temperature range from T=80 to 385 K with temperature interval of 5 K. The thermal stability of the compound was investigated by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and thermogravimetry (TG), when the process of the mass-loss was due to the evaporation, instead of its thermal decomposition.

The molar heat capacities C p,m of 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-propanediol were measured in the temperature range from 78 to 410 K by means of a small sample automated adiabatic calorimeter. A solid-solid and a solid-liquid phase transitions were found at T-314.304 and 402.402 K, respectively, from the experimental C p-T curve. The molar enthalpies and entropies of these transitions were determined to be 14.78 kJ mol−1, 47.01 J K−1 mol− for the solid-solid transition and 7.518 kJ mol−1, 18.68 J K−1 mol−1 for the solid-liquid transition, respectively. The dependence of heat capacity on the temperature was fitted to the following polynomial equations with least square method. In the temperature range of 80 to 310 K, C p,m/(J K−1 mol−1)=117.72+58.8022x+3.0964x 2+6.87363x 3−13.922x 4+9.8889x 5+16.195x 6; x=[(T/K)−195]/115. In the temperature range of 325 to 395 K, C p,m/(J K−1 mol−1)=290.74+22.767x−0.6247x 2−0.8716x 3−4.0159x 4−0.2878x 5+1.7244x 6; x=[(T/K)−360]/35. The thermodynamic functions H T−H 298.15 and...

The (R)-BINOL-menthyl dicarbonates, one of the most important compounds in catalytic asymmetric synthesis, was synthesized by a convenient method. The molar heat capacities Cp,m of the compound were measured over the temperature range from 80 to 378 K with a small sample automated adiabatic calorimeter. Thermodynamic functions [HT–H298.15] and [ST–S298.15] were derived in the above temperature range with a temperature interval of 5 K. The thermal stability of the substance was investigated by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and a thermogravimetric (TG) technique.

Traditional flood forecasting and operation of reservoirs in China are based on manual calculations by hydrologists or through standalone computer programs. The main drawbacks of these methods are long forecasting time due to time-consuming nature, individual knowledge, lack of communication, absence of experts, etc. A Web-based flood forecasting system (WFFS), which includes five main modules: real-time rainfall data conversion, model-driven hydrologic forecasting, model calibration, precipitation forecasting, and flood analysis, is presented in this paper. The WFFS brings significant convenience to personnel engaged in flood forecasting and control and allows real-time contribution of a wide range of experts at other spatial locations in times of emergency. The conceptual framework and detailed components of the proposed WFFS, which employs a multi-tiered architecture, are illustrated. Multi-tiered architecture offers great flexibility, portability, reusability and reliability. The prototype WFFS has been developed in Java programming language and applied in Shuangpai region with a satisfactory result. sult.

The hot corrosion behaviour of various Fe–Cr, Fe–Al and NiAl model alloys was investigated in air with a surface deposit of NaCl–KCl melt. The results showed that Al is very beneficial by improving the corrosion resistance of Fe–Al alloys with increasing Al content, while Cr exhibits a detrimental effect on corrosion of Fe–Cr alloys. Metallic Ni remains relatively stable and NiAl alloy presents the best corrosion resistance comparing with the other materials. The degradation mechanism of these materials was clarified with respect to the different thermal–chemical stability of metallic Cr, Al and their oxides and chlorides, particularly by considering the high reactivity of Cr and C2O3 with alkali chloride salts. The corrosion trend was basically very similar to the behaviour caused by individual KCl or NaCl.

This study evaluated the dissolution behavior of basic oxygen furnace slag (BOF slag) and the performance of H2O2 with BOF slag denoted as H2O2/BOF slag process to degrade polyethylene glycol (PEG) in the aqueous solution. The concentration of total organic carbon (TOC) was chosen as a mineralization index of the degradation of PEG by the H2O2/BOF slag process. A first-order kinetic model with respect to TOC was adopted to represent the mineralization of PEG by H2O2/BOF slag process. The experimental results in this study suggested that dosages with 3.98 x 10(-4) mole min(-1) l(-1) H2O2 and 15 g l(-1) BOF slag loading in the solution at pH 2 provided the optimal operation conditions for the mineralization of PEG yielding a 75.5% treatment efficiency at 100 min reaction time. The H2O2/Fe2+ ratio was then determined to be 13.5:1.

In this study, a mechanism to account for the corrosion of Fe–Al and NiAl alloys beneath molten ZnCl2–KCl at 400–450 °C in air is described. All the examined materials experienced enhanced corrosion, with the formation of porous surface scales or, in some cases, in combination with local attack of the matrix. Comparatively, the corrosion resistance of Fe–Al and NiAl alloys is markedly improved with increased Al contents, whereas different microstructural evolutions are observed for the two systems. For Fe–Al alloys, the outermost layer of corrosion product is a mixed region composed of a large amount of Fe2O3, KCl and metallic zinc particles, overlying a mixture of aluminium oxide and KCl that acts as the intermediate layer. Moreover, a multi-layered Fe2O3 scale is produced on the surface of the matrix. For Ni–Al alloys, however, the outermost layer is mainly a mixture of KCl, metallic Zn, and some alumina particles in local regions, but no nickel oxide is detected. Beneath this outer layer is an Al-rich oxide layer combined with KCl impurity, and then a metallic nickel bulk containing aluminium oxide precipitation, in contact with the matrix.