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Calculations of transient thermal loads/boundary conditions are crucial for accurate thermal simulations of motorized spindle unit with time-varying working parameters (such as rotation speed). By the ELM theory, this paper proposes a modeling and calculation method onto transient thermal loads/boundary conditions for spindle simulation, according to spindle temperature detections. Firstly, heat-fluid-solid coupling finite element model is established to simulate spindle thermal behaviors. Secondly, the relationship between the real-time simulated spindle temperatures and the corresponding transient thermal loads/boundary conditions are constructed by ELM method. With real-time experimental temperatures being the input vector, transient thermal loads/boundary conditions for simulation are calculated by the established ELM model. Ultimately, with the spindle operation with progressive rotation being an example, the reliability of the proposed method is verified by the agreement between simulated spindle temperatures and their detections. Furthermore, obtained transient thermal loads/boundary conditions and simulation results are utilized to analyze spindle pure heat absorption, for the guidance onto spindle coolant strategy optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Alpha-1 antitrypsin (A1AT) is a secreted protein that plays an important role in various diseases. However, the role of A1AT in non-small cell lung cancer is obscure. Materials and Methods: A1AT expression in non-small cell lung cancer was analyzed using quantitative reverse transcription PCR, Western blotting (WB), immunohistochemistry (IHC), and ELISA. WB and IF were used to analyze markers of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), EndoMT, and cancer stem cell (CSC). Transwell and cell wound healing assays were used to analyze migration and invasion abilities. Colony formation and CCK-8 assays were used to analyze cell proliferation following cisplatin treatment. Results: A1AT expression was higher in lung cancer samples than in normal tissues and the increased expression was correlated with poor overall survival of patients. In vitro experiments showed that A1AT overexpressed by plasmid transfection significantly promoted migration, invasion, EMT, EndoMT, stemness, and colony formation in lung cancer cell lines, as opposed to A1AT downregulation by siRNA transfection, which significantly inhibited all these variables. Conclusion: A1AT is a novel therapeutic target and might be associated with tumor metastasis in lung carcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a temporary form of diabetes during pregnancy which influences the health of both mother and child. Both inflammation and oxidative stress have been implicated in the pathophysiology of GDM. Apocynin, acetophenone with anti-oxidative and anti-inflammation activities, has been shown to protect against insulin resistance. In the current study, the effects of apocynin on GDM symptoms, productive outcomes, oxidative stress, and inflammation were evaluated and the underlying mechanisms were explored. We administrated apocynin to GDM mice and monitored the GDM symptoms including body weight, serum levels of glucose, insulin, lipid profile, and the fetal outcomes in GDM mice. We also evaluated the effects of apocynin on placental oxidative stress, inflammation, and activation of TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway in GDM mice. Here, we reported that apocynin treatment significantly reduced serum levels of glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein in GDM mice, while significantly increased serum level of insulin and high-density lipoprotein. Apocynin improved fetal outcomes in GDM mice. Apocynin ameliorated placental oxidative stress and inflammation and inhibited TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway activation in GDM mice. We concluded that apocynin suppressed oxidative stress and inflammation in GDM by inhibiting the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An alternative metal-free, efficient and practical approach for the preparation of phosphinothioates is established via the aerobic oxidative cross-dehydrogenative coupling (CDC) of sulfonyl hydrazides with secondary phosphine oxides catalyzed by tetrabutylammonium iodide (TBAI) in the presence of atmospheric oxygen. The strategy provides an array of diverse phosphinothioates in good to excellent yields. Furthermore, two representative bioactive molecules are synthesized on up to gram scale by utilizing this method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ionospheric delay accounts for one of the major errors that the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) suffer from. Hence, the global ionosphere Vertical Total Electron Content (VTEC) map has been an important atmospheric product within the International GNSS Service (IGS) since its early establishment. In this contribution, an enhanced method has been proposed for the modeling of the global VTECs, in which the enhancements include two aspects. Firstly, to cope with the rapid development of the newly established Galileo and BeiDou constellations in recent years, we extend the current dual-system (GPS/GLONASS) solution to a quad-system (GPS/GLONASS/Galileo/BeiDou) solution. More importantly, instead of using dual-frequency observations based on the Carrier-to-Code Leveling method, all available triple-frequency signals are utilized with a general raw-observation-based multi-frequency Precise Point Positioning model, which can process dual-, triple- or even arbitrary-frequency observations compatibly and flexibly. Benefiting from this, quad-system slant ionospheric delays can be retrieved based on multi-frequency observations in a more flexible, accurate and reliable way, which are finally used to establish global VTEC models with the spherical harmonic function. In this process, multi-GNSS Differential Code Biases (DCBs) are also estimated as by-products. More than 400 globally distributed stations from the IGS and the Multi-GNSS Experiment (MGEX) networks have been processed in both 2014 (with high solar activity) and 2018 (with low solar activity). Global VTECs have been compared with the IGS final products, and the over-ocean VTECs are validated with the results from the JASON altimeter. The mean RMS values of the VTEC differences are 1.84 (2014) and 1.23 (2018) TECUs with respect to the IGS final products. The standard deviations of the VTEC differences with respect to the JASON results are 4.71 (2014) and 2.82 (2018) TECUs, outperforming all the other products generated with the spherical harmonic function. Additionally, multi-GNSS satellite DCBs have also been validated with the existing products from the Center for Orbit Determination in Europe and MGEX. All the results prove that the proposed method can be used as an effective and accurate approach for global VTEC modeling and DCB estimation, especially in the future multi-frequency and multi-GNSS context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LCL resonance complicates the design of a current control loop and can even threaten its stability. Extensive approaches have been proposed to deal with this resonance, among which active damping (AD) schemes based on the feedback of a single filter variable have been shown to be effective and cost-efficient. This paper presents a study of such AD techniques, where a generalized approach to developing an AD controller by relating a control diagram to an equivalent circuit is proposed. Based on this approach, AD controller forms with any one of four commonly used filter variables to realize virtual resistors (VRs) in six different connections to the LCL filter are derived. Comparisons are then made between these 24 AD controller alternatives by considering the implementation complexity of the AD controller, the number of measuring sensors, and the effect of the AD controller on the power stage. Consequently, grid-side current feedback AD to realize a VR in parallel with the filter capacitor is selected as a considered alternative. Next, two issues associated with the practical implementation of the selected grid-side current feedback AD, caused by the second-order differential expression and the digital time delay, are discussed and solved. Finally, the selected AD method is analyzed in the discrete z-domain, and its effectiveness is experimentally verified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To promote the real-time application of the advanced energy management system in hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), this paper proposes an adaptive hierarchical energy management strategy for a plug-in HEV. In this paper, deep learning (DL) and genetic algorithm (GA) are synthesized to derive the power split controls between the battery and internal combustion engine. First, the architecture of the multimode powertrain is founded, wherein the particular control actions, state variables, and optimization objective are explained. Then, the hierarchical framework for control actions generation is introduced. GA is utilized to search the global optimal controls based on the powertrain model provided in MATLAB/Simulink. DL is applied to train the neural network model that is connecting the inputs and control actions. Finally, the effectiveness of the presented integrated energy management strategy is validated via comparing with the original charge depleting/charge sustaining policy. Simulation results indicate that the proposed technique can highly improve the fuel economy. Furthermore, a hardware-in-the-loop is conducted to evaluate the adaptive and real-time characteristics of the designed energy management system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to provide a scientific basis for the comprehensive utilization of the aerial parts of Astragalus membranaceus (APAM). UPLC-Qtrap HRMS was used to identify secondary metabolites in APAM and Astragali Radix (AR), the pharmacological effects of them in N-acetyl phenylhydrazine (APH) and cyclophosphamide (Cy)-induced mice were studied by using 1H NMR-based metabolomics. The results showed that the secondary metabolites of APAM and AR were different, but that there was no difference in the contents of eight constituent flavonoids and four constituent saponins, which were 0.8800 and 4.4351 mg/g in APAM and 0.8944 and 4.6422 mg/g in AR, respectively. APAM and AR induced beneficial effects on the recovery of body weight, blood parameters, viscera indices, Na+-K+-ATPase, and Ca2+-Mg2+-ATPase, the blood-enriching mechanisms of them were probably related to valine, leucine, and isoleucine biosynthesis, D-glutamine and D-glutamate metabolism, alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism, and taurine and hypotaurine metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precise satellite clock corrections are the key elements for the implementation of Real-Time Precise Point Positioning (RTPPP). To fully promote the capability of multi-GNSS RTPPP, an efficient method is proposed for the precise estimation of multi-GNSS high-rate satellite clock corrections in real time. Different from the epoch-differenced methods in the current literature, the proposed method is based on undifferenced observations and the function models are established to achieve high processing efficiency and full-parameter accessibility at the same time. In the proposed method, main data processing is performed based on two function models: the full-parameter (FP) model and the high-rate (HR) model. In the FP model, both code and phase observations are used, mainly for the estimation of the large number of phase ambiguities, which is actually the most time-consuming part in clock estimation. In the HR model, high-rate clock corrections are estimated with only phase observations, in which the latest ambiguity estimates and corresponding variance information obtained from the FP model are introduced as phase corrections to reduce the size of the normal equations and guarantee high processing efficiency for the HR processing. With the proposed method, real-time estimation of high-rate (1 Hz) clock corrections for a quad-system (GPS/GLONASS/Galileo/BeiDou) solution with real-time streams has been realized and validated. Satellite clock corrections are encoded to state-space representative corrections and broadcasted to the user side to support multi-GNSS RTPPP. Results show that the proposed method is highly efficient and can provide 1 Hz or even higher-rate clock corrections for multi-GNSS in real time. Quad-system real-time satellite clocks are compared with the post-processed products from GFZ. Positioning performances of RTPPP, including positioning accuracy and convergence speed, have also been validated and analyzed. All the results show that the proposed method is effective, efficient, accurate and promising in multi-GNSS real-time high-rate clock estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increase of drilling depth, the stability of the borehole in deep fractured formation has received more and more attention. The exploration and development of fractured formations is difficult, because complex conditions such as borehole collapse, circulation loss, pipe-sticking occur frequently, causing huge economic losses and affecting the later drilling operations. Therefore, it is very important to study the stability of fractured formation. Observations of the microstructural characteristics and mechanics performance testing reveal the influence of fracture on the mechanical properties of limestone and enable the establishment of a model of collapse pressure as a function of fracture strike (the angle between the fracture and the maximum horizontal principal stress). The results showed that the fractures have great influence on the mechanical strength of rock and that the compressive strength of rock containing fractures is ∼30% lower than that of bedrock on average. The influence of different fracture strikes on the stability of the borehole varies, with a maximum effect occurring for fracture orientation of 40°–60°. The model of fractured formation collapse pressure is consistent with the results of mechanical experiments. This research results provide a guiding value for stability studies of fractured formations. • Development of fractures has a great influence on the mechanical strength of fractured formation rock. • When the fracture strike is between 40 ° and 60°, it has the greatest influence on the mechanical strength of rock. • Establish a model of collapse pressure with different fracture strike. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photochromic materials as a new class of multifunctional materials have received much attention owing to their potential applications in many fields. In order to investigate the electron-transfer photochromic behaviour of coordination polymers, two new coordination polymers based on the electron-deficient naphthalene diimide (NDI) and dicarboxylate ligand, namely [Zn 2 (DPNDI)(TPDC) 2 ] (1) [Cd 6 (DPNDI)(TPDC) 6 (DMF) 6 ] (2) (DPNDI = N,N ′-di(3-pyridyl)-1,4,5,8-naphthalene tetracarboxydiimide, H 2 TPDC = thiophene-2,5-dicarboxylic acid, DMF = N,N′-dimethylformamide), were synthesized under solvothermal condition and were characterized by elemental analysis, IR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analyses, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Complex 1 is a three-dimensional coordination with rhombus channels, whereas complex 2 shows a sandwiched layer structure. Because of the presence of electron-deficient NDI moieties, complexes 1 and 2 can easily undergo photoinduced electron transfer and eye-detectable photochromic behaviour. Moreover, their luminescence can be switched by UV–Vis light irradiation and standing in the air. Two naphthalene diimide based coordination complexes exhibit the rare discoloured function of reversible photochromism. Interestingly, their luminescence performance can be switched by UV–Vis light irradiation and standing in the air. Image 1 • Two electron-transfer coordination polymer based on electron-deficient naphthalene diimide. • 3D structure with 1D channel. • Complexes 1 and 2 exhibit the eye-detectable photochromic phenomenon. • Their luminescence performance can be switched by UV–Vis light irradiation and standing in air. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A highly regioselective C(sp2)‐P(O) cleavage of allenylphosphine oxides mediated by I2/TBHP is achieved for the first time. The divergent pathway via cleavage of (Ph)C−P(O) or (allene)C−P(O) modulated by substituents, renders the formation of 4‐iodo‐2‐phenyl‐5H‐1,2‐oxa‐phosphole 2‐oxide and α‐iodoenone derivatives, respectively. A plausible mechanism through radical pathways, along with the cleavage of phenyl and diphenylphosphine oxide moieties, are verified by the trapping experiments and 18O‐isotopic labeling studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To decode the A‐site substitution effect on the reactivity of Al‐based spinel complex oxides, a series of AAl2O4 (A=Cu, Co, Ni, Zn) compounds were manufactured and tested by toluene combustion. It was confirmed that a pure spinel crystalline phase has been successfully synthesized for all the catalysts. The toluene and CO oxidation activity are sequenced as CuAl2O4>CoAl2O4>NiAl2O4>ZnAl2O4. As discovered, both active surface O2− and acid sites are the two critical factors to determine the reactivity, which can adsorb and activate the reactants effectively to form active intermediates, possibly following a Mars‐van‐Krevelen pathway. The activity improves positively with the amount increasing of these two kinds of active sites, thus showing an evident A‐site replacement effect. CuAl2O4 owns the biggest numbers of these two kinds of active sites, thereby exhibiting the optimal catalytic activity. Moreover, it also shows good stability in a dry feed, and considerable ability to resist water vapor and sulfur poisoning. In‐situ DRIFTS results have indicated that benzyl, benzoate, benzaldehyde and benzoquinone might be the major reaction intermediates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Removal of heavy metals from water and soil is a pressing challenge in environmental engineering, and biosorption by microorganisms is considered as one of the most cost-effective methods. In this study, the metal-binding proteins MerR and ChrB derived from Cupriavidus metallidurans were separately expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 to construct adsorption strains. To improve the adsorption performance, surface display and codon optimization were carried out. Results: In this study, we constructed 24 adsorption engineering strains for Hg2+ and Cr6+, utilizing different strategies. Among these engineering strains, the M'-002 and B-008 had the strongest heavy metal ion absorption ability. The M'-002 used the flexible linker and INPN to display the merRopt at the surface of the E. coli BL21, whose maximal adsorption capacity reached 658.40 μmol/g cell dry weight under concentrations of 300 μM Hg2+. And the B-008 overexpressed the chrB in the intracellular, its maximal capacity was 46.84 μmol/g cell dry weight under concentrations 500 μM Cr6+. While in the case of mixed ions solution (including Pb2+, Cd2+, Cr6+ and Hg2+), the total amount of ions adsorbed by M'-002 and B-008 showed an increase of up to 1.14- and 4.09-folds, compared to the capacities in the single ion solution. Conclusion: The construction and optimization of heavy metal adsorption strains were carried out in this work. A comparison of the adsorption behavior between single bacteria and mixed bacteria systems was investigated in both a single ion and a mixed ion environment. The Hg2+ absorption capacity is reached the highest reported to date with the engineered strain M'-002, which displayed the merRopt at the surface of chassis cell, indicating the strain's potential for its application in practical environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We analyze the therapeutic potential of PP121 in acute gouty arthritis (AGA) • We create an AGA mouse model by injecting MSU crystal solution into mice feet. • PP121 reduces tissue damage and limits inflammatory reactions in the AGA model. • PP121 acts by limiting activity in NLRR3 inflammatory bodies through autophagy. • We present PP121 as a novel therapeutic candidate for AGA. Acute gouty arthritis (AGA) is a frequent self-limiting inflammatory condition produced by the deposition of monosodium urate (MSU) crystals in the joints and periarticular tissues of patients with hyperuricemia. However, no effective interventional measures currently exist for AGA. Pyroptosis, a kind of pro-inflammatory programmed cell death, plays a crucial role in MSU crystal-induced inflammation and represents a potential treatment target for AGA. Therefore, we determined the therapeutic benefits and mechanism of PP121, a pyroptosis-related compound, on AGA. First, we injected an MSU crystal solution intra-articularly into the left foot pad of C57BL/6 mice to create an AGA mouse model. Subsequent treatment with PP121 substantially decreased tissue damage, pro-inflammatory cytokine release, and inflammatory cell infiltration caused by MSU crystals in the ankle joint. Consistent with these observations, the beneficial effects of PP121 on AGA were cancelled in Beclin1 +/−(Becn1+/−) mice. Furthermore, after PP121 treatment, super-resolution microscopy revealed a strong relationship between lysosome-connected membrane protein/light chain 3 positive vesicles and the nucleotide-binding domain of leucine-rich family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLPR3), demonstrating that PP121 promotes phagocytosis of the NLPR3 inflammasome. In summary, PP121-mediated autophagy can improve degradation of the NLRR3 inflammasome in AGA, which suggests the therapeutic potential of PP121 in AGA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the effects of plasma treatment on supported precious metals for VOCs combustion, a series of 1%Pd/Al 2 O 3 catalysts were synthesized by DBD plasma treating in different working gases (H 2 /Ar, O 2 , N 2 , Air) and with reversed calcination sequences. It is revealed that both the working gas and treating sequence can alter the Pd dispersion degree, valence states and the concentration of surface acid sites, which subsequently impacts the catalytic activity. Usually, a Pd/Al 2 O 3 catalyst with a higher active Pd surface area shows higher toluene combustion activity, due to the promoted ability to adsorb and activate toluene molecules. Therefore, Pd dispersion degree is the main factor to determine the reactivity of Pd/Al 2 O 3 catalysts. Moreover, H 2 /Ar plasma treating can effectively create Pd0 sites, which is favorable to toluene and O 2 molecule adsorption and activition. Due to the combination of these two factors, 1%Pd/Al 2 O 3 -C-H 2 P displays the best activity among all the samples. [Display omitted] • Both DBD plasma treating gas and treating order impact the activity of Pd/Al 2 O 3. • Pd/Al 2 O 3 treated in H 2 /Ar after calcining shows the best toluene oxidation activity. • Plasma treating alters Pd dispersion and its valence state distribution. • Pd dispersion degree is the key factor to control the reactivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A highly chemo- and regioselective approach for the construction of ortho-amino triarylphosphine oxides has been achieved through a C–P cross-coupling reaction involving quinone imine ketals (QIKs) with Ar2P(O)H and catalyzed via a Lewis base. This alternative protocol provided a wide substrate scope with excellent yields (82–95%), and a variety of ortho-amino triarylphosphines were obtained with high yields (87–95%) via further reductive reaction. Furthermore, this reaction could be scaled-up and several synthetic transformations were accomplished for the construction of functionalized organophosphorus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physiologically based toxicokinetic (PBTK) model was firstly developed in female rats to quantitatively evaluate toxicokinetics of nonylphenol (NP). Changes in NP serum concentrations over time of single oral NP administration experiments in Sprague–Dawley rats and literature data were collected to establish and calibrate the PBTK model in the SimBiology framework. The calibrated model predicted the serum and tissue NP concentrations of repeat oral NP administration for model evaluation. NP concentrations in serum and tissues (liver, kidneys, adipose, brain, uterus and ovaries) were quantified using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The model output of the time course data (values are within the standard deviation defined for each data point) indicated proximity of predictions to reality. The coefficients of determination r2 were all greater than 0.9, and the root mean squared error (RMSE) were within 0.177–2.027, which means the model predicted and observed serum NP concentrations were in excellent agreement. The results indicated that the model could contribute to a simplification of the future exposure risk assessments of NP in a more realistic scenario and provided a better understanding of the disposition process of NP in human. • A PBTK model for NP was developed in rats to quantitatively evaluate toxicokinetics of NP. • The predictive power of the model was excellent after calibrating the model. • The developed model could contribute to a simplification of the exposure risk assessments of NP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Differential code biases (DCBs) account for the most significant systematical biases when sensing the earth's ionosphere with GNSS observations and are also important correction parameters in GNSS applications of positioning, navigation and timing. With the continuous modernization of the American GPS and Russian GLONASS systems, and also the rapid developments of the European Galileo and Chinese BeiDou systems, there is a strong demand of precise satellite DCB products for multiple constellations and frequencies. This study proposes a new method for the precise determination of multi-GNSS triple-frequency DCBs, which can be divided into three steps. The first step is to precisely retrieve slant ionospheric delays and "additional code biases" based on a newly established full-rank triple-frequency precise point positioning (PPP) model with raw observations. Both the slant ionospheric delays and "additional code biases" containing the DCBs need to be estimated. Then, an enhanced IGGDCB (IGG stands for Institute of Geodesy and Geophysics) method is used to estimate the DCBs between the first and second frequency bands with the PPP-derived slant ionospheric delays. At last, the previously estimated DCBs between the first and second frequency bands are substituted into the "additional code biases" and DCBs between the first and third frequency bands are estimated. Multi-GNSS slant ionospheric delays from the triple-frequency PPP method are compared with those from the traditional dual-frequency carrier-to-code level (CCL) method, in terms of formal precision and zero-baseline experiment. Quad-system average formal precisions are 0.08 and 0.41 TECU, for PPP and CCL methods, respectively, indicating the obvious improvements of PPP over CCL. One month of data from 60 globally distributed multi-GNSS experiment stations are selected, and totally eight types of DCBs are estimated for GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou. Multi-GNSS satellite DCBs generated with the proposed method are compared with the products from different agencies, including Center for Orbit Determination in Europe (CODE), Deutsches zentrum für Luft-und Raumfahrt (DLR) and Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). For GPS C1WC2 W DCBs, RMS values with respect to CODE products are 0.24, 0.07 and 0.09 ns for DLR, CAS and IGG (this study), respectively. RMS values are 0.31/0.25 and 0.19/0.15 ns, for GPS C1WC5X and C1WC5Q DCBs and with respect to DLR/CAS, respectively. For GLONASS C1PC2P DCBs, RMS values with respect to CODE are 0.68, 0.49 and 0.33 ns for DLR, CAS and IGG, respectively. For Galileo, RMS values are 0.16/0.20 and 0.13/0.14 ns, for C1XC5X and C1XC7X DCBs and with respect to DLR/CAS, respectively. For BeiDou, RMS values are 0.32/0.25 and 0.34/0.41, for C2IC7I and C2IC6I DCBs and with respect to DLR/CAS. These results show that the proposed method can provide multi-GNSS and multi-frequency satellite DCB estimation with high precision, processing efficiency and flexibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although electrocatalysts based on transition metal phosphides (TMPs) with cationic/anionic doping have been widely studied for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), the origin of performance enhancement still remains elusive mainly due to the random dispersion of dopants. Herein, we report a controllable partial phosphorization strategy to generate CoP species within the Co‐based metal‐organic framework (Co‐MOF). Density functional theory calculations and experimental results reveal that the electron transfer from CoP to Co‐MOF through N‐P/N‐Co bonds could lead to the optimized adsorption energy of H2O (ΔGH2O*) and hydrogen (ΔGH*), which, together with the unique porous structure of Co‐MOF, contributes to the remarkable HER performance with an overpotential of 49 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 in 1 m phosphate buffer solution (PBS, pH 7.0). The excellent catalytic performance exceeds almost all the documented TMP‐based and non‐noble‐metal‐based electrocatalysts. In addition, the CoP/Co‐MOF hybrid also displays Pt‐like performance in 0.5 m H2SO4 and 1 m KOH, with the overpotentials of 27 and 34 mV, respectively, at a current density of 10 mA cm−2. Co‐based MOF nanorods have been doped with CoP species through controlled partial phosphorization to promote electron transfer from CoP to Co‐MOF and achieve the optimal free energy of hydrogen adsorption. The resulting CoP/Co‐MOF hybrid exhibits extraordinary performance toward HER including pH‐universal Pt‐like activity and high stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although electrocatalysts based on transition metal phosphides (TMPs) with cationic/anionic doping have been widely studied for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), the origin of performance enhancement still remains elusive mainly due to the random dispersion of dopants. Herein, we report a controllable partial phosphorization strategy to generate CoP species within the Co‐based metal‐organic framework (Co‐MOF). Density functional theory calculations and experimental results reveal that the electron transfer from CoP to Co‐MOF through N‐P/N‐Co bonds could lead to the optimized adsorption energy of H2O (ΔGH2O*) and hydrogen (ΔGH*), which, together with the unique porous structure of Co‐MOF, contributes to the remarkable HER performance with an overpotential of 49 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm−2 in 1 m phosphate buffer solution (PBS, pH 7.0). The excellent catalytic performance exceeds almost all the documented TMP‐based and non‐noble‐metal‐based electrocatalysts. In addition, the CoP/Co‐MOF hybrid also displays Pt‐like performance in 0.5 m H2SO4 and 1 m KOH, with the overpotentials of 27 and 34 mV, respectively, at a current density of 10 mA cm−2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An alternative approach with eco-friendliness and high efficiency for the preparation of unsymmetrical diaryl sulfones has been developed. The strategy takes advantage of the reaction of sulfonyl hydrazides with quinone imine ketals catalyzed by DABCO (triethylenediamine) in ethanol. This transformation proceeds via a Lewis base promoted, direct 1,4-conjugate addition/sulfonylation/alcohol elimination reaction sequence. The protocol provides an efficient approach to access an array of diverse unsymmetrical diaryl and heterodiaryl sulfones, aryl alkyl sulfones and aryl vinyl sulfones in good to excellent yields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper studies a two-lane totally asymmetric simple exclusion processes with parallel update rule. The particles move with the same direction on the two lanes. When the particles are blocked by the front particles, they will try to change to the other lane with probability p s if the corresponding site on the other lane is empty. The 2-cluster mean field approach is generalized to the two-lane system, which successfully takes into account the correlation. It is shown that the results of the 2-cluster mean field approach agree with the simulation results well. The phase diagram of open boundary is constructed by using the analytical results of periodic boundary condition. The analytical results are in preferable agreement with the simulation results. Highlights • A two lane totally asymmetric simple exclusion processes with full parallel update rule is studied. • The competition between the particles moving ahead and changing lane is considered. • An improved cluster mean field method has been proposed for the two lane system. • The phase diagram of open boundary is developed analytically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Ovariectomy (OVX) and a high-fat diet caused marked obesity in RAMP3-/- mice. • RAMP3-/- OVX mice exhibited insulin resistance. • White adipose tissue (WAT) from RAMP3-/- OVX mice showed enhanced inflammation. • Hepatic steatosis was exacerbated in RAMP3-/- OVX mice. • Expression of GPR30 was downregulated in WAT from RAMP3-/- OVX mice. Abstract There is a marked increase in the incidence of visceral adiposity and insulin resistance among women following menopause. Adrenomedullin (AM) is an endogenous peptide first identified as a vasodilator, but now known to exert a variety of physiological effects. RAMP3 is a receptor activity-modifying protein that binds to the AM receptor (calcitonin receptor-like receptor). As expression of both AM and RAMP3 is reportedly activated by estrogen, we hypothesized that RAMP3 is crucially involved in the pathophysiology of postmenopausal obesity. To test this idea, we compared the effects of ovariectomy (OVX) and a high-fat diet for 10 weeks (a model of postmenopausal obesity) between RAMP3 knockout (RAMP3-/-) and wild-type mice. RAMP3-/- OVX mice exhibited greater obesity and adipose tissue weight gain as compared to wild-type OVX mice. RAMP3-/- OVX mice also exhibited higher serum insulin levels. In periuterine WAT from RAMP3-/- OVX mice, expression of lipolysis-related factors was lower and expression of inflammation-related factors was higher than in wild-type OVX mice. Hepatic steatosis was also exacerbated in RAMP3-/- OVX. Notably, expression of the membrane-type estrogen receptor GPR30 was downregulated in periuterine WAT from RAMP3-/- OVX mice. These findings raise the possibility that a GPR30-RAMP3 interaction is involved in the pathophysiology of postmenopausal obesity and suggest RAMP3 plays a key role in the regulation of energy metabolism and exerts a hepatoprotective effect in this model of postmenopausal obesity. RAMP3 may thus be a useful therapeutic target for treatment of postmenopausal obesity and metabolic disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work is focused on the design of drugs that prevent and treat diabetes and its complications. A novel class of stilbene derivatives were prepared by coupling NO donors of alkyl nitrate and were fully characterised by NMR and other techniques. These compounds were tested in vitro activity, including α-glucosidase inhibitory activity, aldose reductase (AR) inhibitory activity and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) formation inhibitory activity. A class of modified compounds could play a significant effect for treatment of diabetic complications. Target compounds 3e and 7c offered a potential drug design concept for the development of therapeutic or preventive agents for diabetes and its complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precise Point Positioning (PPP) is an absolute positioning technology mainly used in post data processing. With the continuously increasing demand for real-time high-precision applications in positioning, timing, retrieval of atmospheric parameters, etc., Real-Time PPP (RTPPP) and its applications have drawn more and more research attention in recent years. This study focuses on the models, algorithms and ionospheric applications of RTPPP on the basis of raw observations, in which high-precision slant ionospheric delays are estimated among others in real time. For this purpose, a robust processing strategy for multi-station RTPPP with raw observations has been proposed and realized, in which real-time data streams and State-Space-Representative (SSR) satellite orbit and clock corrections are used. With the RTPPP-derived slant ionospheric delays from a regional network, a real-time regional ionospheric Vertical Total Electron Content (VTEC) modeling method is proposed based on Adjusted Spherical Harmonic Functions and a Moving-Window Filter. SSR satellite orbit and clock corrections from different IGS analysis centers are evaluated. Ten globally distributed real-time stations are used to evaluate the positioning performances of the proposed RTPPP algorithms in both static and kinematic modes. RMS values of positioning errors in static/kinematic mode are 5.2/15.5, 4.7/17.4 and 12.8/46.6 mm, for north, east and up components, respectively. Real-time slant ionospheric delays from RTPPP are compared with those from the traditional Carrier-to-Code Leveling (CCL) method, in terms of function model, formal precision and between-receiver differences of short baseline. Results show that slant ionospheric delays from RTPPP are more precise and have a much better convergence performance than those from the CCL method in real-time processing. 30 real-time stations from the Asia-Pacific Reference Frame network are used to model the ionospheric VTECs over Australia in real time, with slant ionospheric delays from both RTPPP and CCL methods for comparison. RMS of the VTEC differences between RTPPP/CCL method and CODE final products is 0.91/1.09 TECU, and RMS of the VTEC differences between RTPPP and CCL methods is 0.67 TECU. Slant Total Electron Contents retrieved from different VTEC models are also validated with epoch-differenced Geometry-Free combinations of dual-frequency phase observations, and mean RMS values are 2.14, 2.33 and 2.07 TECU for RTPPP method, CCL method and CODE final products, respectively. This shows the superiority of RTPPP-derived slant ionospheric delays in real-time ionospheric VTEC modeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This brief proposes a real-time energy management approach for a hybrid tracked vehicle to adapt to different driving conditions. To characterize different route segments online, an onboard learning algorithm for Markov Chain models is employed to generate transition probability matrices of power demand. The induced matrix norm is presented as an initialization criterion to quantify differences between multiple transition probability matrices and to determine when to update them at specific road segment. Since a series of control policies are available onboard for the hybrid tracked vehicle, the induced matrix norm is also employed to choose an appropriate control policy that matches the current driving condition best. To accelerate the convergence rate in Markov Chain-based control policy computation, a reinforcement learning-enabled energy management strategy is derived by using speedy Q-learning algorithm. Simulation is carried out on two driving cycles. And results indicate that the proposed energy management strategy can greatly improve the fuel economy and be employed in real-time when compared with the stochastic dynamic programming and conventional RL approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background & Aims: Genetic defects causing dysfunction in bile salt export pump (BSEP/ABCB11) lead to liver diseases. ABCB11 mutations alter the bile acid metabolome. We asked whether profiling plasma bile acids could reveal compensatory mechanisms and track genetic and clinical status. Methods: We compared plasma bile acids in 17 ABCB11‐mutated patients, 35 healthy controls and 12 genetically undiagnosed cholestasis patients by ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography/multiple‐reaction monitoring‐mass spectrometry (UPLC/MRM‐MS). We developed an index to rank bile acid hydrophobicity, and thus toxicity, based on LC retention times. We recruited 42 genetically diagnosed hereditary cholestasis patients, of whom 12 were presumed to have impaired BSEP function but carried mutations in genes other than ABCB11, and 8 healthy controls, for further verification. Results: The overall hydrophobicity indices of total bile acids in both the ABCB11‐mutated group (11.89 ± 1.07 min) and the undiagnosed cholestasis group (11.46 ± 1.07 min) were lower than those of healthy controls (13.69 ± 0.77 min) (both p < 0.005). This was owing to increased bile acid modifications. Secondary bile acids were detected in patients without BSEP expression, suggesting biliary bile acid secretion through alternative routes. A diagnostic panel comprising lithocholic acid (LCA), tauro‐LCA, glyco‐LCA and hyocholic acid was identified that could differentiate the ABCB11‐mutated cohort from healthy controls and undiagnosed cholestasis patients (AUC=0.946, p < 0.0001) and, in non‐ABCB11‐mutated cholestasis patients, could distinguish BSEP dysfunction from normal BSEP function (9/12 vs 0/38, p < 0.0000001). Conclusions: Profiling of plasma bile acids has provided insights into cholestasis alleviation and may be useful for the clinical management of cholestatic diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fouling of ultrafiltration (UF) and nanofiltration (NF) membranes during the treatment of surface waters continues to be of concern and the particular role of natural organic matter (NOM) requires further investigation. In this study the effect of pH and surface charge on membrane fouling during the treatment of samples of a representative surface water (Hyde Park recreational lake) were evaluated, together with the impact of pre-ozonation. While biopolymers in the surface water could be removed by the UF membrane, smaller molecular weight (MW) fractions of NOM were poorly removed, confirming the importance of membrane pore size. For NF membranes the removal of smaller MW fractions (800 Da–10 kDa) was less than expected from their pore size; however, nearly all of the hydrophobic, humic-type substances could be removed by the hydrophilic NF membranes for all MW distributions (greater than 90%). The results indicated the importance of the charge and hydrophilic nature of the NOM. Thus, the hydrophilic NF membrane could remove the hydrophobic organic matter, but not the hydrophilic substances. Increasing charge effects (more negative zeta potentials) with increasing solution pH were found to enhance organics removal and reduce fouling (flux decline), most likely through greater membrane surface repulsion. Pre-ozonation of the surface water increased the hydrophilic fraction and anionic charge of NOM and altered their size distributions. This resulted in a decreased fouling (less flux decline) for the UF and smaller pore NF, but a slight increase in fouling for the larger pore NF. The differences in the NF behavior are believed to relate to the relative sizes of ozonated organic fractions and the NF pores; a similar size of ozonated organic fractions and the NF pores causes significant membrane fouling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Cd 0.9 Zn 0.1 S nanorods are grown on Ti 3 C 2 MXene to construct Cd 0.9 Zn 0.1 S/Ti 3 C 2 composites. • Cd 0.9 Zn 0.1 S/Ti 3 C 2 composite achieves the high hydrogen production rate of 4.50 mmol·h−1·g−1. • The transfer of photogenerated carriers from Cd 0.9 Zn 0.1 S nanorods to Ti 3 C 2 MXene is achieved. • The good electrical conductivity and large surface area of Ti 3 C 2 MXene are advantageous to photocatalysis. Ti 3 C 2 MXene as a high electrical conductivity with a large surface area, is widely used as a co-catalyst. In this work, 1D Cd 0.9 Zn 0.1 S nanorods (NRs) are grown on the surface of 2D Ti 3 C 2 MXene nanosheets (NSs) to construct 1D/2D Cd 0.9 Zn 0.1 S/Ti 3 C 2 nanocomposites, which reduce the stacking of Ti 3 C 2 MXene and increase the layer spacing. Cd 0.9 Zn 0.1 S/Ti 3 C 2 nanocomposite with 5 wt% Ti 3 C 2 MXene adding amount achieves the hydrogen production rate of 4.50 mmol·h−1·g−1, which is 1.7 times than that of pure Cd 0.9 Zn 0.1 S (2.65 mmol·h−1·g−1). The remarkable enhancement of its photocatalytic activity is mostly attributed to three factors. Firstly, the electron-hole separation and charge transfer on the heterojunction between 1D Cd 0.9 Zn 0.1 S NRs and Ti 3 C 2 MXene. Secondly, the 1D Cd 0.9 Zn 0.1 S nanorod structure can shorten the carrier transfer distance. Thirdly, the good electrical conductivity and large surface area of Ti 3 C 2 MXene nanosheets are advantageous to the separation and transfer of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and increase the reaction sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porcine astrovirus (PAstV) is a common cause of diarrhea in swine farms. The current understanding of the molecular virology and pathogenesis of PAstV is incomplete, especially due to the limited functional tools available. Here, ten sites in the open reading frame 1b (ORF1b) of the PAstV genome were determined to tolerate random 15 nt insertions based on the infectious full-length cDNA clones of PAstV using transposon-based insertion-mediated mutagenesis of three selected regions of the PAstV genome. Insertion of the commonly used Flag tag into seven of the ten insertion sites allowed the production of infectious viruses and allowed their recognition by specifically labeled monoclonal antibodies. Indirect immunofluorescence showed that the Flag-tagged ORF1b protein partially overlapped with the coat protein within the cytoplasm. An improved light-oxygen-voltage (iLOV) gene was also introduced into these seven sites, and only one viable recombinant virus that expressed the iLOV reporter gene at the B2 site was recovered. Biological analysis of the reporter viruses showed that these exhibited similar growth characteristics to the parental virus, but they produced fewer infectious virus particles and replicated at a slower rate. The recombinant viruses containing iLOV fused to ORF1b protein, which maintained their stability and displayed green fluorescence for up to three generations after passaging in cell culture. The porcine astroviruses (PAstVs) expressing iLOV were then used to assess the in vitro antiviral activities of mefloquine hydrochloride and ribavirin. Altogether, the recombinant PAstVs expressing iLOV can be used as a reporter virus tool for the screening of anti-PAstV drugs as well as the investigation of PAstV replication and the functional activities of proteins in living cells. • Ten sites that can accommodate foreign gene insertion were screened in PAstV ORF1b. • The recombinant PAstV harboring Flag tags and iLOV gene were rescued. • rMCMV-ORF1b-B2-iLOV could be used for the screen of novel anti-PAstV drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intra/extracellular ion content affects the growth and metastasis of tumor cells, as well as the efficacy of various antitumor therapies. Herein, a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor (CAI) is loaded onto pH‐responsive calcium carbonate (CaCO3) nanoparticles and then modify theses nanoparticles with liposomes to obtain biocompatible CaCO3/CAI@Lipsome (CCL) for enhance tumor radio‐immunotherapy. CCL can specially decompose in tumor microenvironment, releasing calcium ion (Ca2+) and CAI, as well as increasing the pH value of extracellular fluid. CAI restrains the flow of hydrogen ion (H+) inside and outside the tumor cells, resulting in the reversal of tumor acidic microenvironment and the increase of intracellular H+, both of which can improve the sensitivity of tumor to radiotherapy. Afterward, the increased intracellular H+ together with radiotherapy‐causes reactive oxygen species promotes calcium influx, leading to cellular calcium overload. Moreover, the CCL‐tailored content of H+ and Ca2+ strengthens radiotherapy‐induced immunogenic cell death and dendritic cell maturation, amplifying systemic anti‐tumor adaptive immunity. Meanwhile, macrophages in the CCL‐treated tumors are polarized from pro‐tumor M2 to anti‐tumor M1 under X‐ray exposure, owing to the neutralization of tumor acidic microenvironment and enhances Ca2+ content. Therefore, multi‐directional regulation of the intra/extra tumor cell pH/calcium by simple nano‐preparation would provide a powerful way to improve the efficacy of radio‐immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effective governance of Hg2+ in environmental wastewater is of profound significance to deal with the global pollution issues. However, the present methodologies usually only focused on a single function of either detection or removal, which encounters severe secondary pollution and cumbersome operation cost, while the integration of Hg2+ detection, removal, and recovery in one process is barely realized. In this study, an All‐In‐One photoelectrochemical system is built combining the detection, removal, and recovery of Hg2+ pollutant in a single process, by ingeniously developing a fundamental principle, namely alloying‐induced plasmonic quenching mechanism in Schottky heterostructures. Briefly, the high‐efficiency removal and recovery of Hg2+ in wastewater is realized via the favorable alloying of Hg in Ag nanoparticles that well‐dispersed on the free‐standing WO3 nanoplate networks. The formation of Ag–Hg alloy future leads to a remarkable plasmonic quenching effect of the Ag nanoparticles, which is used to modulate the photoelectrochemical singles to realize the high‐precision detection. Through this ingenious design, an ultralow Hg2+ detection limit of 0.296 nm is achieved with a broad detection range up to 12.5 µm, and meanwhile realize a removal/recovery rate of 100% in single Hg2+ solution and 97 ± 2% in industrial wastewater with multiple contamination ions. The detection and removal/recovery performance parameters reported in the study are much better as compared to the recently reported single function detection or removal/recovery systems. This work opens a fresh avenue in tackling the problem of heavy metal pollution using plasmonic Schottky heterostructure based All‐In‐One systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integer ambiguity resolution enabled precise point positioning (PPP-RTK) has been proven advantageous in a wide range of applications. The realization of PPP-RTK concerns the isolation of satellite phase biases (SPBs) and other corrections from a network of Global Positioning System (GPS) reference receivers. This is generally based on Kalman filter in order to achieve real-time capability, in which proper modeling of the dynamics of various types of unknowns remains crucial. This paper seeks to gain insight into how to reasonably deal with the dynamic behavior of the estimable receiver phase biases (RPBs). Using dual-frequency GPS data collected at six colocated receivers over days 50-120 of 2015, we analyze the 30-s epoch-by-epoch estimates of L1 and wide-lane (WL) RPBs for each receiver pair. The dynamics observed in these estimates are a combined effect of three factors, namely the random measurement noise, the multipath and the ambient temperature. The first factor can be overcome by turning to a real-time filter and the second by considering the use of a sidereal filtering. The third factor has an effect only on the WL, and this effect appears to be linear. After accounting for these three factors, the low-pass-filtered, sidereal-filtered, epoch-by-epoch estimates of L1 RPBs follow a random walk process, whereas those of WL RPBs are constant over time. Properly modeling the dynamics of RPBs is vital, as it ensures the best convergence of the Kalman-filtered, between-satellite single-differenced SPB estimates to their correct values and, in turn, shortens the time-to-first-fix at user side. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A phosphine oxide‐directed intramolecular cyclization of phosphinyl allenes is established for the first time. The palladium‐catalyzed intramolecular cyclization provides an unprecedented cascade C−O cleavage and direct C−H alkenylation toward novel 3‐alkenyl benzo[b]phosphole oxides, along with broad group tolerance and high regioselectivity. Control experiments and mechanistic studies explain the sequential performance of C(sp3)‐OAr cleavage and P=O directed C(sp2)‐H activation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to reduce the blindness in developing a new skeletal mechanism, a chaos genetic algorithm (CGA) is proposed for optimizing the progress of reaction rates adjustment against traditional manual operator. By this way, an optimized mechanism has been generated from a skeletal mechanism including 112 species and 498 reactions, which was reduced from a detailed mechanism consisting of 3299 species and 10806 reactions. CGA is composed by important reactions determination, fitness function building, and chaos genetic compilation. To test the applicability of the optimized biodiesel skeletal mechanism, it has been validated by 0-D ignition delay prediction and 3-D engine simulation and experiment data. Results indicate that the ignition delay error of the optimized mechanism is smaller than the skeletal mechanism by comparing with the detailed mechanism. The optimized mechanism can simulate MD and MD9D ignition behavior over a wide range of common conditions. The 3-D engine prediction results also indicated that the optimized mechanism can better present the in-cylinder combustion characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations Ni-Ti based on a second nearest neighbor modified embedded-atom method potential were performed to study atomic-scale mechanical behavior and microstructural evolution of Ni-Ti alloy at different temperatures. By using four calculated characteristic transformation temperatures, the optimum simulated temperature ranges were determined. At temperatures lower than M s , a thermally induced self-accommodating martensitic phase consisting of three variants formed. Each of the two variants was twin structures. In the subsequent loading process, the most favorable variant grew with the movement of interfaces among the variants, which produced remnants of the residual strain after unloading. After heating up to over A f , the residual strain disappeared and the shape recovered to the original. The shape memory effect under austenite state was also performed, wherein the sample exhibited a typical stress–strain temperature curve and remained in a martensitic state after unloading. After heating at a high temperature, the martensite transformed back into its parent phase accompanied with the recovery of residual strain. The material exhibited superelastic behavior above A f , and the critical transformation stress increased with increased temperature. Some parts of B2 structures remained at the end of the plateau stage and continued transforming into martensites during the hardening stage for both T > A f and M s < T < A f . The critical stresses for transformation satisfied the Clausius–Clapeyron relationship at T  >  M s . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Choriocarcinoma is a malignant gestational trophoblastic disease and relapse or drug resistance occurs in ~25% of gestational trophoblastic tumors. Cell apoptosis serves a role in the progression from hydatidiform mole to persistent gestational trophoblastic disease. It has been demonstrated that daidzein [7‑hydroxy‑3‑(4‑hydroxyphenyl)‑4H‑chromen‑4‑one] may induce apoptosis in a number of cancer types via the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway by altering the B‑cell lymphoma (Bcl)‑2/Bcl‑2 associated X, apoptosis regulator (Bax) ratio, and activating the caspase cascade. Daidzein also serves a role in regulation of production of human chorionic gonadotropin in trophoblast cells and inhibition of cell proliferation. However, few reports have been published regarding the effect of daidzein on apoptosis in choriocarcinoma. Therefore, in the present study, JAR and JEG‑3 human gestational choriocarcinoma cells were used to investigate the effect of daidzein on apoptosis of choriocarcinoma cells. Treatment with daidzein for 48 h reduced cell viability in a dose‑dependent manner. The percentages of early and late apoptotic cells also increased following treatment with daidzein in a dose‑dependent manner, with the number of late apoptotic cells increasing more prominently. Furthermore, treatment with daidzein led to apoptosis‑associated alterations in nuclear morphology of JAR and JEG-3 cells. Expression levels of cleaved poly(ADP‑ribose) polymerase, cleaved caspase‑3 and cleaved caspase‑9 increased following treatment with daidzein, whereas the Bcl‑2/Bax ratio decreased in a dose‑dependent manner. In conclusion, the results of the present study demonstrate that daidzein may induce apoptosis of choriocarcinoma cells in a dose‑dependent manner via the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Naphthalene diimides are attracting considerable interest because of their tunable luminescent properties, which are generally achieved by the incorporation of electron-donating moieties into naphthalene diimides core to form donor-acceptor compounds through covalent bond. However, this method is an elaborate strategy because the separation of byproduct is tedious. Here we report that the luminescent properties of naphthalene diimides can be finely modulated by supramolecular cocrystal formation. Through the donor-acceptor interactions between the electron-deficient N,N ′-di-(4-pyridyl)-1,4,5,8-naphthalene diimide (DPNDI) molecules and electron-rich naphthalene derivatives (guest), a series of cocrystal complexes are successfully fabricated. These cocrystal complexes show guest-dependent color-tunable emissions, which originate from the excited state charge transfer interactions between the DPNDI and naphthalene derivatives in the solid state. The present study anticipates providing a new method for the design of various new types of organic luminescent materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multidrug resistance (MDR) limits the application of a large number of cancer-fighting agents in clinical therapy. One reason is that P-glycoprotein (Pgp) efflux pumps are usually overexpressed and lead to drug efflux in the cancer cells, which limits the viability of many chemotherapeutics. Current available inhibitors which block the Pgp pump efflux are usually not widely used in clinical practice, because they change other drug pharmacokinetic profiles or increase side effects. Here, through covalent linkage of cancer-targeting delocalized lipophilic cation FF and DNA-damaging drug nitrogen mustard chlorambucil (CLB), we rationally designed and synthesized a tumor-targeting anticancer agent FFCLB. And we found and proved that the FFCLB was capable of reducing the outflow of Pgp substrates efficiently. This conjugate selectively improves adriamycin uptake and toxicity through reducing MDR1 mRNA and Pgp protein expression. Based on molecular targeted strategy, this study can facilitate the discovery of superior MDR reducing agents to provide a more effective and safer way of resensitizing MDR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the era of data explosion coming, multidimensional visualization, as one of the most helpful data analysis technologies, is more frequently applied to the tasks of multidimensional data analysis. Correlation analysis is an efficient technique to reveal the complex relationships existing among the dimensions in multidimensional data. However, for the multidimensional data with complex dimension features,traditional correlation analysis methods are inaccurate and limited. In this paper, we introduce the improved Pearson correlation coefficient and mutual information correlation analysis respectively to detect the dimensions’ linear and non-linear correlations. For the linear case,all dimensions are classified into three groups according to their distributions. Then we correspondingly select the appropriate parameters for each group of dimensions to calculate their correlations. For the non-linear case,we cluster the data within each dimension. Then their probability distributions are calculated to analyze the dimensions’ correlations and dependencies based on the mutual information correlation analysis. Finally,we use the relationships between dimensions as the criteria for interactive ordering of axes in parallel coordinate displays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Naphthalene diimides, which are planar, chemically robust and redox-active, are an attractive class of electron-deficient dyes, which can undergo a single reversible one-electron reduction to form stable radical anions in the presence of electron donors upon irradiation. This makes them excellent candidates for organic linkers in the construction of photochromic coordination polymers. Such a photochromic one-dimensional linear coordination polymer has been prepared using N, N′-bis(3-carboxyphenyl)naphthalene-1,8:4,5-tetracarboximide (H2BBNDI). Crystallization of H2BBNDI with magnesium nitrate in an N, N′-dimethylformamide (DMF)/ethanol/H2O mixed-solvent system under solvothermal conditions afforded the one-dimensional coordination polymer catena-poly[[bis(dimethylformamide-κ O)magnesium(II)]-bis[μ- N-(3-carboxylatophenyl)- N′-(3-carboxylphenyl)naphthalene-1,8:4,5-tetracarboximide-κ2 O: O′]], [Mg(C28H13N2O8)2(C3H7NO)2] n. The asymmetric unit contains half of a magnesium cation, one HBBNDI− ligand and one DMF molecule. Two partially deprotonated HBBNDI− ligands bridge two magnesium cations to form a one-dimensional chain. Strong inter-chain π-π interactions between the naphthalene rings of the HBBNDI− ligand and the imide rings of adjacent chains provide a two-dimensional structure. The supramolecular three-dimensional framework is stabilized by π-π interactions between naphthalene rings of neighbouring two-dimensional supramolecular networks. The complex exhibits a reversible photochromic behaviour, which may originate from the photoinduced electron-transfer generation of radicals in the HBBNDI− ligand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A joint-processing model for multi-GNSS (GPS, GLONASS, BDS and GALILEO) precise point positioning (PPP) is proposed, in which raw code and phase observations are used. In the proposed model, inter-system biases (ISBs) and GLONASS code inter-frequency biases (IFBs) are carefully considered, among which GLONASS code IFBs are modeled as a linear function of frequency numbers. To get the full rank function model, the unknowns are re-parameterized and the estimable slant ionospheric delays and ISBs/IFBs are derived and estimated simultaneously. One month of data in April, 2015 from 32 stations of the International GNSS Service (IGS) Multi-GNSS Experiment (MGEX) tracking network have been used to validate the proposed model. Preliminary results show that RMS values of the positioning errors (with respect to external double-difference solutions) for static/kinematic solutions (four systems) are 6.2 mm/2.1 cm (north), 6.0 mm/2.2 cm (east) and 9.3 mm/4.9 cm (up). One-day stabilities of the estimated ISBs described by STD values are 0.36 and 0.38 ns, for GLONASS and BDS, respectively. Significant ISB jumps are identified between adjacent days for all stations, which are caused by the different satellite clock datums in different days and for different systems. Unlike ISBs, the estimated GLONASS code IFBs are quite stable for all stations, with an average STD of 0.04 ns over a month. Single-difference experiment of short baseline shows that PPP ionospheric delays are more precise than traditional leveling ionospheric delays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Automotive Li-ion cells are becoming much larger and thicker in order to reduce the cell count and increase battery reliability, posing a new challenge to battery heating from the cold ambient due to poor through-plane heat transfer across a cell's multiple layers of electrodes and separators. In this work, widely used heating methods, including internal heating using the cell's resistance and external heating by resistive heaters, are compared with the recently developed self-heating Li-ion battery (SHLB) with special attention to the heating speed and maximum local temperature critical to battery safety. Both conventional methods are found to be slow due to low heating power required to maintain battery safety. The heating power in the external heating method is limited by the risk of local over-heating, in particular for thick cells. As a result, the external heating method is restricted to ∼20 min slow heating for a 30 °C temperature rise. In contrast, the SHLB is demonstrated to reach a heating speed of 1–2 °C/sec, ∼40 times faster for large-size thick cells, with nearly 100% heating efficiency and spatially uniform heating free from safety concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first enantioselective conjugate additions of problematic aromatic ketones and acetone to nitrodienynes have been achieved by employing a chiral multifunctional primary amine catalyst recently developed by us. The reactions took place in a 1,4-manner. Furthermore, by utilizing the resulting chiral functionalized 1,3-enynes as a starting point, we have developed unprecedented p-toluenesulfonic acid-catalyzed tandem annulations, which allow the efficient and selective construction of various synthetically useful cyclic 1,5-diketones (R=Ar) and dienones (R=Me). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modeling method investigation about spindle thermal errors is significant for spindle thermal optimization in design phase. To accurately analyze the thermal errors of motorized spindle unit, this paper assumes approximately that 1) spindle linear thermal error on axial direction is ascribed to shaft thermal elongation for its heat transfer from bearings, and 2) spindle linear thermal errors on radial directions and angular thermal errors are attributed to thermal variations of bearing relative ring displacements. Based on prerequisites, an analytical modeling method is developed to analyze these spindle thermal errors. Firstly, thermal-mechanical models of rotating ring geometry and interference assembled rotating ring geometries are established, for thermal variation modeling of relative ring displacements of short cylindrical roller bearing and angular contact ball bearing. Secondly, these thermal variation models are associated with heat-fluid-solid coupling FE (finite element) simulation technique, to model spindle linear thermal errors on radial/axial directions and angular thermal errors by the analytical simulation method. Consequently, verification experiments clarify that the presented method is accurate for spindle thermal errors modeling, and can be effectively applied into the design and development phases of motorized spindle units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 60-day culture experiment was designed to investigate the effect of dietary phosphatidylcholine/soybean lecithin (PC/SL) levels on survival, growth, body composition, antioxidant, and osmoregulation ability of early juvenile mud crab Scylla paramamosain. Six isonitrogenous and isolipidic experimental diets were formulated with five graded PC levels (0.1% (PC0.1), 0.5% (PC0.5), 1.0% (PC1.0), 2.0% (PC2.0), and 4.0% (PC4.0)) and one SL level (2.0%, SL2.0) to fed early juvenile S. paramamosain (8.70 ± 0.19 mg/crab). The results showed a significantly low survival in the PC0.1 group. Mud crabs obtained the highest growth performance in the PC2.0 and SL2.0 groups, but there was no significant difference with crabs in the PC0.5, PC1.0, and PC4.0 groups. The expression of the target of rapamycin (tor) gene was positively correlated with growth performance. The crab's whole-body crude lipid, triglyceride (TG), and total cholesterol (T-CHO) content rose significantly with increasing dietary PC levels. At the same time, the crab whole-body long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (lc-PUFA) proportion increased significantly, accompanied by a decrease in the proportion of C18:2n6. The expression of fatty acid synthesis-related genes decreased significantly with the increase in dietary PC levels. Dietary PC levels ≥1% significantly increased the antioxidant capacity of the mud crabs. Crabs obtained the highest total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities in the PC1.0 group; the catalase (CAT) activity was positively correlated with dietary PC levels; significantly lower malondialdehyde (MDA) content was found when dietary PC ≥ 1%. Na+/K+-ATPase (NKA) activity increased with increasing dietary PC levels, and the expression of Na+/K+/2Cl−-cotransporter (nkcc) and nka genes were also significantly elevated. The results of the salinity challenge showed that the crabs obtained the highest survival in the PC4.0 group. In summary, the second-order polynomial regression analysis of weight gain and specific growth rate showed that early juvenile S. paramamosain obtained the highest growth at a dietary PC level of 2.60–2.62%. • The optimum dietary PC was 2.60–2.62% for juvenile Scylla paramamosain. • Dietary PC improved the retention but not the synthesis of lc-PUFA in mud crabs. • Dietary PC improved antioxidant and osmoregulatory capacity of mud crabs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The placenta expressed transcript 1 (PLET1) gene, which is expressed in placentas of pigs and mice, has been found to have a potential role in trophoblast cell fate decision in mice. Results of this study showed that the porcine PLET1 mRNA and protein were expressed exclusively in trophoblast cells on Days 15, 26, 50, and 95 of gestation (gestation length in the pig is 114 days), indicating that the PLET1 could be a useful marker for porcine trophoblast cells. Additionally, PLET1 protein was found to be redistributed from cytoplasm to the apical side of trophoblast cells as gestation progresses, which suggests a role of PLET1 in the establishment of a stable trophoblast and endometrial epithelial layers. In addition, two transcripts that differ in the 3' UTR length but encode identical protein were identified to be generated by the alternative cleavage and polyadenylation (APA), and the expression of PLET1-L transcript was significantly upregulated in porcine placentas as gestation progresses. Furthermore, we demonstrated the interaction between the miR-365-3p and PLET1 gene using luciferase assay system. Our findings imply an important role of PLET1 in the placental development in pigs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new developed four-component biodiesel combustion skeletal mechanism comprising methyl decenoate, methyl-5-decenoate, n -decane and methyl linoleate is presented in this work, which could predict soot formation trends with varying fatty acid methyl esters proportion. It was established based on a detailed n -heptane mechanism, HACA-mechanism and our previously developed four-component biodiesel combustion skeletal mechanism without soot formation mechanism. This new developed mechanism consists of 134 species and 475 reactions. In order to validate the feasibility of this new skeletal mechanism, ignition delay testing, constant volume combustion chamber experiment testing and diesel engine experiment testing were performed. The result indicates that it is suitable to predict ignition behavior, flame lift-off length, soot shape and distribution, cylinder pressures, heat release rate and NO x emission trends of biodiesel with varying fatty acid methyl esters proportion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a cas e study of a 18-year-old man presented with a slow-growing, painful mass on the nasal dorsum and clinical examination revealed nonmobile mass on the dorsum of the nose with superficial ulceration and purulent discharge. It notes the punch biopsy taken from the mass itself, revealed eosinophilic inflammatory and infectious granulomas, suggesting angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia and subsequent treatment provided to the patient.