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Dialdehyde-based cross-linking agents are widely used in the cross-linking of amino group-containing macromolecules. However, the most commonly used cross-linking agents, glutaraldehyde (GA) and genipin (GP), have safety issues. In this study, a series of dialdehyde derivatives of polysaccharides (DADPs) were prepared by oxidation of polysaccharides, and their biocompatibility and cross-linking properties were tested using chitosan as a model macromolecule. The DADPs showed outstanding cross-linking and gelation properties comparable to GA and GP. The DADPs and hydrogels cross-linked with the DADPs exhibited excellent cytocompatibility and hemocompatibility with different concentrations while significant cytotoxicity was observed in GA and GP. The experimental results showed that the cross-linking effect of DADPs increased along with their oxidation degree. The outstanding cross-linking effect of the DADPs show a potential for use in the cross-linking of biomacromolecules with amino groups and could be an adequate alternative to existing cross-linkers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: N6-Methyladenosine (m6A) methylation is the most prevalent post-transcriptional modification in mRNA, and plays significant roles in various diseases. Nevertheless, the precise functions of m6A modification in the formation of ALI remain unclear. In this study we explore the transcriptome distribution of m6A methylation and its probable roles of in ALI. Methods: Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was utilized to establish an ALI mouse model. Real-time qPCR, Western blotting and m6A dot blot were utilized to assess m6A methylation level and the expression of m6A methylation enzymes. MeRIP-Seq and RNA-seq were utilized to explore differential m6A modifications and differentially expressed genes in ALI mice. The hub genes and enriched pathways were assessed by Real-time qPCR and Western blotting. Results: Our findings showed that overall m6A methylation level was increased in ALI mice lung tissues, accompanied by lower levels of METTL3 and FTO. Notably, the protein expression of these methylases were different in various cells. There were 772 differently expressed m6A peaks in ALI as compared to the control group, with 316 being hypermethylated and 456 being hypomethylated. GO and KEGG analyses demonstrated these differentially methylated genes were associated with the calcium signaling pathway and cAMP signaling pathway. Furthermore, we identified 50 genes with distinct m6A peaks and mRNA expressions by combined analysis of MeRIP-Seq and RNA-Seq. KEGG analysis also demonstrated that these overlapped genes were closely associated with the calcium signaling pathway, cGMP-PKG signaling pathway, etc. Besides, Western blotting results demonstrated that the protein expression of Fibronectin leucine-rich transmembrane protein 3 (Flrt3) as well as the calcium signaling pathway and cGMP-PKG signaling pathway, increased significantly after ALI. Conclusions: m6A modification was paramount in the pathogenesis of ALI, and provided a foundation for the further investigation in the prevention and treatment of ALI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Industrial production and humans cannot exist without energy, but the low efficiency of the heat transfer in the excessive use of energy is the most significant aspect of energy saving and emission reduction. Molecular dynamics simulation methods are devoted to simulate the heat transfer efficiency of a nanofluid system with different particle sizes, and the heat transfer enhancement mechanism of the nanofluid is simulated and studied from a microscopic perspective. The analysis showed that as nanoparticle size increases, the thermal conductivity of the Al–Ar nanofluid tends to decrease, but all of them are still higher than the thermal conductivity of the liquid argon system. According to the findings of the density and radial distribution function analyses, it can be seen that the microstructure of the system changes after putting solid nanoparticles to the original fluid. This alteration in the system's microstructure is the primary component responsible for the increased heat transfer efficiency of nanofluids. Methods: In this paper, based on the theory of molecular dynamics, the simulation calculations were mainly performed using LAMMPS software, which is a commonly used open source computational program in the field of MD simulation research. VMD is used for visualization and analysis. The Lennard–Jones potential function was used in the simulation to accurately describe the forces acting between the atoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effect of different salt ions on the gel properties and microstructure of Mesona blumes polysaccharide (MBP)-soy protein isolates (SPI) mixed gels were investigated. Sodium and calcium ions were chosen to explore their effects on the rheological behavior and gel properties of MBP-SPI mixed gels were evaluated by using rheological, X-ray diffraction, protein solubility determination, and microstructure analysis. Results showed that the addition of salt ions change the crystalline state of gels system, the crystal of gel was enhanced at low ion concentrations (0.005–0.01 M). The two peaks of gel characteristic at 8.9° and 19.9° almost disappeared at high salt ions concentrations (0.015–0.02 M), and new crystallization peaks appeared at around 30° and 45°. The elasticity, viscosity, gel strength, water holding capacity, and thermal stability of gel were increased at low ion concentration. Results showed that the main interactions which promoted gel formation and maintain the three-dimensional structure of the gel were electrostatic interactions, hydrophobic interactions, and disulfide interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an important part of All-Time star sensor design, the generation of the short-wave infrared (SWIR) guide star catalog is crucial to the system performance. The generation process needs estimation of the instrument magnitude and the guide star selection. Different from the commonly used star sensors, since the SWIR band is far away from the visual band and the detectable magnitude limit of the All-Time star sensor is dynamically changing as the observation conditions vary, the current methods of estimating the instrument magnitude cannot be directly applied and the catalog obtained through the current reduction methods that mainly aimed at improving the distribution uniformity cannot ensure enough stars measured in the field of view under strong sky background radiation. To solve the problems, we propose a method for guide star catalog generation for the All-Time star sensor. First, through the specific analysis of the spectral response curves of the SWIR detector and 2MASS detection bandpasses, the method of estimating instrument magnitudes for the All-Time sensor is determined. Subsequently, dynamic detectable magnitude limits are determined through the signal-to-noise model and the atmospheric background radiation intensity analysis. Based on the dynamic detectable magnitude limits, a reduction method is proposed. The simulation experiment results indicate that the RMS error of the estimation of instrument magnitude is 0.075. Compared to the magnitude filtering method, the guide star catalog obtained through our method can guarantee the completeness, besides, the global distribution uniformity increases by 2.2 times and the local distribution uniformity increases by 10.7 times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a method that uses propagation measurements to reconstruct the spatial profiles of the distributed impedance and shunt conductance parameters of a lossy transmission line. From these reconstructed spatial profiles, we can deduce the presence and location of transmission line faults. The method makes use of return loss measurements from both ends of the transmission line as well as the transmission loss between the two ends. An inverse scattering approach based on the Born approximation is utilized to obtain the reconstructions. Its advantage compared to exact formulations, such as those based on the Zakharov–Shabat equations, is that it provides separate analytical expressions for the individual spatial profiles of the distributed impedance and shunt conductance transmission line parameters. It is shown by simulation and experiment that the method performs well in a variety of configurations and has the potential to be used in fault detection for cables and feed networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact behaviour of flax fibre reinforced polymer (FFRP) strengthened coconut fibre reinforced concrete (CFRC) slabs was investigated through experimental and theoretical studies. Plain concrete, CFRC and FFRP-CFRC slabs were built and tested under impact loadings. Impact results showed FFRP-CFRC specimens had better performance in aspects of energy absorption and keeping the integrity of the concrete, comparing with PC and CFRC specimens. Another impact test was carried out for finding the more effective wrapping configuration between three different wrapping designs of the FFRP strengthened CFRC slab, and their parameters, i.e. impact force history, strain history of FFRP, deflection history, energy absorption and damage pattern were discussed to evaluate the impact resistance. After the experimental study, theoretical analysis method was used to predict the maximum impact force as well as the maximum deflection, the results of which showed good agreement with the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Three-North Shelterbelt Program in China is one of the largest ecological rehabilitation programs in the world, but its impact on soil properties has not been thoroughly investigated. We collected 144 soil samples from soil depths of 0-20 cm in farmlands and neighbouring shelterbelts in Songnen Plain, northeastern China. The sample plots covered six locations in the study area. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that there were significant location-related differences ( P < 0.05) among 9 of 10 parameters, while the land use effects were much weaker and smaller. The pooled data statistics showed that shelterbelt establishment caused a 3.5% decrease in soil bulk density, a 10.6% decrease in soil total phosphorus (P), and a 63.1% increase in available potassium (K). To exclude the location effects, forest-farmland ratios were used to find possible associations to climatic conditions and forest characteristics. The poplar-induced changes in soil bulk density, soil moisture, total K, and total P were closely related to mean annual temperature, while the larger variations in available nutrients could be explained by height, diameter at breast height, and tree density. Our findings can help explain soil changes in poplar shelterbelt plantations in degraded farmland in China, especially in the black-soil region in northeastern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyaniline (PANI) chains were grafted at the edge of graphene oxide (GO) sheets by in situ chemical oxidation polymerization with the p‐phenylenediamine attached to GO sheets as anchor sites. The structure and morphology of the GO‐PANI composite were characterized by Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, X‐ray diffraction, elemental analysis, and transmission electron microscopy. The GO‐PANI were used to adsorb Pb(II) and methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solution. The results showed that the adsorption kinetics and isotherms followed pseudo‐second‐order and Langmuir isotherm model, respectively. GO‐PANI exhibited the maximum adsorption capacity for Pb(II) (1416 mg/g) compared with other absorbents. The process of adsorption for Pb(II) onto GO‐PANI is spontaneous and endothermic at 288, 298, and 308 K. In mixed system, the adsorption capacity for MB and Pb(II) onto PANI‐GO achieved 544 and 1004 mg/g, respectively. This study provides a promising PANI‐GO composites with an efficient adsorption property for MB and Pb(II). POLYM. COMPOS., 39:1663–1673, 2018. © 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hazelnut kernels obtained from the commercial processes were analyzed for proximate composition, bioactive compounds, lipid oxidation, and enzyme (lipase, peroxidase, and polyphenol oxidase) activities and compared among three cultivars (Barcelona, Yamhill, and Jefferson) and two agricultural practices (with and without fertigation for Jefferson). The influence of drying temperature (38, 43, and 49 °C) and relative humidity (RH, 40 and 60%) on drying characteristics (drying rates of inshells and corresponding moisture content (MC) and water activity (a w ) of kernels when inshells reached ∼10 g/100 g MC or equilibrium MC (MC eq )), bioactive compounds, lipid oxidation, and enzyme activity of the kernels were investigated. Oleic acid and α-tocopherol were the predominant fatty acids and vitamin in hazelnuts. Yamhill contained the highest phenolic (0.12 mg GAE/g), vitamin E (14.26 mg/100 g, α-tocopherol), and lowest unsaturated/saturated fatty acids ratio (8.7) among cultivars. Drying characteristics and chemical and enzymatic reactions of hazelnuts varied depending on drying condition and cultivar of nuts, in which drying at 43–49 °C and 40% RH improved drying efficiency and retained quality of dried hazelnuts. This study suggested the ideal drying conditions that could produce dried hazelnuts with optimal range of MC and a w for retaining bioactive compounds and minimizing lipid oxidation and enzyme activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In mining operations, the stability of excavations is critical to ensure the safety of production. Rock bolt support is the most effective and economical method commonly used to improve ground stability. The glass-fiber-reinforced plastic (GFRP) bolt has been developed and is becoming widely used because of its corrosion resistant character and its high tensile strength. However GFRP bolts are more susceptible to damage by blast loads and therefore it is important to understand the mechanical behaviour of GFRP bolts under dynamic loads so the support system can be better designed. In this paper we propose a new approach to describe the mechanical behaviour of fully grouted GFRP rock bolts under the combination of pre-stressed static load and blast dynamic load using the Kelvin’s solution. The method was applied to a case study and it was found that large axial and shear stresses of fully grouted GFRP rock bolts are mainly distributed in a small region near the bolt collar. It was further demonstrated that the strength of blasting, the distance between the rock bolt and the blasting point and the Young’s modulus of the rock mass and the bolt material are the most important factors having significant influences on the mechanical behaviour of GFRP bolts. For the cases examined where the bolt is within the range of 15 m from the blasting point, the influence of blast load on the axial and shear stresses of the rock bolt is significant and the dynamic load is the main factor causing the support damage. The proposed model provides a method to quantitatively evaluate the effect of blasting on the mechanical behavior of GFRP rock bolts so that a better ground support system can be designed in practical mining applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Seven in absentia (SINA) protein is one subgroup of ubiquitin ligases possessing an N‐terminal cysteine‐rich really interesting new gene (RING) domain, two zinc‐finger motifs, and a C‐terminal domain responsible for substrate‐binding and dimerization. In tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), the SINA gene family has six members, and we characterize in this study all tomato SINA (SlSINA) genes and the gene products. Our results show that SlSINA genes are differentially regulated in leaf, bud, stem, flower, and root. All SlSINA proteins possess RING‐dependent E3 ubiquitin ligase activity, exhibiting similar specificity towards the E2 ubiquitin‐conjugating enzyme. SlSINA1/3/4/5/6 are localized in both cytoplasm and nucleus, whereas SlSINA2 is exclusively localized in the nucleus. Moreover, all SlSINAs can interact with each other for homo‐ or hetero‐dimerization. The functionality of SlSINA proteins has been investigated. SlSINA4 plays a positive role in defense signalling, as manifested by elicitation of E3‐dependent hypersensitive response‐like cell death; the other SlSINAs are negative regulator and capable to suppress hypersensitive response cell death. Transgenic tomato plants overexpressing SlSINA2 exhibit pale‐green leaf phenotype, suggesting SlSINA2 regulates chlorophyll level in plant cells, whereas transgenic tomato plants overexpressing SlSINA5 have altered floral structure with exserted stigma, implicating SlSINA5 plays a role in flower development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Moisture adsorption isotherms and storability of dried hazelnut inshells and kernels produced in Oregon were evaluated and compared among cultivars, including Barcelona, Yamhill, and Jefferson. Experimental moisture adsorption data fitted to Guggenheim–Anderson–de Boer (GAB) model, showing less hygroscopic properties in Yamhill than other cultivars of inshells and kernels due to lower content of carbohydrate and protein, but higher content of fat. The safe levels of moisture content (MC, dry basis) of dried inshells and kernels for reaching kernel water activity (aw) ≤0.65 were estimated using the GAB model as 11.3% and 5.0% for Barcelona, 9.4% and 4.2% for Yamhill, and 10.7% and 4.9% for Jefferson, respectively. Storage conditions (2 °C at 85% to 95% relative humidity [RH], 10 °C at 65% to 75% RH, and 27 °C at 35% to 45% RH), times (0, 4, 8, or 12 mo), and packaging methods (atmosphere vs. vacuum) affected MC, aw, bioactive compounds, lipid oxidation, and enzyme activity of dried hazelnut inshells or kernels. For inshells packaged at woven polypropylene bag, MC and aw of inshells and kernels (inside shells) increased at 2 and 10 °C, but decreased at 27 °C during storage. For kernels, lipid oxidation and polyphenol oxidase activity also increased with extended storage time (P < 0.05), and MC and aw of vacuum packaged samples were more stable during storage than those atmospherically packaged ones. Principal component analysis showed correlation of kernel qualities with storage condition, time, and packaging method. This study demonstrated that the ideal storage condition or packaging method varied among cultivars due to their different moisture adsorption and physicochemical and enzymatic stability during storage. Practical Application: Moisture adsorption isotherm of hazelnut inshells and kernels is useful for predicting the storability of nuts. This study found that water adsorption and storability varied among the different cultivars of nuts, in which Yamhill was less hygroscopic than Barcelona and Jefferson, thus more stable during storage. For ensuring food safety and quality of nuts during storage, each cultivar of kernels should be dried to a certain level of MC. Lipid oxidation and enzyme activity of kernel could be increased with extended storage time. Vacuum packaging was recommended to kernels for reducing moisture adsorption during storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clocking effects can generally have a great influence on the operational state of centrifugal pumps. In order to analyze the effects of the positions of the vaned diffuser relative to the annular volute on the performance characteristics and the pressure pulsations of a centrifugal pump, experimental tests were carried out at three different relative positions. Frequency domain and time-frequency domain of the pressure pulsations were obtained using the Welch’s power spectral density estimate and the short-time Fourier transform (STFT) methods, respectively. The diameter mode analysis was applied to explain the dominant frequency induced by rotor-stator interaction. The results showed that the centrifugal pump can obtain the highest efficiency when the diffuser was fixed at position A, where the diffuser was rotated 90 degrees in counterclockwise direction from position B. The maximum difference in the efficiency between 0.9 Q d and 1.1 Q d was 1.5% under three different diffuser positions. The pressure pulsations in the volute were determined not only by the impeller-diffuser interaction but also by the diffuser-volute interaction. Furthermore, nonlinear frequency existed in the frequency domain of the pressure pulsations at the volute outlet. The relative positions of the diffuser had great effect on the dominant frequency and the amplitudes of the decomposed frequencies of the pressure pulsations. A comparison of the amplitudes of the main frequencies of the pressure pulsations showed that the transient pressure on the volute had the lowest pulsations when the trailing edge of the diffuser reached the left corner of the volute outlet (position B). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The flexural behaviour of a new construction material, flax fibre reinforced polymer (FFRP) wrapped coconut fibre reinforced concrete (CFRC) beams, under static and impact loads was investigated for the first time. Coconut fibre was mixed into concrete and the concrete beams were wrapped externally with flax fibre reinforced polymer (FFRP) laminates. Then static tests, followed by single and repeated impact tests were performed. Three different fibre contents, i.e. 1%, 3% and 5% of cement mass, corresponding to fibre volumes of respectively 0.4%, 1.2% and 2%, were considered. The effect of the coconut fibre content on the dynamic flexural load, deflection, energy absorption and dynamic increase factor (DIF) were analysed to discover the composites impact properties. The test results indicated that the flexural strength of the FFRP-CFRC beams was almost three times higher than that of CFRC beams. Dynamic increase factors (DIFs) of the FFRP-CFRC beams were found not very sensitive to the coconut fibre content but influenced by strain rate. The beams with 3% coconut fibre content were the best in resisting impact when compared with that of FFRP-CFRC beams with 1% and 5% coconut fibre content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the impact resistance of a new construction material, being coconut fibre reinforced concrete (CFRC) beams strengthened with flax fibre reinforced polymer (FFRP) laminates. To study the impact resistance of the material, a series of CFRC specimens with various FFRP thicknesses (2-, 4- and 6-layer) were experimentally studied through static and drop weight impact tests. Parameters of the FFRP-CFRC beams, i.e. the impact force, deflection, energy absorption, dynamic increase factor (DIF) and damage pattern were studied. In addition, the influence of the FFRP laminate thickness was investigated in terms of (1) flexural strength and toughness under static loading, (2) flexural behaviour under impact loading, and (3) failure mode. The results showed that FFRP laminates were effective in enhancing the flexural strength under both static and impact loadings. It is also suggested that FFRP-CFRC composites could be used as environmentally-friendly materials for protective structures in resisting impact loadings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the impact resistance of a new construction material, being coconut fibre reinforced concrete (CFRC) beams strengthened with flax fibre reinforced polymer (FFRP) laminates. To study the impact resistance of the material, a series of CFRC specimens with various FFRP thicknesses (2-, 4- and 6-layer) were experimentally studied through static and drop weight impact tests. Parameters of the FFRP-CFRC beams, i.e. the impact force, deflection, energy absorption, dynamic increase factor (DIF) and damage pattern were studied. In addition, the influence of the FFRP laminate thickness was investigated in terms of (1) flexural strength and toughness under static loading, (2) flexural behaviour under impact loading, and (3) failure mode. The results showed that FFRP laminates were effective in enhancing the flexural strength under both static and impact loadings. It is also suggested that FFRP-CFRC composites could be used as environmentally-friendly materials for protective structures in resisting impact loadings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP) is well-known for its soil conditioning functions, but compositional traits are rarely considered. Farmland in northeastern China is the most important commercial grain basis, and soil degradation becomes the bottleneck for keeping crop productivity. The objective of this study was to uncover the possible associations between GRSP (amount and composition) and soil properties, and make suggestions for soil improvement from soil glomalin rehabilitation in northeastern China. Here, spatial variation in GRSP amount (Easily-extractable-GRSP, EE-GRSP; Total-GRSP, T-GRSP) and its compositional traits from infrared spectroscopy, UV-absorbance, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and 3-D fluorescence spectroscopy were surveyed in 360 soil samples across northeastern China, and their association with 11 soil properties were also analyzed for finding the possible influence of soil properties on GRSP composition in farmland. There about 3-fold spatial variation in GRSP amount was observed, while functional group variations were ranged from 1.2-fold (O-H & N-H stretching) to 2.4-fold (C-O stretching & O-H bending of -COOH) in different locations. The XRD showed that grain size was 113-180Å and crystallinity was 0.71-1.42%, and GRSP contained seven fluorescent compounds of tyrosine-like, tryptophan-like, fulvic acid-like, soluble microbial byproduct, humic acid-like, nitrobenzoxadidole-like, and calcofluor white-like. Both, EE-GRSP and T-GRSP positively associated with soil organic carbon (SOC), soil N (SON), soil P (SOP), alkali-hydrolyzed N (AN), available P (AP), available K (AK), and soil water, while negatively associated with soil pH and soil bulk density. Structural equation model (SEM) analysis indicates that direct effects on GRSP amounts were mainly from soil bulk density (coefficient: -0.27), soil pH (coefficients: -0.51 to -0.57), SOC (coefficients: 0.51 to 0.69) and AP (coefficients: 0.18 to 0.26), while all other soil properties had indirect effects on GRSP amounts via their close associations with these four parameters. Compared with the GRSP amounts, soil properties laid fewer effects on GRSP compositional traits. Of 16 compositional traits, five of them showed possible regulations from soil properties, which were three infrared functional groups (IR-II: aliphatic C-H stretching; IR-V: C-O stretching & O-H bending of -COOH; IR-VII: O-H binding) and two fluorescent compounds (tyrosine-like and humic acid-like). SEM analysis indicates that soil water, pH and EC could directly affect IR-II, IRV, tyrosine-like and humic acid-like, while available nutrients showed more evident influences on infra-red functional groups than total amounts of N, P and K. Moreover, SOC, as a media of various soil nutrients, gave the strongest influence on GRSP compositional traits. As a supplement to previous studies, we found that GRSP is a mixture of different fluorescent compounds with different functional groups. Our findings highlight that soil properties could strongly change both GRSP accumulation in soil and their compositional traits, and the definition of the most probable soil properties in regulating glomalin amount and composition in this paper could favor good soil management in farmland at northeastern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polystyrene (PS) is preferred over polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) in microfluidics for applications in cell biology. However, PS has not found widespread use in microfluidics due mainly to the lack of rapid prototyping techniques. Here we address this issue by developing a silicon based solvent immersion imprint lithography (Si-SIIL) technique. Silicon is rigid, mechanically robust, and highly compatible with standard microfabrication processes, and therefore, is a promising candidate for molds. Various PS microfluidic channels as small as 20 μm in width with the aspect ratio as high as 5 were demonstrated using Si-SIIL. Bubbles and bending generated in the fabrication process were analyzed and eliminated. The surface roughness was about 27 nm (rms). Compared to the untreated PS, the molded PS retained almost the same surface properties, as characterized by contact angle measurement and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Cell culture was tested to demonstrate the utility of Si-SIIL in cell biology applications. The results show that PS, with the aid of Si-SIIL, can be an alternative material to PDMS in building microfluidic chips. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the associations between urbanization intensity and urban forest structural - taxonomic attributes is a central theme of urban ecology, biodiversity conservation and forest management for maximizing ecological services to design proper urban green infrastructure. By selecting a typical provincial capital city of Changchun as an example, the effects of urbanization intensity (low, medium and heavy urbanization as measured by impervious surface area, ISA) on landscape patterns and structural-taxonomic attributes of urban forests were investigated in this study. The results showed that the urban forest Patch Density (PD), Landscape Shape Index (LSI), Interspersion & Juxtaposition Index (IJI), Tree Density (TD), Canopy Density (CD), Species Richness (SR) and Species Diversity (H’ index) exhibited strictly monotonic increases with urbanization intensity, increasing by 162%, 60%, 44%, 37%, 50%, 85%, and 84% from low to heavy urbanization areas, respectively. In contrast, the forest Mean Euclidian Nearest Neighbor Distance (ENN-MN) and Health Condition grade (HC) monotonically decreased by 12% and 37%, respectively. Furthermore, regression analysis suggested that structural-taxonomic attributes were closely associated with forest-related landscape patterns, but urbanization intensity dramatically influenced these associations. Our findings highlight that the planning of urban green infrastructure, in particular, urban afforestation and associated management, should be different at different urbanization intensities. In low urbanization areas, low Total area (TA, forest area) requires construction of larger forest patches and the protection of large remnant trees, and TD and above ground biomass (AGB) could be increased by enhancing the Mean Fractal Dimension (FRAC-MN) and PD, respectively. In medium urbanization areas, the same increases in TD and AGB could be more effectively achieved by decreasing the IJI and Area-Weighted Mean Contiguity (CONTIG-MN). Moreover, in heavy urbanization areas, more attention should be paid to increasing forest patch aggregation and contiguity, and both tree diversity and evenness could be increased by enhancing the FRAC-MN index. Because these structural-taxonomic attributes are the basis of various forest ecological services, our findings indicate that regulation of some of these landscape metrics could improve urban forest services in Changchun. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an important development trend of star sensor technology, research on daytime star sensor technology can expand the applications of star sensor from spacecrafts to airborne vehicles. The biggest problem for daytime star sensor is the detection of dim stars from strong atmospheric background radiation. The use of short-wave infrared (SWIR) technology has been proven to be an effective approach to solve this problem. However, the SWIR star images inevitably contain stripe nonuniformity noise and defective pixels, which degrade the quality of the acquired images and affect the subsequent star spot extraction and star centroiding accuracy seriously. Because the characteristics of stripe nonuniformity and defective pixels in the SWIR star images change with time during a long term continuous operation, the method of one-time off-line calibration is not applicable. To solve this problem, an algorithm of noise suppression for SWIR star image is proposed. It firstly extracts non-background pixels by one-dimensional mean filtering. Then through one-dimensional feature point descriptor, which is used to distinguish the bright star spots pixels from defective pixels, various types of defective pixels are accurately detected. Finally, the method of moment matching is adopted to remove the stripe nonuniformity and the defective pixels are compensated effectively. The simulation experiments results indicates that the proposed algorithm can adaptively and effectively suppress the influence of stripe nonuniformity and defective pixels in SWIR star images and it is beneficial to obtain higher star centroiding accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A light and thin underwater large-plate active acoustic structure is developed that satisfies the particular requirements of high pressure resilience, low frequency and high efficiency encountered in underwater work environments. A low-frequency miniaturized active control unit, with a thickness of less than 50 mm, is designed using giant magnetostrictive material (GMM). The noise reduction performance is measured with an active control system based on a multi-channel adaptive filter. The active control system is developed within a LabVIEW environment and can achieve significant levels of noise reduction within time intervals of less than one second achieving absorption coefficients far exceeding 0.8 even under high pressures. The new active-control system incorporates hardware and software components and represents a novel technology for low-frequency underwater noise reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wild birds play a critical role in avian influenza virus (AIV) ecology and some outbreaks of avian influenza in human originate from wild birds, suggesting that epidemiological surveillance and interspecies-transmission analysis of AIVs in wild birds are critical. Since 2019, we have performed sampling in Yancheng Wetland along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. Totally, 2054 fecal swabs were collected and one H3N8, two H3N1, one H10N8, and three H10N1 were isolated. Three H3 gene of AIVs we isolated belonged to Eurasian lineage, but the four H10 gene clustered into North American lineage. What's more, the H3 and the foreign H10 gene had generated novel reassortants in Yancheng wetland. Receptor binding assay indicated that nearly all strains, except D369/H10N1, presented a dual receptor-binding profile and bound to avian-type receptor preferentially. In animal experiment, all isolates could infect mice without prior adaptation and induce histopathological changes in mice lungs, moreover, all H3 subtype AIVs obviously triggered weight loss of mice. In addition to lung and turbinate, D322/H3N1, D338/H3N8, D211/H10N8 and D266/H10N1 could spread to brain and kidney or liver or spleen, showing a wider range of tissue tropism. Multiple mutants associated with mammalian adaptation were also detected in all isolates according to molecular analysis. These findings revealed that H3 and H10 AIVs circulating in wild birds in Yancheng Wetland underwent complex reassortment and increased mammalian adaptation, which highlighted the necessity to monitor the diverse reassortment of AIVs in wild birds and evaluate the risks of H3 and H10 viruses to human health. • H3 and H10 subtype of AIVs were isolated in migratory birds in Jiangsu Province. • North American lineage H10 gene were the first time discovered in Jiangsu Province. • H3 and H10 gene had generated novel reassortants. • All AIVs isolated in this study could infect mice without prior adaptation. • Some AIV isolates could be detected in brain, kidney, liver or spleen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The maintenance of cell-wall integrity (CWI) is important for mycelial growth, development, and pathogenicity in fungi. Arthrobotrys oligospora is a typical nematode-trapping (NT) fungus which can capture nematodes by producing adhesive networks. In this study, we characterized an orthologous MADS-box transcription factor RlmA (AoRlmA) downstream of the CWI regulatory pathway in A. oligospora. The deletion of AorlmA caused a reduction in mycelial growth, the number of nuclei, conidiation, and trap formation, as well as increased sensitivity to cell-wall synthesis-disrupting agents, osmotic agents, and oxidants; accordingly, the transcript levels of genes associated with sporulation, cell-wall biosynthesis, and DNA damage response were downregulated in the Δ AorlmA mutant. Furthermore, the absence of AorlmA resulted in a reduction in autophagy and endocytosis. Transcriptome analysis showed that differentially expressed genes in the absence of AorlmA were involved in membrane components, the oxidation–reduction process, transmembrane transport, metabolic processes, cellular components, organelles, cellular response to stress, and DNA damage response. In addition, metabolomic analysis showed that AoRlmA was involved in the regulation of secondary metabolites of A. oligospora. To summarize, our results highlighted the important roles of transcription factor RlmA in mycelial growth, conidiation, CWI, trap formation, stress response, autophagy, endocytosis, and secondary metabolism regulation in A. oligospora , providing a basis for elucidating the regulatory mechanism of the mycelial growth and development, pathogenicity, and stress response of NT fungi. • AoRlmA regulates mycelial growth, conidiation, and trap formation. • AoRlmA regulates autophagy and endocytosis. • AoRlmA regulates CWI, the number of nuclei, and the stress response. • Absence of AorlmA causes 19.4% and 21.5% of genes to be differentially expressed. • AoRlmA is involved in the regulation of secondary metabolites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an outer space branch-reduction-bound algorithm for globally solving generalized affine multiplicative problems (GAMP). For finding the globally optimal solution to the GAMP, we first transform the GAMP into an equivalent problem (EP) by introducing new variables and logarithmic transformation. Next, by utilizing linearization technique of logarithmic function, the affine relaxation problem of the EP can be established for obtaining the lower bound of the optimal value to the EP. Furthermore, several outer space region reduction techniques are also presented for improving the convergence speed of this algorithm. Based on outer space search and branch-and-bound framework, a branch-reduction-bound algorithm is proposed. Finally, we prove the global convergence of the proposed algorithm, and estimate maximum iterations by analyzing its computational complexity. Some experiments are reported to show the feasibility and efficiency of the algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition metal catalysts (TMCs) mediated bioorthogonal uncaging catalysis has sparked increasing interest in prodrug activation. However, due to their "always‐on" catalytic activity as well as the complex and catalytic‐detrimental intracellular environment, the biosafety and therapeutic efficiency of TMCs are unsatisfactory. Herein, a DNA‐gated and self‐protected bioorthogonal catalyst has been designed by modifying nanozyme‐Pd0 with highly programmable nucleic acid (DNA) molecules to achieve efficient intracellular drug synthesis for cancer therapy. Monolayer DNA molecules could endow the catalyst with targeting and perform as a gatekeeper to achieve selective prodrug activation within cancer cells. Meanwhile, the prepared graphitic nitrogen‐doped carbon nanozyme with glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and catalase (CAT)‐like activities could improve the catalytic‐detrimental intracellular environment to prevent the catalyst from being inactivated and sensitize the subsequent chemotherapy. Overall, we believe that our work will promote the development of secure and efficient bioorthogonal catalytic systems and provide new insights into novel antineoplastic platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition metal catalysts (TMCs) mediated bioorthogonal uncaging catalysis has sparked increasing interest in prodrug activation. However, due to their "always‐on" catalytic activity as well as the complex and catalytic‐detrimental intracellular environment, the biosafety and therapeutic efficiency of TMCs are unsatisfactory. Herein, a DNA‐gated and self‐protected bioorthogonal catalyst has been designed by modifying nanozyme‐Pd0 with highly programmable nucleic acid (DNA) molecules to achieve efficient intracellular drug synthesis for cancer therapy. Monolayer DNA molecules could endow the catalyst with targeting and perform as a gatekeeper to achieve selective prodrug activation within cancer cells. Meanwhile, the prepared graphitic nitrogen‐doped carbon nanozyme with glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and catalase (CAT)‐like activities could improve the catalytic‐detrimental intracellular environment to prevent the catalyst from being inactivated and sensitize the subsequent chemotherapy. Overall, we believe that our work will promote the development of secure and efficient bioorthogonal catalytic systems and provide new insights into novel antineoplastic platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Native walnut protein is an alkali‐soluble protein that seriously limits the application of walnut protein. The pH‐shifting method could improve the solubility of walnut proteins and enable the encapsulation of active ingredients. The present study aimed to prepare water‐soluble nanoparticles of curcumin using walnut protein and evaluate the process of walnut protein self‐assembly, interaction between walnut protein and curcumin, encapsulation properties, and stability of nanoparticles. RESULTS: The solubility of native walnut protein was poor, but the solubility of walnut protein nanoparticles (WPNP) formed by walnut protein after pH‐shifting significantly improved to 91.5 ± 1.2%. This is because, during the process of pH changing from 7 to 12 and back to 7, walnut protein first unfolded under alkaline conditions and then refolded under pH drive, finally forming an internal hydrophobic and external hydrophilic shell‐core structures. The quenching type of walnut protein and curcumin was static quenching, and the quenching constant was 2.0 × 1014 mol−1 L−1 s−1, indicating that the interaction between walnut protein and curcumin was non‐covalent. Adding curcumin resulted in the formation of nanoparticles with small particle size compared with the no‐load. The loading capacity of curcumin‐loaded walnut protein nanoparticles (WPNP‐C) was 222 mg g−1 walnut protein isolate. Under the same mass, the curcumin equivalent concentration in aqueous solution of WPNP‐C was 17 000 times higher than that of the native curcumin. CONCLUSION: The solubility of the self‐assembled WPNP significantly increased after pH‐shifting treatment. The walnut protein carrier could improve the stability of the encapsulated curcumin. Therefore, walnut proteins could be used as water‐soluble carriers for hydrophobic drugs. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the field expansions in terms of appropriate spherical vector wave functions and the method of moments scheme, an exact semi-analytical solution to the scattering of an arbitrarily shaped beam is given. For incidence of a Gaussian beam, zero-order Bessel beam and Hertzian electric dipole radiation, numerical results of the normalized differential scattering cross section are presented to a spheroid and a circular cylinder of finite length, and the scattering properties are analyzed concisely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NH 2 -MIL-53(Al) nanocrystals grown from the surface of the hollow graphene microspheres were prepared by using reduced graphene oxide (RGO) wrapped polystyrene (PS) microspheres as template and then removing the PS cores in N,N-dimethylformamide (NH 2 -MIL-53(Al)/RGO). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis and scanning electron microscopy results demonstrated the NH 2 -MIL-53(Al) nanocrystals located at the surface of the hollow graphene microspheres. Compared to NH 2 -MIL-53(Al) the NH 2 -MIL-53(Al)/RGO showed higher photocatalytic efficiency in degradation of methylene blue under visible light. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have showed the anticancer effect of the all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) in many tumors including breast cancer; however, the underlying molecular mechanism is still poorly understood. This study experimentally revealed that ATRA treatment inhibited MCF-7 cell proliferation and promoted its apoptosis, along with an enhanced expression of docking protein 1 (DOK1). ATRA's effects on cell proliferation and apoptosis were prevented by DOK1 knockdown. In addition, the genetic silence of DOK1 can inhibit PPARγ expression and its activity. Moreover, inactivation of PPARγ by its specific inhibitor GW9662 reversed the impacts of ATRA on cell proliferation and apoptosis. Taken together, these results indicate that ATRA-enhanced expression of DOK1 activates PPARγ leading to inhibition of cell proliferation and enhancement of cell apoptosis in MCF-7 cell. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents the behaviour of coconut fibre reinforced concrete (CFRC) composites under drop weight impact loadings. Both single and repeated impact tests were conducted using a drop weight device. Both plain concrete (PC) and CFRC cylinders with the identical size of 200 mm × 100 mm were tested. Various impact energies were applied to the specimens by adjusting the drop height. In the single impact test, the history of impact force, change of Young’s moduli and the dynamic increase factor (DIF) of CFRC were investigated. The damage pattern of PC and CFRC was compared. In the repeated impact tests, the effect of impact height on the maximum compressive stress and the damage pattern was evaluated. The relationship between impact height and maximum impact stress was examined and an empirically derived equation was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An exact semi-analytical solution to the arbitrarily shaped beam scattering by a chiral object is proposed through expanding the scattered and internal fields in terms of appropriate spherical vector wave functions. By using the boundary conditions and the method of moments technique, the unknown expansion coefficients are determined. For incidence of a Gaussian beam, zero-order Bessel beam and Hertzian electric dipole radiation, numerical results of the normalized differential scattering cross section are given to a chiral spheroid and a chiral circular cylinder of finite length, and the scattering characteristics are discussed concisely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For improving stability of fruit anthocyanins (ACN), this study investigated the use of cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) as a macroion crosslinking agent to develop blueberry anthocyanin extract (BB)-loaded chitosan (CH)-CNC microcapsules, and compared with CH-sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) ones. The yield of microcapsules (∼6.9 g) and total monomeric anthocyanin recovery (∼94%) were significantly ( P < 0.05) higher in CH-CNC microcapsules than those (∼0.3 g and ∼33%, respectively) in CH-TPP microcapsules. ACN distribution (%) in CH-CNC microcapsules was 61% on the surfaces, 12% bound with the matrix, and 27% in cores, but that in CH-TPP microcapsules was mostly presented on the surfaces (99%). CH-CNC microcapsules were more stable at pH 7.4 buffer by showing less ACN release (%) than that of CH-TPP, but no difference at pH 1.2. CH-CNC and CH-TPP microcapsules showed different structural and morphological properties. This study demonstrated that CNC is a promising crosslinking agent forming stable BB-loaded CH microcapsules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The radio interferometric positioning system can measure distance by using the wavelength of the carried radio wave from the relative phase offset of the interference signal. All of these measurements suffer from the phase ambiguity problem and are inevitably corrupted by noise in systems. In this paper, we propose to resolve the given problems by the robust Chinese remainder theorem (CRT). By exploiting the angular circular distance between two vectors, we propose the vector-based robust CRT (Vec-CRT). To further improve estimation performance, we propose the maximum-likelihood-estimation-based robust CRT (MLE-CRT). Compared with the existing range estimation algorithms, both of the proposed algorithms provide better performances. In particular, the robust MLE-CRT achieves the best performance and the least computational complexity among all the competitors. Simulations are presented to verify the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Zeta potentials (ZP) of gold nanoparticle bioconjugates (AuNP-bios) provide important information on surface charge that is critical for many applications including drug delivery, biosensing, and cell imaging. The ZP measurements (ZPMs) are conducted under an alternative electrical field at a high frequency under laser irradiation, which may strongly affect the status of surface coating of AuNP-bios and generate unreliable data. In this study, we systemically evaluated the ZP data reliability (ZPDR) of citrate-, thiolated single stranded DNA-, and protein-coated AuNPs mainly according to the consistence of ZPs in the repeated ZPMs and the changes of the hydrodynamic size before and after the ZPMs. We found that the ZPDR was highly dependent on both buffer conditions and surface modifications. Overall, the higher ionic strength of the buffer and the lower affinity of surface bounders were related with the worse ZPDR. The ZPDR of citrate-coated AuNP was good in water, but bad in 10 mM phosphate buffer (PB), showing substantially decrease of the absolute ZP values after each measurement, probably due to the electrical field facilitated adsorption of negatively charged phosphate ions on AuNPs. The significant desorption of DNAs from AuNP was observed in the PB containing medium concentration of NaCl, but not in PB. The excellent ZPDR of bovine serum albumin (BSA)-coated AuNP was observed at high salt concentrations and low surface coverage, enabling ZPM as an ultra-sensitive tool for protein quantification on the surface of AuNPs with a single molecule resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A wide operating band is important for a pump to safely perform at maximum efficiency while saving energy. To widen the operating range, a multi-point optimization process based on numerical simulations in order to improve impeller performance of a centrifugal pump used in nuclear plant applications is proposed by this research. The Reynolds average Navier Stokes equations are utilized to perform the calculations. The meridional shape of the impeller was optimized based on the following four parameters; shroud arc radius, hub arc radius, shroud angle, and hub angle as the design variables. Efficiencies calculated under 0.6 Q , 1.0 Q and 1.62 Q were selected as the three optimized objectives. The Design of experiment method was applied to generate various impellers while 35 impellers were generated by the Latin hypercube sampling method. A Response surface function based on a second order function was applied to construct a mathematical relationship between the objectives and design variables. A multi-objective genetic algorithm was utilized to solve the response surface function to obtain the best optimized objectives as well as the best combination of design parameters. The results indicated that the pump performance predicted by numerical simulation was in agreement with the experimental performance. The optimized efficiencies based on the three operating conditions were increased by 3.9 %, 6.1 % and 2.6 %, respectively. In addition, the velocity distribution, pressure distribution, streamline and turbulence kinetic energy distribution of the optimized and reference impeller were compared and analyzed to illustrate the performance improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional solvent extraction (CE) and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UE) were systematically optimized for fruit (blueberries, cherries, and red pear peels) with different anthocyanin compositions to pursue high recovery of polyphenols and anthocyanins with high antioxidant activity in this study. The effects of the extraction methods and conditions on anthocyanin compositions in different fruit were also analyzed by HPLC. The optimum were identified as: 60% methanol, 50 °C, 1 h using CE or 70% methanol, 30 °C, 20 min using UE for blueberries; 60% ethanol, 70 °C, 1 h using CE or 80% ethanol, 30 °C, 20 min using UE for cherries; 60% methanol, 50 °C, 1 h using CE or 60% ethanol, 30 °C, 60 min using UE for red pear peels. From analysis, ultrasound specifically enhanced the extraction of total monomeric anthocyanins from fruit by dissociating polymeric anthocyanins in less polar solvent system. HPLC analysis revealed that both extraction methods and conditions altered the amount of specific anthocyanin compounds in fruit extracts, including delphinidin, cyanidin, petunidin, pelargonidin, peonidin, or malvidin with different sugar moiety. Therefore, different conditions for CE and UE might be implemented for specific fruit with different anthocyanin compositions for maximizing the recovery of anthocyanins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impact properties of flax fibre-reinforced polymer composites were investigated using two different impact test methods, i.e. drop-weight test and Charpy test. The drop-weight impact tests were conducted with varying drop height. For the drop-weight tests, the perforation energy and the energy absorbed by a specimen are used to study the impact response of the flax fibre-reinforced polymer composite. In a series of Charpy tests, the energy absorbed per unit width of the specimen was investigated. Impact force and Hertzian force were analysed and were found to increase with composite thickness. The ductility index decreased as the composite thickness increased. The failure of flax fibre-reinforced polymer composites started as micro-cracks, progressed to larger cracks and perforation occurred at last. However, the damage to flax fibre-reinforced polymer composites differed with the thickness of the specimens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a crucial member of the Hedgehog (Hh) protein family, desert hedgehog (dhh) plays a vital role in multiple developmental processes, cell differentiation and tissue homeostasis. However, it is unclear how it regulates development in fish. In this study, we cloned and characterized the dhh gene from Pseudopleuronectes yokohamae. The full-length cDNA of Pydhh comprises 3194 bp, with a 1386 bp open reading frame (ORF) that encodes a polypeptide of 461 amino acids with a typical HH-signal domain, Hint-N and Hint-C domains. Multiple sequence alignment revealed that the putative Py DHH protein sequence was highly conserved across species, especially in the typical domains. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the Py DHH clustered within the Pleuronectiformes. Real-time quantitative PCR showed that Pydhh was detected in fourteen different tissues in adult-female and adult-male marbled flounder, and nine different tissues in juvenile fish. During early embryonic development stages, the expression of Pydhh was revealed high levels at hatching stage of embryo development. Moreover, the relative expression of Pydhh was significantly higher in the juvenile liver than adults', and higher in the female skin than the male skin. To further investigate its location, the in situ hybridization (ISH) assay was performed, the results showed that the hybridization signal was obviously expressed in the immune organs of Pseudopleuronectes yokohamae , with weak signal expression in the other tissues. Our results suggested that Pydhh is highly conserved among species and plays a vital role in embryonic development and formation of immune related organs. • The full-length dhh gene (Pydhh) was cloned from Pseudopleuronectes yokohamae. • Pydhh gene exhibited various distributions among tissues. • Pydhh gene exhibited gender differential expression. • The Py DHH protein was detected under different developmental stages. • The Pydhh gene was mainly located in the immune organs of Pseudopleuronectes yokohamae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of chitosan-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) coating on sensory properties and retention of volatile flavor compounds (VFCs) in chilled bighead carp fillets were examined. Scores of odor and overall acceptability indicated that as compared with the control group and group coated with chitosan, chitosan-EGCG coating had the best retention effect on the flavor and quality of the fillets. Twenty-eight VFCs, mainly alcohols, ketones, and aldehydes, were identified from the fillets by GC-IMS analysis. Fillets in the control group showed unique characteristic VFCs distribution at different storage stages: 2-butanone in the early stage; 3-methylbutanal and 2-methylbutanal in the middle stage; and heptanal and 1-octen-3-ol in the final stage. However, the VFCs signals in chitosan-EGCG coated fillets were delayed along with the sharply suppressed intensities of off-odor VFCs such as 1-octen-3-ol, indicating that chitosan-EGCG coating was able to inhibit the formation of off-odors effectively. Principal component analysis and clustering analysis distinguished samples with different storage times and treatments. This study indicated that chitosan-EGCG coating could maintain the flavor quality of bighead carp fillets, and the characteristic VFCs of different storage stages could be considered as signal indicators to identify fish freshness. [Display omitted] • Chitosan-EGCG coating was conducive to the retention of natural flavor of fillets. • Chitosan-EGCG coating significantly inhibited the formation of off-flavors. • The fillets had unique characteristic VFCs distribution at different storage stages. • Chitosan-EGCG coating was suggested as the preservative for bighead carp fillets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a potential anode material with high theoretical specific capacity, the practical application of GeO 2 is largely hindered by huge volume change and low reactivity, Herein, we proposed the engineering of dual amorphous GeO 2 @C nanofibers via facile electrospinning and thermal annealing process. In this design, numerous ultrafine GeO 2 particles are evenly anchored in carbon nanofibers, which could relief the stress in the carbon material during the lithium/delithiation process. Moreover, the low binding energy of Ge-O bond in the dual amorphous GeO 2 /C nanofibers render for convenient charge transfer. As a result, the electrode delivers highly reversible conversion (GeO 2 + 4Li ↔ Ge + 2Li 2 O) and alloying (Ge + 4.4Li ↔ GeLi 4.4) reaction. Furthermore, the GeO 2 @C nanofibers with large specific surface area also supply more active sites for pseudocapacitive lithium storage. Benefitting from the typical structure, the dual amorphous GeO 2 @C nanofibers electrode exhibits high reversible capacity of 1053 mAh g−1 at 0.3 A g−1 after 1000 cycle, and superior rate capacity of 476 mAh g−1 at 5 A g−1. The excellent electrochemical performance endows dual amorphous GeO 2 @C nanofibers competitive electrode material for next-generation lithium-ion batteries. • Dual amorphous GeO 2 @C nanofibers were prepared by a facile and efficient approach. • Dual amorphous GeO 2 @C nanofibers display outstanding lithium storage properties. • Dual amorphous structure benefits for superior lithium storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work reports on the co-filling of sulfonated zeolitic imidazolate framework-derived porous carbon (ZIF-C-SO 3 H) and sulfonated silica (SSiO 2) to improve the performance of the sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) membrane. Dependent on the individual properties of the ZIF-C-SO 3 H and the SSiO 2 , the obtained SSiO 2 and ZIF-C-SO 3 H filled SPEEK (SSiO 2 /ZIF-C-SO 3 H@SPEEK) membrane with the optimum weight percentages of the ZIF-C-SO 3 H and the SSiO 2 shows higher proton conductivity and lower methanol permeability than Nafion 115. The high performance of the SSiO 2 /ZIF-C-SO 3 H@SPEEK membrane mainly originates from its co-filled structure. Specifically, the ZIF-C-SO 3 H filling improves the proton conductivity and lowers methanol permeability, and the SSiO 2 filling further lowers methanol permeability of the SSiO 2 /ZIF-C-SO 3 H@SPEEK membrane. Additionally, the specific interactions of the ZIF-C-SO 3 H and the SSiO 2 with the SPEEK matrix also endue the SSiO 2 /ZIF-C-SO 3 H@SPEEK membrane with improved mechanical and oxidation stabilities and good durability towards the acid etching. When used in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs), the SSiO 2 /ZIF-C-SO 3 H@SPEEK membrane can exhibit a maximum power density of 128.6 ± 4.6 mW cm−2, which is ∼ twice that of Nafion 115. The result strongly suggests the great potential of using the SSiO 2 /ZIF-C-SO 3 H@SPEEK membrane as a proton exchange membrane for the DMFC. [Display omitted] • The ZIF-derived porous carbon is used as the fillers for the SPEEK membrane. • A co-filling strategy is used to improve the performance of the SPEEK membrane. • The membrane shows higher proton conductivity and lower methanol permeability. • The membrane exhibits excellent performance when used in the DMFCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Si nanopyramids have been suggested as one of the most promising Si nanostructures to realize high-efficient ultrathin solar cells or photodetectors due to their low surface area enhancement and outstanding ability to enhance light absorption. However, the present techniques to fabricate Si nanopyramids are either complex or expensive. In parallel, disordered nanostructures are believed to be extremely effective to realize broadband light trapping for solar cells. Here, a simple and cost-effective method is presented to form random Si nanopyramids based on an all-solution process, the mechanism behind which is the successful transfer of the generation site of bubbles from Si surface to the introduced Ag nanoparticles so that OH− can react with the entire Si surface to naturally form random and dense Si nucleus. For optical performance, it is experimentally demonstrated that the random Si nanopyramid textured ultrathin crystalline Si (c-Si) can achieve light trapping approaching the Lambertian limit. Importantly, it is revealed, by numerical calculations, that random Si nanopyramids outperform periodic ones on broadband light absorption due to more excited optical resonance modes. The finding provides a new opportunity to improve the performance of ultrathin c-Si solar cells with a simpler process and lower cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the molecular changes underlying the pathogenesis of radiation-induced skin fibrosis.Methods and Materials: Rat skin was irradiated to 30 or 45 Gy with an electron beam. Protein expression in fibrotic rat skin and adjacent normal tissues was quantified by label-free protein quantitation. Human skin cells HaCaT and WS-1 were treated by x-ray irradiation, and the proteasome activity was determined with a fluorescent probe. The effect of proteasome inhibitors on Transforming growth factor Beta (TGF-B) signaling was measured by Western blot and immunofluorescence. The efficacy of bortezomib in wound healing of rat skin was assessed by the skin injury scale.Results: We found that irradiation induced epidermal and dermal hyperplasia in rat and human skin. One hundred ninety-six preferentially expressed and 80 unique proteins in the irradiated fibrotic skin were identified. Through bioinformatic analysis, the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway showed a significant fold change and was investigated in greater detail. In vitro experiments demonstrated that irradiation resulted in a decline in the activity of the proteasome in human skin cells. The proteasome inhibitor bortezomib suppressed profibrotic TGF-β downstream signaling but not TGF-β secretion stimulated by irradiation in HaCaT and WS-1 cells. Moreover, bortezomib ameliorated radiation-induced skin injury and attenuated epidermal hyperplasia.Conclusion: Our findings illustrate the molecular changes during radiation-induced skin fibrosis and suggest that targeting the ubiquitin-proteasome system would be an effective countermeasure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An optimization process for impellers was carried out based on numerical simulation, Latin hypercube sampling (LHS), surrogate model and Genetic algorithm (GA) to improve the efficiency of residual heat removal pump. The commercial software ANSYS CFX 14.5 was utilized to solve the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations by using the Shear stress transport turbulence model. The impeller blade parameters, which contain the blade inlet incidence angle Δ β, blade wrap angle φ, and blade outlet angle β, were designed by random sample points according to the LHS method. The efficiency predicted under the design flow rate was selected as the objective function. The best combination of parameters was obtained by calculating the surrogate model with the GA. Meanwhile, the prediction accuracies of three surrogate models, namely, Response surface model (RSM), Kriging model, and Radial basis neural network (RBNN), were compared. Results showed that the calculated findings agree with the experimental performance results of the original pump. The RSF model predicted the highest efficiency, while the RBNN had the highest prediction accuracy. Compared with the simulated efficiency of the original pump, the optimization increased efficiency by 8.34% under the design point. Finally, the internal flow fields were analyzed to understand the mechanism of efficiency improvement. The optimization process, including the comparison of the surrogate models, can provide reference for the optimization design of other pumps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]