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An efficient method for the Beckmann rearrangement of cyclohexanone oxime (CHO) catalyzed by trifluoroacetic anhydride (TFAA) is proposed in this work. The effects of experimental parameters on the reaction rate are studied, including CHO concentration, TFAA/CHO ratio, temperature, and CPL concentration. The reaction rate shows a linear relationship with TFAA/CHO ratio and reduces with the increasing of CPL concentration. Based on the experimental data and the study of in-situ FTIR, a reaction mechanism is proposed and the equilibrium relationship between CPL and TFAA is established. A rate constant model is developed and is in good agreement with the experimental results. The TFAA/TFA catalytic system allows high conversion and reaction rate compared with other organic acids.

We developed a Cr-catalyzed strategy for the regioselective formation of C

Simple Summary Pelodiscus sinensis is an important aquatic economic species in China with sexual dimorphism. All-male breeding is becoming a research hotspot. Here, comparative transcriptome analyses of female, male, and pseudo-female gonads were performed. We found that the differences between males and pseudo-females were mainly related to steroid hormone synthesis at the transcriptome level. When it comes to the sox family genes, sox3 may have a role in the process of sex reversal from male to pseudo-female, when sox8 and sox9 were inhibited by exogenous estrogen. Abstract The Chinese soft-shelled turtle Pelodiscus sinensis shows obvious sexual dimorphism. The economic and nutrition value of male individuals are significantly higher than those of female individuals. Pseudo-females which are base to all-male breeding have been obtained by estrogen induction, while the gene function and molecular mechanism of sex reversal remain unclear in P. sinensis. Here, comparative transcriptome analyses of female, male, and pseudo-female gonads were performed, and 14,430 genes differentially expressed were identified in the pairwise comparison of three groups. GO and KEGG analyses were performed on the differentially expressed genes (DEGs), which mainly concentrated on steroid hormone synthesis. Furthermore, the results of gonadal transcriptome analysis revealed that 10 sex-related sox genes were differentially expressed in males vs. female, male vs. pseudo-female, and female vs. pseudo-female. Through the differential expression analysis of these 10 sox genes in mature gonads, six sox genes related to sex reversal were further screened. The molecular mechanism of the six sox genes in the embryo were analyzed during sex reversal after E2 treatment. In mature gonads, some sox family genes, such as sox9 sox12, and sox30 were highly expressed in the testis, while sox1, sox3, sox6, sox11, and sox17 were lowly expressed. In the male embryos, exogenous estrogen can activate the expression of sox3 and inhibit the expression of sox8, sox9, and sox11. In summary, sox3 may have a role in the process of sex reversal from male to pseudo-female, when sox8 and sox9 are inhibited. Sox family genes affect both female and male pathways in the process of sex reversal, which provides a new insight for the all-male breeding of the Chinese soft-shelled turtle.

Multicolor luminescent nanoparticles (NPs) show several potential emerging applications. In this work, we provide a new route that integrates the afterglow and upconversion (UC) that originate in a single activator to achieve color variations without the modulation of any other parameters. The Er3+ ions in Na3HfF7:Yb/Er NPs exhibit bright green afterglow upon X-ray irradiation and single-band red UC under 980 nm laser excitation, which are attributed to the significantly different electron population pathways. The UC intensity is stable and the afterglow decreases gradually over time, thus the output color is clearly changed from green to red naturally via illuminating the pre-X-ray-irradiated NPs with a 980 nm laser. Furthermore, the fine emission profiles of Er3+, Ho3+ and Tm3+ are achieved upon X-ray irradiation. Our results develop a new approach for time-dependent dynamic color displays and a simple route to revealing the electronic fine structures of lanthanide activators at room temperature.

To improve the power generation efficiency and lifespan of photovoltaic and fuel cells, a two-phase interleaved boost integrated LLC resonant converter (IBI-LLC), which can achieve zero input current ripple, is studied in this paper. The IBI-LLC converter is derived by the integration of two stage converters, the first stage is an interleaved boost converter, and the second stage is a full-bridge LLC resonant converter. Only a pair of inductors and a bus capacitor are added to the full-bridge LLC resonant converter after the integration. For the IBI-LLC converter, the zero-voltage switching (ZVS) characteristic, as well as the zero input current ripple, can be achieved by employing pulse frequency modulation (PFM) control. Due to these features, the IBI-LLC converter is an excellent choice for applications where high voltage gain and low input current ripple are required. The detailed operating principle and characteristics with PFM control is analysed and the correctness of the theoretical analysis is finally verified by prototype experimental results.

Biomarkers play an increasing role in medicinal biology. They are used for diagnosis, management, drug target identification, drug responses, and disease prognosis. We have discovered that calpain-1 and calpain-2 play opposite functions in neurodegeneration, with calpain-1 activation being neuroprotective, while prolonged calpain-2 activation is neurodegenerative. This notion has been validated in several mouse models of acute neuronal injury, in particular in mouse models of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and repeated concussions. We have identified a selective substrate of calpain-2, the tyrosine phosphatase, PTPN13, which is cleaved in brain after TBI. One of the fragments generated by calpain-2, referred to as P13BP, is also found in the blood after TBI both in mice and humans. In humans, P13BP blood levels are significantly correlated with the severity of TBI, as measured by Glasgow Coma Scale scores and loss of consciousness. The results indicate that P13BP represents a novel blood biomarker for TBI.

Porous alumina was prepared via a sacrificial template method using alumina as the matrix and starch and carbon fibers as the pore-forming agents. After sintering, no residual pore-forming agents were present. The density, porosity, and pore structure of the samples were measured using the Archimedes’ method and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP). The results showed that the pore size distribution of porous alumina was double-peak when the content of the pore-forming agent was 20, 30, or 50 vol.%, but was single-peak when the content was 40 vol.%. A fractal model based on the measured MIP data was used to calculate and evaluate the fractal dimension (Ds) of porous alumina. The Ds values decreased with an increase in the pore-forming agent content. Furthermore, Ds was negatively correlated with porosity, most probable pore size, and median pore diameter and positively correlated with the bending strength of porous alumina. Since porous alumina has obvious fractal characteristics, the fractal theory can be used to quantitatively describe its complex distribution.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the dynamic change in volatile components during the yellowing process. The volatile components were analyzed by headspace gas chromatography–ion mobility spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS) and the critical enzyme activities were determined by commercial kits. The results revealed that 29 signal peaks for 20 compounds were identified, which were quantified in all samples: 1 furan, 1 ester, 15 aldehydes, 3 ketones, and 9 alcohols. The contents of most of these compounds increased first and then decreased at 36 h, which were basically consistent with the enzyme activities of LOX, HPL, ADH and AAT. Subsequently, principal component analysis (PCA) results clearly showed that the fresh-cut yams for different yellowing processes were well distinguished by the volatile compounds. These results showed that the potential of HS-GC-IMS-based approaches to evaluate the volatile compound profiles of fresh-cut yam at different stages in the yellowing period.

Coronatine (COR), a structural and functional mimic of jasmonates, is involved in a wide array of effects on plant development and defense response. The present study aims to investigate the role of COR, in counteracting drought stress by modulating reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis, water balance, and antioxidant regulation in detached maize plants. Our results showed that COR can markedly decrease the water loss rate, but the antioxidants diphenyleneiodonium chloride (DPI) and dimethylthiourea (DMTU) eliminate the effect of water loss induced by COR. Using the dye 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescein diacetate (H2DCF-DA) loaded in the maize epidermis guard cells, it is observed that COR could increase ROS production, and then antioxidants DPI and DMTU decreased ROS production induced by COR. In addition, the expression of ZmRBOHs genes, which were associated with ROS generation was increased by COR in levels and ZmRBOHC was highly expressed in the epidermis guard cells. Moreover, COR-treated plants increased H2O2 and O2−· accumulation, antioxidant enzyme activities in control plants, while COR relieved the ROS accumulation and antioxidant enzyme activities under PEG treatment. These results indicated that COR could improve maize performance under drought stress by modulating ROS homeostasis to maintain water loss rate and antioxidant enzyme activities.

Background: The anti-thrombotic strategy for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who have undergone percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for coronary artery disease (CAD) is a common and difficult challenge. This pilot study aimed to assess the feasibility and safety of “one-stop” left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) combined with PCI as an alternative stroke prophylaxis strategy. Methods: From March 2017 to October 2019, AF patients with elevated bleeding risk and significant stable CAD requiring PCI were recruited to undergo LAAC as alternative stroke prophylaxis in Fuwai Hospital, Beijing, China. LAAC was performed either in the same setting with PCI (i.e. “one-stop” LAAC/PCI), or as staged procedure after PCI. Dual antiplatelet therapy was given for all patients after LAAC. Peri-procedural and intermediate-term clinical outcomes were assessed through hospital clinical records review and standardized telephone interviews. Results: A total of 24 patients were recruited including 13 (54.2%) underwent stage procedure and 11 (45.8%) underwent “one-stop” procedure respectively. The mean CHA(2)DS(2)-VASc and HAS-BLED scores were 4.5±1.4 and 3 (IQR 3,4) respectively. Six patients (46.1%) in the staged procedure cohort were treated with triple anti-thrombotic following PCI, with 2 developed minor bleeding before LAAC. One patient (“one-stop” cohort) had gastrointestinal bleeding 1 day after procedure. Otherwise, there was no device related complication or peri-procedural stroke/myocardial infarction. After a mean 19±5.4 months follow-up, there was no death, myocardial infarction, stroke and systemic embolization detected. Conclusions: In this pilot study, “one-stop” LAAC with PCI was shown to be efficacious with no stroke, MI, VARC-2 major bleeding or CV death reported over a mean follow-up of 19 months, and safe with no major peri-procedural bleeding or device related complications.

In order to solve the system instability issue caused by a large number of constant power loads in DC microgrid, two compensation methods, active damping compensation and virtual negative inductor compensation, are introduced to improve the stability of DC microgrid in this paper. The small-signal mathematical model of the DC microgrid can be established by designing the Boost converter with voltage and current double closed-loop and the DC-DC converter, which can be regarded as a constant power load. Based on the principle of system dominant pole distribution, the Lyapunov eigenvalue method is used to estimate the power boundary of the DC microgrid. To improve the system stability, active damping compensation method is adopted directly in the control loop of source, and in contrast, a virtual negative inductor method is adopted on the source converter by droop control method, the principle and realization of two compensation methods are right after studied in detail. The power boundary values obtained before and after different compensation methods are compared. Finally, the effectiveness of the active damping compensation and virtual negative inductor compensation methods to improve the stability of DC microgrid is verified by Matlab/Simulink simulation.

Fluorescence intensity ratio-based temperature sensing with a self-referencing characteristic is highly demanded for reliable and accurate sensing. Although enormous efforts have been devoted to explore high-performance luminescent temperature probes, it remains a daunting challenge to achieve highly relative sensitivity which determines temperature resolution. Herein, we employ a novel strategy to achieve temperature probes with ultrahigh relative sensitivity through integrating both positive and negative thermal quenching effect into a hydrogel. Specifically, Er3+ ions show evidently a positive thermal quenching effect in Yb/Er:NaYF4@NaYF4 nanocrystals while Nd3+ and Tm3+ ions in a Yb2W3O12 bulk exhibit prominently a negative thermal quenching effect. With elevating temperature from 313 to 553 K, the fluorescence intensity ratio of Er (540 nm) to Nd (799 nm) and Tm (796 nm) to Er (540 nm) is significantly decreased about 1654 times and increased about 14,422 times, respectively. The maximum relative sensitivity of 15.3% K-1 at 553 K and 23.84% K-1 at 380 K are achieved. The strategy developed in this work sheds light on highly sensitive probes using lanthanide ion-doped materials.

This paper proposes a novel high-temperature super-conducting (HTS) claw-pole vernier machine, which combines the merits of stator HTS-excitation machine with the “magnetic gearing effect” designed for direct-drive applications. The key is to adopt claw-pole stator structure to realize the multi-pole pattern using single HTS-excitation unit with stationary seal, thus greatly simplifying the cooling Dewar architecture as well as improving the structural compactness. Moreover, the armature windings are wound around the split-teeth which are set on the surface of claw poles to achieve the physical separation from the HTS-excitation coil, thus reducing their space conflicts and impact with each other. The operation principle analysis and the initial machine design are conducted in details. By using the three-dimensional finite element analysis, the machine performances are evaluated, and its validity is verified.

This paper proposes a new high-temperature super-conducting (HTS) linear flux-controllable doubly salient machine for high-power long-stator applications, which incorporates the merits of both the HTS-excitation machine and the primary-excitation linear machine. The key is to adopt the modular mover to obtain the phase symmetric magnetic circuit as well as effectively reduce the cogging force due to module complementary effect, while the HTS-excitation windings and armature windings are physically separated to reduce space conflicts between each other and easily implement static seals of cooling Dewar. Also, the air-gap field can be flexibly regulated by changing the HTS-excitation current, thus facilitating to extend the operating speed range. The operation principle analysis, cooling Dewar design, and key parameters determination are conducted in detail. By using the finite-element analysis, the machine performances with emphasis on flux-controllable features are analyzed to verify its validity.

This paper proposes and analyzes a novel high-temperature superconducting (HTS) flux-switching transverse-flux (HTS-FSTF) machine with partitioned stator, which keeps the merits of stator-excitation HTS machine with static seals. The key is to adopt the axial partitioned stator structure to realize the independent partition arrangement of armature windings and HTS-excitation windings, as well as artfully place the flux barrier between them to minimize the impact of armature field on the critical field state of the HTS excitation. Moreover, by using the split-pole design, only a single ring-shaped HTS-excitation coil is employed, thus, easily implementing static seals of simple cooling Dewar pattern to improve the refrigeration system reliability and reduce costs. The operation principle based on the transverse-flux path analysis and the cooling Dewar design are described in details. Also, by using the three-dimensional finite-element analysis, the electromagnetic performances of the proposed machine are investigated, and its validity is verified.

INTRODUCTION In recent years, everolimus-eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffold stents (EE-BRS) were developed as alternative to everolimus-eluting metallic stents (EES) for coronary artery disease (CAD) treatments. Areas covered: Searches were conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, EBSCO, Springer, Ovid, TCTMD, Cardiosource, Clinical Trial Results and the Cochrane Library with combined key words such as bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS), everolimus-eluting metallic stents, EES, coronary artery disease, CAD and randomized-Controlled Trials.Finally, 5,474 patients were enrolled for comparison of device-induced thrombosis, ischemia-driven target lesion revascularization (ID-TLR), device-oriented composite endpoints (DOCE), patient-oriented composite endpoints (POCE), and target vessel failure (TVF) between EE-BRS and EES treatments. The primary literature search retrieved 200 records. Expert Opinion: There was no difference regarding DOCEs, POCEs and ID-TLRs for 1 or 2 years, whereas there were significant differences regarding thrombosis between EE-BRS and EES interventions in the 1-year (pooled HR, 2.15, 95%CI: 1.11, 4.18) and 2-year follow-ups (pooled HR, 2.02, 95%CI: 1.08, 3.78), but not in the 3-year follow-up (pooled HR, 1.57, 95%CI: 0.66, 3.75) anymore. The results of this study showed no inferiority of EE-BRS regarding TVF, DOCE, POCE and ID-TLR 1-year and 2-years after interventions, but enhanced risk of thrombosis in the EE-BRS patients, which disappeared in 3-year follow-ups.

In this work, the mixing efficiency of a rotor-stator spinning disc extractor (RSSDE) is presented. The micromixing efficiency of RSSDE is studied, with the iodide-iodate reaction as working system. The influence of the various operating conditions (e.g. rotational speed, liquid viscosity, volume flow rate, concentration of acid and rotor-stator distance) on micromixing efficiency (characterized by segregation index XS) is investigated. It is found that the XS decreases with the rise of rotational speed, the reduction of rotor-stator distance and the concentration of acid and liquid viscosity. Based on the incorporation model, the estimated micromixing times are in the range of 10−5–10−4 s, which is less than that of other tank mixing and rotating devices. In addition, the residence time of liquid in the rotor-stator cavity is researched to describe the effect of independent variables, like rotational speed, volumetric flow rate, rotor-stator distance, and liquid viscosity, with the help of electrical conductance technique. Besides, the corresponding correlation is also established to predict the residence time. The calculation result shows good coincidence with the experimental data, with a deviation within 20%.

Diabetes mellitus is a serious disease endangering human health worldwide. Vitamin D (Vit D) is a well-characterized regulator of calcium-phosphorus metabolism that also exerts other biological effects extending far beyond mineral homeostasis. Some epidemiological studies have suggested that Vit D has a role in defense against diabetes, although the mechanism remains unclear. Autophagy, an intracellular catabolic process, is necessary to maintain the normal structure and function of host cells. In our previous study, we found that Vit D could induce autophagy of pancreatic beta cells and prevent insulitis, although the underlying mechanisms remain to be fully elucidated. In this study, the protective effect of 1,25(OH)2D3, the physiologically active metabolite of Vit D, against streptozotocin-induced cytotoxicity in rat insulinoma cell line (INS-1) cells was explored. Cell viability and insulin secretion of INS-1 cells in response to different treatments were measured with a cell counting kit and enzyme-linked immune absorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. In addition, malondialdehyde (MDA) content and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) were measured by ELISA. RT-PCR and Western blot analyses were used to detect autophagy levels, reactive oxygen species (ROS) was assessed by fluorescence microscope, ultrastructure analysis was performed using transmission electron microscopy. The results demonstrated that 1,25(OH)2D3 could increase cell viability and insulin secretion of INS-1 cells, and protected cells from oxidative damage induced by streptozotocin (STZ) through autophagy activation. These findings shed light on mechanisms underlying the ameliorative effects of Vit D on diabetes mellitus.

Kerosene is widely used as a collector in molybdenite flotation. However, it can only adsorb on molybdenite faces but not on molybdenite edges, which is unfavorable for the flotation of fine molybdenite particles with high edge/face ratios. In this study, kerosene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) were combined to form a composite collector to improve fine molybdenite flotation. It was hypothesized that PAH might adsorb on molybdenite edges through its polar group and render them hydrophobic. This composite collector was examined in the flotation of molybdenite particles from different size fractions. It was found that this composite collector improved the flotation of molybdenite particles especially from finer size fractions. Zeta potential measurements and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses indicate that PAH preferentially adsorbed on molybdenite edges and therefore improved molybdenite flotation. The improvement was more significant for fine molybdenite particles with a high proportion of edges. This study provides new insights in improving fine molybdenite flotation. Keywords: Molybdenite, Aliphatic hydrocarbon oil, Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, Electrokinetic potential, Contact angle, IR spectroscopy (FTIR)

This paper proposes and analyzes a novel high-temperature superconducting (HTS) modular flux-switching linear machine for long-stator applications, which adopts the stator with a low-cost salient-pole iron core and accommodates both the armature windings and HTS-excitation windings on the short mover, thus facilitating static seals of cooling Dewar for the HTS windings. The key of the proposed machine is to employ a modular mover structure composed of separate phase modules to achieve a complementary pattern, such that the cogging force can be significantly offset to effectively reduce the force ripple while offering the advantages of very symmetrical back electromotive force (EMF) and high fault tolerance. The operation principle and optimization analysis of the proposed machine with concern on the HTS-excitation characteristics are carried out. Also, by using the two-dimensional finite element method, the electromagnetic performances of the proposed machine are investigated to verify its validity. The results show that it can offer symmetrical and sinusoidal back-EMF, high fault tolerance, and low force ripple.

In recent years, optical crystals for 1.3 μm all-solid-state passively Q-switched lasers have been widely studied due to their eye-safe band, atmospheric transmission characteristics, compactness, and low cost. They are widely used in the fields of high-precision laser radar, biomedical applications, and fine processing. In this review, we focus on three types of optical crystals used as the 1.3 μm laser gain media: neodymium-doped vanadate (Nd:YVO4, Nd:GdVO4, Nd:LuVO4, neodymium-doped aluminum-containing garnet (Nd:YAG, Nd:LuAG), and neodymium-doped gallium-containing garnet (Nd:GGG, Nd:GAGG, Nd:LGGG). In addition, other crystals such as Nd:KGW, Nd:YAP, Nd:YLF, and Nd:LLF are also discussed. First, we introduce the properties of the abovementioned 1.3 μm laser crystals. Then, the recent advances in domestic and foreign research on these optical crystals are summarized. Finally, the future challenges and development trend of 1.3 μm laser crystals are proposed. We believe this review will provide a comprehensive understanding of the optical crystals for 1.3 μm all-solid-state passively Q-switched lasers.

Ascorbic acid (AsA) is generally used as an antibrowning agent for fresh-cut potato (FCP). However, its browning inhibitory effect is temporary because of its rapid consumption during redox processes. In this study, the effect of browning inhibition in FCP slices was evaluated using low frequency ultrasound (LFU; 40 kHz, 200 W, 3 min) and AsA (0.2%, w/v) treatments alone or in combination. The results showed that LFU combined with AsA (LFU-AsA) treatment could achieve a better antibrowning effect than either treatment alone (higher L*, lower a* and ΔE*), and there was no adverse effect on texture properties. LFU-AsA treatment not only inhibited the activity of PPO more effectively than AsA treatment, but also enhanced the antibrowning effect by retaining higher AsA content. Moreover, it also maintained membrane integrity by limiting lipid peroxidation and solute migration during storage. Overall, LFU-AsA treatment would be a promising method in food preservation industries.

Bidirectional LLC resonant converter has been popular in applications such as electric vehicle, energy storage system and uninterruptible power supply for its good soft-switching characteristics. A novel control strategy combined pulse frequency modulation (PFM) with unilateral dual-phase-shift (DPS) control is proposed in this work. By controlling the switches in the converter, the forward buck mode operation can be realised under PFM control, as well as the backward boost mode operation can be realised under unilateral DPS control; therefore, the bidirectional power flow and zero-voltage-switching of all switches can be realised; thus, the efficiency of the converter is improved. The detailed operation principle, control strategies, voltage gain expression, soft-switching characteristics and design of parameters are analysed. The feasibility of PFM-DPS control is finally verified by PSIM simulation and prototype experimental results.

In a DC microgrid, because the output of renewable energy such as photovoltaic is intermittent, hybrid energy storage system (HESS) combining ultracapacitors and batteries is usually used to solve this issue. According to the characteristics of ultracapacitors and batteries, the low-frequency power fluctuations are assigned to batteries, while the high-frequency power fluctuations are assigned to ultracapacitors. When considering an ultracapacitor group, state-of-charge (SoC) of the ultracapacitors will be unbalanced between each other, on account of the differences of initial states or attributes. A novel distributed control method is proposed in this study. In general, ultracapacitors control the DC bus voltage and batteries control SoC of the ultracapacitors. Additionally, the distributed control adds the difference between one ultracapacitor's SoC and the average SoC of the ultracapacitor group to its current control loop. As a result, the dynamic stability of SoC among the ultracapacitors can be achieved, and the issues of overcharging and/or over discharging of the ultracapacitors can be avoided. At last, the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy is validated by the simulation model built in MATLAB/Simulink.

Micro-emulsion usually consists of water, oil, surfactants and co-surfactants, and each component has an effect on the phase behavior and solubilization of the micro-emulsion. When the surfactant in the micro-emulsion system is quaternary ammonium cationic Gemini surfactant, the surfactant mainly combines with the anions in the salt. With the increase of salt concentration, the phase transformation of Winsor I → Winsor III → Winsor II occurred, but the optimum salinity and salt width are different because of the type of salt. The effects of 5 different kinds of monovalent anions, including C6H5SO3−, I−, Br−, NO3− and Cl−, on the phase behavior and solubilization of quaternary ammonium cationic Gemini micro-emulsion are researched by Winsor phase diagram. It is found that the effects of organic anions C6H5SO3− and I− on the phase behavior and solubilization of quaternary ammonium cationic Gemini micro-emulsion are most significant, and the effects of Br−, NO3− and Cl− are less significant. Meanwhile, when the optimum solubilization is achieved, the amount of sodium benzoate is the least, indicating that the organic anion has stronger self-organization behavior with quaternary ammonium cationic Gemini surfactants.

The dc/dc converter with interleaving and coupling technique is preferred in high-power applications for its excellent steady-state and transient-state performances. In this study, the principle of three-phase interleaved dc/dc converters with a coupled inductor is first analysed. Also, merits are proved theoretically based on the concepts of equivalent steady-state and transient-state inductance. As most of the proposed single-core coupled inductor may suffer several issues, such as asymmetrical coupling parameters, high manufacturing cost, and large dc flux, an equivalent model is then deduced to use two-wingding coupled inductors instead of the single-core three-phase coupled inductor. With the proposed model, the manufacturing cost can be reduced, the parameters can be symmetrical and there will be nearly no dc flux. In real applications, however, the proposed model may also be faced with current unbalance among phases, which may lead to core saturation and even system failure. A phase-decoupled current sharing strategy is therefore proposed and used in the proposed topology. The superiority and practicability of proposed topology and current sharing method are verified by simulation in PSIM and prototype experiment results.

This paper proposes to implement a segme-nted-rotor high-temperature superconducting (HTS) flux-switching generator with dual electrical ports for offshore wind power generation. The originality is both electrical ports, namely armature windings and field-excitation windings, are placed in the stator so that the stationary seal of the cryogenic cooling system can be achieved. The key lies in that the HTS field-excitation windings in the stator side provide high field excitation, and the sinusoidal electromotive force in armature windings is induced by the magnetic field modulation of the segmented rotor. A new kind of racetrack-shaped Dewar with vacuum-sandwich was proposed and fabricated to accommodate and cool the HTS coils. Based on this proposed racetrack-shaped Dewar, a cryogenic cooling system of the proposed generator was established to maintain the superconducting properties of HTS wires. Both finite element analysis and experiments were carried out to verify the validity of the proposed generator and its cryogenic cooling system.

Open Information Extraction (OIE), the task aimed at discovering all textual facts organized in the form of (subject, predicate, object) found within a sentence, has gained much attention recently. However, in some knowledge-driven applications such as question answering, we often have a target entity and hope to obtain its structured factual knowledge for better understanding, instead of extracting all possible facts aimlessly from the corpus. In this paper, we define a new task, namely Semi-Open Information Extraction (SOIE), to address this need. The goal of SOIE is to discover domain-independent facts towards a particular entity from general and diverse web text. To facilitate research on this new task, we propose a large-scale human-annotated benchmark called SOIED, consisting of 61,984 facts for 8,013 subject entities annotated on 24,000 Chinese sentences collected from the web search engine. In addition, we propose a novel unified model called USE for this task. First, we introduce subject-guided sequence as input to a pre-trained language model and normalize the hidden representations conditioned on the subject embedding to encode the sentence in a subject-aware manner. Second, we decompose SOIE into three uncoupled subtasks: predicate extraction, object extraction, and boundary alignment. They can all be formulated as the problem of table filling by forming a two-dimensional tag table based on a task-specific tagging scheme. Third, we introduce a collaborative learning strategy that enables the interactive relations among subtasks to be better exploited by explicitly exchanging informative clues. Finally, we evaluate USE and several strong baselines on our new dataset. Experimental results demonstrate the advantages of the proposed method and reveal insight for future improvement.

An increase in living standards and dietary changes have induced a rapid growth in the livestock sector worldwide, which has led to considerable environmental damages due inappropriate disposal of livestock manure. Using primary data from a field survey of cattle farmers in China, this paper empirically examines the impact of policy cognition on livestock farmers' investment in manure recycling facilities. The impact is tested through the multiple mediator model to accommodate two potential mediating mechanisms, which are the agricultural cooperative membership and land leasing. Three conclusions arise. First, policy cognition has a significant positive impact on both the diversification and amounts of farmers' investment in manure recycling facilities. Second, membership in agricultural cooperatives and participation in land leasing are two important mediating mechanisms for policy cognition to affect farmers' investment decisions on manure recycling. Finally, for the two mediating variables, leasing additional agricultural land promotes more investment in manure recycling facilities, but less in investment diversification, while cooperative membership has the opposite impact. This study contributes to three areas of literature on the factors affecting investment decisions, the mediating effects of policy cognition and the investment in non-production related assets. Regarding policy implications, we identify the importance of promoting policy awareness and agricultural cooperatives among livestock farmers, as well as developing land lease markets in agricultural regions in promoting investment in manure recycling facilities.

The monitoring value of strain of a concrete bridge is mainly affected by concrete shrinkage and creep, temperature, vehicle loads, etc. Seasonal temperature, daily solar radiation and cold current are the main influencing factors of temperature. Among them, temperature effect of daily solar radiation has a significant impact on the monitoring value of strain. Based on the monitoring data of the concrete bridge in Dongying City, Shandong Province, China, a method to separate the temperature effect of daily solar radiation from the monitoring value of strain of the bridge health monitoring system is obtained. Based on the analysis of the monitoring data of strain and temperature in the concrete girder, a model of the relationship between strain and temperature was established by using the unary linear fitting method. The strain separated from temperature effect of daily solar radiation can provide an effective basis for safety assessment of a concrete bridge.