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Atmospheric turbulence parameters, such as turbulent kinetic energy and dissipation rate, are of great significance in weather prediction, meteorological disasters, and forecasting. Due to the lack of ideal direct detection methods, traditional structure function methods are mainly based on Kolmogorov's assumption of local isotropic turbulence and the well-known -5/3 power law within the inertial subrange, which limits their application. Here, we propose a method for directly measuring atmospheric turbulence parameters using coherent Doppler wind lidar, which can directly obtain atmospheric turbulence parameters and vertical structural features, breaking the limitations of traditional methods. The first published spatiotemporal distribution map of the power-law exponent of the inertial subrange is provided in this study, which indicates the heterogeneity of atmospheric turbulence at different altitudes, and also indicates that the power-law exponent at high altitudes does not fully comply with the -5/3 power law, proving the superiority of our method. We analyze the results under different weather conditions, indicating that the method still holds. The turbulent kinetic energy and power-law index obtained by this method are continuously compared with the results obtained with an ultrasonic anemometer for a monthlong period. The results of the two have high consistency and correlation, verifying the accuracy and applicability of the proposed method. The proposed method has great significance in studying the vertical structural characteristics of atmospheric turbulence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hemicellulose and lignin were progressively removed from hemp fiber by hydrolysis. SEM, FTIR, XRD analysis and tensile properties evaluation on technical fibers were carried out to understand the structural and mechanical properties of hemp fibers. Significant influence of hemicellulose and lignin content on tensile properties was verified by ANOVA. The fiber tensile strength and initial modulus were decreased with the extensive removal of hemicellulose, along with a constant increasing of elongation at rupture. Torsion and expansion were observed in hemp fibers. It was suggested that the internal structure destruction and reorganization in the ultimate fiber cells was the main reason for the variation of mechanical properties when hemicellulose was gradually dissolved. On the other hand, fiber individualization was achieved by lignin removal and contributed to the elevation of fiber tensile properties. The elongation at break of the hemp fibers decreased slightly with the removal of lignin. NaClO2 solution treatment affected the fiber cells slightly, but effectively changed the properties of the middle lamella jointing between the ultimate fiber cells. The mechanical properties of the hemp fiber were mainly decided by the shearing between single fibers caused by the plastic-like deformation of the middle lamella. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increase in system complexity and operational performance requirements, nuclear energy systems are developing in the direction of intelligence and unmanned, which also requires a higher demand for its safety so that intelligent fault diagnosis and prediction have become a technology that nuclear power plants need to develop at present. At the same time, due to the rapid development of deep learning technology, it has become a meaningful development direction to predict the fault state of nuclear power plants within the framework of supervised deep learning. Usually, the network structure model used in fault diagnosis and prediction requires professional design, which may cost a lot of time and make it difficult to achieve optimal results. For this purpose, we present an end-to-end deep network for nuclear power system prediction (EDN-NPSP), which can automatically mine the transient features of various detection data in the NPS at the current moment through heterogeneous convolution kernels that can increase the receptive field and then predict the feature evolution results of the NPS in the future through a special deep CNN. The results provide an assessment of the future state of NPS. Based on EDN-NPSP presented in this work, we can avoid complicated manual feature extraction and provide the predicted state directly and rapidly. It will provide operators with useful prediction information and enhance the nuclear energy system fault prediction capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has emerged as the second largest economy in the world during the globalization in the last forty years. However, in the last decade, Chinese manufacturing has also demonstrated its dark side causing wide range of concerns globally and directly jeopardize people's health because of serious pollutions. How could the world keep its industrialization yet without damages to the natural environment? The paper proposes a new framework entitled 'IE³' by integrating three domains of knowledge--Industrial Entrepreneurship, Industrial Engineering and Industrial Ecology. The IE³ model provides a potential answer to the future development pathway for industrialization, changing from pursuit of quantity to quality via considering resources efficiency and ecology efficiency. The novelty of the research lies in incorporating three originally separated theories into a comprehensive system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents information on a study that examined a failure criteria for multiple permeable cracks embedded in an infinite piezoelectric solid which is subjected to a set of uniform-electromechanical loads. Basic equations; Equivalent inclusion method for crack problems; Energy release rates; Conclusions.

SET7, serving as the only histone methyltransferase that monomethylates 'Lys-4' of histone H3, has been proved to function as a key regulator in diverse biological processes, such as cell proliferation, transcriptional network regulation in embryonic stem cell, cell cycle control, protein stability, heart morphogenesis and development. What's more, SET7 is involved inthe pathogenesis of alopecia aerate, breast cancer, tumor and cancer progression, atherosclerosis in human carotid plaques, chronic renal diseases, diabetes, obesity, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, and pulmonary fibrosis. Therefore, there is urgent need to develop novel SET7 inhibitors. In this paper, based on DC-S239 which has been previously reported in our group, we employed scaffold hopping- and 2D fingerprint-based similarity searches and identified DC-S285 as the new hit compound targeting SET7 (IC50 = 9.3 μM). Both radioactive tracing and NMR experiments validated the interactions between DC-S285 and SET7 followed by the second-round similarity search leading to the identification ofDC-S303 with the IC50 value of 1.1 μM. In cellular level, DC-S285 retarded tumor cell proliferation and showed selectivity against MCF7 (IC50 = 21.4 μM), Jurkat (IC50 = 2.2 μM), THP1 (IC50 = 3.5 μM), U937 (IC50 = 3.9 μM) cell lines. Docking calculations suggested that DC-S303 share similar binding mode with the parent compoundDC-S239. What's more, it presented good selectivity against other epigenetic targets, including SETD1B, SETD8, G9a, SMYD2 and EZH2. DC-S303 can serve as a drug-like scaffold which may need further optimization for drug development, and can be used as chemical probe to help the community to better understand the SET7 biology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focusing on high-efficiency sequential feature learning for short-term voltage stability (SVS) assessment, this study develops a light-duty time series (TS) learning machine based on symbolic TS datasets, namely wordbooks. Numerous cumbersome TS acquired from post-contingency synchrophasor measurements are first tactfully transformed into short symbolic words, constituting a compact and light wordbook. By centralising the intra-class words in the wordbook, a series of keywords are quickly extracted without iteration to perform wordbook learning. Owing to the portability of the wordbook, online SVS assessment models can be derived extremely fast from it. With such merits, wordbook learning is designed to be periodically conducted by studying new cases from up-to-minute measurements, resulting in enhanced adaptability to inconstant unknown situations. Fractional affixes that frequently occur in the wordbook are further extracted for pattern discovery of voltage instability. Test results on the realistic Hong Kong power grid illustrate the effectiveness and advantages of the proposed learning machine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reinforcement learning (RL) has been applied to solve ramp-metering problems and attracted increasing attention in recent studies. However, improving traffic efficiency is the main concern of these applications, and the issue relating to user equity has not been well considered. A new RL-based system is developed in this paper to deal with equity-related problems. With the definition of three RL elements, including reward, action, and state, this system can capture the information of user equity and balance it with traffic efficiency. Simulation experiments using real traffic data collected from a real-world motorway stretch are designed to test the performance of the new system. Compared with a widely used ramp-metering algorithm ALINEA, the new system shows superior performance on improving both traffic efficiency and user equity. Specifically, with suitable parameter settings, the new system can reduce the total time spent (TTS) by motorway users by 18.5% and maintain an equally distributed total waiting time (TWT) with a low standard deviation for TWT across on-ramps close to 0. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant reproductive organs are vulnerable to heat, but regulation of heat-shock responses in inflorescence is largely uncharacterized. Here, we report that two of the SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE (SPL) transcriptional factors in Arabidopsis , SPL1 and SPL12, act redundantly in thermotolerance at the reproductive stage. The spl1-1 spl12-1 inflorescences displayed hypersensitivity to heat stress, whereas overexpression of SPL1 or SPL12 enhanced the thermotolerance in both Arabidopsis and tobacco. RNA sequencing revealed 1939 upregulated and 1479 downregulated genes in wild-type inflorescence upon heat stress, among which one-quarter (1,040) was misregulated in spl1-1 spl12-1 , indicating that SPL1 and SPL12 contribute greatly to the heat-triggered transcriptional reprogramming in inflorescence. Notably, heat stress induced a large number of abscisic acid (ABA) responsive genes, of which ∼39% were disturbed in heat induction in spl1-1 spl12-1 inflorescence. Preapplication of ABA and overexpression of SPL1 restored the inflorescence thermotolerance in spl1-1 spl12-1 and in the ABA biosynthesis mutant aba2-1 , but not in the pyl sextuple mutant defective in ABA receptors PYR1 / PYL1 / PYL2 / PYL4 / PYL5 / PYL8 . Thus, inflorescence thermotolerance conferred by SPL1 and SPL2 involves PYL-mediated ABA signaling. The molecular network consisting of SPL1 and SPL12 illustrated here shed new light on the mechanisms of plant thermotolerance at the reproductive stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the mechanism of action of classic cytokines in asthma has received increased attention from researchers, certain non-classical cytokines, such as IL-25, also participate in this mechanism. The present study was performed to investigate the changes in IL-25 (IL-17E) mRNA and protein in bronchial asthma and to further characterize the mechanism underlying the action of glucocorticoids in asthma. A total of 96 specific pathogen-free BALB/c male mice were randomly divided into three normal groups (after the first allergization, after the second allergization and after excitation), three asthma groups (with the same three subgroups), a dexamethasone group and a budesonide group (n=12/group). An asthma model was established via the ovalbumin-sensitized excitation method. Mice in the dexamethasone group received intraperitoneal injections of dexamethasone 1 h prior to each excitation, the budesonide group received a budesonide suspension via inhalation 2 h before and after each provocation, and the normal group was sensitized and challenged with isotonic saline. IL-25 protein expression levels in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were measured by ELISA, and the relative IL-25 mRNA content in lung tissue was determined by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Compared with the normal groups, both the protein and mRNA levels of IL-25 were significantly increased (P<0.05) in the asthma groups. Dexamethasone and budesonide groups exhibited significant protein and mRNA reductions in IL-25, as compared with the asthma group after excitation (P<0.05), whereas these two groups significantly increased levels compared with the normal group after excitation (P<0.05). No significant differences in IL-25 mRNA expression levels were detected in the dexamethasone and budesonide groups when compared with the normal group after excitation. Therefore, we conclude that IL-25 is involved throughout the process of inflammation and inflammatory immune pathogenesis in asthma. One of the mechanisms of glucocorticoid action in asthma may involve inhibition of IL-25 expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new series of mesitylene-linked oligothiophenes (nT, n is the number of thiophene units), including 2T-M, 3T-M, 4T-M, 4T-M-2T, and 4T-M-3T, was prepared to investigate the intramolecular hole transfer (HT) from the excited radical cation for the first time. The results of spectroscopic and theoretical studies indicated that mesitylene acts as a spacer minimizing the perturbation to the thiophene p-conjugation and increasing the stability of nT radical cations (nT+). Femtosecond laser flash photolysis was applied to the FeCl3-oxidized 4T+-M, 4T+-M-2T, and 4T+-M-3T. Upon 670 nm laser excitation, the transient absorption spectra of 4T+-M showed the existence of two species as the D1 and D0hot states. The intramolecular HT processes from excited 4T+ with the time constants of 1.6 and 0.8 ps were observed upon excitation of 4T+-M-2T and 4T+-M-3T, respectively. This is the first capture of such ultrafast processes with the subsequent back HT from the ground-state 2T+ or 3T+ in nT assemblies. The current findings indicated an accelerated migration of photocarriers (polarons) in thiophene-based p-type semiconductor materials upon irradiation and provided a fresh viewpoint to understand the successive HT in polythiophenes for various organic molecular devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the active suspension system of an electric vehicle driven by two rear in-wheel motors as the research object, a 14-degree of freedom coupled vehicle dynamic model is established. Based on the model, a dual-loop proportion integration differentiation controller based on the particle swarm algorithm is designed to control the active suspension in this paper. The designed controller can not only ease the vibration of the vehicle body from the road surface roughness and the unbalanced electromagnetic force but also can improve the ride comfort of the vehicle. To further verify the effectiveness of the control method, the control effect of the active suspension controller designed in this paper is compared with that of a passive suspension and a dual-loop proportion integration differentiation controller without the particle swarm algorithm. The results show that the vertical vibration acceleration, the roller angle and the pitch angle of the vehicle body are significantly improved with the dual-loop proportion integration differentiation controller based on the particle swarm algorithm. Compared with the passive suspension and the dual-loop proportion integration differentiation controller without the particle swarm algorithm, the improvement ratio of the vertical vibration acceleration is 20.92 % and 11.93 %, respectively; the roll angle improvement ratio can reach 57.23 % and 22.02 %, respectively; and the improvement ratio of the pitch angle is 30.23 % and 18.94 %, respectively. The comparison results show that the dual-loop proportion integration differentiation controller optimized with the particle swarm algorithm can better improve the ride comfort of the vehicle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking sixteen main fishery production regions as the study objects, this paper is to examine the fishery industrial structure and investigate the correlation between the economic growth of the fishery industry and the fishery industrial structure during the period 1997-2013 by the shift-share analysis. The study results show that (i) four types of regional industrial structure exist in the fishery industry in China; (ii) all the three sectors-fishing production, fish processing (manufacturing) and fish marketing (distribution), have emerged with large potential for promoting the nation! fishery industry growth, especiaHy for the latter two; (iii) the factors of industry-mix and competitive position have signiicanty different impacts on the growth of fishery industry in different main fishery production regions. This study is one of the comprehensive studies on the status of regional fishery industrial structure, and the competitiveness of regional fishery industry in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thin-film direct coating (TDC) has been successfully used in Western blotting (WB). In this study, the advanced technique of TDC with suction (TDCS) was developed to reduce the consumption amount of antibody by a factor of up to 104 in comparison with the amount consumed by the conventional WB using the capillary tube without any need of special micromachining processes. The operation time for completely finishing a high-quality WB can be reduced from 3 h in conventional WB to about 5 min or even less by TDCS. In addition, the signal-to-noise ratio of the immunoblotting by TDCS can be markedly increased. TDCS WB showed a high linearity within a 6-log2 dynamic range for detecting 90-6000 ng of purified recombinant glutathione-S-transferase (GST) proteins and could particularly detect extrinsic GST proteins added in crude Escherichia coli or 293T cell lysates. Moreover, a protein mixture containing bovine serum albumin, GST, and ubiquitin could be specifically probed in parallel with their corresponding antibodies through multichannel TDCS WB. This simple and innovative TDCS WB offers various potential applications in simultaneously finishing multiple antibody-antigen screenings in a fast and single experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several types of pediatric cancers reportedly contain high-frequency missense mutations in histone H3, yet the underlying oncogenic mechanism remains poorly characterized. Here we report that the H3 lysine 36-to-methionine (H3K36M) mutation impairs the differentiation of mesenchymal progenitor cells and generates undifferentiated sarcoma in vivo. H3K36M mutant nucleosomes inhibit the enzymatic activities of several H3K36 methyltransferases. Depleting H3K36 methyltransferases, or expressing an H3K36I mutant that similarly inhibits H3K36 methylation, is sufficient to phenocopy the H3K36M mutation. After the loss of H3K36 methylation, a genome-wide gain in H3K27 methylation leads to a redistribution of polycomb repressive complex 1 and de-repression of its target genes known to block mesenchymal differentiation. Our findings are mirrored in human undifferentiated sarcomas in which novel K36M/I mutations in H3.1 are identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerical dating of glacial deposits is important for understanding Quaternary glacial evolution. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating is one of the techniques widely used on such sediments. Owing to the short distances traveled before deposition, the incomplete bleaching of luminescence signals in glacial sediments may introduce serious dating problems vis-à-vis glacial and any associated sediments. Here, we report a comparison of OSL ages obtained from the fine (4–11 μm) and medium (38–63 μm) grain size fractions of quartz extracted from glaciofluvial sediments and from glacial tills in the Basongcuo catchment near the eastern Himalayan syntaxis. Initially, four glacial stages were identified based on field observations of moraine distribution and geomorpho-stratigraphic relations. A total of 39 OSL samples were then collected from glaciofluvial sand layers or lenses and from till. Quartz grains in the fine (4–11 μm) and medium (38–63 μm) size fractions were extracted from each sample, and dated using the single-aliquot regeneration (SAR) protocol. The modern supraglacial sediment sample was dated to ∼0.2 (fine grain) to ∼0.7 (medium grain) ka, suggesting that the sediment was not completely bleached on deposition. Contrary to previous experience suggesting that coarse grains are usually better bleached than fine grains prior to deposition, our results show that estimated OSL ages for fine grains are generally younger than those for medium grains. This suggests that the two fractions may have come from different sources and thus have different bleaching histories, and that fine-grained quartz may be more suitable for OSL dating of these materials. Applying the minimum age model to data from medium-grained quartz yields ages close to those obtained from fine-grained quartz, suggesting that both can be used for dating glacial advances. The OSL dates suggest that glaciers in the studied area advanced at 0.1–1.3 ka, ∼7.5 ka and 11–13 ka, and were furthest advanced between ∼16 and ∼30 ka. The timing of the local Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) is broadly consistent throughout the eastern and central Himalaya and frequent glacial advances after the LGM. All suggest that glaciers in the humid eastern Himalayan syntaxis are sensitive to global cooling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, it is the first report that a cathodic electrochemiluminescence (ECL) resonance energy transfer (ERET) system is fabricated by layer-by-layer (LBL) electrostatic assembly of CoAl layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanosheets with a mixture of blue BSA-gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) and Ru(bpy)32+ (denoted as AuNCs@Ru) on an Au electrode. The possible ECL mechanism indicates that the appearance of CoAl-LDH nanosheets generates a long-range stacking order of the AuNCs@Ru on an Au electrode, facilitating the occurrence of the ERET between BSA-AuNC donors and Ru(bpy)32+ acceptors on the as-prepared AuNCs@Ru-LDH ultrathin films (UTFs). Furthermore, it is observed that the cathodic ECL intensity can be quenched efficiently in the presence of 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) in a linear range of 2.5-100 nM with a detection limit of 1.0 nM. On the basis of these interesting phenomena, a facile cathodic ECL sensor has successfully distinguished 6-MP from other thiol-containing compounds (e.g., cysteine and glutathione) in human serum and urine samples. The proposed sensing scheme opens a way for employing the layered UTFs as a platform for the cathodic ECL of Ru(bpy)32+. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including dynamic synchrophasor estimation, voltage controllability and renewable energy.

Widespread chemical plants render human life more vulnerable to major natural disasters such as earthquakes. Recognizing the potential cascading threats initiated by a devastating earthquake, a general methodology for assessing the life loss risks introduced by airborne hazardous chemical dispersion following seismically induced chemical release (SICR) was proposed. With a 600 km x 600 km region in North China as a demonstrative study area, the dispersion of ammonia released from multiple relevant chemical plants that were supposed to be damaged by a devastating earthquake was simulated in a probabilistic manner. Using an ammonia toxicity-fatality relationship and its toxicity concentration threshold, regional life loss and spatial spread were evaluated. The life loss risk was found to be non-prominent but would be very contingent on unfavorable meteorological conditions. Non-parametric correlation analysis revealed that the respective effects of meteorological mixing parameters on the risk exhibit new features in a disaster context, that is, stronger mixing would cause elevation of risk in a region. This preliminary research implied that the risk of chemical-induced life loss after a devastating earthquake deserves attention and a thorough uncertainty evaluation in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dispersion of metallic nanoparticles within a chalcogenide glass matrix has the potential for many important applications in active and passive optical materials. However, the challenge of particle agglomeration, which can occur during traditional thin film processing, leads to materials with poor performance. Here, we report on the preparation of a uniformly dispersed Ag-nanoparticle (Ag NP)/chalcogenide glass heterogeneous material prepared through a combined laser- and solution-based process. Laser ablation of bulk silver is performed directly within an arsenic sulfide/propylamine solution resulting in the formation of Ag NPs in solution with an average particle size of less than 15 nm as determined by dynamic light scattering. The prepared solutions are fabricated into thin films using standard coating processes and are then analyzed using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy to investigate the particle shape and size distribution. By calculating the nearest neighbor index and standard normal deviate of the nanoparticle locations inside the films, we verify that a uniformly dispersed distribution is achieved through this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dispersion of metallic nanoparticles within a chalcogenide glass matrix has the potential for many important applications in active and passive optical materials. However, the challenge of particle agglomeration, which can occur during traditional thin film processing, leads to materials with poor performance. Here, we report on the preparation of a uniformly dispersed Ag-nanoparticle (Ag NP)/chalcogenide glass heterogeneous material prepared through a combined laser- and solution-based process. Laser ablation of bulk silver is performed directly within an arsenic sulfide/propylamine solution resulting in the formation of Ag NPs in solution with an average particle size of less than 15 nm as determined by dynamic light scattering. The prepared solutions are fabricated into thin films using standard coating processes and are then analyzed using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy to investigate the particle shape and size distribution. By calculating the nearest neighbor index and standard normal deviate of the nanoparticle locations inside the films, we verify that a uniformly dispersed distribution is achieved through this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) can be utilized to shave the peak load in power systems and thus defer the need to upgrade the power grid. Based on a rolling load forecasting method, along with the peak load reduction requirements in reality, at the planning level, we propose a BESS capacity planning model for peak and load shaving problem. At the operational level, we consider the optimal control policy towards charging and discharging power with two different optimization objectives: one is to diminish the difference between the peak load and the valley load, the other is to minimize the daily load variance. Particularly, the constraint of charging and discharging cycles, which is an important issue in practice, is taken into consideration. Finally, based on real load data, we provide simulation results that validate the proposed optimization models and control strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between morphology and temperature-resistivity effect of injection-molded isotactic polypropylene/high density polyethylene/carbon black (iPP/HDPE/CB) composites with special orientation structure is investigated in detail. The morphological variation induced by melting, disorientation, crystallization and movement of CB particles is responsible for the change of electrical conductivity of the iPP/HDPE/CB composites during the heating and cooling. The room temperature volume resistivity of the composites reduces markedly after a round of heating and cooling because the network is improved through morphological changes and movement of particles during annealing. The continuity of HDPE/CB phase and the effective concentration of the CB particles in HDPE simultaneously determine the temperature-resistivity effects of the composites. Samples with iPP/HDPE mass ratio of 50/50 achieve a better balance of the two factors, which results in more stable conductive properties varying with temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cycloparaphenylenes (CPPs), a classof hoop-shaped conjugated macrocycles,have attracted the attention of researchers in various fields becauseof their interesting properties. Although their properties in thesinglet-excited state have been reported, there is no systematic informationon the triplet-excited state. In the present study, the propertiesof triplet-excited [n]CPP (n= 8–12,where ndenotes the number of phenyl rings) werecomprehensively investigated. The phosphorescence peak shifted tothe shorter-wavelength side with increasing ring size of the CPPs,indicating smaller triplet energy for smaller CPPs. It was found thatthe triplet energy of a smaller CPP is even smaller than those ofpoly(p-phenylene)s, indicating that small hoop-shapedconjugated macrocycles are effective in realizing low-band gap materials.By applying laser flash photolysis, the Tn–T1absorption spectra of CPPs were obtained, fromwhich the size-dependence of energy levels of higher triplet stateswere also determined. Generation of singlet oxygen by the energy transferfrom a triplet-excited CPP was confirmed. The generation yield becamesmaller with increasing size of the CPP in accordance with the tripletyield. From these observations, the size-dependence of the deactivationpathways is explained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Qilian Shan is one of the most important mountain ranges for understanding Quaternary glaciation in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. However, its western part is not well studied. A moraine and an outwash terrace in the Laohugou valley were mapped, using geomorpho-stratigraphy, and dated by optically stimulated luminescence. After analyzing the minimum age and central age of coarse- and fine-grained quartz, most of the minimum ages for coarse grains are consistent with geomorpho-stratigraphic sequence, indicating they are closest to the true ages of the sediments. The lateral moraine was initially formed at 20.2 ± 2.6 ka, during the Last Glacial Maximum, and was modified between 11.6 ± 2.0 and 12.9 ± 1.3 ka, in the Late Glacial. The outwash terrace was formed between 10.0 ± 1.7 and 5.5 ± 0.7 ka, and coincides with temperature rise in the early Holocene and the Holocene Optimum. At its Last Glacial Maximum, the palaeo-glacier was ∼13.6 km long with an area of 45.3 km2, 4.3 km longer and 34% larger than the contemporary glacier. The reconstructed palaeo-glacier equilibrium line altitude (ELA) was 4600 ± 40 m, or 140 m lower than the present ELA. The glacier advance in the Laohugou valley was less extensive and ELA depression was less than found in the eastern Qilian Shan during LGM and Late Glacial, suggesting a drier climate during the Last Glacial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. We compared the characteristics of patients with Cushing's disease alone with those of patients with Cushing's disease and hyperprolactinemia. Methods. Eighty-four patients were enrolled between 2002 and 2011, in a hospital in China. Clinical, endocrinological, and histopathological data, MRI scans, and surgical outcomes were reviewed throughout the follow-up period. Results. Patients with Cushing's disease and hyperprolactinemia had a younger age at diagnosis (30.28 ± 14.23 versus 36.08 ± 10.91 years; P = 0.037) and a larger adenoma maximal diameter (2.44 ± 1.32 versus 1.44 ± 1.05 cm; P < 0.001) than patients with Cushing's disease alone. Menstrual disorders (P = 0.027) and visual field defects (P = 0.021) were more common and progressive obesity (P = 0.009) and hypertension (P < 0.001) were less common in patients with Cushing's disease and hyperprolactinemia. The rate of normalization of hormonal levels was lower (41.7% versus 91.7%; P < 0.001) and the recurrence rate was higher (36.1% versus 8.3%; P < 0.001) in patients with Cushing's disease and hyperprolactinemia. Conclusions. Careful long-term follow-up is needed of patients with Cushing's disease and hyperprolactinemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During adipocyte differentiation, significant epigenomic changes occur in association with the implementation of the adipogenic program. We have previously shown that histone acetylation increases during differentiation in a manner dependent on acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) production by the enzyme ATP-citrate lyase (ACL). Whether ACL regulates nuclear targets in addition to histones during differentiation is not clear. In this study, we report that DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) levels in adipocytes are controlled in part by ACL and that silencing of DNMT1 can accelerate adipocyte differentiation. DNMT1 gene expression is induced early in 3T3-L1 adipocyte differentiation during mitotic clonal expansion and is critical for maintenance of DNA and histone H3K9 methylation patterns during this period. In the absence of DNMT1, adipocyte-specific gene expression and lipid accumulation occur precociously. Later in differentiation, DNMT1 levels decline in an ACL-dependent manner. ACL-mediated suppression of DNMT1 occurs at least in part by promoting expression of microRNA 148a (miR-148a), which represses DNMT1. Ectopic expression of miR-148a accelerates differentiation under standard conditions and can partially rescue a hypermethylation-mediated differentiation block. The data suggest a role for DNMT1 in modulating the timing of differentiation and describe a novel ACL-miR-148a-dependent mechanism for regulating DNMT1 during adipogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a generalized model to explain the spatial and temporal evolution of photoinduced surface structure in photosensitive amorphous thin films. The model describes these films as an incompressible viscous fluid driven by a photoinduced pressure originating from dipole rearrangement. This derivation requires only the polarizability, viscosity and surface tension of the system. Using values of these physical parameters, we check the validity of the model by fitting to experimental data of As2S3 and demonstrating good agreement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of isothermal treatment on network formation of nanoscale dispersed carbon black (CB) particles in mild-compounded isotactic polypropylene (iPP)/CB composite is investigated. Network formation of CB took place in a quiescent melt without any flow and expansion since the isothermal treatment of the composite was carried out under high pressure conditions. TEM was used to inspect the network formation of the well-dispersed CB. Resistivity temperature and dynamic rheological behaviors of samples before and after isothermal treatment were examined to investigate the relationship between fillers’ network formation and electrical conductivity enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monoallelic point mutations in cytosolic isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) and its mitochondrial homolog IDH2 can lead to elevated levels of 2-hydroxyglutarate (2HG) in multiple cancers. Here we report that cellular 2HG production from cytosolic IDH1 mutation is dependent on the activity of a retained wild-type IDH1 allele. In contrast, expression of mitochondrial IDH2 mutations led to robust 2HG production in a manner independent of wild-type mitochondrial IDH function. Among the recurrent IDH2 mutations at Arg-172 and Arg-140, IDH2 Arg-172 mutations consistently led to greater 2HG accumulation than IDH2 Arg-140 mutations, and the degree of2HGaccumulation correlated with the ability of these mutations to block cellular differentiation. Cytosolic IDH1 Arg-132 mutations, although structurally analogous to mutations at mitochondrial IDH2 Arg-172, were only able to elevate intracellular 2HG to comparable levels when an equivalent level of wild-type IDH1 was co-expressed. Consistent with 2HG production from cytosolic IDH1 being limited by substrate production from wildtype IDH1, we observed 2HG levels to increase in cancer cells harboring an endogenous monoallelic IDH1 mutation when mitochondrial IDH flux was diverted to the cytosol. Finally, expression of an IDH1 construct engineered to localize to the mitochondria rather than the cytosol resulted in greater 2HG accumulation. These data demonstrate that allelic and subcellular compartment differences can regulate the potential for IDH mutations to produce 2HG in cells. The consequences of 2HG elevation are dose-dependent, and the non-equivalent 2HG accumulation resulting from IDH1 and IDH2 mutations may underlie their differential prognosis and prevalence in various cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various 3-alkyl-2-nitrobenzo[b]furans were synthesized from common intermediate 2-(2-nitroethyl)phenols via a hypervalent iodine-induced oxidative cyclization, with good to excellent yields. This facile route is able to efficiently functionalize 2-nitrobenzo[b]furans, which are difficult to obtain by classical methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface self-assembly process of 9-anthracene carboxylic acid (AnCA) on Ag(111) was investigated using STM. Depending on the molecular surface density, four spontaneously formed and one annealed AnCA ordered phases were observed, namely a straight belt phase, a zigzag double-belt phase, two simpler dimer phases, and a kagome phase. The two high-density belt phases possess large unit cells on the scale length of 10 nm, which are seldom observed in molecular self-assembled structures. This structural diversity stems from a complicated competition of different interactions of AnCA molecules on metal surface, including intermolecular and molecular-substrate interactions, as well as the steric demand from high molecular surface density. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study develops a high-accuracy numerical method named the hybrid spline difference method (HSDM), to replace the finite-difference method. Verification by transient heat transfer finds that the concept of the spline finite-difference method can greatly simplify the complexity of the traditional spline calculation, while having a solution procedure as in the finite-difference method. In addition, the hybrid spline technique can prevent the problem of selection of the optimal parameter, and increase the numerical accuracy to O(Δt2, Δx4, Δt2Δx2). This method features high accuracy and similarity with the concept of the finite-difference method, and could replace the traditional finite-difference method. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Small fluctuations caused by random changes of loads exist continuously in power grids, which are called ambient signals. Using time-synchronized phasor measurements, the closed-loop identification of power system based on ambient data is discussed, which can reflect accurate operating conditions currently and provide critical information for system analyzing and controller designing. The closed-loop identification of a power system with multiple disturbances is theoretically studied, including the closed-loop identifiability, the consistency properties, and the convergence properties. The requirements for realizing the closed-loop identification are summarized, and the theoretical research results are validated by simulation examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome (OHSS) is an iatrogenic complication associated with fertility drugs. It is characterized by increased vascular permeability and substantial fluid shift with accumulation in the body cavity. The pathogenesis of OHSS remains obscure, and no definitive treatments are currently available. Results: Using western blot and short-circuit current (Isc) techniques, we investigate the potential coactions of analysis in cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) and aquaporin 1 (AQP1) on the hyper permeability of body cavity peritoneal epithelial cells in the pathogenesis of OHSS. The rats develop OHSS symptoms, with the up regulation of both CFTR and AQP1 expression and enhanced CFTR channel activity in peritoneal epithelial cells, can also be mimicked by administration of estrogen, alone in ovariectomized rats. Administration of progesterone suppresses CFTR activity, OHSS symptoms as well as CFTR and AQP1 expression. Besides, AQP1 inhibitor, HgCl2, can suppress CFTR channel activity. Therefore, antisera against CFTR or AQP1 to OHSS animals may result in alleviation of the symptom. Conclusion: This study confirms the coactions of CFTR and AQP1 play a critical role in the development and progression of increased peritoneal epithelial permeability in severe OHSS. These findings may provide grounds for ameliorating assisted reproduction treatment strategy to reduce the risk of OHSS in in vitro fertilization (IVF). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glucose and glutamine serve as the two primary carbon sources in proliferating cells, and uptake of both nutrients is directed by growth factor signaling. Although either glucose or glutamine can potentially support mitochondrial tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle integrity and ATP production, we found that glucose deprivation led to a marked reduction in glutamine uptake and progressive cellular atrophy in multiple mammalian cell types. Despite the continuous presence of growth factor and an abundant supply of extracellular glutamine, interleukin-3 (IL-3)- dependent cells were unable to maintain TCA cycle metabolite pools or receptor-dependent signal transduction when deprived of glucose. This was due at least in part to down-regulation of IL-3 receptor a (IL-3Ra) surface expression in the absence of glucose. Treatment of glucose-starved cells with N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) to maintain hexosamine biosynthesis restored mitochondrial metabolism and cell growth by promoting IL-3- dependent glutamine uptake and metabolism. Thus, glucose metabolism through the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway is required to sustain sufficient growth factor signaling and glutamine uptake to support cell growth and survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Liquid crystal displays (LCDs) have become increasingly popular and have gradually replaced traditional cathode ray tube (CRT) displays. Since optical films have excellent optical properties, they are the important components of LCDs. Unfortunately, the mechanical properties of such films are unstable. This study presents an experimental methodology that combines the micro tensile test and the bulge test to characterize the mechanical properties of optical diffuser films, including Young''s modulus, Poisson''s ratio and residual stress. The thickness of the optical diffuser films studied herein is 38μm. The numerical model based on finite element analysis (FEA) was employed to demonstrate that the proposed methodology successfully measures the mechanical properties of optical diffuser films in LCDs. The influence of exposure to heat on the mechanical properties of optical diffuser films was also investigated. The results reveal that the heat does significantly affects the Young''s modulus of the optical diffuser films and more weakly influences the Poisson''s ratio and residual stress. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A fully automated measurement system for ambient aerosol organic carbon, capable of unattended operation over extended periods, is described. Particles are collected in a cyclone with water as the collection medium. The collected sample is periodically aspirated by a syringe pump into a holding loop and then delivered to a wet oxidation reactor (WOR). Acid is added, and the WOR is purged to measure dissolved CO2 or inorganic carbonates (IC) as evolved CO2. The 1C background can often be small and sufficiently constant to be corrected for, without separate measurement, by a blank subtraction. The organic material is now oxidized stepwise or in one step to CO2. The one-step oxidation involves UV-persulfate treatment in the presence of ozone. This treatment converts organic carbon (OC) to CO2, but elemental carbon is not oxidized. The CO2 is continuously purged from solution and collected by two sequential miniature diffusion scrubbers (DSs), a short DS preceding a longer one. Each DS consists of a LiOH-fllled porous hydrophobic membrane tube with terminal stainless steel tubes that function as conductance-sensing electrodes. As CO2 is collected by the LiOH-filled DSs, hydroxide is converted into carbonate and the resulting decrease in conductivity is monitored. The simultaneous use of the dual short and long DS units bearing different concentrations of LiOH permits both good sensitivity and a large dynamic range. The limit of detection (LOD, S/N = 3) is -140 ng of C. With a typical sampling period of 30 min at a sampling rate of 30 L/min, this corresponds to an LOD of 160 ng/m3. The approach also provides information on the ease of oxidation of the carbonaceous aerosol and hence the nature of the carbon contained therein. Ambient aerosol organic carbon data are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The master clock within the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) synchronizing clocks in peripheral tissues is entrained by the environmental condition, such as the light-dark (LD) cycle. The mechanisms of circadian clockwork are similar in both SCN and peripheral tissues. The aim of the present work was to observe the profiles of clock genes expression in mouse central and peripheral tissues within postnatal day 5 (P5). The daily expression of four clock genes mRNA (Bmal1, Per2, Cry1 and Rev-erb alpha) in mouse SCN and heart was measured at P1, P3 and P5 by real-time PCR. Results: All the studied mice clock genes began to express in a circadian rhythms manner in heart and SCN at P3 and P5 respectively. Interestingly, the daily rhythmic phase of some clock genes shifted during the postnatal days. Moreover, the expressions of clock genes in heart were not synchronized with those in SCN until at P5. Conclusion: The data showed the gradual development of clock genes in SCN and a peripheral tissue, and suggested that development of clock genes differed between in the SCN and the heart. Judging from the mRNA expression, it was possible that the central clock synchronized the peripheral clock as early as P5. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of this work is to investigate the effect of different manufacturing methods on nanoparticles dispersion and rheological properties of polycarbonate (PC) filled nano-calcium carbonate (CaCO3) nanocomposites. Two methods were used to prepare the PC/CaCO3 nanocomposites through twin-screw extruder: one was compounding PC with CaCO3 nano-powder, named PC-CP; another was compounding PC with CaCO3 aqueous suspension, named PC-CAS. The relationship between the processing method and the particle dispersion, matrix molecular weight and rheological properties of the nanocomposite was discussed. Morphological observation showed that nanoparticles were dispersed more homogeneously in PC-CAS. Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) test showed that molecular weight drop of PC-CAS was smaller than PC-CP when CaCO3 content under 2.2 wt%. Melt flow rate (MFR) and capillary rheological behavior indicated the change of rheological property of PC-CP was larger than PC-CAS while CaCO3 content under 2.6 wt%. In general, both the dispersion and rheological property of PC-CAS were better than PC-CP under a reasonable CaCO3 content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The brightness enhancement film (BEF) is one of the important components in the liquid crystal displays (LCDs). Since the thicknesses of BEFs are very less, it increases the difficulty to measure their mechanical properties. In this paper, we successfully propose a methodology by combining the micro tensile test and optical interferometry to characterize Young’s moduli and Poisson’s ratios of BEFs. In addition, the thermal and hygrothermal effects on the mechanical properties of BEFs were also investigated. The finite element analysis (FEA) was utilized to verify the precision of our proposed methodology. The results show that Young’s moduli of BEFs are influenced by temperature and humidity whereas Poisson’s ratios of BEFs are less influenced by temperature and humidity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract  In this work, isotactic polypropylene (iPP) composites filled with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were prepared by compounding iPP melt with MWCNT aqueous suspension using a corotating twin-screw extruder, and the morphology and crystallization behavior of the composites were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy micrographs showed that MWCNTs dispersed individually at nanoscale in the iPP matrix when the MWCNTs concentration was low, though MWCNTs aggregates were detected when the filler concentration increased. The results of differential scanning calorimetry, wide-angle X-ray diffraction, and polarized light microscopy indicated that the β-form crystal of iPP was induced by MWCNTs at the concentration of 0.1 wt.% which was dispersed individually in the iPP matrix. At higher content, however, MWCNTs acted as α-nucleating agent, and the crystals in the iPP/MWCNT composites showed higher degree of perfection than that of pure iPP though smaller in dimension. Crystallization rate of iPP increased significantly with increasing MWCNT content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper applies a neural-network-based approximate dynamic programming method, namely, the direct heuristic dynamic programming (direct HDP), to a large power system stability control problem. The direct HDP is a learning- and approximation-based approach to addressing nonlinear coordinated control under uncertainty. One of the major design parameters, the controller learning objective function, is formulated to directly account for network-wide low-frequency oscillation with the presence of nonlinearity, uncertainty, and coupling effect among system components. Results include a novel learning control structure based on the direct HDP with applications to two power system problems. The first case involves static var compensator supplementary damping control, which is used to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the learning control performance. The second case aims at addressing a difficult complex system challenge by providing a new solution to a large interconnected power network oscillation damping control problem that frequently occurs in the China Southern Power Grid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MitoQ has been developed as a mitochondrial targeted antioxidant for diseases associated with oxidative stress. Here we show that MitoQ blocks the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial protein thiol oxidation, and preserves mitochondrial function and ultrastructure after glutathione (GSH) depletion. Furthermore, the antioxidant effect of MitoQ is conserved in cells lacking mitochondrial DNA, indicating that its antioxidant properties do not depend on a functional electron transport chain (ETC). Our results elucidate the antioxidant mechanism of MitoQ and suggest that it may be a useful therapeutic for disorders associated with a dysfunctional ETC and increased ROS production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of the mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT) in apoptosis and necrosis is controversial. Here we show that the MPT regulates the release of cytochrome c for apoptosis during endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress by remodeling the cristae junction (CJ). CEM cells, HCT116 colon cancer cells, and murine embryo fibroblast cells were treated with the ER stressor thapsigargin (THG), which led to cyclophilin D-dependent mitochondrial release of the profusion GTPase optic atrophy 1 (OPA1), which controls CJ integrity, and cytochrome c, leading to apoptosis. Interference RNA knockdown of Bax blocked OPA1 and cytochrome c release after THG treatment but did not prevent the MPT, showing that Bax was essential for the release of cytochrome c by MPT. In isolated mitochondria, MPT led to OPA1 and cytochrome c release independently of voltage-dependent anion channel and the outer membrane, indicating that the MPT is an inner membrane phenomenon. Last, the MPT was regulated by the electron transport chain but not mitochondrial reactive oxygen species, since THG-induced cell death was not blocked by antioxidants and did not occur in cells lacking mitochondrial DNA. Our results show that the MPT regulates CJ remodeling for cytochrome c-dependent apoptosis induced by ER stress and that mitochondrial electron transport is indispensable for this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How to solve the partial differential equation has been attached importance to by all kinds of fields. The exact solution to a class of partial differential equation with variable-coefficient is obtained in reproducing kernel space. For getting the approximate solution, give an iterative method, convergence of the iterative method is proved. The numerical example shows that our method is effective and good practicability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the development of a device-level linearization technique and its applications in broadband power amplifiers (PAs). The proposed topology firstly combines derivative transconductance superposition method and gate capacitance compensation technique, and creates a "sweet region" for suppressing third-order intermodulation (IM3) without the penalty of large power consumption. The effectiveness of the proposed technique has been demonstrated through a fully integrated distributed amplifier. The experimental results in 0.18-μm RF CMOS technology show that IM3 is improved by 11 dB. The achievable power-added efficiency is up to 25%, which is the highest among the broadband CMOS PAs reported thus far. The amplifier achieves a measured 3-dB bandwidth of 3.7-8.8 GHz, and a gain of 8.24 dB. The amplifier only consumes 154-mW dc power, and the measured saturation power (Psat) is 19 dBm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simplified parallel step-by-step decoding algorithm is proposed for decoding Reed-Solomon (RS) codes. It uses new method to calculate the determinants of the temporarily changed syndrome matrices, based on the property of these matrices determined in this paper. By using the proposed method, the calculations of the determinants of the temporarily changed syndrome matrices become much simpler and thus the computational complexity of the step-by-step decoding algorithm is significantly reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) capped with nonionic fluoro-surfactant molecules (Zonyl FSN) were synthesized, and with the colloidal solution as a probe reagent, a new postcolumn colorimetric detection method for HPLC assay of homocysteine (Hcy) has been developed. The FSN-capped GNPs exhibited excellent stability in aqueous solutions, even in the presence of high salt. The aggregation of the GNPs could be induced by either Hcy or cysteine, resulting in an absorption decrease of the colloidal solution at 525 nm and an absorption increase at longer wavelengths (600-700 mn); however, the GNPs did not respond to other amino acids and biomolecules such as glutathione, cysteinylglycine, and glucose. Under optimal conditions (i.e., high salt, neutral pH, and ~70 °C), the color change of the GNP solution could almost complete (~90%) within ~30 s upon the addition of Hcy. The high selectivity and very fast kinetics of the reaction make it a promising system for HPLC postcolumn detection. The new technique has been employed to determine total Hcy levels in human urine and plasma samples, and the results are satisfactory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]