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Huangqin is the dried root of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, which has been widely utilized for heat-clearing (Qingre) and dewetting (Zaoshi), heat-killed (Xiehuo) and detoxifying (Jiedu) in the concept of Traditional Chinese Medicine and is used for treating inflammation and cancer in clinical formulas. Neobaicalein (NEO) is of flavonoid isolated from Huangqin and has been reported to possess prominent anti-inflammatory effects in published work. Th17/Treg balance shift to Th17 cells is an essential reason for autoimmune inflammatory diseases. However, the role NEO plays in Th17 and Treg and the underlying mechanism has not been elucidated yet. Network pharmacology-based study revealed that NEO predominantly regulated IL-17 signaling pathway. Moreover, our result shown that NEO (3–30 μmol/L) down-regulated Th17 differentiation and cellular supernatant and intracellular IL-17A level and tumor necrosis factor α production in a concentration-dependent manner. The further mechanism research revealed that NEO also specifically inhibited phosphorylation of STAT3(Tyr725) and STAT4 (Y693) without influence on activation of STAT5 and STAT6 in splenocytes. Immunofluorescence results illuminated that NEO effectively blocked STAT3 translocated into nucleus. Interestingly, NEO at appreciated dose could only inhibit Th17 cell differentiation and have no effect on Treg differentiation. The present study revealed that NEO effectively inhibited Th17 cell differentiation through specifically blocking the activation of STAT3 signaling without inactivation of STAT5 and STAT6. Additional inhibitory effect on activation of STAT4 by NEO also suggested the potential for antagonism against Th1 differentiation. All work suggested that NEO may be a potential candidate for immunoregulation and treating autoimmune inflammatory diseases through inhibiting immune cell viability and T cell differentiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Three-dimensional smoothed particle hydrodynamics for interactions between aluminum structures and explosion in soils is presented. • Various equations of state and constitutive models are used to model denotations, soils, and metals. • Graphics processing unit acceleration allows efficient simulations with millions of particles. • Comparisons between numerical and experimental results show that the method has high accuracy. In this paper, a graphics processing unit-accelerated smoothed particle hydrodynamics solver is presented to simulate the three-dimensional explosions in soils and their damage to aluminium structures. To achieve this objective, a number of equations of state and constitutive models required to close the governing equations are incorporated into the proposed smoothed particle hydrodynamics framework, including the Jones-Wilkins-Lee equation of state for explosive materials, the Grüneisen equation of state for metals, the elastic-perfectly plastic constitutive model for metals, and the elastoplastic and elasto-viscoplastic constitutive models for soils. The proposed smoothed particle hydrodynamics methodology was implemented using the Compute Unified Device Architecture programming interface on an NVIDIA graphics processing unit in order to improve the computational efficiency. The various components of the proposed methodology were validated using four test cases, namely, a C4 detonation and an aluminium bar expanded by denotation to validate the modelling of explosion, a cylindrical Taylor bar impact test case to validate the modelling of large deformation in metals, a sand collapse test for the modelling of soils. Following the validation, the proposed method was used to simulate the detonation of an explosive material (C4) in soil and the concomitant deformation of an aluminium plate resulting from this explosion. The predicted results of this simulation are shown to be in good conformance with available experimental data. Finally, it is shown that the proposed graphics processing unit-accelerated SPH solver is able to model interaction problems involving millions of particles in a reasonable time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies showed that there is a discrepancy between total subsidence (measured on the ground surface) and shallow compression (measured within several hundred meters beneath the ground surface) in Taiwan. This difference is referred to as deep displacement in this study. The variations of deep displacement are opposite to those of ground surface displacement and groundwater level within the depth of several hundred meters. The mechanism is unknown and requires further investigation. This study adopts two kinds of geodetic observation data and separates land subsidence into shallow compression and deep displacement to investigate the mechanism of deep displacement. A tectonically active coastal area in Taiwan is selected as the study area. The assessment results show that the associated variations are likely due to cyclic hydraulic loading and unloading. The variations of deep displacement are opposite to those of ground surface displacement. This study proposes that these variations are due to hydraulic expansion and contraction. The mechanism is demonstrated using a hydromechanical model. The results of a cross-correlation analysis show that hydraulic expansion and contraction occur at certain depths. The study results provide important information on the mechanism of deep displacement that can be used in tectonophysical and land subsidence investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the dynamical behavior of granular media is investigated numerically using smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) with an elastoplastic and a phase-change constitutive model. A GPU-accelerated SPH code for granular flow modeling is implemented and validated using four test cases: (1) the collapse of an axisymmetric sand pile; (2) the impact force of sand on a rigid wall; (3) the head-on collisions of dense granular jets; and, (4) the impact of a granular jet with a wave structure on the granular film. The results of SPH simulations with the two models are compared to available experimental and numerical results. The validation showed that the dynamics of granular media are well predicted using the SPH methodology with an appropriate material model. An SPH simulation of granular flow run on a rather outdated GPU was already about 160 times as efficient as the same simulation run on a mainstream single CPU. Image 1 • A GPU-accelerated SPH code has been developed to simulate granular flows and impact. • An elastoplastic and a phase-change models were used to model granular materials. • Four cases have been tested to validate the GPU-accelerated SPH. • The numerical results were compared against a variety of published data. • A case run on a outdated GPU was 160 times more efficient than run on a single CPU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quality control is a crucial issue in the injection molding process with target of obtaining a high yield rate and reducing production cost. Consequently, effective methods for monitoring the injection conditions (e.g., pressure, velocity, and temperature) in real-time and adjusting these conditions adaptively as required to ensure a consistent part quality are essential. This study proposes a quality index based on the clamping force increment during the injection cycle, as determined by four strain gauges attached to the tie bars of the injection molding machine. Also, various quality indexes for online quality monitoring and prediction purposes based on the pressure, viscosity, and energy features extracted from the pressure profiles obtained at the load cell, nozzle, and molding cavity, respectively, are compared. The feasibility of the proposed quality indexes is investigated experimentally for various settings of the barrel temperature, back pressure, and rotational speed of the plasticizing screw. It is shown that all of the quality indexes are correlated with the injection-molded quality and hence provide a feasible basis for the realization of an on-line quality monitoring and control system. Particularly, the tie-bar elongation quality index requires no modification or invasion of the injection molding system or cavity and hence provides a particularly attractive solution for monitoring and controlling the part quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • The modified SPH method in combination with the elastoplastic and hypoplastic constitutive models is employed to tackle the large deformation in 3D landmine detonations for the first time. • The modified continuity equation is applied to tackle multiphase interfaces with a high density ratio in soil explosion. • The accuracy of the SPH method is improved by using the Kernel Gradient Correction (KGC) technique. • The Open-MP programming interface is incorporated for the parallelization and computational efficiency of the in-house SPH code. • A wide range of validations are conducted against both fairly new experimental data and other numerical results. Abstract The simulation of the soil fragmentation under buried explosive detonation is an extremely difficult task. In this paper, the modified smoothed particle hydrodynamics method (SPH) in combination with the elastoplastic and hypoplastic constitutive models is introduced to simulate the three-dimensional (3D) landmine detonation for the first time. The modified continuity equation is incorporated to tackle the multiphase interfacial problems with high density ratios. The elastoplastic and hypoplastic constitutive models are employed to describe the soil mechanical behavior. Furthermore, the in-house SPH code is parallelized using the Open-MP program interface to solve problems with large number of particles efficiently. At the end, the simulation results are compared with the experimental data, which shows that the SPH method in conjunction with these two constitutive models can tackle landmine detonation problems involving large deformation very well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prediction of the damage effects of shaped charge projectile to ceramic–metal multi-layered target is a challenging task to address. In this paper, the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method is applied to simulate the penetration of the metal jet generated by the shaped charge detonation into ceramic–metal double-layered plates. The presented SPH model incorporates different equations of states. Moreover, the elastic-perfectly plastic constitutive model and the Johnson–Holmquist-II material constitutive model were employed for modeling the mechanical behaviors of the solid materials in this study. Firstly, simulation of the high velocity impact process of a ceramic ball on a ceramic–metal double-layered plate was conducted to validate the presented constitutive model. After the validation of the numerical model, simulations of penetration of a shaped charge into a double-layered ceramic–metal plate by using millions of SPH particles were conducted. The simulation results (perforation diameter and debris cloud) are in good agreement with the available experimental data, which shows that our in-house SPH solver is capable of tackling the shaped charge detonation and its penetration into multi-layered structures very well. Furthermore, the presented SPH model can reproduce different types of fracture patterns observed in experiments and their dynamic formation processes. • The JH-2 model was implemented in the GPU-accelerated SPH solver. • Different crack patterns of ceramic can be reproduced by the presented solver. • The numerical results are compared with fairly new experimental data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quality of injection molded components is significantly dependent on the viscosity of the molten resin. Thus, in predicting and compensating for quality variations, it is essential that the resin viscosity be monitored in an online and automated manner. Accordingly, the present study proposes a method for evaluating the melt quality of the molten resin by means of three pressure sensors installed at the nozzle, runner and mold cavity, respectively. Four melt quality indexes are proposed based on the detected pressure signals, namely the pressure peak index, the viscosity index, the energy index and the pressure gradient. The validity of the proposed indexes is examined under various injection speeds, barrel temperatures and mold temperatures. It is shown that of the four indexes, the pressure peak index is the most strongly associated with the product quality; followed by the energy and viscosity indexes extracted from the nozzle and runner pressure signals. Overall, the results presented in this study show that the proposed monitoring system and quality indexes provide a convenient and effective means of monitoring shot-by-shot variations in the melt quality during continuous injection molding processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The numerical simulation of landmine detonation is an extremely difficult task. In this paper, the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method is employed to tackle explosion in soil with extremely large deformation and the effects of blast on structures. Firstly, the basic idea of the SPH method and techniques related to the Monaghan-type artificial viscosity, interface treatment with high density ratio, boundary condition implementation, artificial stress, kernel gradient correction, and physical variables update are elaborated. Then three benchmark problems are carried out to validate the explosion, soil and structure models, respectively. Afterwards, the simulations of the explosion in soil and its loading on structures have been conducted on the basis of the verification of these three models. It was observed that the numerical calculations are in good agreement with the experimental results, which shows that the SPH method can handle large deformation problems with high density ratio effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple method for preparing CO 2 -activated graphite felt as an electrode in a vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) was employed by the direct treatment in a CO 2 atmosphere at a high temperature for a short period. The CO 2 -activated graphite felt demonstrates excellent electrochemical activity and reversibility. The VRFB using the CO 2 -activated graphite felts in the electrodes has coulombic, voltage, and energy efficiencies of 94.52%, 88.97%, and 84.15%, respectively, which is much higher than VRFBs using the electrodes of untreated graphite felt and N 2 -activated graphite felt. The efficiency enhancement was attributed to the higher number of oxygen-containing functional groups on the graphite felt that are formed during the CO 2 -activation, leading to improving the electrochemical behaviour of the resultant VRFB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple, green, novel, time-efficient, and potentially cost-effective water activation method was employed to enhance the electrochemical activity of graphite felt (GF) electrodes for vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs). The GF electrode prepared with a water vapor injection time of 5 min at 700 °C exhibits the highest electrochemical activity for the VO 2+ /VO 2 + couple among all the tested electrodes. This is attributed to the small, controlled amount of water vapor that was introduced producing high contents of oxygen-containing functional groups, such as OH groups, on the surface of the GF fibers, which are known to be electrochemically active sites for vanadium redox reactions. Charge–discharge tests further confirm that only 5 min of GF water activation is required to improve the efficiency of the VRFB cell. The average coulombic efficiency, voltage efficiency, and energy efficiency are 95.06%, 87.42%, and 83.10%, respectively, at a current density of 50 mA cm -2 . These voltage and energy efficiencies are determined to be considerably higher than those of VRFB cells assembled using heat-treated GF electrodes without water activation and pristine GF electrodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel quality monitoring for micro-shrinkage of thick-walled injection molded components is revealed. • Quality indexes extracted from the cavity pressure curves provide a promising approach for online quality monitoring of micro-shrinkage. • Degree of melt compression in the cavity is primarily determined by the holding pressure. • Volumetric shrinkage of the polymer melt is severe in the cavity for the thick-walled components. • A higher holding pressure effectively alleviates the micro-shrinkage defect. Sink mark defects are commonly observed in thick-walled injection molded components as a result of under-packing in the hot-spot areas and an insufficient compensation of the polymer melt as the plastic begins to cool. These defects degrade the surface quality of the molded parts and are a reliable indicator of excessive volume shrinkage during the molding process. Consequently, effective methods for quantifying sink marks in thick-walled components, and predicting the occurrence of such defects as a function of the injection molding process parameters, are of significant interest in improving the molding quality. Accordingly, taking an injection molded plastic handle with an average thickness of 11.57 mm for illustration purposes, the present study proposes a method for measuring the micro-shrinkage (ΔΩ) of thick-walled injection molded components using a simple image-processing technique. Simulation and experimental trials are performed to investigate the effects of the injection molding parameters on the quality of the polymer melt (as evaluated using five quality indexes (P A , P B , η A , η B , and CF i , p) extracted from the pressure profiles within the chamber and the tie-bar elongation, respectively) and the quality of the final molded component (as quantified by two metrics, namely the weight variation of the molded parts and the micro-shrinkage). It is shown that the quality of the polymer melt and final thick-walled component is determined mainly by the magnitude of the holding pressure applied in the molding process. By contrast, the injection speed, V/P switchover point, and barrel temperature exert only minor effects. The experimental results obtained under various values of the holding pressure show that the five injection molding process quality indexes are all highly correlated with the micro-shrinkage. The correlation is particularly strong for the pressure-based quality indexes (P A , P B , η A , and η B). Hence, it is suggested that these indexes provide a viable means of predicting the formation of sink mark defects and excessive micro-shrinkage in thick-walled injection molded components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effect of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) surfactant on the kinetics of mixed hydrogen/propane hydrates was studied extensively in a stirred tank reactor. SDS concentration was varied in the range of 5–1000 ppm and its effect on the kinetics of the mixed hydrogen hydrate formation was observed. Anionic SDS surfactant drastically improved the rate of mixed hydrate formation due to which the hydrate formation time reduced significantly. The time required for 90% completion of the hydrate formation reduced from 334.2 (±27.7) min (water without any surfactant) to just 25.5 (±1.8) min in presence of SDS surfactant at concentrations greater than or equal to 100 ppm. The presence of SDS resulted in a distinct two step hydrate growth mechanism. Hydrate growth behavior similar to control (water) experiments was observed from nucleation till certain time (deflection time) beyond which the surfactant exhibited its property and increased the rate of hydrate formation resulting in faster completion of mixed hydrogen hydrate formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A CuSO4 ·5H2O- H-phosphonate-catalyzed synthesis of ( E)-vinyl alkylsulfones from alkynes and widely available DMSO was developed. The present protocol provides an alternative approach to various vinyl sulfones, with the advantages of cheap catalysts, readily available starting materials, operational simplicity and high stereo- and regioselectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Switched reluctance motors (SRMs) have ease of manufacturing, low cost, and robustness in withstanding centrifugal force advantages. Therefore, they are very suitable for high-speed applications. However, when running at high speeds, rapid braking becomes difficult because the regeneration energy may increase the dc-link voltage to a critical level if a diode rectifier bridge is used for ac–dc conversion. This paper investigates the relationship between the regeneration energy and the dc-link voltage and proposes an electric braking scheme employing two-phase excitations. During braking, instead of regenerating the excessive rotor kinetic energy back to the dc link, the energy is dissipated in the stator winding resistance. Therefore, the rotor can stop safely within a short time. The proposed control scheme is verified experimentally using a four-phase SRM. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

• Geometric dimension of molded part significantly depends on the V/P switchover point and holding condition. • This study proposes a simple least-squares regression-based approach for determining the V/P switchover point based on molded part quality requirement. • Multi-stage holding condition effectively minimizes the residual pressure difference between the near- and far-from-gate regions in the cavity at the end of the packing stage. • For the case investigated in this study (L/t ratio ≈ 141), the difference in width and thickness are greatly alleviated. Injection molding is widely used for the mass production of plastic components. However, an appropriate choice of the process parameters is essential to ensure the precision and uniformity of the molded parts. The flow length-to-wall thickness (L/t) ratio for most molded components lies in the range of 100∼200. For higher values of the L/t ratio, the flow resistance increases dramatically at the end of the molded part and the injection pressure propagates less easily through the mold cavity. Consequently, the geometric dimensions of the molded parts in the near-gate region are frequently different from those in the far-from-gate region as well as resulting in lower uniformity. In practice, the variation in the geometric dimensions is significantly dependent on the filling-to-holding (V/P) switchover point, injection speed, and holding condition. Accordingly, the present study commences by proposing a simple least-squares regression-based approach for determining the appropriate V/P switchover point based on the quality requirement for the geometric dimensions of the molded component. In addition, a multi-stage holding condition is used to improve the geometric uniformity of the molded component by minimizing the residual pressure difference between the near-gate and far-from-gate regions of the mold at the end of the packing stage. Finally, a deceleration strategy is considered for the injection screw at the end of the filling stage to further reduce the quality variation. The experimental results show that for molded components with a large L/t ratio, the V/P switchover point should be determined based on the quality requirement for the part in the far-from-gate region in order to avoid insufficient quality compensation in the early holding stage. Furthermore, compared with the single-stage holding condition, the multi-stage holding condition reduces the residual pressure difference between the near-gate and far-from-gate regions of the cavity by around 74.5% (from 48.7 to 12.5 MPa). As a result, the difference in width between the near-gate region of the molded component and the far-from-gate region is reduced by about 66.7% (0.09 to 0.03 mm), while the difference in thickness is reduced by approximately 32.1% (0.028 to 0.019 mm). The deceleration strategy for the injection screw has no noticeable effect on the quality uniformity of the molded part provided that the V/P switchover point and multi-stage holding pressure are appropriately designed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: During the injection moulding process, serious adhesion effects can occur at the interface between the specimen and tool surface during ejection, causing distortions or cracks in the samples, especially for resins such as PMMA, PC and TPU. However, ejection force measurement is not able to measure adhesion force accurately for elastomeric resins during the injection moulding process. A tensile mode adhesion force tester was fabricated to measure the adhesion force between the sample and tool surface during the thermoplastic injection moulding process, especially for elastomeric resins, which have adhesion problems that are both serious and difficult to measure. In addition, three different types of TPU are examined, with their temperature and viscosity being the main factors that affect the adhesion force. Engineers can use the measurements obtained in this work to better understand adhesion and work to reduce it. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Objective: We aimed to analyze the computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of pelvic solitary fibrous tumors (SFTs) and to improve the diagnostic efficacy for such tumors. Methods: Six cases of pelvic SFTs confirmed by histopathology were analyzed retrospectively. Of the 6 patients, 4 had undergone CT scanning, and 2 had undergone magnetic resonance imaging. All the patients had undergone unenhanced and contrast-enhanced examinations, and 2 had also undergone dynamic CT enhancement examination. Image characteristics such as shape, size, number, edge, attenuation or intensity for each lesion before and after contrast enhancement were analyzed and compared with the pathomorphology of the tumors. Results: All the 6 cases showed oval or rounded and well-defined masses. Unenhanced CT images showed heterogeneous masses with patchy, necrotic foci in 3 cases and homogeneous mass in 1 case. None of the tumors showed calcification. Contrast-enhanced CT images showed marked, heterogeneous enhancement in the first and second cases. Dynamic enhancement scan demonstrated mild homogeneous enhancement in the third case and mild prolonged, delayed enhancement and washout in the fourth case. T1-weighted MR images showed heterogeneous mild hypointense lesion with linear hyperintensity in 1 case, and homogeneous isointensity in the other. T2-weighted images showed heterogeneous mixed intensity in 1 case and mostly hyperintensive lesion with hypointense foci in another case. A case showed marked heterogeneous enhancement and another showed marked homogeneous enhancement on contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images. Conclusion: Radiological findings of pelvic SFTs are variable and nonspecific. However, a well-defined, ovoid or rounded mass with hypointense on MR T2-weighted images and variable enhancement on CT and MR images may suggest the diagnosis of SFTs. Pelvic SFTs should be included in the differential diagnosis of regional tumors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The fundamental study of coupled thermal–hydraulic-mechanical (THM) systems is an important issue in multi-physical fields. This study developed a THM model in which the hydraulic and mechanical effects are fully coupled and the temperature change serves as the perturbation source of the system. A porothermoelasticity model was applied to investigate the cross-interactions among the temperature, change in pore water pressure, and displacement of a buffer material in the near-field and a host rock in the far-field with the conceptual model in a nuclear waste repository. The results show that the size scale of the domain of interest and the THM properties play important roles in the coupled THM system. The changes in pore water pressure depended on the combined effect of the deformation of the porous space and pore water controlled by the thermal expansion coefficients of the solids and fluids. Stochastic analyses show that the uncertainties of variables varied spatio-temporally due to the thermal influences and approached zero due to the presence of a stable condition. The cross-interactions between displacement and change in pore water pressure induced by the thermal effect were complex and can be determined from statistical moment analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid development of image encryption and reversible data hiding technology provides protection of image copyright and privacy. For flexible management of encrypted images, there is a great deal of attention given to embedding information on encrypted images. In this paper, we propose a new technology that combines image encryption and data hiding. In the image encryption section, we propose an encryption technology that preserves the difference between pixels so that reversible data hiding can be effectively used in encrypted images. In addition, we cleverly designed the encryption so that overflow issues when embedding information does not occur in encrypted images. In the embedding information section, we adopt the histogram shifting method to conceal the secret message. We propose a technology that combines encryption and data hiding; encryption and data hiding can be completely independent, and images can be fully restored. Experimental results show that our approach is highly flexible and has a higher amount of embedding compared to those of other related works. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The injection molding process is widely used for the mass production of plastic parts. However, as product designs become lighter, thinner and smaller, and the allowable tolerances shrink, the need to improve the quality consistency of the injection molding process has emerged as a critical concern. In mass production, injection molding is typically performed using fixed settings of the machine inputs. However, in practice, the properties of the plastic melt invariably change from batch to batch and even from shot to shot. Consequently, the use of fixed parameter settings fails to guarantee the stability of the molded part quality. Existing quality monitoring and control systems for the injection molding process are often based on pressure information. However, obtaining this information generally requires the installation of pressure sensors within the molding cavity, which is not only expensive and time-consuming, but may also interfere with the injection molding process itself. Accordingly, the present study proposes a quality monitoring and control system for injection molding processes based on the tie bar elongation measurements obtained using a strain gage. In the proposed approach, variations in the tie bar strain characteristic are taken to indicate deviations in the process stability and are used to manipulate the processing parameters accordingly in order to ensure the stability and consistency of the molded part quality. The feasibility of the proposed approach is demonstrated by performing injection molding trials with a two-cavity mold designed to produce tensile test specimens. The experimental results show that the quality of the molded parts varies significantly with the injection speed, velocity-to-pressure (V/P) switchover point, holding pressure, and melt temperature. Among these four parameters, the V/P switchover point and holding pressure induce a particularly rapid dynamic response, and thus provide an effective means of compensating for process deviations from shot to shot. By changing the melt temperature to simulate environmental noise, it is shown that the two parameter settings enable the consistency of the part weight to be restored to a range of 0.01 g within six shots. Moreover, the yield rate is enhanced from 60% to 90%. Image 1 • The V/P switchover point and holding pressure provide an effective means to compensate for the process deviation of successive injections. • Appropriate control for the maximum clamping force increment avoids excessive compensation of the part quality caused by environmental noise. • The disclosed method can improve the quality consistency and accuracy of injection molded parts without invading mold cavity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prediction of the penetration of three-dimensional (3D) shaped charge into steel plates is a challenging task. In this paper, the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method is applied to simulate the jet formation generated by the shaped charge detonation and its damage to steel plates. The Jones–Wilkins–Lee (JWL) equation of state (EOS), Tillotson EOS, and elastic–perfectly plastic constitutive model were incorporated into SPH for the modeling of explosive detonation and dynamic behavior of metal material. The compute unified device architecture (CUDA) parallel programming interface has been employed in SPH to improve the computational efficiency of SPH. Firstly, the constitutive models and EOSs are validated by 3D TNT slab detonation and aluminum–aluminum (Al–Al) high velocity impact. Then the jet formation of the shaped charge detonation and its penetration into the steel plates are investigated using the graphics processing unit (GPU)-accelerated SPH methodology. The numerical results of these test cases are compared against the published experimental data or analytical result, which shows that the GPU-accelerated SPH methodology is capable of tackling the 3D shaped charge detonation and penetration involving millions of particles with high computational efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to its low cost and high efficiency, injection molding is used for the mass production of many plastic products nowadays. However, when processing low-viscosity plastic materials, i.e., materials with an excellent fluidity, an inappropriate setting of the clamping force often results in a poor appearance and dimensional accuracy of the final product. Thus, operators usually take the upper limit of the clamping force as a default in setting up the machine in an attempt to improve the quality of the molded parts. However, such an approach shortens the machine and mold life, increases the energy consumption, and leads to poor air venting. Consequently, more scientific methods for determining the clamping force setting are required. To meet this demand, the present study proposes a clamping force search methodology for determining the optimal clamping force setting of a hydraulic cylinder clamping injection molding machine in the processing of low-viscosity plastics such as thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and polypropylene (PP). Based on the characteristic extracted from the sensing tie-bar elongation profile under different clamping force settings, a regression analysis on these data points is implemented to seek for an optimal clamping force. The experimental results show that for an injection molding machine with a hydraulic cylinder clamping mechanism, the effect of the mold temperature on the clamping force is sufficiently small to be ignored, which has an impact on the toggle type clamping unit. Furthermore, compared to traditional methods, the optimal clamping force obtained using the method proposed in the present study results in a significant improvement in the yield rate. Overall, the results confirm that for low-viscosity polymer resins, the optimal clamping force determined using the proposed method results in a higher and more consistent quality of the molded parts than that achieved using the proper clamping force setting for ordinary-viscosity resins. • Clamping force is essential to guarantee the appearance and geometric accuracy of the molded part. • Mold temperature has minor effect on clamping force with hydraulic cylinder clamping mechanism. • Flash readily occurs under slight mold separation due to low viscosity resin injection. • Optimal clamping force effectively prevents flash occurred and enhances yield rate. • The revealed method provides a versatile approach for searching optimal clamping force setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Filling-to-packing switchover (also called V/P switchover) is critical for assuring injection molding quality. An improper V/P switchover setting may result in various defects of injection-molded parts, such as excessive residual stress, flash, short shot, and warpage, etc. To enhance a consistent molding quality, recent V/P switchover approaches adopt cavity pressure profiles requiring sensors embedded in mold cavities, which is invasive to mold cavities and more expensive. Instead of using cavity pressure sensors, by working with the most popular screw position switchover control, this study hereby proposes a novel approach of tuning V/P switchover timing using a tie-bar elongation profile. In this investigation, a dumbbell testing specimen mold is applied to verify the feasibility of the method proposed. The results show that the mold filling and packing stages can be observed along the tie-bar elongation profile, detected by mounting strain gauges on the tie bars. Also, the characteristics of the cavity pressure are similar to those of the tie-bar elongation profile under a proper clamping force condition. Moreover, the varying process parameter settings which include injection speed, V/P switchover point, and holding pressure, can be reflected in these profiles. By extracting their characteristics, the application of the V/P switchover is proved to be realistic. This research conducted an experiment to verify the proposed V/P switchover decision method based on the tie-bar elongation profile. The result showed that the fluctuation of the part's weight corresponding to a slight change of the barrel's temperature from 210 °C to 215 °C can be successfully controlled with this method. Besides, the maximum clamping force increment extracted from the tie-bar elongation profile was found to be a good indicator for online monitoring of the reground material variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In injection molding, the magnitude of clamping force may affect the quality of plastic parts. A small clamping force may produce defects such as flashes and poor geometrical accuracy, whereas a large force could result in insufficient air venting during mold filling/packing, leading to the generation of short shot. Traditionally, clamping force is set at the highest machine specification, which may lead to additional energy consumption. Moreover, heavy loading at the tie bars is detrimental to the durability of processed molds and the machine itself. In this study, we developed a measuring system for recording tie-bar elongation and mold separation during injection molding at each corner of the mold. To determine the consequences of proper and improper clamping force settings on the quality of injection-molded parts, we systematically evaluated the effects of relevant parameters such as cavity layout and gate location on cavity pressure distribution during packing and the reactive force from cavity pressure acting on mold walls. Correlation analysis on experimental results depicted that the maximum increase in tie bar elongation and the maximum mold separation during injection molding are highly correlated with the thickness of plastic parts, and we suggested that the two features are good indicators of part quality. Moreover, cavity layout of generating diverse filling patterns and the distribution of cavity pressure is influential to mold separation as well as tie-bar elongation during mold filling. This phenomenon is further change the degree of mold separation at each corner of the injection mold and should be concerned in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Approximately 25% of patients with early-stage breast cancer experience cancer progression throughout the disease course. Alterations in TMEM240 in breast cancer were identified and investigated to monitor treatment response and disease progression. Methods: Circulating methylated TMEM240 in the plasma of breast cancer patients was used to monitor treatment response and disease progression. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data in Western countries and Illumina methylation arrays in Taiwanese breast cancer patients were used to identify novel hypermethylated CpG sites and genes related to poor hormone therapy response. Quantitative methylation-specific PCR (QMSP), real-time reverse transcription PCR, and immunohistochemical analyses were performed to measure DNA methylation and mRNA and protein expression levels in 394 samples from Taiwanese and Korean breast cancer patients. TMEM240 gene manipulation, viability, migration assays, RNA-seq, and MetaCore were performed to determine its biological functions and relationship to hormone drug treatment response in breast cancer cells. Results: Aberrant methylated TMEM240 was identified in breast cancer patients with poor hormone therapy response using genome-wide methylation analysis in the Taiwan and TCGA breast cancer cohorts. A cell model showed that TMEM240, which is localized to the cell membrane and cytoplasm, represses breast cancer cell proliferation and migration and regulates the expression levels of enzymes involved in estrone and estradiol metabolism. TMEM240 protein expression was observed in normal breast tissues but was not detected in 88.2% (67/76) of breast tumors and in 90.0% (9/10) of metastatic tumors from breast cancer patients. QMSP revealed that in 54.5% (55/101) of Taiwanese breast cancer patients, the methylation level of TMEM240 was at least twofold higher in tumor tissues than in matched normal breast tissues. Patients with hypermethylation of TMEM240 had poor 10-year overall survival (p = 0.003) and poor treatment response, especially hormone therapy response (p < 0.001). Circulating methylated TMEM240 dramatically and gradually decreased and then diminished in patients without disease progression, whereas it returned and its levels in plasma rose again in patients with disease progression. Prediction of disease progression based on circulating methylated TMEM240 was found to have 87.5% sensitivity, 93.1% specificity, and 90.2% accuracy. Conclusions: Hypermethylation of TMEM240 is a potential biomarker for treatment response and disease progression monitoring in breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypertrophic scar is a complication of wound healing and has a high recurrence rate which can lead to significant abnormity in aesthetics and functions. To date, no ideal treatment method has been established. Meanwhile, the underlying mechanism of hypertrophic scarring has not been clearly defined. Although a large amount of scientific research has been reported on the use of medicinal plants as a natural source of treatment for hypertrophic scarring, it is currently scattered across a wide range of publications. Therefore, a systematic summary and knowledge for future prospects are necessary to facilitate further medicinal plant research for their potential use as antihypertrophic scar agents. A bibliographic investigation was accomplished by focusing on medicinal plants which have been scientifically tested in vitro and/or in vivo and proved as potential agents for the treatment of hypertrophic scars. Although the chemical components and mechanisms of action of medicinal plants with antihypertrophic scarring potential have been investigated, many others remain unknown. More investigations and clinical trials are necessary to make use of these medical plants reasonably and phytotherapy is a promising therapeutic approach against hypertrophic scars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] High-resolution satellite images are utilized to identify the geometry dyke swarms on the islands. [•] A new mafic dyke distribution map on the island in Zhejiang Province are compiled. [•] According to the crosscutting relationship of dykes, four intrusive events are distinguished. [•] The crustal dilation of the islands in Zhejiang Province ranges from 0.09% to 7.4%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Cu/Mo/Si multi-layer structures were fabricated to investigate diffusion behaviors and thermal stability between Cu and Mo. Physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition, electroplating and electrolessplating were used to grow 100 nm thick Cu films as interconnection materials, and radio-frequency sputtering system was introduced to grow 37.5 nm thick Mo films as a buffer layer. All Cu/Mo/Si multi-layer specimens were annealed at 350 to 700 °C for 30 min. When the annealing temperature was over 600 °C, the Cu diffused through Mo into Si, and the Cu3Si phase and Mo–Si intermetallic compounds formed at the Mo/Si interface. The diffusion mechanism is the grain boundary diffusion. The results indicate that Cu film deposited by PVD had best crystallinity, lower roughness, large adhesive energy and resistivity. The values of the resistivity, diffusion activity energy and large adhesive energy are 5.47 μΩ-cm, 0.948 eV and 2.46 N/m, respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A silica-supported quaternary ammonium salt is reported for the first time as a recyclable and efficient catalyst for the synthesis of propylene carbonate from propylene oxide and carbon dioxide under supercritical conditions, which requires no additional organic solvents either for the reaction or for the separation of product. Moreover, the catalyst can be easily recovered by a simple filtration and reused over four times without obvious loss of its catalytic activity. The effects of the types of cation and anion of quaternary ammonium salts, and other reaction parameters on the reaction are investigated. This organic solvent-free process presented here could show much potential application in industry due to its simplicity, easy product separation from reaction medium and catalyst recycling. It could be profitably applied to the development of fix-bed continuous flow reactors, avoiding the use of solvent to isolate the products. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A homogeneous binary catalyst system, n-Bu4NBr/n-Bu3N, was found to be active for the synthesis of dimethyl carbonate from styrene oxide (SO), methanol, and supercritical CO2. Under the optimized conditions, the dimethyl carbonate yield could reach 84% at SO conversion of 98%. Several parameters were studied, i.e. catalyst precursors, reaction time and temperature, methanol/epoxide feed ratio in moles, and CO2 pressure. The best compromise for the one-pot synthesis was achieved with an equimolar amount of n-Bu4NBr/n-Bu3N. A possible mechanism for the present n-Bu4NBr/n-Bu3N-catalyzed one-pot synthesis of dimethyl carbonate was proposed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A PEG-supported quaternary ammonium salt is proved to be an efficient and recyclable homogeneous catalyst for solvent-free synthesis of cyclic carbonates from carbon dioxide and epoxides under supercritical conditions. Supporting Bu4NBr on soluble polymer PEG6000 enhances the catalytic activity. The workup procedure is straightforward, and the catalyst can be reused over five times with no appreciable loss of catalytic activity and selectivity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Gene silencing by aberrant DNA methylation of promoter regions remains the most dominant phenomenon occurring during tumorigenesis. Improving the early diagnosis, prognosis, and recurrence prediction of colorectal cancer using noninvasive aberrant DNA methylation biomarkers has encouraging potential. The aim of this study is to characterize the DNA methylation of the promoter region of TMEM240, as well as gene expression and its effect on cell biological functions and its applications in early detection and outcome prediction. Results: Highly methylated CpG sites were identified in the TMEM240 gene by Illumina methylation 450K arrays in 26 Taiwanese patient paired samples and 38 paired samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) colorectal cancer dataset. Transient transfection and knockdown of TMEM240 were performed to demonstrate the role of TMEM240 in colorectal cancer cells. The data showed that TMEM240 could lead to G1 cell cycle arrest, repress cancer cell proliferation, and inhibit cancer cell migration. The quantitative methylation-specific real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) results revealed that 87.8% (480 of 547) of the colorectal cancer tumors had hypermethylated TMEM240, and this was also found in benign tubular adenomas (55.6%). Circulating cell-free methylated TMEM240 was detected in 13 of 25 (52.0%) Taiwanese colorectal cancer patients but in fewer (28.6%) healthy controls. In 72.0% (85/118) of tissue samples, TMEM240 mRNA expression was lower in Taiwanese CRC tumor tissues than in normal colorectal tissues according to real-time reverse transcription PCR results, and this was also found in benign tubular adenomas (44.4%). The TMEM240 protein was analyzed in South Korean and Chinese CRC patient samples using immunohistochemistry. The results exhibited low protein expression in 91.7% (100/109) of tumors and 75.0% (24/32) of metastatic tumors but exhibited high expression in 75.0% (6/8) of normal colon tissues. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis found that mRNA expression of TMEM240 was significantly associated with overall, cancer-specific, and recurrence-free survival (p = 0.012, 0.007, and 0.022, respectively). Conclusions: Alterations in TMEM240 are commonly found in Western and Asian populations and can potentially be used for early prediction and as poor prognosis and early-recurrence biomarkers in colorectal cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) is a meshless method gaining popularity recently in geotechnical modeling. It is suitable to solve problems involving large deformation, free-surface, cracking and fragmentation. To promote the research and application of SPH in geotechnical engineering, we present LOQUAT, an open-source three-dimensional GPU accelerated SPH solver. LOQUAT employs the standard SPH formulations for solids with two geomechnical constitutive models which are the Drucker–Prager model and a hypoplastic model. Three stabilization techniques, namely, artificial viscosity, artificial pressure and stress regularization are included. A generalized boundary particle method is presented to model static and moving boundaries with arbitrary geometry. LOQUAT employs GPU acceleration technique to greatly increase the computational efficiency. Numerical examples show that the solver is convergent, stable and highly efficient. With a mainstream GPU, it can simulate large scale problems with tens of millions of particles, and easily performs more than one thousand times faster than serial CPU code. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) is a worrisome and life-threatening complication. This study aimed to investigate the risk factors and preventive strategies for POPF after PD.Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 301 consecutive patients who underwent PD at our hospitals between January 2011 and December 2017. We analyzed the pancreatic fistula rate according to the clinical characteristics, pathologic and laboratory findings, and the anastomotic methods and summarized the prevention measures.Results: Postoperative morbidities included pancreatic leakage in 10.30% (31/301), delayed gastric emptying in 22.92% (69/301), abdominal infection in 6.98% (21/301), post-PD hemorrhage in 4.65% (14/301), and bile leakage in 4.98% (15/301), and the mortality rate was 2.33% (7/301). POPF was the most prominent factor for preoperative morbidity. Significant risk factors for pancreatic fistula were a soft pancreas, small pancreatic duct, tumor location, and interrupted anastomosis. Of these, soft texture, pancreatic duct <4 mm, and end-to-end anastomosis through hand suture closure were independent risk factors on multivariate analysis, while interrupted anastomosis, internal stent, and somatostatin use were risk factors in the high-risk pancreas subgroup.Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that pancreatic fistula is related to a soft texture and small pancreatic duct. The surgeon must consider these risk factors when performing PD. Thus, we propose a risk- and indication-adapted choice of anastomosis or an individualized approach for the pancreatic remnant to reduce the pancreatic fistula rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In, Ga co-doped ZnO (IGZO) thin films were deposited by radio frequency sputtering at room temperature in this study. The film's composition was adjusted by varying the sputtering power of ZnO, Ga 2 O 3 and In targets. Compared with pure ZnO film, the crystallinity of IGZO films is obviously reduced, and the secondary phases such as In 2 O 3 and ZnGa 2 O 4 are detected. The influence of In, Ga, and Zn content on the optoelectronic properties of IGZO films is then investigated. Results show that the carrier mobility is sensitive to the decrement in Zn content, while the carrier concentration can be suppressed by increasing Ga content. In regards to the film's transmittance, In content plays a most important role. From the viewpoint of Haacke's figure of merit (FOM), IGZO films with high optoelectronic performance can be realized when In content is no more than 25 at.% and Ga content is limited to less than 10 at.%. In the end of this study, the electrical stability of IGZO film under different temperature and time conditions is analyzed. It reveals that IGZO film can withstand a temperature up to 450 °C; above this temperature, the film's conductivity significantly declines. Besides this, IGZO film is very stable in long-term operation under normal atmospheric conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Portulacerebroside A (PCA) is a novel cerebroside compound isolated from Portulaca oleracea L. (Portulacaceae), an edible and medicinal plant distributed in the temperate and tropical zones worldwide. Objective: This study investigates the effects of PCA in human liver cancer HCCLM3 cells on metastasis and invasion. Materials and methods: After the cells were treated with PCA (2.5, 5, and 10 μg/ml) for 6, 12, 24, or 48 h, adhesion, transwell invasion, and scratch tests were conducted and cell functions were evaluated. Western blot and FQ-RT-PCR assays explored the mechanism of PCA-inhibited invasion and metastasis in the cells. Results: The adhesion rate of the cells was suppressed at 0.5 h (79.4 ± 1.0, 68.7 ± 1.3, and 58.1 ± 1.3%, versus 100 ± 1.5% in the control), 1 h (78.2 ± 1.2, 70.9 ± 1.6, and 55.4 ± 1.9%, versus 100 ± 1.2% in the control), and 1.5 h (71.6 ± 1.1, 62.3 ± 0.9, and 50.4 ± 0.9%, versus 100 ± 1.1% in the control). The 24 h invasion ability was decreased (356.6 ± 11.2, 204.0 ± 17.6, and 113.0 ± 9.5%, versus 443.6 ± 15.4% in the control). The migration capability was also restrained by PCA for 24 h (324.8 ± 25.4, 250.4 ± 21.0, and 126.3 ± 10.1, versus 381.6 ± 30.6 in the control) and 48 h (470.3 ± 34.3, 404.0 ± 19.7, and 201.0 ± 15.4, versus 752.0 ± 63.6 in the control). There was an increase in the mRNA and protein expression levels of TIMP-2 and nm23-H1, inhibition in the mRNA expression of MTA1, MMP-2, and MMP-9, and suppression in the protein expression of MTA1, RhoA, Rac1/Cdc42, MMP-2, but not RhoC and MMP-9. Conclusion: PCA suppresses the invasion and metastasis of HCCLM3 cells possibly by modulation of the mRNA and protein expression of related parameters. This is the first study to reveal a new potential therapeutic application of PCA in antimetastatic therapy for liver cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A highly efficient one-pot strategy has been developed for the synthesis of β-ketophosphonates directly from alkynes and dialkyl H-phosphonates in the presence of widely available AgNO3/CuSO4 and K2S2O8 at room temperature under open-air conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Small hepatocellular carcinoma (sHCC) with bile duct tumor thrombi (BDTT) is rare and easily misdiagnosed as cholangiocarcinoma. This study was to analyze the imaging features of sHCC with BDTT. Patients and Methods: CT and/or MRI examinations were performed on seven patients who had sHCC with BDTT. One patient received CT scan, one received CT and MR scan, and five received MR scan. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) was performed in five patients. The diagnosis of sHCC with BDTT was based on surgical specimens in all patients. Results: The sHCC lesions and BDTT were presented on CT or MRI scans in all the seven cases. The BDTT is presented as soft tissue mass in the bile duct with biliary dilatation above the obstruction. In the two patients who had received dynamic contrast CT scan, the sHCC lesions showed atypical enhancement pattern of HCC. The BDTT showed similar enhancement pattern as sHCC in one of the two patients. The sHCC and BDTT showed homogenous hypointense signals on T1W images and hyperintense signals on T2W images in all six cases. In the three patients who had received dynamic enhancement MR scan, the enhancement patterns of sHCC lesions and BDTT were similar. Early enhancement of sHCC lesion and BDTT at hepatic arterial phase with hyperintense signals was observed in one patient, while two other patients had no early enhancement. All sHCC lesions and BDTT showed hypointense signals at portal venous phase, equilibrium phase, and delayed phase. Six patients showed hyperintense signal of hemorrhage in the dilated bile ducts on both T1W and T2W images. Five cases of BDTT presented as filling defect in the bile ducts on MRCP. The BDTT were directly connected with sHCC lesions in all the seven patients, without bile duct wall thickening or extra-bile duct invasion. Conclusion: CT or MRI is a safe, reliable, and valuable method for the detection and diagnosis of sHCC with BDTT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Photo-inactivated S. aureus cellular structure was firstly explored by TXM. • AFM well characterized the biophysical properties of inactivated S. aureus. • Photo-inactivation of S. aureus at the beginning of log region was studied. • TXM and AFM provide early diagnosis of cell deformation. The mechanism of bacterial damage under visible-light-driven photo-inactivation system was attempted. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and transmission X-ray microscopy (TXM) were firstly used to identify changes in biophysical properties, such as cellular height, roughness, adhesion, and modulus, and 3D cellular structure of microbial cells under visible-light-responsive N-TiO 2 inactivation. Results revealed that the cell adhesion of N-TiO 2 occurred immediately upon light irradiation then N-TiO 2 particles penetrated the cell membrane, and deformed the cellular structure at the beginning of log phase under photocatalytic inactivation. The destruction of the outer cellular caused leakage of cellular K+ and lipid peroxidation, which ultimately brought about severe decrease in cell density. AFM and TXM provided direct observations on interactions between single cell and nano-materials at the nanoscale, which was useful for the early diagnosis of cell damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Photo-inactivated S. aureus cellular structure was firstly explored by TXM. • AFM well characterized the biophysical properties of inactivated S. aureus. • Photo-inactivation of S. aureus at the beginning of log region was studied. • TXM and AFM provide early diagnosis of cell deformation. The mechanism of bacterial damage under visible-light-driven photo-inactivation system was attempted. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and transmission X-ray microscopy (TXM) were firstly used to identify changes in biophysical properties, such as cellular height, roughness, adhesion, and modulus, and 3D cellular structure of microbial cells under visible-light-responsive N-TiO 2 inactivation. Results revealed that the cell adhesion of N-TiO 2 occurred immediately upon light irradiation then N-TiO 2 particles penetrated the cell membrane, and deformed the cellular structure at the beginning of log phase under photocatalytic inactivation. The destruction of the outer cellular caused leakage of cellular K+ and lipid peroxidation, which ultimately brought about severe decrease in cell density. AFM and TXM provided direct observations on interactions between single cell and nano-materials at the nanoscale, which was useful for the early diagnosis of cell damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Heavy metal and organic pollutants in sediments along the coastal zone of southeastern China have been investigated. Sediment samples are retrieved from three depositional environments: coast, estuary, and tide-affected river mouth. The relative abundance of heavy metal and organic pollutants is related to their geochemical properties as well as depositional environments and anthropogenic discharge. Based on a sequential extraction method, it is revealed that anthropogenic Pb, Cr, Cu, and Cd are mainly bound to Fe–Mn oxides, suggesting that adsorption and co-precipitation of Fe–Mn oxides are in the control of their transfer processes from water column to sediment. Heavy metal bound to carbonates is also an important pool especially for Cd, Mn, and Pb. The main organic pollutants found in the study area include petroleum-related alkanes, phthalic acid ester, organic silicon, chlorophenol, phenyl ether, and amine. The accumulation of heavy metals and organics in surficial sediments has a decrease tendency from estuarine environment to coastal environment and to tide-affected river mouth. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Simple Summary: Filchnerella belongs to Insecta, Orthoptera and Pamphagidae, of which there are 19 recorded species. The wings of Filchnerella are diverse, including three grasshopper wing types: longipennate, short wings and small wings. The previous studies of Filchnerella are more about the description of species morphology, and few about exploring the phylogenetic relationships with limited number of species and DNA fragments, which are insufficient to study the phylogeny of the entire genus, especially in order to understand the evolution of wing types in Filchnerella. To better understand the mitogenomic characteristics of Filchnerella and reveal its internal phylogenetic relationships, the complete mitochondrial genomes of Filchnerella sunanensis, Filchnerella amplivertica, Filchnerella dingxiensis, Filchnerella pamphagoides and Filchnerella nigritibia were sequenced and comparatively analyzed in this study. The mitogenomes of these five Filchnerella species were found to be highly conserved. Phylogenetic analyses, based on mitogenome data of 16 species of Pamphagidae, using both the maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) methods, supported the monophyly of Filchnerella and produced valuable data for the phylogenetic study of the genus. Mitogenomes have been widely used for exploring phylogenetic analysis and taxonomic diagnosis. In this study, the complete mitogenomes of five species of Filchnerella were sequenced, annotated and analyzed. Then, combined with other seven mitogenomes of Filchnerella and four of Pamphagidae, the phylogenetic relationships were reconstructed by maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian (BI) methods based on PCGs+rRNAs. The sizes of the five complete mitogenomes are Filchnerella sunanensis 15,656 bp, Filchnerella amplivertica 15,657 bp, Filchnerella nigritibia 15,661 bp, Filchnerella pamphagoides 15,661 bp and Filchnerella dingxiensis 15,666 bp. The nucleotide composition of mitogenomes is biased toward A+T. All tRNAs could be folded into the typical clover-leaf structure, except that tRNA Ser (AGN) lacked a dihydrouridine (DHU) arm. The phylogenetic relationships of Filchnerella species based on mitogenome data revealed a general pattern of wing evolution from long wing to increasingly shortened wing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sensitive and selective detection of harmful gas is an important task in environmental monitoring. In this work, a gas sensor based on cataluminescence (CTL) for detection of acetaldehyde was designed by using nano-NiO as the sensing material. The sensor shows sensitive response to acetaldehyde at a relatively low working temperature of 200 °C. The linear range of CTL intensity versus acetaldehyde concentration is 0.02–2.5 mg/L, with a limit of detection of 0.006 mg/L at a signal-to-noise ratio of three. Mechanism study shows that electronically excited CO2 is the excited intermediate for CTL emission during the catalytic oxidation of acetaldehyde on the NiO surface. The proposed sensor has promising application in monitoring acetaldehyde in residential buildings and in the workplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A dual electrode structure composed of a powered capillary electrode and an enhanced downstream floating electrode is employed as the elemental structure to construct a two-dimensional (2-D) capillary discharge array. It is indicated that the array has distinctive qualities and good unit–unit uniformity which afford advantage to enhance the decolorization efficiency of the methylene blue solution. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Salt-sensitive hypertension (SSHT) leads to kidney interstitial fibrosis. However, the potential mechanisms leading to renal fibrosis have not been well investigated. In present study, Dahl salt-sensitive (DS) rats were divided into three groups: normal salt diet (DSN), high salt diet (DSH) and high salt diet treated with hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) (DSH + HCTZ). A significant increase in systolic blood pressure (SBP) was observed 3 weeks after initiating the high salt diet, and marked histological alterations were observed in DSH rats. DSH rats showed obvious podocyte injury, peritubular capillary (PTC) loss, macrophage infiltration, and changes in apoptosis and cell proliferation. Moreover, Wnt/β-catenin signaling was significantly activated in DSH rats. However, HCTZ administration attenuated these changes with decreased SBP. In addition, increased renal and urinary Wnt4 expression was detected with time in DSH rats and was closely correlated with histopathological alterations. Furthermore, these alterations were also confirmed by clinical study. In conclusion, the present study provides novel insight into the mechanisms related to PTC loss, macrophage infiltration and Wnt/β-catenin signaling in SSHT-induced renal injury and fibrosis. Therefore, multi-target therapeutic strategies may be the most effective in preventing these pathological processes. Moreover, urinary Wnt4 may be a noninvasive biomarker for monitoring renal injury after hypertension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]