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Exploring efficient, energy-saving and environmentally friendly phosphors is important for developing solid-state white light-emitting diodes (w-LEDs). Herein, we report a novel highly efficient green-emitting Ce3+-activated Ca2LuScAl2Si2O12 (abbreviated as CLSAS:Ce3+) garnet phosphor with high quantum efficiency and good thermal stability. These garnet phosphor samples doped with different Ce3+ ion concentrations were synthesized using a high-temperature solid-state method. The crystal structure and Ce3+ concentration-dependent luminescence properties of the phosphors were systematically studied. The as-prepared CLSAS:Ce3+ garnet phosphors exhibit broadband absorption in the spectral range of 250–510 nm with a maximum excitation wavelength of around 452 nm, matching well with the emission wavelengths of commercial blue LED chips. Under an excitation of 452 nm, the optimal CLSAS:4%Ce3+ sample exhibited a broad green emission band (emission peak: 531 nm; bandwidth: 114 nm) with CIE color coordinates of (0.3293, 0.5453) and high luminescence efficiency (internal quantum efficiency: 87.3%; external quantum efficiency: 56.6%). The CLSAS:4%Ce3+ sample also showed good thermal stability in the temperature range of 303–443 K. Its emission intensity at 423 K reached 79% of the emission intensity at 303 K, and it exhibited outstanding color stability with a small color chromaticity shift (ΔE = 1.07 × 10−3) at 423 K. Importantly, the fabricated w-LED device exhibits excellent photoelectric properties (CCT = 4978 K; Ra = 92.4; LE = 69.59 lm W−1). The obtained efficient CLSAS:Ce3+ green phosphors have the potential for application in high-quality w-LEDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microwave ignition holds potential in the ignition of weapons due to its simple structure, non-contact property, and simultaneous ignitions of large area. However, the long ignition delay time of the current ignition agents cannot meet the microwave weaponry advancements. To address the issues, a microwave sensitive oxide-CuFe 2 O 4 (CUFO) which was firstly discovered to be easily ignited by microwaves compared many ferrites, was coupled with Ti nanoparticles (n-Ti) to form Ti/CUFO microwave ignition agents by electrostatic spray granulation. The characterization of microwave ignition, volumetric combustion, burning rate and DSC were used to determine its ignition delay time and the energy release properties. It indicates that the microwave sensitivity, maximum peak pressure and pressure pressurization rate of Ti/CUFO first increases and then decreases with the promoting content of n-Ti. The Ti/CUFO at Φ = 3.5 exhibits the lowest ignition delay time by 79.24 ms compared to the 98.7 ms of n-Ti, meanwhile, its maximum peak pressure and pressurization rate reach the highest by 338.54 kPa and 8.57 kPa/ms, respectively. The DSC results indicate that Ti/CUFO exhibits much lower reaction peak temperature by 320–335 °C compared to 488 °C of n-Ti, which suggests Ti-CUFO reaction maybe much easier be activated. The dielectric loss of n-Ti and CUFO under strong electric field transfer the energy of microwaves to heat, reaching to its reaction temperature. The XPS and XRD results of CUFO after microwave radiation disclosing the crystal transition, formation of divalent iron and oxygen vacancies, as well as the released bright light under microwave radiation, suggest the thermal breakdown mechanism of CUFO. When Ti/CUFO exposes into microwaves, CUFO generates oxygen vacancies due to heat loss and n-Ti is dielectric heated, followed by the generated oxygen reacting with n-Ti, improving the combustion performance of n-Ti. This result provides new insight for the designing of microwave ignition. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the decarbonization and electrification of modern railway transportation, the demand for both the high-capacity electrical energy and hydrogen fuel energy is increasingly high. A novel scheme was proposed from liquid hydrogen production by surplus wind and solar energy, to liquid hydrogen-electricity hybrid energy transmission for railway transportation. The 100 MW hybrid energy transmission pipeline was designed with the 10 kA/1.5 kV superconducting DC cable for electricity and cryogenic layers for liquid hydrogen and liquid nitrogen, showing strong capability in transmitting "electricity + cold energy + chemical energy" simultaneously. Economic evaluation was performed with respect to the energy, equipment capacity, and costs, with sensitivity and profitability analysis. With the discount rate 8%, the dynamic payback period of the hybrid energy pipeline was 7.1 years. Results indicated that the shortest dynamic payback period of the hybrid energy pipeline was 4.8 years, with the maximum transmission distance 93 km. Overall, this article shows the novel concept and design of liquid hydrogen-electricity hybrid energy pipelines, and proves the technical and economic feasibilities for future bulk hybrid energy transmission for railway transportation. • A novel scheme of hydrogen-electricity hybrid energy transmission for railway transportation. • A MW-class superconducting hybrid energy pipeline for electricity + cold energy + chemical energy. • Economic evaluation for energy, equipment capacity, and cost. • Technical and economic feasibilities for future bulk hybrid energy transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brefeldin A has a wide range of anticancer activity against a variety of tumor cells. Its poor pharmacokinetic properties and significant toxicity seriously hinder its further development. In this manuscript, 25 brefeldin A-isothiocyanate derivatives were designed and synthesized. Most derivatives showed good selectivity between HeLa cells and L-02 cells. In particular, 6 exhibited potent antiproliferative activity against HeLa cells (IC50 = 1.84 μM) with no obvious cytotoxic activity to L-02 (IC50 > 80 μM). Further cellular mechanism tests indicated that 6 induced HeLa cell cycle arrest at G1 phase. Cell nucleus fragmentation and decreased mitochondrial membrane potential suggested 6 could induce apoptosis in HeLa cells through the mitochondrial-dependent pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Malayan pangolin SARS-CoV-2-related coronavirus (SARSr-CoV-2) is closely related to SARS-CoV-2. However, little is known about its pathogenicity in pangolins. Using CT scans we show that SARSr-CoV-2 positive Malayan pangolins are characterized by bilateral ground-glass opacities in lungs in a similar manner to COVID-19 patients. Histological examination and blood gas tests are indicative of dyspnea. SARSr-CoV-2 infected multiple organs in pangolins, with the lungs the major target, and histological expression data revealed that ACE2 and TMPRSS2 were co-expressed with viral RNA. Transcriptome analysis indicated that virus-positive pangolins were likely to have inadequate interferon responses, with relative greater cytokine and chemokine activity in the lung and spleen. Notably, both viral RNA and viral proteins were detected in three pangolin fetuses, providing initial evidence for vertical virus transmission. In sum, our study outlines the biological framework of SARSr-CoV-2 in pangolins, revealing striking similarities to COVID-19 in humans. Author summary: SARS-CoV-2 has caused a severe and ongoing global pandemic. To date, bats and pangolins are the only groups of mammals known carry SARS-CoV-2-related coronaviruses (SARSr-CoV-2). Although the SARSr-CoV-2 detected in confiscated Malayan pangolins from Guangdong, China (PCoV-GD) has lower sequence similarity to SARS-CoV-2 than some bat-derived viruses, its receptor-binding domain within the S protein that binds to host ACE2 receptors for entry into cells is almost identical to that of SARS-CoV-2. Here, we determined the pathogenicity, tissue tropism and transcriptional response of PCoV-GD in deceased adult Malayan pangolins and their fetuses. Notably, virus-positive pangolins showed ground-glass opacities in their lungs similar to COVID-19 pneumonia and blood gas tests that were indicative of dyspnea. We detected viral RNA in multiple pangolin tissues, including liver, intestine, heart, kidney, spleen and skeletal muscle. This is similar to autopsy reports in COVID-19 patients and is associated with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. The virus-positive pangolins showed an inadequate interferon response. In addition, PCoV-GD was detected in pangolin fetuses, suggesting the potential vertical transmission of the virus in utero. In sum, Malayan pangolins infected with a PCoV-GD display a pathology that is strikingly similar to human COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aluminium production needs the most energy‐intensive technologies among all the metal processing sectors. During the process of aluminium profile extrusion, the whole production line needs bulk electricity, and the mold inside the extrusion equipment needs robust cold energy for rapid cooling of the metal surface. This paper presents a new combo‐transmission that can simultaneously deliver cold energy together with electricity to the aluminium profile extrusion line. Thanks to the superiority of virtually zero loss and compact size, the powerful superconducting cable is used to replace the conventional copper cable. The entire superconducting cable assembly is fully installed into a cryogenic pipeline and cooled by liquid nitrogen at 77 K. In addition to keeping a favourable cryogenic environment for the superconducting cable, liquid nitrogen can also provide a large amount of cold energy for cooling the metal surface. For a typical 100 MN aluminium extrusion production line, the design and optimization of 10 kA class superconducting cable with the pipeline cooling system for aluminium production are presented in detail. The simulation results and comparisons show that the total energy loss of superconducting transmission is about 46% of conventional copper cable, and the energy saved in a year can be up to about 240.6 MWh. Moreover, the net profit increases almost linearly along with the increases of the extrusion speed when the liquid nitrogen cooling is applied to the 100 MN production line. For the case of 23% increase in extrusion speed, the net profit can be up to 1.48 M$ in a year. Overall, the novel design, technical evaluation, and economic analysis of the combo‐transmission system (cold energy + electricity) can provide a promising solution for future high‐dense aluminium production sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Field-scale estimation of soil hydraulic parameters is important for simulating water movement, particularly in the vadose zone. The accuracy of soil hydraulic parameters significantly affects the output of models using these parameters as input variables. A new approach for an inverse method, often referred to as inverse modelling, was presented to calibrate soil hydraulic parameters. The new method is based on the use of uniform design theory to generate uncertainty estimates of the soil hydraulic parameters. The uncalibrated and calibrated soil hydraulic parameters were evaluated by comparing the predicted and measured soil water contents using the HYDRUS-1D model. The results show that the calibrated soil hydraulic parameters that were inversely estimated by uniform design theory were accurate and reasonable. In addition, the results provided recommendations for improving the estimation of soil hydraulic parameters when there are no available observation data for calibrating and optimizing soil hydraulic parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing drilling speed and shortening the well construction period are the goals of the drilling field. The use of downhole speed-up tools has been noted for its advantages such as no additional cost, no change in drilling equipment and no impact on normal drilling operations. However, conventional downhole speed-up tools cannot meet the needs when the drilled formation contains hydrogen sulfide. Then, the technology test on increasing drilling speed by absorption and hydraulic supercharging of drill string in hydrogen sulfide formation was carried out in well Wanweiye1 (WWY1), Anhui Province, China. The results show that: firstly, the speed-up device by absorption and hydraulic supercharging of drill string can be used in the formation containing hydrogen sulfide, and can still perform normal drilling operations with a hydrogen sulfide concentration of 567 ppm; secondly, the speed-up technology by absorption and hydraulic supercharging of drill string has a significant speed-raising effect in the region containing hydrogen sulfide and can raise the speed by 62.5% to 92.05%; thirdly, the speed-up device by absorption and hydraulic supercharging of drill string can meet the needs of high density killing fluid. Once the well WWY1 suffered an overflow, the device did not affect the killing operation when the killing fluid density reached 2.2 g/cm3 and killing time reached 104.8 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lighting and display technologies are revolutionized by the invention of YAG:Ce3+ phosphors driven by InGaN blue light-emitting diode (LED). Yet, the faint emission components in the red spectral region from typical LED devices can cause circadian rhythm disorders and aesthetic fatigue of the human eye. Developing broadband orange-emitting phosphor with abundant red coverage is one of the approaches for addressing this challenging problem. Herein, an innovative ultra-broadband orange-emitting Mg 2.5 Y 1.5 Al 1.5 Si 2.5 O 12 :Ce3+ (MYASO:Ce3+) garnet phosphor is successfully reported to bridge the above gap. The representative MYASO:4%Ce3+ sample exhibits an unexpectedly luminescence band with the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of up to 155 nm, the high thermal robustness (58%@423 K), and satisfactory internal quantum efficiency of 67% upon 465 nm blue light excitation. Such a large FWHM value results from the occupation of a single crystallographic site of Ce3+ in the dodecahedral [YO 8 ] position of MYASO garnet host. Red-shift emission with respect to commercial YAG:Ce3+ is mainly attributed to the cooperative effect of the enhanced crystal field strength and increased Stokes shift. The emission intensity reduction at the high-temperature environment of MYASO:4%Ce3+ is derived from the enhancement of the thermal cross-relaxation associated with the larger Stokes shift (4839 cm−1). The resulting high-quality warm white LED device fabricated from the optimal MYASO:4%Ce3+ sample shows a satisfactory color rendering index (CRI = 84), comfortable correlated color temperature (CCT = 4032 K) and an excellent luminous efficacy (LE = 58.7 lm W−1) under a 60 mA drive current. These findings stimulate the exploration of ultra-broadband orange-emitting phosphors with abundant red emission to fabricate high-CRI warm-white LEDs for healthy solid-state lighting. [Display omitted] • An ultra-broadband orange-emitting MYASO:Ce3+ garnet phosphor with FWHM of up to 155 nm is developed. • The long-wavelength emission centered at 600 nm of MYASO:4%Ce3+ mainly stems from enhanced crystal field splitting and large Stokes shift. • MYASO:4%Ce3+ features an excellent thermal stability and satisfactory internal quantum efficiency, along with a superior color stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To compare the effect of ropivacaine in different concentrations under ultrasound guidance on lumbar muscle nerve blocking in elderly patients undergoing hip replacement surgery. Methods. 60 elderly patients underwent hip replacement in our hospital over a period of April to December of 2019 were equally randomized into control and observation groups, with 30 each. Patients in the control group and observation group received 0.5% and 0.25% ropivacaine to block psoas muscle nerve, respectively. The anesthetic effect of ropivacaine at different concentrations was evaluated by time of sensory block onset and recovery and time of motor block onset and regression, blood pressure, heart rate, visual analogy scale, and postoperative nerve blocking degree. Results. The onset time of sensory and motor block in the observation group was dramatically higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05), while the recovery time of sensory and motor was significantly shorter than that of the control group (P < 0.05). The heart rate in the observation group was notably lower than that in the control group, while the average blood pressure was remarkably higher (P < 0.05). After surgery, the degree of nerve block in the observation group was much lower compared with the control group (P < 0.05), while no marked difference in the visual analogue scale in the control group before and after surgical intervention was observed (P > 0.05). Conclusion. The 0.25% ropivacaine method has distinctive advantages over 0.50% ropivacaine psoas nerve anesthesia in hip replacement surgery in elderly patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma (CHC) is a rare and heterogeneous histological subtype of primary liver cancer, which is still poorly understood. This study aimed to describe the epidemiological and clinical features, investigate the prognostic indicators, and develop a competing risk nomogram for CHC. Methods. The study cohort was taken from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. The annual percent change (APC) in incidence was calculated using the joinpoint regression. The nomogram was developed based on multivariate competing risk survival analyses and validated by calibration curves. Akaike information criterion, Bayesian information criterion, Harrell's C-index, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curves were obtained to compare prognostic performance. Decision curve analysis was introduced to examine the clinical value of the models. Results. The overall incidence of CHC was 0.062 per 100,000 individuals in 2004 and 0.081 per 100,000 individuals in 2018, with an APC of 1.0% (P > 0.05). CHC displayed intermediate clinicopathological features of hepatocellular carcinoma and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. Race, tumor size, vascular invasion, extrahepatic invasion, distant metastasis, grade, surgery, and Metavir stage were confirmed as the independent predictors of cancer-specific survival. The constructed nomogram was well calibrated, which showed better discrimination power and higher net benefits than the current American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system. Patients with liver transplantation had better survival than those with hepatectomy, especially patients within the Milan Criteria (P = 0.022 and P = 0.015). There was no survival difference between liver transplantation and hepatectomy in patients beyond the Milan Criteria (P = 0.340). Conclusion. The morbidity of CHC remained stable between 2004 and 2018. The constructed nomogram could predict the prognosis with good performance, which was meaningful to individual treatment strategies optimization. CHC patients should also be considered as potential liver transplantation recipients, especially those within the Milan Criteria, but the finding still needs more evidence to be further confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different from many superconducting magnet designs based on the analytical algorithm and finite element method (FEM), this article presents an intelligent design of the SMES and high-field magnet using the self-programmed graphical user interface (GUI). As the important basis, the analytical solutions of SMES magnet are developed for calculating the magnetic field, inductance and critical current, whose accuracies are also verified by the experiment. Then, the analytical solutions are merged into the GUI tool with multi-window interface based on the MATLAB. The new platform is built to offer scientists and engineers a smart tool to design and optimize SMES magnets to reach the maximum energy capacity. After the structural optimization of a MJ-class SMES magnet, the critical current and energy capacity improve by 20.46% and 38.67%, respectively. Compared to previous superconducting magnet designs, this new platform for the SMES and high-field magnet design has the advantages of diverse HTS tape/magnet structure selections, user-friendly interface, automatic optimization, and fast speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although substantial progress has been made in early detection and treatment of GC, this disease remains a major burden worldwide. CircRNAs have potential as prognostic and diagnostic biomarkers in tumorigenesis. Therefore, we aimed to clarify the role and mechanism of circACC1 in GC cell proliferation. The expression levels of circACC1, miR-29c-3p and FOXP1 were validated in GC tissue samples and adjacent tissue samples. The impact of circACC1 and miR-29c-3p on overall survival was evaluated in GC specimens. A functional study was performed on MKN-45 and BGC823 cells transfected with different vectors. Cell proliferation was assayed by CCK-8 and colony formation assays. The interactions among circACC1, miR-29c-3p and FOXP1 were tested by RNA immunoprecipitation and luciferase reporter assays. This study demonstrated that circACC1 is upregulated in GC tissues, and its upregulation predicts poorer OS in GC patients. Upregulation of circACC1 promoted GC cell proliferation, as indicated by CCK-8 and colony formation assays. A mechanistic study revealed that the pro-oncogenic effect of circACC1 was mainly caused by binding to miR-29c-3p, thus regulating expression of its downstream target FOXP1. The circACC1/miR-29c-3p/FOXP1 network plays a key role in gastric cancer by regulating cell proliferation. • CircACC1, a circular RNA implicated in dysregulation in human GC, has prognostic value. • CircACC1 promotes GC cell proliferation by directly interacting with miR-29c-3p. • FOXP1 is regulated by miR-29c-3p during GC cell proliferation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: GPR120 plays a crucial role in insulin sensitization, inflammatory responses and obesity and is considered as an attractive potential target for the treatment of metabolic dysfunctions. However, the mechanisms of GPR120 agonist III in NAFLD/NASH treatment are still unclear. Aims: We aimed to evaluate the effect and molecular mechanisms of GPR120 agonist III on NASH, and search for future treatments of human NAFLD/NASH. Methods: The effects of GPR120 agonist III on steatohepatitis were evaluated in mice fed with HFHC diet and MCD diet. The ultrastructural changes of ER were assessed by TEM. Hepatic ROS production was evaluated by DHE staining. Apoptosis and macrophage infiltration were determined by IHC staining. Inflammatory cytokines secretion were examined using mouse XL cytokine array. Results: GPR120 agonist III significantly suppressed macrophage infiltration and ROS production and reversed hepatic inflammation, ER stress and apoptosis in dietary-induced steatohepatitis. Conclusion: GPR120 agonist III will be an attractive treatment method in steatohepatitis, which opens up a new sight for future treatments of human NAFLD/NASH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new concept of photovoltaic-driven liquid air energy storage (PV-LAES) is explored. • A dynamic PV-LAES model is built to match building energy requirements. • Poly-generation of combined cooling, heating and power (CCHP) is achieved. • Technical, economic and environmental merits of the PV-LAES are clarified. • The multi-functional PV-LAES provides solutions for future zero-energy buildings. Renewable energy and energy storage technologies are expected to promote the goal of net zero-energy buildings. This article presents a new sustainable energy solution using photovoltaic-driven liquid air energy storage (PV-LAES) for achieving the combined cooling, heating and power (CCHP) supply. Liquid air is used to store and generate power to smooth the supply-load fluctuations, and the residual heat from hot oil in the LAES system is used for the cooling and heating supplements. Taking an actual building as the research object, the dynamic PV-LAES system model is built to optimize the power/cooling/heating supplies, and then evaluate the economic and environmental performances. In a single year, the PV-LAES system can produce 523.93 MWh of electricity, 57.75 GJ of cold energy, and 119.24 GJ of heat energy, resulting in an improved round-trip efficiency of 67.05 % and a carbon emission reduction of 368.35 tons. The dynamic payback period is 6.45 years and the cumulative net present value (NPV) reaches 515 k$ throughout the life cycle. Overall, this article provides a new solution using the PV-LAES system to obtain high energy efficiency, good economic benefits, and high environmental performance for future zero-energy buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The waste heat recovery technology of data center has attracted the attentions for energy conservation and emission reduction in recent years. This paper presents a new scheme which uses heat recovery technology to link the data center and the agricultural sector. The detailed system design, technical validation, and environmental and economic analysis show that the project can fully absorb a large amount of waste heat in the data center, and use the air source heat pump (ASHP) to transport heat to an ecological farm, reducing the consumption of electric energy and promoting the development of agriculture and animal husbandry. In a case study of China Brain Green Data Center, the dynamic payback period is about 3.4 years, and the cumulative net present value will reach $666 k. In terms of environmental impact, the proposed ASHP-based complementary utilization scheme can save 676 MWh of electricity for the data center and 88 MWh of electricity for the ecological farm in each year, which is equivalent to reducing coal by 230 tons and reducing CO 2 emissions by 168 tons. Therefore, from the perspective of economic and environmental benefits, this new complementary waste heat utilization technology realizes a win-win development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite advances in surgical techniques and peri-operative management, post-operative infectious complications still are common after perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (PHCC). This study investigated the predictive factors and microbial spectrum for infections after hepatectomy with cholangiojejunostomy performed to treat PHCC. Methods: A total of 70 consecutive patients, who underwent hepatectomy with cholangiojejunostomy by the same surgeons at a tertiary referral medical center between September 2010 and January 2019, were enrolled. Clinical data were reviewed for multivariable analysis to find independent risk factors for infectious complications. Microorganisms isolated from bile and infection sites were counted to explore the microbial spectrum. Results: A total of 43 patients (61.4%) suffered post-operative infections (33 with surgical site infection [SSI], four with bacteremia, three with pneumonia, 10 with cholangitis, and two with fungus infectious stomatitis), and 28 of them (65.1%) had a positive bile culture. Four independent risk factors were identified: male sex (odds ratio [OR] 12.737; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.298-70.611; p = 0.004), red blood cell (RBC) count <3.8 × 1012/L (OR 5.085; 95% CI 1.279-20.211; p = 0.021), total cholesterol (TC) <2.90 mmol/L (OR 5.715; 95% CI 1.534-21.299; p = 0.009), and serum Na+ >145 mmol/L (OR 10.387; 95% CI 1.559-69.201; p = 0.016) on post-operative day (POD) 1. A total of 217 and 196 microorganisms were cultured from 311 and 627 specimens, respectively, collected from pre-/intra-operative bile and possible infection sites. Staphylococcus, Enterococcus, Acinetobacter, Streptococcus, and Escherichia were the most common findings of bile culture. The first five organisms most frequently isolated from infection sites were Enterococcus, Staphylococcus, Klebsiella, Acinetobacter, and Candida. A total of 18 patients (64.3%) had at least one species isolated from infection sites that had appeared in a previous bile culture. Conclusions: Male sex, erythrocytopenia, hypocholesterolemia, and hypernatremia on POD 1 are independent risk factors for infectious complications. For patients without positive bile cultures, third-generation cephalosporins could be considered as the prophylactic antibiotic. It is important to monitor the pathogens throughout the hospital stay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a novel non-uniform gap optimization method was proposed for high-current stacked HTS conductors. The proposed configuration was easy for fabrication, but also resulted in good electromagnetic performance. The experiment matched the modeling regarding the critical currents of different stacked HTS conductors, and they presented the optimal critical currents was by the non-uniform gap optimization. After proving the reliability of modeling, the zero gap and non-uniform gap stacked conductors with 15 HTS tapes were comprehensively evaluated with respect to the critical current, AC loss, and fault tolerance. Compared with zero gap stacked HTS conductor, the critical current of the stacked HTS conductor by the non-uniform gap optimization increased by 5%, while the AC loss was reduced by 30%, and the temperature rise due to fault was reduced by 50%. Overall, the stacked HTS conductors with novel non-uniform gap optimization can carry reasonably high currents, with less loss and better fault tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal regions have abundant off-shore wind energy resources, and surrounding areas have large-scale liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving stations. From the engineering perspectives, there are limitations in unstable off-shore wind energy and fluctuating LNG loads. This article offers a new energy scheme to combine these 2 energy units, which uses surplus wind energy to produce hydrogen, and use LNG cold energy to liquefy and store hydrogen. In addition, in order to improve the efficiency of utilizing LNG cold energy, and reduce electricity consumption for liquid hydrogen (LH 2) production at coastal regions, this article introduces the liquid air energy storage (LAES) technology as the intermediate stage, which can stably store the cold energy from LNG gasification. A new scheme for LNG-LAES-LH 2 hybrid LH 2 production is built. The case study is based on a real LNG receiving station at Hainan province, China, and this article presents the design of hydrogen production/liquefaction process, and carries out the optimizations at key nodes, and proves the feasibility using specific energy consumption and exergy analysis. In a 100 MW system, the liquid air storage round-trip efficiency is 71.0% and the specific energy consumption is 0.189 kWh/kg, and the liquid hydrogen specific energy consumption is 7.87 kWh/kg and the exergy efficiency is 46.44%. Meanwhile, the corresponding techno-economic model is built, and for a LNG-LAES-LH 2 system with LH 2 daily production 140.4 tons, the shortest dynamic payback period is 9.56 years. Overall, this novel hybrid energy scheme can produce green hydrogen using a more efficient and economical method, and also can make full use of surplus off-shore wind energy and coastal LNG cold energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two copolymer donors based on the thiophene-vinylene-thiophene (TVT) and thieno[3,2- b ]thiophene-vinylene-thieno[3,2- b ]thiophene (TTVTT) derivative, which were denoted as VT and VDT , respectively, were synthesized and applied to organic solar cells (OSCs). Detailed investigations revealed that the extension of conjugation can affect the optical and electronic properties, molecular aggregation, charge separation in the bulk-heterojunction films, and thus the overall photovoltaic performances. Without any additives or post-solvent/thermal annealing processes, the OSCs based on VDT : Y6 and VT : Y6 exhibited optimal power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 12.67% and 8.85%, respectively. These results indicate that extending the π-electron delocalization of the copolymer donors to broaden the absorption range and enhance intermolecular packing is an effective strategy to promote the device's performances. • Two copolymer VT and VDT were synthesized and applied to organic solar cells. • π-Extension A unit in D-A polymer donor leads to higher J SC and FF. • The OSCs based on VDT : Y6 exhibited a PCE of 12.67%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Precision medicine holds great promise to harness genetic and epigenetic cues for targeted treatment of a variety of diseases, ranging from many types of cancers, neurodegenerative diseases, to cardiovascular diseases. The proteomic profiles resulting from the unique genetic and epigenetic signatures represent a class of relatively well accessible molecular targets for both interrogation (e.g. , diagnosis, prognosis) and intervention (e.g. , targeted therapy) of these diseases. Aptamers are promising for such applications by specific binding with cognate disease biomarkers. Nucleic acid aptamers are a class of DNA or RNA with unique three-dimensional conformations that allow them to specifically bind with target molecules. Aptamers can be relatively easily screened, reproducibly manufactured, programmably designed, and chemically modified for various biomedical applications, including targeted therapy. Aptamers can be chemically modified to resist enzymatic degradation or optimize their pharmacological behaviors, which ensured their chemical integrity and bioavailability under physiological conditions. In this review, we will focus on recent progress and discuss the challenges and opportunities in the research areas of aptamer-based targeted therapy in the forms of aptamer therapeutics and aptamer-drug conjugates (ApDCs). Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the gradual maturity of wind power technology, China's wind power generation has grown rapidly over the recent years. However, due to the on-site inconsumable electricity, the phenomenon of large-scale "wind curtailment" occurs in some areas. In this paper, a novel hybrid hydrogen/electricity refueling station is built near a wind farm, and a part of the surplus wind power is used to charge electric trucks, and the other part of the surplus power is used to produce "green hydrogen". According to real-time load changes, different amounts of liquid hydrogen and gas hydrogen can be properly coordinated to provide timely energy supply for hydrogen trucks. For a 400 MW wind farm in the western Inner Mongolia, China, the feasibility of the proposed system has been carried out based on the sensitivity and reliability analysis, the static and dynamic economic modeling, with an entire life cycle analysis. Compared to the conventional technology, the initial investment of the proposed scheme (700.07 M$) decreases by 13.97%, and the dynamic payback period (10.93 years) decreases by 25.87%. During the life cycle of the proposed system, the accumulative NPV reaches 184.63 M$, which increases by 3.14 times compared to the case by conventional wind technology. • A novel hybrid hydrogen/electricity refueling system to charge electric vehicles, and produce "green hydrogen". • A realistic multi-energy study based on a 400 MW wind farm in western Inner Mongolia, China. • Feasibility study with sensitivity and reliability analysis for the proposed system. • Static and dynamic economic modeling on a hybrid hydrogen/electricity refueling station. • The proposed system has technical and economic benefits, but much less carbon emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface irrigation systems are widely used on the North China Plain. The design of surface irrigation systems can be improved by developing simulation models including the advanced trajectory, recession trajectory, and infiltration time. Therefore, the objectives of this study were as follows: (1) to evaluate different models to simulate the advanced and recession trajectories, (2) to propose a new method that reduces the required observation data for estimating the infiltration time, and (3) to evaluate the accuracy of the proposed infiltration function based on the modified infiltration time function. Field experiments were conducted. The results indicated that the power function can represent the advanced and recession trajectories well. A modified function that describes the infiltration time has a high correlation and accuracy with the measured data and can be used to estimate the infiltration time. The proposed infiltration function based on the modified infiltration time function is accurate and can be used to estimate the infiltration function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Targeting integrins with radioligands has gained a lot of attention in recent years in the field of oncology ([1]). v 3 integrin overexpression in thyroid cancer is likely due to its presence on both the activated endothelial cells of cancer neovasculature and the cancer cell surface, as shown by several reports documenting v 3 integrin expression in thyroid cancer cell lines ([4],[5]). [Extracted from the article]

Abstract: BACKGROUND: This study investigates a novel hydrogel synthesis method and its bio‐release property. This hydrogel, with a three‐dimensional network structure based on Auricularia polytricha β‐glucan, was characterised by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, 1H NMR and scanning electron microscopy. Vitamin B12 (VB12, cobalamin) as a hydrophilic functional food component was entrapped into these hydrogels. The in vitro release profile of VB12 was established in simulated gastric fluid (SGF) and simulated intestinal fluid (SIF). RESULTS: The results showed that the hydrogel had medium pore size from 30 to 300 µm, and the swelling ratio increased with the degree of substitution. The hydrogel demonstrated good stability in SGF and bio‐release capability in SIF for VB12. The accumulated release rate is about 80% in SIF and below 20% in SGF, which indicated the significant different release property in stomach and intestine. CONCLUSION: The Auricularia polytricha β‐glucan‐based hydrogel has a good swelling ratio, pepsin stability and pancrelipase‐catalysed biodegradation property. The bio‐release rate is significantly different in SIF and SGF, which indicated that this hydrogel could be a good intestinal target carrier of VB12. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bonding porcelain layer was fused on Ti surface by laser cladding process using a 400 W pulse CO 2 laser. The specimens were studied by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and bonding tests. During the laser fusion process, the porcelain powders were heated by laser energy and melted on Ti to form a chemical bond with the substrate. When the laser scanning speed decreased, the sintering temperature and the extent of the oxidation of Ti surface increased accordingly. When the laser scanning speed is 12.5 mm/s, the bonding porcelain layers were still incomplete sintered and there were some micro-cracks in the porcelain. When the laser scanning speed decreased to 7.5 mm/s, vitrified bonding porcelain layers with few pores were synthesized on Ti. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Numerical modeling of HTS stacked conductors with defective tapes. • Effects of various defective tapes on critical currents and AC losses. • Conductors with defects need proper redundancy and safety allowance. The numerical modeling of HTS stacked conductors was performed with different quantities and locations of defective tapes. The effects of various defective tapes on the overall critical currents, current distributions, and AC losses were studied. Results show the more defective tapes and the higher defect grades were, the larger degradations of critical currents would be. If the quantity of defective tapes was 10, compared with the non-defect case, the AC loss increased by 62% in Scenario A (defective tapes increasing from outside to inside), increased by 24% in Scenario B (defective tapes increasing from inside to outside), and increased by 48% in Scenario C (defective tapes increasing from top to bottom). Therefore, to overcome the issues on current-carrying capability and AC loss, adding reasonable redundancy and safety allowance for HTS tapes, overall critical currents and cryogenic systems is necessary. Overall, this article presents novel analysis and results, which are useful for the future designs of HTS high-current stacked conductors/cables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Multi-energy vehicle charging/refueling station using 100% renewable and liquid hydrogen. • Hybrid LH 2 /electricity energy pipeline based on cryogenic and superconducting technologies. • A 100 MW-class hybrid hydrogen/electricity supply station is designed. • Energy management strategy is carried out with static/dynamic economic feasibility. • It offers a technically/economically superior solution for future vehicle charging/refueling systems. Renewable energies such as the wind energy and solar energy generate low-carbon electricity, which can directly charge battery electric vehicles (BEVs). Meanwhile, the surplus electricity can be used to produce the "green hydrogen", which provides zero-emission hydrogen fuels to those fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). In order to charge/refuel multi-energy vehicles, we propose a novel scheme of hybrid hydrogen/electricity supply using cryogenic and superconducting technologies. In this scheme, the green hydrogen is further liquefied into the high-density and low-pressure liquid hydrogen (LH 2) for bulk energy storage and transmission. Taking the advantage of the cryogenic environment of LH 2 (20 K), it can also be used as the cryogen to cool down superconducting cables to realize the virtually zero-loss power transmission from 100 % renewable sources to vehicle charging stations. This hybrid LH 2 /electricity energy pipeline can realize long-distance, large-capacity, and high-efficiency clean energy transmission, to fulfil the hybrid energy supply demand for BEVs and FCEVs. For the case of a 100 MW-class hybrid hydrogen/electricity supply station, the system principle and energy management strategy are analyzed through 9 different operating sub-modes. The corresponding static and dynamic economic modeling are performed, and the economic feasibility of the hybrid hydrogen/electricity supply is verified using life-cycle analysis. Taking an example of wind power capacity 1898 MWh and solar power capacity 1619 MWh per day, the dynamic payback period is 15.06 years, the profitability index is 1.17, the internal rate of return is 7.956 %, and the accumulative NPV is 187.92 M$. The system design and techno-economic analysis can potentially offer a technically/economically superior solution for future multi-energy vehicle charging/refueling systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The progressive penetrations of sensitive renewables and DC loads have presented a formidable challenge to the DC energy reliability. This paper proposes a new solution using series-connected interline superconducting magnetic energy storage (SCI-SMES) to implement the simultaneous transient energy management and load protection of DC doubly-fed induction generator (DC-DFIG)/internet data center (IDC) composited medium-voltage direct-current (MVDC) network. The SCI-SMES mainly consists of two current source converters (CSCs) sharing a common SMES link. It can implement the transient energy conversion and interaction between sensitive sources and loads in two individual DC feeders, even they are with different voltage and current levels. To prove the above-mentioned functions, a kW-class experimental SCI-SMES prototype is established. For actual renewable energy scenarios, six different cases of power flow and energy interaction between DC-DFIG and IDC are presented in this paper, and a MW-class with SCI-SMES-integrated hybrid DC network is built in simulation for verification. A techno-economic assessment, considering capital investment, operating cost, and financial losses of voltage sags, shows that the total investment payback period is in the range of 5.44–18.41 years, which proves the SCI-SMES has both economic and technical advantages in large-scale data centers and renewable generation sectors. • Series-connected interline superconducting magnetic energy storage (SCI-SMES). • Short-term power flow and long-term energy interaction among multiple DC lines. • Energy management strategy and static/dynamic economic feasibility for the SCI-SMES. • KW-class experiments and MW-class simulations for SCI-SMES studies. • The SCI-SMES offers technically/economically merits for DC renewable networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene-based nanomaterials, due to their unique physicochemical properties, versatile surface functionalization, ultra-high surface area, and good biocompatibility, have attracted considerable interest in biomedical applications such as biosensors, drug delivery, bioimaging, theranostics, and so on. In this review, we will summarize the current advances in bioimaging of graphene-based nanomaterials, including graphene, graphene oxide (GO), reduced graphene oxide (rGO), graphene quantum dots (GQDs), and their derivatives. There are two methods to synthesize graphene-based nanomaterials: in situ synthesis and binding method. We will highlight the molecular imaging modalities including optical imaging (fluorescence (FL), two-photon FL, and Raman imaging), PET/SPECT (positron emission tomography/single photon emission computed tomography), MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), PAI (photoacoustic imaging), CT (computed tomography), and multimodal imaging. In the end, we will elaborate on the prospects and challenges of their future bioimaging applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A new organic molecule named PDINOH was synthesized and applied in OSC. • A high PCE of 17.60% and FF of 78.32% were obtained based on the OSC of PM6:Y6. • The devices showed thickness-insensitive and outstanding stability. Interface engineering is one of the methods to enhance the performances of organic solar cells (OSCs), especially cathode interface layers (CILs) are widely concerned. In the cathode interface materials, the introduction of polar groups can reduce the work function and promote electron transport by increasing the capability of cathode. In this work, we synthesized a perylene-diimide derivative (PDINOH) by introducing hydroxyethyl, which is conducive to extracting electrons, obtaining higher electron mobility and good interface contact with the active layer. PDINOH is employed as CIL for PM6:Y6 OSCs devices, achieving optimal power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 17.08% when the film thickness of PDINOH is 10 nm. Moreover, Treating the active layer with methanol prior to spin-coating PDINOH CIL, the devices achieved PCE of 17.60% and 16.60% at PDINOH film thicknesses of 10 nm and 34 nm, respectively. The devices showed thickness-insensitivity and outstanding stability in the absence of encapsulation. PDINOH is a more comprehensive CIL that can be applied to different systems (such as PTB7-Th:PC 71 BM, PM6:Y6, PTB7-Th:ITIC) and improved the photovoltaic performances of OSCs devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface modifications of Ti and nano-composite coatings were employed to simultaneously improve the surface roughness, corrosion resistance and chemical bonding between porclain-Ti. The specimens were studied by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, surface roughness, differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, corrosion resistance and bonding strength tests. The SEM results showed that hybrid structures with micro-stripes, nano-pores and nano-protuberances were prepared by surface modification of Ti, which significantly enhanced the surface roughness and corrosion resistance of Ti. Porous nano-composite coatings were synthesized on Ti anodized with pre-treatment in 40% HF acid. TiO 2 nanoparticles were added into the hybrid coating to increase the solid phase content of the sols and avoid the formation of microcracks. With the TiO 2 content increasing from 45 wt% to 60 wt%, the quantities of the microcracks on the coating surface gradually decreased. The optimal TiO 2 content for the nanocomposite coatings is 60 wt% in this research. Compared to the uncoated group, the bonding strength of the coated groups showed a bonding strength improvement of 23.96%. The cytotoxicity of the 4# coating group was ranked as zero, which corresponds to non-cytotoxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Albumin is the most abundant circulating protein in plasma and has recently emerged as a versatile protein carrier for drug targeting and for improving the pharmacokinetic profile of peptide or protein based drugs. Three drug delivery technologies related to albumin have been developed, which include the coupling of low-molecular weight drugs to exogenous or endogenous albumin, conjugating bioactive proteins by albumin fusion technology (AFT), and encapsulation of drugs into albumin nanoparticles. This review article starts with a brief introduction of human serum albumin (HSA), and then summarizes the mainstream chemical strategies of developing HSA binding molecules for coupling with drug molecules. Moreover, we also concisely condense the recent progress of the most important clinical applications of HSA-binding platforms, and specify the current challenges that need to be met for a bright future of HSA-binding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid global developments of digital economy and internet-based technologies, the ultra-dense high-efficiency energy distribution and supply are becoming urgently essential for the data centers that contain large amounts of information-technology (IT) equipments. Considering the limitation of current-carrying capacity and huge ohmic loss of the conventional copper busbars, this paper presents a novel solution using high-temperature superconductor (HTS) DC busbars for data centers with the ultra-high current-carrying capacity and compact size. The full layouts of 3-grade HTS busbars are designed in accord with the industrial standards of date centers. The economic analysis on different busbar schemes for a 10 MW class data center is carried out. For the 100 V/100 kA scheme, the ratio of total operating cost (HTS busbars/copper busbars) can be down to 0.11. With the consideration of the power supply unit (PSU) conversion efficiency, the benefit-turnover period can be reduced from approximately 23 to 17 years. A general design guideline (technical design and economic analysis) is made for building HTS busbar networks in high-dense data centers. Overall, the novel design, technical evaluation and economic analysis of the superconducting DC busbar network can provide useful information and potential solutions for the future high-dense data centers. • High-temperature superconductor (HTS) busbars for high-power data centers. • HTS busbars with ultra-high current-carrying capacity and compact size. • Full layouts of 3-grade HTS busbars in accord with data center standards. • Economic analysis on different busbar schemes for a 10 MW class data center. • General design guideline of HTS busbar networks for high-dense data centers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• System design of energy-saving superconducting cables from renewable energy to a 100 MW data center. • Technical design of compact multi-layer superconducting cables with the details of materials' characteristics. • Total loss of superconducting cables decreasing down to 1.7% of the loss of conventional AC/DC cables. • Economic advantages of superconducting cables over conventional cables due to the extremely low operating costs. • Promising solution using energy-saving superconducting cables for the hyper-scale data centers due to the technical and economic benefits. With the significant increase of global data center infrastructure, how to delivery electric energy to data centers in an efficient and sustainable way needs to be carefully considered. This article presents a novel study on the energy-saving superconducting cables from the renewable energy source to a 100-MW-class data center, with the comparison using the conventional AC and DC power transmissions (9 cases in total). The design of superconducting cables and AC and DC power cables are shown with the details of materials, electrical and thermal characteristics. For all these transmission schemes, both the capital investment costs and operating costs are derived, and the economic analysis is carried out with the factors of different voltage levels, transmission distances from clean energy to the data center, and operating years. Results show the transmission schemes by superconducting cable have both the technical and economic advantages over the conventional AC and DC transmission schemes (e.g., for the 10 kV 10 km case, the total energy loss of superconducting transmission is merely 1.7% of conventional AC, and after 10 years the total cost of superconducting transmission is also cheaper), which can be a promising solution of energy transmission for the high-power data centers in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Fault tolerance of SiC MOSFET in cryogenic and room temperatures is investigated. • Cryogenic operation has longer over-current withstanding time over room temperature. • Steady-state over-current safe operation area (SOA) of SiC MOSFET is studied. • Over-current-dependent functions are derived to depict the fault withstanding capacity. • SOA characterization explores the protection guidelines for SiC-based power conversion. The over-current withstanding ability of the silicon carbide (SiC) based metal–oxidesemiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) is really important for the survival during over-load and short-circuit disturbances. This article investigates the experimental characterizations of the steady-state over-current safe operation area (SOA) of SiC MOSFET at both the cryogenic temperature (77 K) and room temperature (300 K). Benefiting from the sufficient cooling power by the liquid nitrogen around devices, the cryogenic SiC MOSFET can have over 10 times longer than the over-current withstanding time at room temperature. For practical applications in high-performance SiC-based power conversions and superconductor-semiconductor-coupled systems, 4 over-current-dependent functions have been derived to predict the withstanding time and power dissipation at both 77 K and 300 K. Considering the lowest on-state resistance during the transient over-current process of first increasing and then decreasing, a new SOA concept is further used to judge the safety threshold of the SiC MOSFET and the subsequent switch-off action. The new method and procedure can effectively predict the potential safety issue of over heat, and make the switching-off actions in advance, which can prevent the late protection action due to the hardware/software delays. Our experimental/theoretical investigations and the new analysis can also be regarded as general methods which are applicable to study other types of MOSFETs and build corresponding protection schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamic voltage is a unique phenomenon of superconducting materials. It arises when the superconductor is carrying a DC transport current and spontaneously in subject to an AC magnetic field. This study excavates the aspects that previous studies have not comprehensively investigated: the dynamic voltage in a DC-carrying superconducting tape exposed to different oscillating AC magnetic fields. First, the fundamental physics of dynamic voltage/flux of superconductors is reviewed and further analysed in detail. We used the superconducting modelling method using the H-formulation merged into the finite-element method (FEM) software, to re-produce the typical dynamic voltage behaviour of a superconducting tape. The modelling was verified by both the analytical and experimental results, in order to precisely prove the reliability of the modelling. Afterwards, the modelling was performed for a DC-carrying superconducting tape under four different oscillating magnetic fields (sine, triangle, sawtooth and square), and their corresponding dynamic voltages and energy losses were analysed and compared. Results show the sinusoidal magnetic field can lead to the optimal combination of reasonable dynamic voltage but relatively lower loss, which is suitable for those superconducting applications requiring dynamic voltage as the energy source, e.g., flux pumps. This article presents novel investigation and analysis of the dynamic voltage in superconducting materials, and both the methodology and results can provide useful information for the future design/analysis of superconducting applications with DC transport currents and AC magnetic fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiregional clinical trials provide the potential to make safe and effective medical products simultaneously available to patients globally. As regulatory decisions are always made in a local context, this poses huge regulatory challenges. In this article we propose two conditional decision rules that can be used for medical product approval by local regulatory agencies based on the results of a multiregional clinical trial. We also illustrate sample size planning for such trials. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: Homo-polyimides and co-polyimides (PI) were synthesized from dianhydride of 6FDA (4,4′-(Hexafluoroisopropylidene) diphthalic anhydride) and diamine of ODA (4,4′-Oxydianiline) or with ODA and TeMPD (2,3,5,6-tetramethyl-1,4-phenylenediamine) by chemical imidization in a two-step procedure. In this work, APTMDS (bis(3-aminopropyl)-tetramethyldisiloxane) is a diamino organosilicone proposed as a new cross-linking agent to produce polyimides membranes for CO2/CH4 separation. Two approaches were studied: direct mixing of APTMDS in the polyimide solution or immersing a PI membrane in a APTMDS/methanol solution. The modified and original polyimides were then fully characterized. The gas transport properties of CO2, CH4 and their blends were investigated at 35°C and 150psi. For neat gases, CO2 and CH4 permeability decreased and ideal selectivity increased with increasing immersion time and APTMDS concentration. The performance of APTMDS modified 6FDA–ODA membrane are above the Robeson upper bound curve. For gas mixtures, the permeabilities and separation factors were studied as a function of CO2 molar fraction (35°C, 150psi) and feed pressure (50/50 CO2/CH4 at 35°C). It was found that CO2 and CH4 permeabilities decreased while separation factors increased with immersion time and concentration. The modified membranes can support pressures as high as 600psi (45atm) giving them a wider range of operation conditions. Finally, the plasticization of polyimides can be practically eliminated by APSMDS cross-linking with either membrane immersion in methanol solution or initial mixing in the polyimide at the reaction step. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

One main issue with peptide-based molecular imaging probes is their relatively low tumor affinity and short retention time. To improve peptide binding affinity, multivalency approach has been introduced. Traditionally, this approach involves the use of peptide homodimers or homomultimers in which peptide ligands of the same type are constructed with suitable linkers. Recently, a new approach using peptide heterodimers has emerged as a promising method for targeting multi-receptor over-expressed tumor cells. Significant affinity enhancements have been observed with peptide heterodimers compared with their parent peptide monomers. In a peptide heterodimer, two different peptide ligands capable of targeting two different receptors are covalently linked. The binding modes of peptide heterodimers can be monovalent or bivalent depending on whether simultaneous binding of two ligands can be achieved. Increased local ligand concentration and improved binding kinetics contribute to enhanced binding in both monovalent- and bivalent binding modes, while multivalency effect also plays an important role in bivalent binding mode. As many tumors overexpress multiple receptors, more peptide heterodimer-based molecular imaging probes are expected to be developed in future. This review article will discuss the peptide homodimers and heterodimers for molecular imaging with special emphasis on peptide heterodimers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The success of cancer therapy can be difficult to predict, as its efficacy is often predicated upon characteristics of the cancer, treatment, and individual that are not fully understood or are difficult to ascertain. Monitoring the response of disease to treatment is therefore essential and has traditionally been characterized by changes in tumor volume. However, in many instances, this singular measure is insufficient for predicting treatment effects on patient survival. Molecular imaging allows repeated in vivo measurement of many critical molecular features of neoplasm, such as metabolism, proliferation, angiogenesis, hypoxia, and apoptosis, which can be employed for monitoring therapeutic response. In this review, we examine the current methods for evaluating response to treatment and provide an overview of emerging PET molecular imaging methods that will help guide future cancer therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: HSP70 promoter-driven gene therapy and inhibition of HSP90 activity with small molecule inhibitors are two shining points in a newly developed cohort of cancer treatment. For HSP70 promoters, high efficiency and heat inducibility within a localized region make it very attractive to clinical translation. The HSP90 inhibitors exhibit a broad spectrum of anticancer activities due to the downstream effects of HSP90 inhibition, which interfere with a wide range of signaling processes that are crucial for the malignant properties of cancer cells. In this review article, we summarize exciting applications of newly emerged molecular imaging techniques as they relate to HSP, including protein–protein interactions of HSP90 complexes, therapeutic response of tumors to HSP90 inhibitors, and HSP70 promoters-controlled gene therapy. In the HSPs context, molecular imaging is expected to play a vital role in promoting drug development and advancing individualized medicine. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The relationship between pulse accumulation and radial heat conduction in pump-probe transient thermoreflectance (TTR) is explored. The results illustrate how pulse accumulation allows TTR to probe two thermal length scales simultaneously. In addition, the conditions under which radial transport effects are important are described. An analytical solution for anisotropic heat flow in layered structures is given, and a method for measuring both cross-plane and in-plane thermal conductivities of thermally anisotropic thin films is described. As verification, the technique is used to extract the cross-plane and in-plane thermal conductivities of highly ordered pyrolytic graphite. Results are found to be in good agreement with literature values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Hospital-oriented quad-generation is explored for sustainable energy and gas supply. • Combined cooling, heating, power and gas is used for normal and emergency operations. • Superconducting devices are used for high-efficiency power delivery and management. • Cryogenic fluids of both energy fuels and medical gases are stored for back-up use. • Simultaneous supply of energy and medical gas is proposed against the COVID-19 pandemic. Along with the global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of hospitals are operating in the over-loaded state, which results in the ever-increasing requirements of cooling, heating, power, and medical gas supplies. This paper investigates a novel concept of hospital-oriented quad-generation (HOQG) to produce a combined cooling, heating, power and gas (CCHPG) system. Local renewable energy source (RES), high temperature superconducting (HTS) power cable and superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) device are used as the low-carbon electricity producer, carrier and regulator, respectively. Compared to the conventional copper cable and electrochemical battery, HTS terminal power units have superior advantages of high-efficiency power delivery and high-quality power compensation. To accommodate the surplus electricity from local RESs and guarantee emergency supply for the targeted hospital buildings, three cryogenic fluids of liquefied methane gas, liquefied oxygen and liquefied nitrogen are used as back-ups for both energy fuel and medical gas. By adopting a series of cascade energy utilization and thermally-activated energy conversion facilities, multiple clean energies of cooling, heating and power are produced to supply medical devices, and multiple medical gases of oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide are delivered to hospitals for patient treatments. Compared to conventional diesel oil and compressed gas back-ups, these three cryogenic liquids have advantages of high-capacity, high-security storage and low-pollution utilization. Another possible benefit can be the low-temperature environment of these medical gases offers vaccines an appropriate delivering pathway against the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the proposed HOQG can be expected to fulfill the demand of energy conservation and emission reduction simultaneously during the normal operation, as well as the demand of sustainable energy and medical gas supply under severe conditions such as natural and man-made disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new vision of loss measurement and modelling for superconducting coils for high-frequency operations. • The temperature and time dependence of AC loss in the HTS coil in a power electronic circuit. • Both the short-time and long-time loss tests for the HTS coil by a commercial power analyzer. • A new time-dependent analytical model for accurately modelling the real-time loss in the HTS coil. • Prediction of the real-time performance for numerous HTS devices during practical AC operations. This paper provides a new vision of loss measurement and modelling for superconducting coils, with both the short-time test and long-time test, as the behaviour of the AC loss in superconductors is actually a dynamic process with the temperature and time dependence, particularly for the medium-to-high frequency AC operation. A single-pancake High temperature superconducting (HTS) coil was tested in a power electronic circuit (DC-AC inverter). The operating current was from 15 A to 50 A, and the operating frequency was from 1 kHz to 5 kHz. The AC loss measurements were carried out using the function of fully decoupling power by a commercial power analyzer. This method was able to measure the real-time AC loss, and the loss measuring process is much easier than the conventional electrical and magnetic method. As expected, for short-time loss tests, the experiment, the FEM H -formulation model, and the conventional analytical model agree with each other. However, the AC losses in long-time tests are found having power-law relations with the operating time (above kHz level). As the accumulated heat in the HTS coil as well as the interrelation between the critical current and temperature, the real-time AC losses are strongly time-dependent. A new time-dependent analytical model is developed, for the purpose of accurately modelling the real-time loss in the HTS coil. The new analytical model well matches the AC loss tests over both the long and short testing time. The experimental method and new analytical model offer a new sight at the AC loss of superconducting coil for both the short-time and long-time operation in a power electronic circuit, which is able to explore more reasonable guidelines of safe operating area (SOA) during the practical AC operation of superconducting applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The aim of this study is to develop a novel arginine–glycine–aspartic acid (RGD) peptide-containing ligand for 99mTc labeling as α v β 3 integrin receptor-targeted imaging agent. BPy–RGD conjugate was successfully synthesized by coupling of 5-carboxylate-2,2′-bipyridine and c(RGDyK) peptide through EDC/SNHS in aqueous solution and was characterized by MADLI-TOF-MS (, C38H48N11O9). 99mTc(CO)3–BPy–RGD was prepared by exchange reaction between [99mTc(H2O)3(CO)3]+ and BPy–RGD. Final product was purified by HPLC and tested for octanol/water partition coefficient. Cell-binding assays of BPy–RGD and unmodified c(RGDyK) were tested in MDA-MB-435 cells (125I-echistatin as radioligand). Preliminary biodistribution of the 99mTc(I)-labeled radiotracer in orthotopic MDA-MB-435 breast tumor xenograft model was also evaluated. The BPy–RGD conjugate had good integrin-binding affinity (50% inhibitory concentration (IC50)=92.51±22.69nM), slightly lower than unmodified c(RGDyK) (IC50=59.07±11.03nM). The hydrophilic radiotracer also had receptor-mediated activity accumulation in MDA-MB-435 tumor (1.45±0.25 percentage of injected dose per gram (%ID/g) at 1.5h postinjection (p.i.)), which is known to be integrin positive. After blocking with c(RGDyK), the tumor uptake was reduced from 0.71±0.01%ID/g to 0.33±0.18%ID/g at 4h p.i. 99mTc(I) tricarbonyl complex of cyclic RGD peptide is a promising strategy for integrin targeting. Further modification of the bipyridine-conjugated RGD peptide by using more potent RGD peptides and fine tuning of the tether group between the RGD moiety and 99mTc(CO)3 + core to improve the tumor targeting efficacy and in vivo kinetic profiles is currently in progress. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]