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New paracelsian-like beryllophosphates M4LiBe4P7O24 and their tetrahedra-substituted phases M4Li(Li3P)P7O24 (MLiP2O6, M = Cs, Rb) were designed and synthesized. Interestingly, two types of phases undergo a structural transformation, resulting from the radius and valence charge number of tetrahedral cations. Four crystals demonstrate potential deep-UV NLO properties such as short absorption edges (

Typhoons, such as Soudelor, which caused the collapse of several onshore wind turbines in 2015, pose a considerable challenge to Taiwan’s wind energy industry. In this study the characteristics of the aerodynamic loads acting on a wind turbine due to wind gusts in a typhoon are studied with a view to providing a proper definition of the S-Class wind turbine proposed in International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61400-1. Furthermore, based on analysis of wind data during typhoons, as obtained from the meteorological mast in the Zhangbin coastal area, an extreme wind speed and gust model corresponding to the typhoon wind conditions in Taiwan are herein proposed. Finally, the flow fields around a parked wind turbine experiencing both an unsteady gust and a steady extreme wind were simulated by a numerical approach. Numerical results show that the aerodynamic shear force and overturning moment acting on the target wind turbine in a steady wind are significantly lower than those under an unsteady gust. The gust-induced amplification factors for aerodynamic loadings are then deduced from numerical simulations of extreme wind conditions.

In this study, ginger juice powders (GJPs) were obtained from ginger juice using vacuum drying, spray drying, vacuum microwave drying (VMD), and freeze‐drying (FD). The physical properties (water content, dissolving time, and color), chemical compositions (total volatiles, gingerols and shogaol, total phenolic content [TPC]), antioxidant activity, and aerobic bacteria content of the GJPs/redissolved ginger juice were determined and the effect of the drying processes on ginger juice was evaluated. The result showed that FD was optimal at retaining the color, gingerols, shogaol, and total volatiles of the ginger juice, while both VMD and FD could retain a high yield of TPC and the antioxidant activity of the ginger juice. It was also found that all the drying methods were effective in reducing the total aerobic bacteria of the ginger juice. This study proved that the four drying methods had very different effects on the quality of the ginger juice, among which FD was optimal for processing ginger juice. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: In this study, four processing methods of ginger juice were compared by investigating the physical properties (water content, dissolving time, and color), chemical compositions (total volatiles, gingerols and shogaol, total phenolic content), antioxidant activity, and aerobic bacteria content of the different ginger juice powers prepared. The results will provide new reference for processing ginger.

To explore the effectiveness and safety of the combined treatment with acupuncture and venlafaxine hydrochloride on depression in terms of the microstructure change of white matter fiber tracts of brain based on diffusion tensor imaging technology (DTI).The prospective study design was adopted. All of 60 patients with depression were randomized into an acupuncture-medication group and a medication group, 30 cases in each one. In the medication group, venlafaxine hydrochloride was used, 75 mg per day in the 1st week, 150 mg per day in the 2nd week and 225 mg per day from the 3rd to 6th week. In the acupuncture-medication group, on the base of the treatment in the medication group, acupuncture was combined. Baihui (GV 20) and Yintang (GV 29) were the main acupoints. The supplementary acupoints were selected according to the clinical symptoms of individuals. The needles were retained for 30 min. Acupuncture was provided once every 2 days, 3 times a week. The consecutive 12 weeks of treatment were required in the two groups. Additionally, a normal group was prepared with 30 healthy volunteers. Separately, before treatment, in 2, 8 and 12 weeks of treatment, Hamilton's depression scale (HAMD-17), Beck depression inventory scale (BDI) and the antidepressant side effect scale (SERS) were adopted to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the two groups. Moreover, before and after 12 weeks of treatment, DTI was adopted to detect the fractional anisotropy score (FA) of each brain region in the patients.After treatment, the scores of HAMD-17 and BDI were all reduced in the two groups (Acupuncture repairs the brain white matter fiber tracts in some brain regions to certain extent and the therapeutic effects are enhanced with the adjuvant medication of venlafaxine hydrochloride.

In this article we consider the boundary value problems for differential equations in fractal heat transfer. The exact solutions of non-differentiable type are obtained by using the local fractional differential transform method.

Graphene, a single layer of sp2-bonded carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb lattice, has attracted a plethora of attention because of its remarkable physical, mechanical, electronic and optical properties. This paper reviews recent advances in the preparation methods of graphene. Recently, graphene materials research has reached an unprecedented event, and the graphene preparation method also is endless. A lot of papers have been reported, but not an exhaustive list of various preparation methods and its principles. In this article, based on the previous preparations of graphene, comprehensive fabrication methods were summarized, and then, put forward a new vision and perspectives.

Rhizoma coptidis (RC) has been used as an herbal medicine in China for over one thousand years, and it was subjected to specific processing before use as materia medica. Processing is a pharmaceutical technique that aims to enhance the efficacy and/or reduce the toxicity of crude drugs according to traditional Chinese medicine theory. In this study, the chemical profiles of RC, ginger juice processed RC (GRC), and water processed RC (WRC) was determined to reveal the mechanism of processing of RC. UPLC-QTOF-MS analysis of methanol extract of RC, GRC, and WRC has been conducted to investigate the effect of processing on the composition of RC. HPLC-PDA was used to determine the variance of total alkaloids and seven alkaloids of RC during the processing. The volatiles of RC, GRC and ginger juice were separated by distillation, the change of volatiles content was recorded and analyzed, and the qualitative analysis of the volatiles was carried out using GC-MS. The microstructures of RC, GRC and WRC were observed using a light microscope. Results showed that ginger juice/water processing had limited influence on the composition of RC’s methanol extract, but significant influence on the content of some alkaloids in RC. Ginger juice processing significantly increased (p < 0.05) the volatiles content of RC and changed the volatiles composition obviously. Processing also had an influence on the microstructure of RC. This research comprehensively revealed the mechanism of ginger juice processing of RC.

Ginger juice， a commonly used adjuvant for Chinese materia medica， is applied in processing of multiple Chinese herbal decoction pieces. Because of the raw materials and preparation process of ginger juice， it is difficult to be preserved for a long time， and the dosage of ginger juice in the processing can not be determined base on its content of main compositions. Ginger juice from different sources is hard to achieve consistent effect during the processing of traditional Chinese herbal decoction pieces. Based on the previous studies， the freeze drying of ginger juice under different shelf temperatures and vacuum degrees were studied， and the optimized freeze drying condition of ginger juice was determined. The content determination method for 6-gingerol， 8-gingerol， 10-gingerol and 6-shagaol in ginger juice and redissolved ginger juice was established. The content changes of 6-gingerol， 8-gingerol， 10-gingerol， 6-gingerol， 6-shagaol， volatile oil and total phenol were studied through the drying process and 30 days preservation period. The results showed that the freeze drying time of ginger juice was shortened after process optimization; the compositions basically remained unchanged after freeze drying， and there was no significant changes in the total phenol content and gingerol content， but the volatile oil content was significantly decreased(

The reconfigurable battery array (RBA) can generate different levels of dc voltage for the single phase multilevel inverter (MLI). However, it implies that each battery module inside the RBA will provide different level of energy for the output load. In this paper, single voltage sensing balance (SVSB) method is proposed to equalize the battery modules voltage of the RBA. The proposed SVSB method only need a voltage sensor to accomplish the battery module equalization. The circuit structure and operational principle of the MLI with the RBA are introduced in this paper. The control strategy of the proposed SVSB method will be illustrated. Finally, the computer simulation and hardware experimental results of a 4-level prototype MLI are given to verify the performance of the proposed SVSB method.

In order to improve the surface properties of SiO2 particles, SiO2 particles were modified by vinyl triethoxysilane, SiO2 particles and vinyl triethoxysilane modified SiO2 particles were characterized by FTIR, SEM and XRD techniques. The results showed that vinyl triethoxysilane has been successfully grafted onto SiO2 particles and basically there are no changes in the size of SiO2 particles before and after the modification by vinyl triethoxysilane. XRD results show that the synthesized SiO2 particles have certain crystallinity.

In order to avoid the black-hole effect, illumination of higher luminance should be installed at the entrance/exit segments of urban tunnels during the day because the luminance of outside urban tunnels is relatively high. But it basically remains the same higher (current status in China) during the night while the illuminating brightness of outside-tunnel urban roads is relatively lower, which is not conducive to driving safety and wastes lots of energy. Through the comparison research of domestic and foreign relevant standards of tunnel and road lighting, as well as measurement and analysis of the present status of entrance/exit segments lighting of 11 tunnels in Fujian, Guizhou, Chongqing, and the present status of some roads lighting in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Chongqing, it is found that there are significant differences between the luminance of tunnels entrance/exit segments and the luminance of outside-tunnel roads. Especially when drive from the bright inside to the outside, that is from the inside photopic vision environment to the outside scotopic vision and mesopic vision environment. Due to high speed and poor visual fitness, there exist potential safety hazards. At present, there is no visual fitness standard for lighting of entrance/exit segments of urban tunnels and outside-tunnel roads in china, the domestic and foreign relative researches are still not enough. Based on visual features, with response time as parameter, this article applies the visual efficiency method to study the lighting of entrance/exit segments of urban tunnels and outside-tunnel roads. In this thesis, the method of weakening illumination of entrance/exit segments of urban tunnels on the basis of existing standards and enhancing illumination of outside-tunnel roads has been provided. Thus the reduced value of entrance/exit segments of urban tunnels illumination and outside-tunnel roads illumination can be controlled from 3:1 to 5:1 to adapt to visual features. This thesis provides a new research approaches for achieving driving safety and lighting energy saving.

This paper presents a module-integrated isolated solar microinverter with pseudo-dc link. The studied grid-tied microinverters can individually extract the maximum solar power from each photovoltaic panel and transfer to the ac utility system. High conversion efficiency and high maximum power point tracking accuracy can be achieved with the studied pseudo-dc link topology. The operation principles and design considerations of the studied solar inverter are analyzed and discussed. A laboratory prototype is implemented and tested to verify its feasibility.

This paper introduces a new scheme to achieve a dynamic logic gate which can be adjusted flexibly to obtain different logic functions by adjusting specific parameters of a dynamical system. Based on graphical tools and the threshold mechanism, the distribution of different logic gates is studied, and a transformation method between different logics is given. Analyzing the performance of the dynamical system in the presence of noise, we discover that it is resistant to system noise. Moreover, we find some part of the system can be considered as a leaky integrator which has been already widely applied in engineering. Finally, we provide a proof-of-principle hardware implementation of the proposed scheme to illustrate its effectiveness. With the proposed scheme in hand, it is convenient to build the flexible, robust, and general purpose computing devices such as various network coding routers, communication encoders or decoders, and reconfigurable computer chips.

In this paper, the status of adjuvant standard for Chinese materia medica processing in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2015 edition, the National Specification of Chinese Materia Medica Processing, and the 29 provincial specification of Chinese materia medica was summarized, and the the status including general requirements, specific requirements, and quality standard in the three grade official specifications was collected and analyzed according to the "medicine-adjuvant homology" and "food-adjuvant homology" features of adjuvants. This paper also introduced the research situation of adjuvant standard for Chinese materia medica processing in China; In addition, analyzed and discussed the problems existing in the standard system of adjuvant for Chinese materia medica processing, such as lack of general requirements, low level of standard, inconsistent standard references, and lack of research on the standard, and provided suggestions for the further establishment of the national standards system of adjuvant for Chinese materia medica processing.

This paper reviews four different AC/DC converter topologies, and implement them to compare with each other. These selected circuits are analyzed with component quantity, current stress, and converter efficiency performances where these four circuits are selected to support the universal input (90∼264 Vrms) and meet 1.3k Watt/400V DC output, 1 Watt/cm3 power density, and 12ms hold-up time. The density and component selection of DC bulk capacitors are considered to maintain the system operating normally i.e. enough hold-up time while the input AC line is lost. Finally, four 1W/cm3 power density prototypes of selected power converters were built for comparing those converters efficiency and total harmonic distortion (iTHD).

The territory of China is vast, so the daylight climates of different regions are not the same. In order to expand theutilization scope and improve the utilization efficiency of solar energy and daylight resources, this article observed and analyzed the ground daylight spectra of China's different light climate partitions. Using a portable spectrum scanner, this article did a tracking observation of ground direct daylight spectra in the period of 380-780 nm visible spectrum of different solar elevation angles during one day in seven representative cities of china's different light climate partitions. The seven representative cities included Kunming, Xining, Beijing, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Nanchang and Chongqing. According to the observation results, this article analyzed the daylight spectrum changing law, compared the daylight spectrum curves of different light climate partitions cities, and summarized the influence factors of daylight spectral radiation intensity. The Analysis of the ground direct daylight spectra showed that the daylight spectral radiation intensity of different solar elevation angles during one day of china's different light climate partitions cities was different, but the distribution and trend of daylight power spectra were basically the same which generally was first increased and then decreased. The maximum peak of spectral power distribution curve appeared at about 475 nm, and there were a steep rise between 380-475 nm and a smooth decline between 475-700 nm while repeatedly big ups and downs appearing after 700 nm. The distribution and trend of daylight power spectra of china's different light climate partitions cities were basically the same, and there was no obvious difference between the daylight spectral power distribution curves and the different light climate partitions. The daylight spectral radiation intensity was closely related to the solar elevation angle and solar surface condition.

Biliary atresia-induced cholestasis increases hepatic oxidative stress with eventual progression to cirrhosis and liver failure. Omega-3 fatty acids play a possible role in the regulation of oxidative stress and the improvement of cholestasis. The goal of the present study is to investigate the role of dietary supplementation of fish omega-3 fatty acids in the reduction of hepatocellular damage by using a rat common bile duct ligation model. Sprague–Dawley rats received either sham or bile duct ligation (BDL) and were divided into four study groups: Sham+saline (Sham+sal) group, Sham+Fish oil (Sham+FO) group, BDL+saline (BDL+sal) group, and BDL+Fish oil (BDL+FO) group. Rats from each group were assigned to receive, besides regular chow, once daily with either normal saline or fish omega-3 fatty acids (0.4 % of its own body weight) via gavage for 10 days. Samples of blood, liver tissue homogenates, and histological studies from different groups were analyzed at the end of the study. Rats from BDL+FO had significantly impaired liver function as compared to other study groups (p

The residual contaminants in paper-plastic food packaging materials can migrate into both surface and inside of food, and consequently harm consumer’s health. Due to this fact, the safety of food packaging materials has attracted concerns from all over world. In this study, the residual contaminants were extracted by ethanol from paper-plastic food packaging materials under ultrasonic condition and different temperatures firstly, then the extractives were concentrated by rotary evaporator, and finally the concentrated contaminants were characterized by means of Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) detection. The results showed that the following contaminants are detected in the paper-plastic food packaging materials: plasticizer including dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP); antioxidants including 2,6-Di-tert-butyl-p-benzoquinone and 2,6-Di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol (BHT), and solvents in printing ink production including n-Hexadecane and n-Heptadecane. Upon the test results, the conclusion is that more residual contaminants can be detected under high temperatures. This study is helpful for quality control of paper-plastic food packaging materials and has built basic foundation for future migration research.

Comparisons on exfoliated graphene nano-sheets and triturated graphite nano-particles for mode-locking the Erbium-doped fiber lasers (EDFLs) are performed. As opposed to the graphite nano-particles obtained by physically triturating the graphite foil, the tri-layer graphene nano-sheets is obtained by electrochemically exfoliating the graphite foil. To precisely control the size dispersion and the layer number of the exfoliated graphene nano-sheet, both the bias of electrochemical exfoliation and the speed of centrifugation are optimized. Under a threshold exfoliation bias of 3 volts and a centrifugation at 1000 rpm, graphene nano-sheets with an average diameter of 100 ± 40 nm can be obtained. The graphene nano-sheets with an area density of 15 #/µm2 are directly imprinted onto the end-face of a single-mode fiber made patchcord connector inside the EDFL cavity. Such electrochemically exfoliated graphene nano-sheets show comparable saturable absorption with standard single-graphene and perform the self-amplitude modulation better than physically triturated graphite nano-particles. The linear transmittance and modulation depth of the inserted graphene nano-sheets are 92.5% and 53%, respectively. Under the operation with a power gain of 21.5 dB, the EDFL can be passively mode-locked to deliver a pulsewidth of 454.5 fs with a spectral linewidth of 5.6 nm. The time-bandwidth product of 0.31 is close to the transform limit. The Kelly sideband frequency spacing of 1.34 THz is used to calculate the chirp coefficient as −0.0015.

To ensure reliable test data communication in a wireless test system, information can be encapsulated in packets equipped with error correction and retransmission capability. Systems employing such an approach require a complex test interface (test wrapper) to bridge communication and test modules. This article proposes a modular test wrapper design and an automation tool to create a wrapper for a target circuit under test and associated test program.

Self-assembly of cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide-protected colloidal gold nanorods with different aspect ratios has been studied by adding the ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA). Both the assembly strength and assembly configuration fashion of the gold nanorods could be tuned by changing the aspect ratio. For gold nanorods with small aspect ratio, side-by-side assembly takes the major role in the aggregation. In this case, the blue shift of the longitudinal absorption and the increase of the transverse absorption lead to the great uplift of the middle spectrum dip as the EDTA is increased. For gold nanorods with large aspect ratio, end-to-end assembly takes the major role in the aggregation. In this case, the longitudinal absorption peak fades down rapidly and a tailing absorption peak at longer wavelength uplifts greatly as the EDTA is increased. The surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activity of the assembled gold nanorods has been studied using alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) as the Raman active probe. It has been found that both the side-by-side assembly and end-to-end assembly of the gold nanorods could effectively improve the Raman signal of the AFP. And the gold nanorod substrate with side-by-side assembly has higher SERS activity. Side-by-side assembly of gold nanorods leads to the middle spectrum dip of LSPR uplift greatly as the EDTA is increased, which also effectively improves the SERS activity.

Tryptophan metabolism has been recognized as an important mechanism in immune tolerance. Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase plays a key role in local tryptophan metabolism via the kynurenine pathway and has emerged as a therapeutic target for cancer immunotherapy. Our prior study identified phenyl benzenesulfonyl hydrazide 2 as a potent in vitro (though not in vivo) inhibitor of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase. Further lead optimization to improve in vitro potencies and pharmacokinetic profiles resulted in N′-(4-bromophenyl)-2-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-indole-5-sulfonyl hydrazide 40, which demonstrated 59% oral bioavailability and 73% of tumor growth delay without apparent body weight loss in the murine CT26 syngeneic model, after oral administration of 400 mg/kg. Accordingly, 40, is proposed as a potential drug lead worthy of advanced preclinical evaluation.

The in-situ dissolution-and-reduction CVD synthesized few-layer graphene on ultra-thin nickel catalyst film is demonstrated at temperature as low as 550 °C, which can be employed to form transmission-type or reflection-type saturable absorber (SA) for mode-locking the erbium-doped fiber lasers (EDFLs). With transmission-type graphene SA, the EDFL shortens its pulsewidth from 483 to 441 fs and broadens its spectral linewidth from 4.2 to 6.1 nm with enlarging the pumping current from 200 to 900 mA. In contrast, the reflection-type SA only compresses the pulsewidth from 875 to 796 fs with corresponding spectral linewidth broadened from 2.2 to 3.3 nm. The reflection-type graphene mode-locker increases twice of its equivalent layer number to cause more insertion loss than the transmission-type one. Nevertheless, the reflection-type based saturable absorber system can generate stabilized soliton-like pulse easier than that of transmission-type system, because the nonlinearity induced self-amplitude modulation depth is simultaneously enlarged when passing through the graphene twice under the retro-reflector design.

Concentrations of Mg(2+), glycine, yeast extract, biotin, acetaldehyde and peptone were optimized by a uniform design process for ethanol production by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Using non-linear step-wise regression analysis, a predictive mathematical model was established. Concentrations of Mg(2+) and peptone were identified as the critical factors: 50 mM Mg(2+) and 1.5% (w/v) peptone in the medium increased the final ethanol titre from 14.2% (v/v) to 17% (v/v) in 48 h.

Vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) are configured to provide for communications with highway vehicles. We have recently introduced a network architecture to support such communications through the dynamic synthesis of a backbone network, identified as a Vehicular Backbone Network (VBN). Nominal positions across each road are optimally selected and announced as best locations to use for packet forwarding purposes. During each election period, within each designated subsegment situated in the vicinity of these nominal locations, a vehicle whose location is relatively close to the nominal position is elected to temporarily act as a relay node (RN). Through cross-layer settings, the relay nodes interconnect, forming a VANET backbone network. Vehicles inter-communicate through access to or from the backbone relay network. In this paper, we present distributed protocols that are employed by highway vehicles, in parallel in each segment, to elect relay nodes. Vehicles can have the capability to sense the lane in which they travel, and to gather statistics concerning the distance spacing between vehicles. We present a highly effective Lane Based Election (LBE) algorithm for the election of relay nodes. The protocol is implemented at a forwarding layer that is located above the MAC layer and is thus independent of the latter. We present mathematical analyses, confirmed by simulations, that assess the probability that a successful relay node election process will take place within a very brief period of time. For systems that do not make use of vehicular knowledge of their lane residency, we present a Group Based Election (GBE) algorithm and characterize its delay-throughput performance. We show both classes of algorithms to operate in a highly effective manner, serving to construct and update the layout of a backbone in a timely manner with high probability of success.

Totally implantable venous access ports (TIVAPs) are frequently used in oncology patients who require long-term courses of chemotherapy. We report a silent, but potentially hazardous complication of catheter fracture and hepatic migration in a 64-year-old male. The patient presented with a painful, rapid swelling of subcutaneous tissue around the port area during a saline flush. A chest radiograph showed that the disconnected catheter had separated from the port and was no longer in its original location. A chest CT scan revealed that the disconnected catheter was found to be embolized to the right atrium, inferior vena cava and right hepatic vein. The patient was treated successfully with percutaneous transfemoral retrieval of the catheter under fluoroscopic guidance. To our knowledge, there have been no previous reports of migration of the fractured catheter of a TIVAP into the right hepatic vein. This case highlights that the integrity of TIVAPs should be ascertained before chemotherapeutic drugs are administered.