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BaFe 0.8-x Cu x Zr 0.1 Y 0.1 O 3-δ (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.15) perovskite was investigated as the cathode material for low-temperature proton-conducting solid oxide fuel cells (H-SOFCs). Cu doping in BaFe 0.8 Zr 0.1 Y 0.1 O 3-δ (Cu0) improves the proton conductivity and surface exchange kinetics. The chemical bulk diffusion coefficient (D chem) and the chemical oxygen surface exchange coefficient (K chem) of BaFe 0.75 Cu 0.05 Y 0.1 Zr 0.1 O 3-δ (Cu5) and BaFe 0.7 Cu 0.1 Y 0.1 Zr 0.1 O 3-δ (Cu10) were both increased compared to Cu0. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of Cu5 and Cu10 in air showed larger revsivle oxygen loss than that of Cu0. A significant improvement in current output was observed at 600 °C: cell with BaFe 0.65 Cu 0.15 Y 0.1 Zr 0.1 O 3-δ (Cu15), Cu10 and Cu5 cathode demonstrated current densities 100.7 %, 438.4 %, and 253.8 % higher, respectively, than the one with Cu0 at 0.6 V after more than 100 h of durability. This work demonstrated that the optimal Cu doping on ferrite cathode could improve the proton transport kinetics and is able to deliver a improved performance and stability for low-temperature (≤600 °C) H-SOFCs. [Display omitted] • BaFe 0. 8-x Cu x Zr 0. 1 Y 0. 1 O 3-δ is used as a cathode for H-SOFC on BZCY electrolyte. • Cell maintains a stable power of 696 mW cm−2 at 600 °C under a bias of 0.6 V. • Advantages and disadvantages of Cu doping were discussed for H-SOFC cathode. • Cu doping affects thermal expansion, conductance relaxation, oxygen-ion and proton conductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mature B cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (BAL) is characterised by French-American-British (FAB)-L3 morphology and the presence of surface immunoglobulin (sIgM) light chain restriction. BAL is also considered as the leukaemic phase of Burkitt lymphoma (BL), in which t (8; 14) (q24; q32) or its variants are related to the myelocytomatosis oncogene (MYC) rearrangement (MYCr) is usually present. However, BAL with lysine methyltransferase 2A (KMT2A, previously called Mixed lineage leukaemia, MLL) gene rearrangement (KMT2Ar, previously called MLLr) is rare.Results: Three BAL patients with KMT2Ar were enrolled between January 2017 and November 2019, accounting for 1.37% of the B-ALL population in our hospital. We also reviewed 24 previously reported cases of BAL and KMT2Ar and analysed the features, treatment, and prognosis. Total 13 males and 14 females were enrolled in our research, and the average age at diagnosis was 19.5 ± 4.95 months old. In these 27 patients, renal, central nervous system (CNS) and skin involvement were existent in 6, 4 and 3 patients, respectively; 26 patients (26/27) showed non-ALL-L3 morphology, while one patient is ALL-L3; overexpression of CD19 was detected in most cases, negative or suspicious expression of CD20 was found in 64% of patients. KMT2Ar was reported, but MYCr was not observed. 25 patients (25/27) achieved complete remission after chemotherapy or Stem cell transplantation. The patients were sensitive to chemotherapy, prospective event-free survival (pEFS) of BAL patients with KMT2Ar who received allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) was higher than that in patients who received chemotherapy alone (83.33% vs 41.91%).Conclusion: BAL patients with KMT2Ar had unique manifestations, including younger age at diagnosis and overexpression of CD19; expression of CD20 was rare, and MYCr was undetectable. The pEFS was higher in patients undergoing allo-HSCT than in patients undergoing chemotherapy alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving the performance of clinical departments is not only the significant content of the healthcare system reform in China, but also the essential approach to better satisfying the Chinese growing demand for medical services. Performance management is vital and meaningful to public hospitals in China. Several studies are conducted in hospital internal performance management, but almost none of them consider the effects of informational tools. Therefore, we carried out an empirical study on effects of using performance management information system in Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital. The main feature of the system is that it provides a real-time query platform for users to analyze and dynamically monitor the key performance indexes, timely detect problems and make adjustments. We collected pivotal medical data on 35 clinical departments of this hospital from January 2013 until December 2014, 1 year before and after applying the performance management information system. Comparative analysis was conducted by statistical methods. The results show that the system is beneficial to improve performance scores of clinical departments and lower the proportion of drug expenses, meanwhile, shorten the average hospitalized days and increase the bed turnover rate. That is to say, with the increasing medical services, the quality and efficiency is greatly improved. In a word, application of the performance management information system has a positive effect on improving performance of clinical departments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dynamic parameters of frozen soil are important for both engineering design and numerical simulation, which directly affect the accuracy of calculations. This paper describes the development of a new dynamic direct shear apparatus and provides a comprehensive analysis of its capability, measurement and control systems. The calibration test results show that this dynamic direct shear apparatus is suitable for studying the dynamic characteristics of frozen soil and interfaces behavior between different materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of dynamic direct shear tests and triaxial tests were conducted to investigate the dynamic properties of the warm frozen soil along the Qinghai-Tibet railway. The relationship between dynamic shear stress and dynamic shear strain of frozen soil under relatively high negative temperature is given according to the test results. The influences of cooling temperature, vertical pressure, confining pressure and vibration time on both dynamic shear modulus and dynamic damping ratio are discussed. The test results indicate that the dynamic stress-strain relationship in warm frozen soil at different cooling temperatures can be described by Hardin-Drnevich constitutive model. The maximum dynamic shear modulus increases with decreasing cooling temperature and increasing vertical and confining pressures; however, it exhibited a slightly decreasing tendency with increase in vibration time. On the other hand, the maximum damping ratio decreases with decreasing temperature and increasing vertical pressure and confining pressure, but showed a minor increasing tendency with increasing vibration time. The multiple regression method was used to assess the relationships between dynamic parameters and influence factors. • The experimental results under dynamic direct shear test are compared with those under dynamic triaxial test. • The empirical formulae of dynamic parameters with influence factors are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In order to study the mechanical behavior of frozen soil–concrete interfaces, a series of direct shear tests were conducted on a large-scale temperature-controlled direct shear test system (TZJ-150). Synchronous variations were found in both the shear stress–displacement and vertical displacement–shear displacement curves. The whole shear process can be divided into five stages: the elastic deformation part, the plastic deformation part, the whole slide part, the strain hardening part, and the stable residual strength part. The influence rules of normal pressure, temperature, and water content on the shear strength of the interface were obtained by a series of sample tests with different parameters. Fitted equations between factors and shear strength were presented. The peak shear strength had linear relationships with the normal pressure and temperature, but a nonlinear relationship with the water content, which had a much greater effect on the peak shear strength. The residual shear strength also had linear relationships with the normal pressure and temperature, but was basically unrelated with the water content. A reasonable explanation about the changes of peak shear strength and residual shear strength was proposed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate synthetase 1 (PRPS1) is closely associated with a number of diseases; however, its influence in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) and the potential molecular mechanisms involved remain unclear. The present study aimed to evaluate the expression of PRPS1 in Chinese children with B-ALL and to investigate the mechanism of action of PRPS1 in this disease. A Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay was performed to examine the proliferation of B-ALL Sup-B15 and Raji cells, and flow cytometric analysis was conducted to determine the cell cycle distribution and rate of apoptosis. The mRNA and protein expression levels of PRPS1, MYC proto-oncogene, bHLH transcription factor, cyclin E1, B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), cyclin dependent kinase 2 and caspase-3 were detected by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis, respectively. Elevated PRPS1 expression was associated with a high-risk stratification and poor prognosis in patients with B-ALL. Furthermore, overexpression of PRPS1 accelerated the growth of and inhibited apoptosis in Sup-B15 and Raji cells as well as increasing the expression of Bcl-2 to induce an anti-apoptotic effect in B-ALL cell lines. The results of the present study indicate that PRPS1 regulates multiple processes in B-ALL and may be an attractive therapeutic target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flaky Ni/Ni-Cu-coated glass fiber/epoxy resin composite coatings were prepared using the glass fibers and flaky nickel powders as fillers and epoxy resin as binder. The conductivity and electromagnetic shielding effectiveness of the coatings are as follows: (1) the appropriate content of Ni-Cu-coated glass fibers is 6 wt % in the composite filler and the optimum ratio of the filler to epoxy resin is 4: 1; (2) electrical conductivity of the coating with a thickness of 300 μm has a minimum value of 0.72 Ω cm; (3) shielding effectiveness of the coatings is up to 50.21-55.43 dB in the frequency range of 0.3-1000 MHz. This offers a new idea to enhance the added value of the glass fibers and raise the level of electromagnetic radiation protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]