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Summary: Background: Rosai-Dorfman disease (RDD) is a rare heterogeneous histiocytic disorder lacking standardized first-line treatment. Methods: This single-center, phase 2 prospective study enrolled 13 newly diagnosed and 10 recurrent RDD patients from June 2021 to March 2023 at Peking Union Medical College Hospital (Beijing, China). Lenalidomide 25 mg days 1–21 plus dexamethasone 40 mg days 1, 8, 15, 22 was administered in 28-day cycles, totaling 12 cycles. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). Secondary endpoints were overall response rate (ORR) to lenalidomide and dexamethasone (RD) regimen, toxicity, and overall survival (OS) measured from RD start to death or last follow-up. OS and PFS were estimated according to Kaplan–Meier survival analysis and compared with the log-rank test. For OS and OR rate, 95% confidence limits were obtained using the Clopper-Pearson method, with standard methods used for PFS. p

Not available.

Abstract Background Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare highly heterogeneous histiocytosis, which can be divided into single system and multiple system disease according to site of involvement. There is a paucity of studies examining unifocal LCH in adults in the molecular era. Results We retrospectively analysed records from 70 patients with unifocal LCH. The median age at diagnosis was 36 years (18–69). The most common organ involved was the bone (70.0%), followed by pituitary gland (7.1%). Target gene sequencing of lesion tissues was performed on 32 of the 70 patients. MAPK/PI3K pathway alterations were observed in 78.1% of the patients; the most common mutations included BRAF V600E (28.1%), MAP2K1 (18.8%) and PIK3CA (9.4%). After a median follow-up time of 39.4 months (0.7–211.8), 10 (14.3%) patients developed disease progression, of whom 4 had local recurrence, 2 progressed to single-system multifocal and 4 progressed to multiple system LCH. The 3-year progression-free survival (PFS) was 81.9%. Univariate analysis showed that age

Federated learning is an emerging distributed machine learning framework in the Internet of Vehicles (IoV). In IoV, millions of vehicles are willing to train the model to share their knowledge. Maintaining an active state means the participants must update their state to the FL server in a fixed interval and participate in the next round. However, the cost of maintaining an active state is very large when there are a huge number of participating vehicles. In this paper, we propose a distributed client selection scheme to reduce the cost of maintaining the active state for all participants. The clients with the highest evaluation are elected among the neighbors. In the evaluator, four variables are considered, including the sample quantity, available throughput, computational capability, and the quality of the local dataset. We adopt fuzzy logic as the evaluator since the closed-form solution over four variables does not exist. Extensive simulation results show that our proposal approximates the centralized client selection in terms of accuracy and can significantly reduce the communication overhead.

The EOF of a viscoelastic Maxwell fluid driven by an alternating pressure gradient and electric field in a parallel plate microchannel with sinusoidal roughness has been investigated within the Debye–Hückel approximation based on boundary perturbation expansion and separation of variables. Perturbation solutions were obtained for the potential distribution, the velocity and the mean velocity, and the relation between the mean velocity and the roughness. There are significant differences in the velocity amplitudes of the Newtonian and Maxwell fluids. It is shown here that the velocity distribution of the viscoelastic fluid is significantly affected by the roughness of the walls, which leads to the appearance of fluctuations in the fluid. Also, the velocity is strongly dependent on the phase difference θ of the roughness of the upper and lower plates. As the oscillation Reynolds number ReΩ increases, the velocity profile and the average velocity um(t) of AC EOF oscillate rapidly but the velocity amplitude decreases. The Deborah number De plays a similar role to ReΩ, which makes the AC EOF velocity profile more likely to oscillate. Meanwhile, phase lag χ (representing the phase difference between the electric field and the mean velocity) decreases when G and θ are increased. However, for larger λ (e.g., λ > 3), it almost has no phase lag χ.

Lithium-ion batteries are usually connected in series and parallel to form a pack for meeting the voltage and capacity requirements of energy storage systems. However, different pack configurations and battery module collector positions result in different equivalent connected resistances, leading to pack current inhomogeneity, which seriously reduces the lifetime and safety of the pack. Therefore, in order to quantitatively analyze the influence of the connected resistance on the current distribution, this study researched the initial cell current distribution of the parallel module by developing mathematical models of different configurations. Then, this study explored the influence of multiple module collector positions on the current inhomogeneity of the pack under the dynamic current condition. The results show that the inhomogeneity of cell current and discharge capacity in the pack with parallel modules connected in series can be improved by keeping each cell in a parallel module with the same distance to its module collector. Furthermore, the current homogeneity of the edge parallel modules in the pack is seriously affected by the position of the single module collector. Therefore, this study innovatively proposes the symmetrical multiple module collectors of the pack, which can greatly improve the current homogeneity of the edge parallel modules, thereby improving the lifetime and safety of the pack.

Reservoir shale has the characteristics of bedding planes, strong anisotropy, and strong imbibition ability under ultralow water saturation, which has an important impact on wellbore stability of horizontal wells. Therefore, the physical and chemical properties of reservoir shale were analyzed, and a mechanics model of wellbore stability was established considering the elasticity and strength anisotropy. The wellbore stability was analyzed considering the anisotropy parameters of formation elasticity and strength and imbibition conditions. The results show that the anisotropy of elasticity and strength under the condition of imbibition are important parameters for evaluating the stability of reservoir shale borehole. Considering the interaction between fluid and reservoir shale, the weakening of the strength of the bedding structure is the reason for wellbore instability of reservoir shale. Bedding planes and microfractures provide rapid imbibition channel, and the imbibition volume increases, which further causes fracture expansion and strength weakening, and then leads to wellbore instability. Multistage effective plugging of bedding, microcracks and macroholes during drilling is the key to maintain the stability of shale wellbore.

Background25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], the major form of vitamin D in the body, has a non-linear association with stroke risk. However, the association is not fully understood. The specific shape of the association and the ideal value of 25(OH)D related to minimum risk of stroke remain unclear.AimWe conducted the study to establish the correlation between circulating 25(OH)D and stroke history and determine the ideal value of 25(OH)D in relation to the lowest stroke prevalence.MethodsData from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were used for analyzes. We used multivariate logistic regression analysis with fitted smooth curves to explore the relationship between 25(OH)D and self-reported stroke history. Subsequently, 40,632 participants were enrolled in the study.ResultsA reverse J-shaped association between 25(OH)D and stroke history was determined, where the lowest stroke prevalence for the 25(OH)D level was about 60 nmol/L. After adjusting for confounding factors, prevalence of stroke showed an increasing trend below and above the middle quintile (53.2–65.4 nmol/L) of 25(OH)D. Participants with 25(OH)D levels in the lowest quintile (≤ 39.3 nmol/L) had a 38% increased prevalence of stroke (OR 1.38, 95 %CI 1.12–1.70), while those in the higher level range of 25(OH)D (65.5–80.8 nmol/L) had a 27% higher stroke prevalence (OR 1.27, 95 %CI 1.03–1.57).ConclusionUsing data from a large, cross-sectional cohort program, we found that circulating 25(OH)D was related to stroke history in a reverse J-shaped manner. Given how the causal relationship between circulating 25(OH)D and history of stroke has not been established, more high-quality evidence based on the reverse J-shaped feature is needed to elucidate the link between vitamin D and stroke risk, and the effect of vitamin D supplements on stroke prevention.

Abstract Background Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is widely used for the evaluation of knee injuries, however, the accuracy of MRI in classifying multiple ligament knee injuries (MLKIs) remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the accuracy of MRI in diagnosing and classifying acute traumatic MLKIs, we hypothesize that MRI had high accuracy in detecting and classifying MLKIs. Methods The clinical data of 97 patients who were diagnosed with acute traumatic MLKIs and managed by multi-ligament reconstruction between 2012 and 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. The MR images were read by two experienced radiologists and results were compared with intraoperative findings, which were considered as the reference for the identification of injured structures. The value of MRI in detecting injuries of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), medial collateral ligament (MCL), lateral collateral ligament (LCL), and meniscus was evaluated by calculating the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, and kappa coefficients analysis. The value of MRI in classifying MLKIs was evaluated by calculating the agreement between MRI and intraoperative findings. Results For detecting the specific injured structures in MLKIs, MRI had high sensitivity (90.7% for ACL, 90.4% for PCL, and moderate specificity (63.6% for ACL, 50% for PCL) in detecting cruciate ligament injuries, moderate sensitivity (79.1% for MCL, 55.6% for LCL) and specificity (46.7% for MCL, 68.4% for LCL) in detecting collateral ligament injuries, fair sensitivity (61.5%) and low specificity (39.4%) in the diagnosis of injuries to the meniscus. For classifying the MIKIs, MRI had a moderate agreement with intraoperative findings in classifying KD-V (kappa value = 0.57), poor agreement in the KD-I (kappa value = 0.39) and KD-IIIM (kappa value = 0.31), meaningless in the KD-II and KD-IIIL (kappa value

To improve the sawing stability and slicing quality of an existing multi-wire saw under severe vibrations using a high wire speed, its structure is optimized to improve its structural stiffness, so that it can still maintain good operation stability under higher wire speed. First, a finite element simulation model is established based on the shape, structural and material characteristics of the multi-wire saw, and then a transient dynamic simulation calculation is carried out using finite element software to obtain the vibration characteristics of the machine, which is verified with the measured data. The results show that the error between the calculated and the measured value is less than 11.46%, which verifies the accuracy of the simulation. On this basis, a multi-objective optimization design method based on the response surface is used to optimize the structure of the whole machine, and the optimized model is simulated again to evaluate its optimization effect. The results show that the amplitude of the optimized machine at a 2400 m/min wire speed is equivalent to that of the original machine at a 1500 m/min wire speed, and the wire speed is increased by 60% year-on-year with the same operation stability, which can guide research on high-speed multi-wire saws and machine tool vibration control strategies.

BackgroundLangerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare disease caused by the clonal expansion of CD1a+/CD207+ LCH cells. The thyroid involvement in LCH has mostly been described in case reports.MethodsWe retrospectively evaluated the clinical characteristics, diagnosis, and treatment of 27 children and adult patients with thyroid LCH in our center between 2010 and 2021.ResultsThe incidence of thyroid LCH was 14.00% (7/50) in children and 10.10% (20/198) in adults, respectively. Among patients with thyroid involvement, 81.5% presented with diabetes insipidus (DI) as the first symptom, and 51.9% complained of neck swelling or mass. Children and adults with thyroid LCH had higher frequencies of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis (HPA) (children: 100% vs. 62.8%, P=0.05; adult: 95% vs. 42.1%, P

The TEMPI syndrome is a novel and rare disease with five distinct clinical features: Telangiectasis, Erythrocytosis, Monoclonal gammopathy, Perinephric fluids collection, and Intrapulmonary shunting. Here, we report three cases of TEMPI syndrome and their treatment response. The three patients were presented to our department with polycythemia, abdominal distension, and dyspnea. On admission, all patients manifested telangiectasis, erythrocytosis, monoclonal gammopathy, and intrapulmonary shunting. Patient 1 and 2 manifested perinephric fluids collection. In addition, all patients had skin pigmentation, patient 1 and 2 had polyserosal effusion, two symptoms that had not been associated with TEMPI syndrome before. The three patients showed various response to plasma cell-directed therapy. We demonstrated their treatment response by measuring erythropoietin, hemoglobin, and M protein levels throughout therapy. This report suggested that TEMPI syndrome is a rare yet treatable disease. The diagnosis and treatment of it remain challenging.

This study analytically investigates the coupled effects of surface charge and boundary slip on the fully developed electroosmotic flow and thermal transfer in parallel plate micro and nanochannels under the high zeta potential. The electric potential, velocity, temperature, flow rate, and Nusselt number are obtained analytically. The main results are that the velocity of bulk flow is significantly reduced in the presence of the surface charge-dependent slip. Moreover, the maximum velocity at ζ = −125 mV is approximately twice as large as that at ζ = −25 mV. The velocity and dimensionless temperature increase as the zeta potential increases. The dimensionless temperature of the surface charge-dependent slip flow is larger than that of the surface charge-independent slip flow. For the surface charge-dependent slip flow, the maximum temperature at ζ = −125 mV is approximately four times larger than that at ζ = −25 mV. The Nusselt number decreases with Joule heating and increases with a positive heat transfer coefficient. The Nusselt number decreases as the electric field and the magnitude of the zeta potential increase. In the surface charge-dependent slip flows, the Nusselt number is smaller than that in the surface charge-independent slip flows.

In order to meet the energy and power requirements of large-scale battery applications, lithium-ion batteries have to be connected in series and parallel to form various battery packs. However, unavoidable connector resistances cause the inconsistency of the cell current and state of charge (SoC) within packs. Meanwhile, different assembly methods and module collector positions (MCPs) may result in different connector resistance arrangements, thereby leading to different cell current distributions. Therefore, the correlation of connector resistance to battery pack performance is worth investigating. Based on the simplified equivalent circuit model (ECM), the mathematical models of cell current distribution within packs under different assembly methods are obtained in this paper. Then, we use COMSOL Multiphysics simulation to analyze the guidelines of series assembly for parallel modules and then study the influences of connector resistance and MCP on series–parallel battery packs. The results show that the assembly method with an equal distance between each cell and the assembly contact surface for series assembly can effectively reduce the inhomogeneous current. However, the cell current and SoC distribution within the series–parallel battery pack is completely independent of the Z-configuration and ladder configuration. In addition, for series–parallel battery packs, the non-edge parallel module part of the series–parallel battery pack can be replaced with a series cell module (SCM) structure. Finally, the influences of the value of the connector resistance and current rate on the cell current distribution are discussed.

Abstract Background In order to study the CXCR4 expression with [68Ga]pentixafor PET in different types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, we performed a retrospective study to describe the [68Ga]pentixafor PET/CT imaging in a spectrum of lymphomas and to compare it with [18F]FDG PET/CT. Results Twenty-seven patients with newly diagnosed non-Hodgkin lymphoma were recruited retrospectively. [68Ga]pentixafor PET showed increased radioactivity in lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (n = 8), marginal zone lymphoma (n = 4), diffuse large B cell lymphoma (n = 3), follicular lymphoma (n = 2), mantle cell lymphoma (n = 1), unclassified indolent B cell lymphoma (n = 3), and enteropathy associated T cell lymphoma (n = 3). However, peripheral T cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified (n = 1), and NK/T cell lymphoma (n = 2) were not avid for [68Ga]pentixafor. In comparison to [18F]FDG PET, [68Ga]pentixafor PET demonstrated more extensive disease and higher radioactivity in lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma and marginal zone lymphoma. Conclusion CXCR4 expression varies in different types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Overexpression of CXCR4 was detected with [68Ga]pentixafor PET/CT in lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma, marginal zone lymphoma, diffuse large B cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, mantle cell lymphoma, unclassified indolent B cell lymphoma, and enteropathy associated T cell lymphoma. The uptake of [68Ga]pentixafor was higher than [18F]FDG in lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma and marginal zone lymphoma.

Time-periodic pressure-driven slip flow and electrokinetic energy conversion efficiency in a nanotube are studied analytically. The slip length depends on the surface charge density. Electric potential, velocity and streaming electric field are obtained analytically under the Debye–Hückel approximation. The electrokinetic energy conversion efficiency is computed using these results. The effects of surface charge-dependent slip and electroviscous effect on velocity and electrokinetic energy conversion efficiency are discussed. The main results show that the velocity amplitude and the electrokinetic energy conversion efficiency of the surface charge-dependent slip flow are reduced compared with those of the surface charge-independent slip flow.

Cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4)/barium titanate (BaTiO3) particulate composites exhibiting high magnetoelectric coefficients were synthesized from low-cost commercial precursors using mechanical ball milling followed by high-temperature annealing. CoFe2O4 (20 nm–50 nm) and either cubic or tetragonal BaTiO3 nanoparticle powders were used for the synthesis. It was found that utilizing a 50 nm cubic BaTiO3 powder as a precursor results in a composite with a magnetoelectric coupling coefficient value as high as 4.3 mV/Oe cm, which is comparable to those of chemically synthesized core–shell CoFe2O4–BaTiO3 nanoparticles. The microstructure of these composites is dramatically different from the composite synthesized using 200 nm tetragonal BaTiO3 powder. CoFe2O4 grains in the composite prepared using cubic BaTiO3 powder are larger (by at least an order of magnitude) and significantly better electrically insulated from each other by the surrounding BaTiO3 matrix, which results in a high electrical resistivity material. It is hypothesized that mechanical coupling between larger CoFe2O4 grains well embedded in a BaTiO3 matrix in combination with high electrical resistivity of the material enhances the observed magnetoelectric effect.

In this study, a coal mine water flocculation system was established. A series of flocculation tests were carried out at different structural parameters (cylinder height, cone-plate insertion depth and cone-plate spacing) to better investigate the effect of the cone-plate clarifier on coal mine water treatment performance. Sixteen sampling points were set up in the system for data monitoring to generate the required data. The cone-plate clarifier was divided into five zones for flocculation analysis. The increased cylinder height facilitated the flocculation of particles in the micro flocculation zone and the settling of particles in the settlement zone. The chemicals used are polyaluminum chloride (PACl), Fe3O4 and polyacrylamide (PAM), corresponding to doses of 60 mg/L, 40 mg/L and 6 mg/L, respectively. Insufficient insertion depth of the cone-plate will cause the small flocs that have not been fully flocculated to enter the exit pipe zone directly through the cone-plate, while too much insertion depth will cause the large floc in the settlement zone to re-enter the exit pipe zone. The flocculation effect of small flocs increased as the cone-plate spacing decreased, which is consistent with the shallow pool theory. When the cone plate spacing was too narrow, the amount of fluid was reduced and the increase in fluid velocity reduced the flocculation effect. Curve fitting was conducted for Suspended solids(SS) and turbidity removal efficiency under each structural parameter to derive the variation of SS and turbidity removal efficiency under different structural parameters. The regression models of SS and turbidity removal efficiency on the cylinder height, cone-plate insertion depth and cone-plate spacing were established based on the curve fitting results, and the regression models were verified to be well fitted based on the comparison of experimental results. Finally, the optimal values of SS and turbidity removal efficiency were found based on the regression model. The flow rate of the cone-plate clarifier is 0.6 m3/h. The SS removal efficiency reached 96.82% when the cylinder height was 708 mm, the cone-plate insertion depth was 367 mm and the cone-plate spacing was 26 mm. The turbidity removal efficiency reached 86.75% when the cylinder height was 709 mm, the cone-plate insertion depth was 369 mm and the cone-plate spacing was 26 mm.

Background: Myocardial injury is a severe complication of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), and inflammation has been suggested as a potential cause of myocardial injury. However, the correlation of myocardial injury with inflammation in COVID-19 patients has not been revealed so far.Method: This retrospective single-center cohort study enrolled 64 critically ill patients with COVID-19. Patients were categorized into two groups by the presence of myocardial injury on admission. Demographic data, clinical characteristics, laboratory tests, treatments, and outcomes were analyzed in this study.Result: Of these patients, the mean age was 64.8 ± 12.2 years old, and 34 (53.1%) were diagnosed with myocardial injury. Compared with non-myocardial injury patients, myocardial injury patients were older (67.8 ± 10.3 vs. 61.3 ± 13.3 years; P = 0.033), had more cardiovascular (CV) risk factors such as smoking (16 [47.06%] vs. 7 [23.33%]; P = 0.048) and were more likely to develop CV comorbidities (13 [38.2%] vs. 2 [6.7%]; P = 0.003). Scores on the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (median [interquartile range (IQR)] 19.0 [13.25–25.0] vs. 13.0 [9.25-18.75]; P = 0.005) and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment systems (7.0 [5.0–10.0] vs. 4.5 [3.0–6.0]; P < 0.001) were significantly higher in the myocardial injury group. In addition, patients with myocardial injury had higher mortality than those without myocardial injury (29 [85.29%] vs. 18 [60.00%]; P = 0.022). Cox regression suggested that myocardial injury was an independent risk factor for high mortality during the time from admission to death (hazard ratio [HR], 2.06 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.10–3.83]; P = 0.023). Plasma levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin (IL)-1β, interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R), IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) exceeded the normal limits, and levels of hs-CRP, IL-2R, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α were statistically higher in the myocardial injury group than in the non-myocardial injury group. Multiple-variate logistic regression showed that plasma levels of hs-CRP (odds ratio [OR] 6.23, [95% CI, 1.93–20.12], P = 0.002), IL-6 (OR 13.63, [95% CI, 3.33–55.71]; P < 0.001) and TNF-α (OR 19.95, [95% CI, 4.93–80.78]; P < 0.001) were positively correlated with the incidence of myocardial injury.Conclusion: Myocardial injury is a common complication that serves as an independent risk factor for a high mortality rate among in-ICU patients with COVID-19. A high inflammatory burden may play a potential role in the occurrence of myocardial injury.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0186782.].

Accumulating studies have shown that the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling pathway plays an essential role in mediating cellular entry of numerous viruses. In this study, we report that bovine herpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1) productive infection in both the human lung carcinoma cell line A549 and bovine kidney (MDBK) cells leads to activation of EGFR, as demonstrated by the increased phosphorylation of EGFR at Tyr1068 (Y1068), which in turn plays important roles in virus infection. A time-of-addition assay supported that virus replication at post-entry stages was affected by the EGFR specific inhibitor Gefitinib. Interestingly, both phospholipase C-γ1 (PLC-γ1) and Akt, canonical downstream effectors of EGFR, were activated following virus infection in A549 cells, while Gefitinib could inhibit the activation of PLC-γ1 but not Akt. In addition, virus titers in A549 cells was inhibited by chemical inhibition of PLC-γ1, but not by the inhibition of Akt. However, the Akt specific inhibitor Ly294002 could significantly reduce the virus titer in MDBK cells. Taken together, our data suggest that PLC-γ1 is stimulated in part through EGFR for efficient replication in A549 cells, whereas Akt can be stimulated by virus infection independent of EGFR, and is not essential for virus productive infection, indicating that Akt modulates BoHV-1 replication in a cell type-dependent manner. This study provides novel insights on how BoHV-1 infection activates EGFR signaling transduction to facilitate virus replication.

Lateral flow assays (LFAs) are a widely-used point-of care diagnostic format, but suffer from limited analytical sensitivity, especially when read by eye. It has recently been reported that LFA performance can be improved by using magnetic reporter particles and an external magnetic field applied at the test line. The mechanism of sensitivity/performance enhancement was suggested to be concentration/retardation of reporter particles at the test line. Here we demonstrate an additional mechanism of particle relocation where reporter particles from the lower depths of the translucent LFA strip relocate to more-visible locations nearer to the top surface, producing a more visible signal. With a magnetic field we observed an improvement in sensitivity of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) detection from 1.25 ng/mL to 0.31 ng/mL. We also observed an increase of the color intensity per particle in test lines when the magnetic field was present.

The microscopic interaction mechanism between working fluids and shale reservoirs is the key basic issue for the efficient development of shale gas. The initial water saturation of clay-rich shale is low, and the water absorption through strong chemical osmosis is an important factor for the wellbore instability of the drilling fluid filtration loss and the low flowback rate of hydraulic fracturing. Membrane efficiency is a key parameter in evaluating the mechanical-chemical coupling of shale-fluid interaction. Because microcracks develop in reservoir shale, pressure transfer experiments are no longer capable of obtaining membrane efficiency value. In this paper, the characteristics of shale water saturation are considered. The model calculating membrane efficiency is obtained, and the shale membrane efficiency of the reservoir studied, based on the triple-layer model of clay mineral-water interface electrochemistry. Membrane efficiency of unsaturated shale depends on the excess charge density of the surface of the solid in different water saturations. The analysis of factors influencing shale membrane efficiency in unsaturated reservoirs shows that the shale membrane efficiency decreases with the increase of water saturation under unsaturated conditions. The partition coefficient of counterion in the Stern layer, cation exchange capacity, and solute concentration in pore fluid will affect the membrane efficiency of unsaturated shale. The membrane efficiency of the reservoir section shale in Fuling area is calculated and analyzed, and the water-absorbing capacity by chemical osmosis of the reservoir interval shale is evaluated based on the membrane efficiency model of unsaturated shale.

The aim of this article is to introduce a novel auction-based algorithm for grid computing wireless networks and resolve some incompetence with dynamic mechanisms. We develop a reverse online auction method to allocate grid resources, where the grid resource providers arrive dynamically and user broker has to make a multi-attribute decision whether to sell tasks or not before the end of current round. In our approach, a trade-some-with-forecast algorithm is proposed to help the user broker to utilize his forecast ability to allocate the grid resource in an online setting. Furthermore, two reverse online auction-based protocols are presented to demonstrate the resource scheduling in grid computing wireless networks. Experiments show that the reverse online auction-based with forecast protocol has better performance in comparison with the reverse online auction-based protocol. It is efficient in terms of auction stages, user satisfaction, and successful forecast.

As an effective driven mechanism proved experimentally, magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) micropump has attracted the attentions of many researchers in recent years. In this article, an analytical solution of EMHD velocity of an electrically conducting, incompressible and viscous fluid through a slit microchannel in presence of a lateral uniform electrical field and a spatially non-uniform vertical magnetic field is obtained by using the variation of parameter approach and Gauss numerical integration. In order to verify the validity of the exact solution, Chebyshev spectral collocation method is employed to give the numerical solutions. A very well agreement is reached when the analytical solutions are compared to those obtained by numerical simulation. The dependence of velocity profiles on Hartmann number Ha, electrical field strength parameter S and decay factor A of the magnetic field is interpreted graphically in detail. In addition, the comparison of our analytical results with available experimental data is presented.

We describe a low-energy glow-discharge process using reactive ion etching system that enables non-circular device patterns, such as squares or hexagons, to be formed from a precursor array of uniform circular openings in polymethyl methacrylate, PMMA, defined by electron beam lithography. This technique is of a particular interest for bit-patterned magnetic recording medium fabrication, where close packed square magnetic bits may improve its recording performance. The process and results of generating close packed square patterns by self-limiting low-energy glow-discharge are investigated. Dense magnetic arrays formed by electrochemical deposition of nickel over self-limiting formed molds are demonstrated.