Search

The real challenge is to establish a calculation model to predict the cylindricity of the honed cylinder liner before honing. In this paper, the relationship between honing parameters and the cylindricity of the cylinder liner is investigated; then a novel prediction model of the cylindricity of honed cylinder liner is proposed by considering the effect of honing parameters such as honing pressure, oilstone particle size, and overrunning distance on the material removal amount. The cylindricity of the honed cylinder liner is determined by the proposed model combining with the spatial trajectory of honing oilstone. The honing processing with different parameters is performed to obtain the cylindricities of honed cylinder liner. The predicted results by the proposed model are in good agreement with the measured cylindricities. The results show that the overrunning distance has a greater effect on the cylindricity of the honed cylinder liner, and a better cylindricity can be obtained when the honing pressure is lower. When the overrunning distance is 20 to 30% of the length of the oilstone, the cylindricity of the honed cylinder liner is better.

Following the traumatic axonal injury in the optic nerve, the failure of retrograde axonal transport to continuously supply neurotrophins from the brain to retina results in deprivation of neurotrophins in retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), which in turn can modulate the fate of RGCs toward apoptosis and thereby impede axon regeneration. In this study, a ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) loaded thermo-sensitive hydrogel was designed and developed as a localized drug depot to restore neurotrophins supply following axon injury. Besides, following traumatic axon injury, overactive immune responses cause neurotoxicity and induce scar formation which together constitutes the major hindrances for axon regeneration. Thus, the FK506, a hydrophobic macrolide immunosuppressant, was co-loaded into the hydrogel after encapsulating it into a polymeric micelle. The materials can undergo sol-to-gel transition within minutes under a physiological pH of 37 °C. The release of drugs from the hydrogel exhibited a sustainable profile in vitro. The optic nerve was exposed by surgical procedure and the animal model was prepared by crushing the nerve with a reverse clamp. For the localized delivery to the optic nerve, a pre-hydrogel liquid containing chitosan, FK506 (in micelle), CNTF, and the gelling agent was directly smeared on the injured site, which gelled under physiological condition. This co-delivery system exhibited in vivo RGCs protective effect against the adverse effects caused by traumatic optic nerve injury, indicating the potential of this drug delivery system for effective optic nerve repair and this strategy may provide promising platforms for localized drug delivery in various other therapies.

Copper-modified manganese oxide catalysts with tunnel, layer, and transitional structure were successfully prepared by a one-step hydrothermal method and investigated for the catalytic oxidation of toluene. The catalysts were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, BET, H2-TPR, XPS and ICP-AES techniques. The tunnel-structured catalyst exhibited the best activity among the three Cu-Mn oxide catalysts and excellent water resistance. Abundant surface oxygen species, good low temperature reducibility, low average oxidation state of manganese, and high surface area lead to remarkable catalytic performance of this catalyst. The toluene catalytic combustion over these catalysts was found to follow the Mars-van-Krevelen mechanism and the unique copper states found in the tunnel-structured catalyst play a key role in promoting the cyclic redox process.

In the highly non-Gaussian regime, the quantum Ziv-Zakai bound (QZZB) provides a lower bound on the available precision, demonstrating the better performance compared with the quantum Cramér-Rao bound. However, evaluating the impact of a noisy environment on the QZZB without applying certain approximations proposed by Tsang [Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 230401 (2012)10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.230401] remains a difficult challenge. In this paper, we not only derive the asymptotically tight QZZB for phase estimation with the photon loss and the phase diffusion by invoking the variational method and the technique of integration within an ordered product of operators, but also show its estimation performance for several different Gaussian resources, such as a coherent state (CS), a single-mode squeezed vacuum state (SMSVS) and a two-mode squeezed vacuum state (TMSVS). In this asymptotically tight situation, our results indicate that compared with the SMSVS and the TMSVS, the QZZB for the CS always shows the better estimation performance under the photon-loss environment. More interestingly, for the phase-diffusion environment, the estimation performance of the QZZB for the TMSVS can be better than that for the CS throughout a wide range of phase-diffusion strength. Our findings will provide an useful guidance for investigating the noisy quantum parameter estimation.

We proposed an effective and flexible scheme to achieve tunable giant Goos-Hanchen (GH) shift of reflected light in the configuration of guided-wave surface plasmon resonance with Rydberg atoms. With the super atom model of Rydberg atom due to the dipole blocking effect, we investigated the influence of Rydberg state population on GH displacement. By adjusting the external driving field on Rydberg atoms without changing the structure geometry, not only can GH shift be enhanced significantly to the magnitude of millimeter, but also the transition between positive and negative GH shift can be controlled at the same resonant angles. Furthermore, the resonant angle position of the maximum GH shift is also tunable via detuning the field. Our scheme may offer promising prospects for the optical switches and nano-sensors with high precision.

Background: Preeclampsia (PE) is an idiopathic hypertensive disorder of pregnancy, which is related to abnormal placental villi development. Our previous study has found that lncRNA NEAT1 promotes apoptosis of trophoblasts, but the role of NEAT1 in proliferation, migration, and invasion is still unclear. This study explores the role of NEAT1 in proliferation, migration, and invasion of trophoblasts. Methods: NEAT1 and miR-411-5p levels were detected by quantitative real-time PCR. Colony formation assay detected cell proliferation and transwell assay detected cell migration and invasion. Dual-luciferase reporter assay detected the binding between NEAT1 and miR-411-5p as well as the binding between miR-411-5p and PTEN. RNA pull-down assay detected the combination between NEAT1 and miR-411-5p. Result: NEAT1 was increased and miR-411-5p was reduced in PE patients and human trophoblasts (HTR8/SVneo cells) that were induced with H2O2. Interference with NEAT1 promoted cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, and the miR-411-5p inhibitor reversed the effect of siRNA-NEAT1. The expression of PTEN was promoted in PE patients and HTR8/SVneo cells that were induced with H2O2, while the miR-411-5p mimic inhibited PTEN expression, and the plasmid-mediated PTEN overexpression reversed the effect of the miR-411-5p mimic. Besides, under H2O2 induction, the miR-411-5p mimic promoted cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, and the plasmid-mediated PTEN overexpression reversed the effect of the miR-411-5p mimic. Conclusion: Interference with lncRNA NEAT1 promoted the proliferation, migration, and invasion of trophoblasts and alleviated the development of PE, which was partly mediated by upregulating miR-411-5p and inhibiting PTEN expression.

A novel scheme is proposed to estimate three environmental parameters, the detuning, the temperature and the squeezing strength with one-qubit or two-qubit probes. Quantum Fisher information and the fidelity of the atom probes are calculated. When the detuning between the frequency of cavity field and the atomic transition frequency is estimated, the dynamics of quantum Fisher information shows oscillatory and rising behaviors. To estimate the temperature of the thermal reservoir, the one-qubit probe with the superposition initial state is more favorable than the two-qubit probe with the entangled initial state. When the squeezing strength of the squeezed vacuum reservoir is estimated, we find that the estimation precision is significantly improved by utilizing the two-qubit probe with the maximal entangled initial state. Our work provides a potential application in the open quantum system and quantum information processing.

A scheme is proposed to estimate the decay rates of the subsystem in an atom–cavity-optomechanical system which also is known as the hybrid optomechanical system. Quantum Fisher information and quantum Zeno effect (QZE) are investigated under different conditions. The results show that the estimation precision of the decay rates can reach $$9.64\times 10^{-6}$$ , $$3.49\times 10^{-4}$$ and $$7.91\times 10^{-5}$$ , respectively. The Zeno–anti-Zeno crossover can be realized in the hybrid optomechanical system. We find that both QZE and quantum anti-Zeno effect (QAZE) are always beneficial to the estimation of the mechanical oscillator decay rate. However, when the cavity decay rate is estimated, QAZE may enhance or inhibit the estimation precision at the different time regions. The results provide some potential applications in quantum networks and quantum Zeno switch.

Improving the phase sensitivity of the optical interferometer plays a key role in quantum metrology. We propose a novel scheme that two Mach-Zehnder interferometers (MZIs) are parallelly placed for investigating the single-phase and two-phase sensitivities. For single-phase estimation, we study the performance of phase sensitivity by difference-intensity detection. The results show that the external loss in the additional resource plays the role of enhancing the phase sensitivity. And the sub shot-noise phase sensitivity is obtained by adjusting the photon loss of the additional resource in the MZI even with the inputs of a vacuum state plus a coherent state. For two-phase estimation, we investigate the ultimate bounds of estimation precision and compare them with the case of single-phase estimation under optimized detection method. Our results could yield potential applications to quantum sensor, quantum imaging and quantum tomography.

Since the Enron, WorldCom financial fraud, issued after the Sarbanes-Oxley corporate internal control problem has received the widespread attention worldwide. In China, in June 2008, the ministry of finance, securities and futures commission, the national audit office, the China banking regulatory commission, insurance regulatory commission and other five ministries jointly issued the described as China’s version of Sarbanes-Oxley “enterprise internal control basic norms”, but the enterprise internal control system is not yet mature, mainly embodied in the internal audit, internal governance structure and the implementation of the internal control system, etc., thus causes problems in the quality of accounting (the accounting information fraud, etc.). So this article analyzes China accounting information and the current situation of internal control and the effect of internal control on the quality of accounting information, and puts forward constructive suggestions and comments.

A scheme is used to explore the behavior of three-dimensional (3D) atom localization in a Y-type hot atomic system. We can obtain the position information of the atom due to the position-dependent atom–field interaction. We study the influences of the system parameters and the temperature on the atom localization. More interestingly, the atom can be localized in a subspace when the temperature is equal to 323 K. Moreover, a method is proposed to tune multiparameter for localizing the atom in a subspace. The result is helpful to achieve atom nanolithography, photonic crystal and measure the center-of-mass wave function of moving atoms.

Catalyst deactivation is the main reason for low petrochemical yield in catalytic fast pyrolysis (CFP) of biomass. ZSM-5 catalysts modified by chemical liquid deposition (CLD) and acid dealumination (AD) were prepared to improve petrochemical yields for CFP of pinewood. The results showed that CLD by SiO2 led to the coverage of strong acid sites, while AD favored the removal of superficial acid sites. CFP of pinewood showed that the relative area ratio of BTX was boosted by 37.2% and 30.4% over modified ZSM-5 catalysts by CLD and AD, respectively. The yield of indenes and naphthalenes which were important precursors of heavy coke decreased sharply. Considering environmental cost and catalytic performance, CLD seems to be a preferable modification method over ZSM-5 in the catalytic pyrolysis of biomass for petrochemicals.

The present study describes the catalytic performance of acid treated HZSM-5 catalyst for the conversion of biomass derivates to olefins and aromatics. The ZSM-5 catalysts were prepared by changing several modifying parameters, such as the leaching agent, H+ concentration, processing temperature, and time. Fresh and modified catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, surface area analysis, and NH3 temperature programmed desorption. The results show that modified ZSM-5 (leaching agent of H3PO4, H+ concentration of 2 mol/L, temperature of 20 °C, and time of 4 h) produced the maximum yield of chemicals (13.9% olefins and 31.8% aromatics), which are much higher than that obtained with the original ZSM-5 catalyst (9.8% olefins and 24.5% aromatics). The coke yield decreased from 44.1% with original ZSM-5 to 27.4% with modified ZSM-5. At the optimized dealumination condition, the selectivities of ethylene, propylene, and toluene increased, while those of butylene, C5, and be...

Spermatogenesis is a complicated and poorly understood process that relies on the precise regulation of the self-renewal and differentiation of spermatogonia. In many organisms, microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in multiple developmental processes as critical regulators of transcriptional and post-transcriptional gene silencing. This study investigated the expression pattern of miRNAs in type B spermatogonia cells (BSc) and primary spermatocytes (PSc) of mice, using a high-throughput small RNA sequencing system. The results revealed that the expression levels of Let-7 family miRNAs were remarkably high in both cell types. Furthermore, the expression levels of miR-21, miR-140-3p, miR-103, miR-30a, miR-101b and miR-99b were decreased during the transformation from BSc to PSc. These miRNAs target vital genes that participate in apoptosis, cell proliferation and differentiation, junction assembly and cell cycle regulation. These results highlight the indispensable role of miRNAs in spermatogenesis.

Transmembrane protein 174 (TMEM174) mRNA is easily detectable in human kidney tissues and activates AP-1 and promotes 293T cell proliferation. In the present study, RNA in situ hybridization was used to detect TMEM174 gene expression in various malignant renal cancer and normal renal tissues. The results showed that TMEM174 exhibits differential expression in renal tissues, with a high positive rate of expression in squamous cell carcinoma with necrosis, papillary renal cell carcinoma and transitional cell carcinoma, and a low positive rate of expression in clear cell carcinoma, interstitial nephritis, undifferentiated carcinoma, retroperitoneal metastatic clear cell carcinoma, adrenal gland metastatic clear cell carcinoma, pelvic cavity metastatic chromophobe carcinoma, severe atypical hyperplasia of transitional epithelium and hyperplasia. Extremely weak expression was exhibited in collecting duct carcinoma, Wilms' tumor, chronic pyelonephritis, acute pyelonephritis, cancer adjacent normal renal tissue and normal renal tissue. In conclusion, the TMEM174 gene exhibited high expression levels in certain renal carcinomas, which may indicate that TMEM174 may have a significant role in the development and progression of these renal carcinomas.

Chemical liquid deposition (CLD) with KH550, TEOS and methyl silicone oil as the modifiers was used to modify ZSM-5 and deposit its external acid sites. The characteristics of modified catalysts were tested by catalytic conversion of biomass pyrolysis-derived compounds. The effects of different modifying conditions (deposited amount, temperature, and time) on the product yields and selectivities were investigated. The results show KH550 modified ZSM-5 (deposited amount of 4%, temperature of 20°C and time of 6h) produced the maximum yields of aromatics (24.5%) and olefins (16.5%), which are much higher than that obtained with original ZSM-5 catalyst (18.8% aromatics and 9.8% olefins). The coke yield decreased from 44.1% with original ZSM-5 to 26.7% with KH550 modified ZSM-5. The selectivities of low-molecule-weight hydrocarbons (ethylene and benzene) decreased, while that of higher molecule-weight hydrocarbons (propylene, butylene, toluene, and naphthalene) increased comparing with original ZSM-5.

The zinc finger-homeodomain transcription factor, δ-crystallin enhancer factor 1 (δEF1) has been identified as a regulatory factor involved in the promotion of breast cancer cell proliferation via the downregulation of p21 and the upregulation of cyclin-dependent kinase-2 (CDK2) and CDK4 expression. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of CDK4 expression by δEF1 have not yet been elucidated. The present study demonstrated that the ectopic expression of δEF1 in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells significantly increased the activity of the CDK4 promoter. Deletion of the E2-box (CACGTG), which is located at position -197/-191 on the human CDK4 promoter, significantly attenuated the activation of CDK4 transcription by δEF1. In addition, a CDK4 promoter-M construct was generated via site-directed mutagenesis of the E2-box on the human CDK4 promoter. Luciferase assay showed that the activation of CDK4 promoter-M activity by δEF1 was markedly decreased compared with the CDK4-promoter-0.4k promoter. Knockdown of δEF1 using RNA interference resulted in the inhibition of CDK4 promoter activity. These observations suggest that δEF1 upregulates CDK4 transcription via the E2-box element on the CDK4 promoter.

G-patch domain containing 2 (GPATC2), a human gene that is highly expressed in the testes, was implicated as a novel cancer/testis antigen. The present study investigated GPATC2 expression in a number of human cell lines and rat tissues, and its potential biological function in 293T cells. Semi‑quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that GPATC2 was widely expressed in 15 human cell lines (representing different lineages) and in 11 different rat tissues, and that the GPATC2 mRNA relative expression level was significantly higher in the testis than it was in other tissues. 293T cells were transiently transfected with GPATC2-p enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)‑N1 or GPATC2-pEGFP-C3 and the nuclei were stained with 4',6'‑diamidino‑2‑phenylindole. The results showed that GPATC2 is predominantly expressed in the nucleus of 293T cells. Overexpression of GPATC2 may inhibit transcription of the NF-κB reporter gene. The role of GPATC2 in proliferation was analyzed with cell counting kit-8, colony-forming efficiency and flow cytometry assays. The results indicated that over‑expression of GPATC2 in 293T cells significantly inhibited cell proliferation by decreasing the number of cells in S phase. By contrast, GPATC2 knockdown by RNA interference exhibited the opposite effect, suggesting that GPATC2 may be involved in inhibiting G1-S phase transition in 293T cells. In conclusion, these results provide novel insight into the breadth of expression of GPATC2 and its role in cell proliferation.

Transmembrane protein 174 (TMEM174) mRNA is easily detectable in human kidney tissues and activates AP-1 and promotes 293T cell proliferation. In the present study, RNA in situ hybridization was used to detect TMEM174 gene expression in various malignant renal cancer and normal renal tissues. The results showed that TMEM174 exhibits differential expression in renal tissues, with a high positive rate of expression in squamous cell carcinoma with necrosis, papillary renal cell carcinoma and transitional cell carcinoma, and a low positive rate of expression in clear cell carcinoma, interstitial nephritis, undifferentiated carcinoma, retroperitoneal metastatic clear cell carcinoma, adrenal gland metastatic clear cell carcinoma, pelvic cavity metastatic chromophobe carcinoma, severe atypical hyperplasia of transitional epithelium and hyperplasia. Extremely weak expression was exhibited in collecting duct carcinoma, Wilms’ tumor, chronic pyelonephritis, acute pyelonephritis, cancer adjacent normal renal tissue and normal renal tissue. In conclusion, the TMEM174 gene exhibited high expression levels in certain renal carcinomas, which may indicate that TMEM174 may have a significant role in the development and progression of these renal carcinomas.