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Solar-powered aircraft can perform long-term flights with clean solar energy. However, the energy derived from solar irradiation is influenced by the time of year and latitude, which limits the energy acquisition ability of solar aircraft with a straight-wing configuration. Hence, unconventional configurations based on increasing wing dihedral to track the sun are proposed to improve energy acquisition at high-latitude regions in winter, which may involve power loss caused by mismatch in the photovoltaic system. However, mismatch loss is seldom considered and may cause energy to be overestimated. In this paper, the energy acquisition characteristics of a joint-wing configuration are presented based on the simulation of an energy system to investigate the mismatch power loss. The results indicate a 4~15% deviation from the frequently used estimation method and show that the mismatch loss is influenced by the curved upper surface, the severity of shading and the circuit configuration. Then, the configuration energy acquisition factor is proposed to represent the energy acquisition ability of the joint-wing configuration. Finally, the matching between the aircraft configuration and flight trajectory is analyzed, demonstrating that the solar-powered aircraft with an unconventional wing configuration is more sensitive to the coupling between configuration and trajectory.

Making use of solar energy to fly is an up-and-coming technology in the human aviation field since solar energy is renewable and inexhaustible, and more and more attention and efforts have been directed to the development of high-altitude solar aircraft (HSA). Due to the technical constraints of the rechargeable battery, the HSA must carry sufficient batteries to meet the flight power consumption at night, which seriously limits the flight endurance of HSA. To solve this contradiction, the paper has proposed a new energy management strategy (EMS) of multiple flight phases for HSA based on the gravitational energy storage and mission altitude, which aims to achieve the goal of long-endurance flight for HSA. The integrated model of this new EMS includes the aerodynamic model, the kinematic model, the solar irradiation model, the battery model, and the energy management model. Compared with the current EMS of level flight, the flight path of HSA in the new EMS has been divided into five phases: the lower altitude level flight at night, the maximum power ascending for mission altitude, the level flight at mission altitude, the maximum power ascending for higher altitude, and the longest gliding endurance. At last, the calculation of the new EMS for Zephyr 7 is studied by MATLAB/Simulink, and the calculation results indicate that about 22.9% of energy surplus can be stored in battery with the new EMS for Zephyr 7 compared with the current EMS, which is equal to reducing the rechargeable battery weight from 16.0 kg to 12.3 kg. Besides, the results of simulation in the four seasons also show that the new EMS is a very promising way to achieve the long-endurance goal for high-altitude HSA when the flight conditions satisfy some constraints like the deficiency of solar flux and the limit of battery mass.

Background Implant-based breast reconstruction is easy to be performed but has flaws that an unnatural appearance might be presented when no sufficient coverage existing. While autologous tissue reconstruction also has disadvantages like donor site scar and skin patch effect. There is a demand for a new method to obtain natural and aesthetic appearance while surmounting drawbacks of conventional breast reconstruction surgery. Methods A retrospective review of thirty-one patients undergoing tissue expander (TE)/implant two-stage breast reconstruction with latissimus dorsi muscle flap (LDMF) transfer through endoscopic approach in Peking University Third Hospital from April 2016 to August 2020 was performed. The LDMF harvest time, drain time, and complications were reviewed. The 3D volume was obtained to assess the volume symmetry of bilateral breasts. The BREAST-Q reconstruction module was used to evaluate the satisfaction. Results The mean endoscopic LDMF harvest time was 90.4 min. In the mean follow-up of 11.2 months, there were no severe capsular contracture happened. The reconstructed side achieved good volume symmetry to the contralateral side (P = 0.256). Based on the evaluation of the BREAST-Q scores, the outcome of Satisfaction with Breasts was excellent or good in 87.1% of the cases. Conclusions The novel type of two-stage breast reconstruction protocol, which includes tissue expansion followed by implant insertion with endoscopy-assisted LDMF transfer, could effectively reduce visible scars, avoid the patch effect, while require short time for LDMF harvest and present low incidence of complications. It is a promising method for breast reconstruction because it achieves good outcomes in the mastectomy patients.

Background Prenatal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure causes hypertension in rat offspring through an unknown mechanism. Here, we investigated the role of the intrarenal renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in hypertension induced by prenatal LPS exposure and also explored whether adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) can ameliorate the effects of prenatal LPS exposure in rat offspring. Methods Sixty-four pregnant rats were randomly divided into 4 groups (n = 16 in each), namely, a control group and an LPS group, which were intraperitoneally injected with vehicle and 0.79 mg/kg LPS, respectively, on the 8th, 10th, and 12th days of gestation; an ADSCs group, which was intravenously injected with 1.8 × 107 ADSCs on the 8th, 10th, and 12th days of gestation; and an LPS + ADSCs group, which received a combination of the treatments administered to the LPS and ADSCs groups. Results Prenatal LPS exposure increased blood pressure, Ang II expression, Ang II-positive, monocyte and lymphocyte, apoptotic cells in the kidney, and induced renal histological changes in offspring; however, the LPS and control groups did not differ significantly with respect to plasma renin activity levels, Ang II levels, or renal function. ADSCs treatment attenuated the blood pressure and also ameliorated the other effects of LPS-treated adult offspring. Conclusions Prenatal exposure to LPS activates the intrarenal RAS but not the circulating RAS and thus induces increases in blood pressure in adult offspring; however, ADSCs treatment attenuates the blood pressure increases resulting from LPS exposure and also ameliorates the other phenotypic changes induced by LPS treatment by inhibiting intrarenal RAS activation.

As one of the important development direction of future aircraft, stratospheric airship would meet the demand of diurnal cycle ultra-long duration flight. So energy storage system must be managed reliably. Factors will be researched and analyzed which influence battery management system (BMS) of stratospheric airship. The main functions of management software of energy storage system for stratospheric airship are included as follows: estimation of state of charge, data acquisition, thermal management, safety management, energy management and communication. This research could provide effective reference for specific application and analysis of management software design of energy storage system for stratospheric airship.

Transglutaminase (TG) posttranslational modification of antibody permits more precisely conjugating. Based on the amino acid sequence of an anti-CD24 antibody (cG7), this article is aimed to generate a deglycosylated cG7 mutant (cG7Q). Firstly, we introduced additional glutamines at position 297 (N297Q) by site-directed mutagenesis, and then transfected the recombinant plasmids into CHO-s cells via electroporation method and screened by Dot blot assay. Subsequently, cG7Q was expressed and purified through Protein A affinity chromatography, further identified by SDS-PAGE electrophoresis and Western blot. Its affinity was detected with surface plasmon resonance and flow cytometry assay, and ADCC effect was determined by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release. Eventually, a cG7 mutant, cG7Q was successfully expressed with sequence-specific conjugation sites for further study.

As an important development direction of the aircraft, the research on the space solar vehicle near the space has been paid more and more attention. This paper sorts out the research status, key technologies and technical problems of this kind of aircraft, which can provide technical support for the relevant personnel to carry out in-depth research in this area.

The operating mode of the recycling energy system is firstly analyzed, which includes the power supply and distribution network design, the operating mode of the energy system classification and decomposition. Then, an entire scheme of an energy real-time scheduling system is established. Based on the above design, an energy real-time scheduling system modeling and dynamic simulation analysis is subsequently undertaking by using the Simulink blocks and Stateflow module in MATLAB. The results show that the above design is robust and the model of the energy real-time scheduling system can give a fast, accurate response to the existing faults.

This paper proposed a mathematical model and numerical model to investigate the output characteristics of photovoltaic (PV) array of stratospheric airship. In addition, considering with the influence of flight time, flight status,flight location, flight height, environmentaltemperature and other factors on the output power of the PV array, the model ofsolar radiation, and PV array on the surface ofStratospheric Airship are established. Then, the thermal effects of the PV array on the airship is investigated using CFD/Fluent, based on which the three-dimensional temperature profile of PV array and airship are presented.

The single crystal structure of 1,1′-bis (3,5-dimethyl-pyrazole) methenehydrazine (BDM) was determined by X-ray single crystal diffraction for the first time. The obtained experimental results indicated that BDM was the intermediate of 3,6-bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)-1,4-dihydro-1,2,4,5-tetrazine (BDT), which was the key precursor of s-tetrazine. By this evidence, the preparation mechanism of BDT was proved: At 318.15 K, triaminoguanidine and pentanedione reacted to achieve the intermediate (BDM) by molecular nucleophilic addition and intramolecular nucleophilic substitution; when heated to 363.15 K, BDT was then generated by two molecules of BDM with nucleophilic substitution reaction. Furthermore, the thermal decomposition properties and also the non-isothermal kinetic parameters have been investigated in the present work.

Purpose: Our previous study indicated that mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) damage and mutations are crucial to the progressive loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in a glaucomatous rat model. In this study, we examined whether high pressure could directly cause mtDNA alterations and whether the latter could lead to mitochondrial dysfunction and RGC death. Methods: Primary cultured rat RGCs were exposed to 30 mm Hg of hydrostatic pressure (HP) for 12, 24, 48, 72, 96 and 120 h. mtDNA alterations and mtDNA repair/replication enzymes OGG1, MYH and polymerase gamma (POLG) expressions were also analyzed. The RGCs were then infected with a lentiviral small hairpin RNA (shRNA) expression vector targeting POLG (POLG-shRNA), and mtDNA alterations as well as mitochondrial function, including complex I/III activities and ATP production were subsequently studied at appropriate times. Finally, RGC apoptosis and the mitochondrial-apoptosis pathway-related protein cleaved caspase-3 were detected using a Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end-labeling (TUNEL) assay and western blotting, respectively. Results: mtDNA damage was observed as early as 48 h after the exposure of RGCs to HP. At 120 h after HP, mtDNA damage and mutations significantly increased, reaching >40% and 4.8 ± 0.3-fold, respectively, compared with the control values. Twelve hours after HP, the expressions of OGG1, MYH and POLG mRNA in the RGCs were obviously increased 5.02 ± 0.6-fold (p < 0.01), 4.3 ± 0.2-fold (p < 0.05), and 0.8 ± 0.09-fold (p < 0.05). Western blot analysis showed that the protein levels of the three enzymes decreased at 72 and 120 h after HP (p < 0.05). After interference with POLG-shRNA, the mtDNA damage and mutations were significantly increased (p < 0.01), while complex I/III activities gradually decreased (p < 0.05). Corresponding decreases in membrane potential and ATP production appeared at 5 and 6 days after POLG-shRNA transfection respectively (p < 0.05). Increases in the apoptosis of RGCs and cleaved caspase-3 protein expression were observed after mtDNA damage and mutations. Conclusions: High pressures could directly cause mtDNA alterations, leading to mitochondrial dysfunction and RGC death.

Starch is a major feedstock for biofuel production. To meet growing fuel demands, the starch yields of energy crops need to be improved. In this study, the effects of the application of an organic fertilizer composed of cotton cake, oil cake and wheat straw at different concentrations (3000, 6000 and 9000 kg ha−1) were investigated in order to optimize the yield of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) leaves. To analyze the effects of the application of organic fertilizers on starch biosynthesis, we compared the phenotypic index, starch content, ultrastructure and starch granule volume during maturation. The results revealed that application of the organic fertilizer markedly promoted the accumulation of starch in tobacco leaves, and the concentration of organic fertilizer required for optimal yield in yellow loam areas was 6000 kg hm−2. Analysis of starch synthesis-related gene expression patterns revealed that the transcript levels of adenosine diphosphate-glucose pyrophosphorylase (AGPase), starch synthase (SS) and starch branching enzyme (SBE) increased gradually as leaf growth progressed, attained a maximum value at the mature stage, and then declined as leaves progressed toward maturity and senescence. The expression levels of these genes were higher in plants treated with the organic fertilizer than in those grown under normal conditions. Notably, AGPS3, AGPSL, GBSS1 and SS1 were highly expressed, indicating that these genes play crucial roles in starch synthesis in leaf tissue. The results provide insights into the molecular regulation of starch biosynthesis in tobacco leaves.

This paper mainly aims at the energy reception characteristics of solar aircraft flying in the near space between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. Based on the solar radiation intensity calculation model, the energy reception characteristics including maximum solar radiation intensity, daytime average solar radiation intensity, total solar radiation energy received per day on the unit area., and daytime hours of solar aircraft was calculated varying with date, longitude, and latitude. By analyzing the corresponding calculation results, it can provide some reference value for the design of solar aircraft flying in this area.

Objective: We compared pregnancy outcomes among women with sickle cell disease with outcomes for African American women without the disease. Study Design: We selected 127 deliveries in women with sickle cell disease (hemoglobin SS or hemoglobin SC) that occurred between 1980 and 1999. A control group of 129 deliveries by African American women with normal hemoglobin (hemoglobin AA) was also selected. Evaluated pregnancy outcomes included low birth weight, prematurity, intrauterine growth restriction, antepartum hospital admission, preterm labor or preterm premature rupture of membranes, postpartum infection, preeclampsia, pyelonephritis, intrauterine fetal death, perinatal mortality, and maternal mortality. Results: Compared with deliveries among women with hemoglobin AA, deliveries among women with hemoglobin SS or hemoglobin SC were at increased risk for intrauterine growth restriction, antepartum hospital admission, and postpartum infection. In addition, deliveries among women with Hb SS were more likely to be complicated by low birth weight, prematurity, and preterm labor or preterm premature rupture of membranes when compared with deliveries among women with hemoglobin AA. There were no significant differences among the groups (hemoglobin SS, hemoglobin SC, and hemoglobin AA) in terms of perinatal deaths; there were no maternal deaths in the study population. Conclusion: Those caring for women with sickle cell disease should be aware that they are at increased risk for pregnancy complications, although overall pregnancy outcome is favorable. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2001;184:1127-30.)