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The mechanism governing the deoxidation of vanadium metal is regarded as fundamental knowledge; however, it has not been elucidated in existing literature. In this paper, the thermodynamic data of V-H-O systems were summarized, and the Gibbs free energies of the main compounds were calculated. Consequently, the deoxidation limits of different reductants in a V-O system were evaluated, namely: Si, Al, and Mg. It was observed that Si cannot remove an O content of less than 7.27 wt% from V. However, Al was the stronger reducing agent; it could remove O contents of up to 0.01 and 0.1 wt% at 800 and 1050 °C, respectively. Nevertheless, Mg exhibited the best reducing properties as it could remove less than 0.01 wt% of O at 1100 °C. The addition of H2 renders the V-O solid solution unstable to a certain extent, thereby indicating that H2 facilitates deoxygenation. Furthermore, the results obtained by analyzing the equilibrium conditions were in accordance with the results of the deoxidation limit in the V-O system. In other words, this study demonstrates that the oxygen in vanadium can be effectively controlled by changing the reductant dosage and temperature.

Physic-chemical properties of slag at high temperature were very important for the production of ferronickel alloy by pyrometallurgical process. It determines the operation efficiency, metal recovery ratio, energy consumption and the distribution of elements (like S and P) between the slag and metal. In the present work, the effect of slag basicity on melting features and viscosity of the slag was investigated. The basicity of the SiO2-CaO-MgO-Al2O3-FeO quinary slag system varied from 0.76 to 0.99. The results showed that: 1) all the slag samples began to soften at the same temperature; 2) the softening temperature, melting temperature and flowing temperature decreased with the increase of basicity from 0.76 to 0.92, after that, the temperatures would increase sharply. 3) the inflection point temperature of viscosity-temperature curve became larger and larger with the increase of basicity within 0.76 ~ 0.99.

Various health problems of people with intellectual disabilities (ID) are associated with their physical inactivity. The present study aimed at the understanding of physiological and psychological responses toward exergaming in seven young adults with mild to moderate ID after a single-session and a multiple-session condition, respectively. Their heart rate (HR), the rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and physical activity enjoyment scale (PACES) were measured on control and exergaming sessions. The significant increased HR, which may represent the increased physical activity levels that led to energy expenditure, was observed after a single-session and a multiple-session condition. In addition, the significant increase in RPE and PACES were evident after a single-session condition but a multiple-session condition. The feeling of physical fatigue seems to be distracted by external motivators (e.g. music). However, the positive affectivity to exercise was not noted when exercise was scheduled as their daily routines. This phenomenon might explain the high prevalence of physical inactivity among this population.

Geothermal heat mining simulations using supercritical CO2 (sCO2) were performed in this research. Working fluid selection criteria for power generation using sCO2 from a geothermal reservoir are then presented for subcritical, superheated and supercritical organic Rankine cycles (ORCs). Meanwhile, method of working fluid classification for ORC is proposed. To get the most feasible ORC design, this study introduces the concept of “turning point” for isentropic and dry working fluids, as well as minimum turbine inlet temperature for wet working fluids. A thermodynamic model was developed with capabilities to obtain the optimal working fluid mass flow rate, evaporation temperature, superheated temperature, and supercritical pressure, to evaluate the thermal performance of the three ORC approaches using hot produced sCO2. With this model, thirty potential working fluids with critical temperatures in the range from 50 to 225 °C were screened for utilizing hot produced sCO2 considering physical properties, environmental and safety impacts, and thermodynamic performances. Finally, the thermodynamic results were compared for all possible working fluids.

Yonghui Hu,1,2,* Wangna Tang,1,2,* Wenjie Liu,1,2 Zhibo Hu,1,2 Congqing Pan1,2 1NHC Key Laboratory of Hormones and Development, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Metabolic Diseases, Chu Hsien-I Memorial Hospital & Tianjin Institute of Endocrinology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China; 2Tianjin Key Laboratory of Metabolic Diseases, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300134, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Congqing Pan, NHC Key Laboratory of Hormones and Development, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Metabolic Diseases, Chu Hsien-I Memorial Hospital & Tianjin Institute of Endocrinology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China, Email profpancq@163.comBackground: Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays an important role in interstitial matrix deposition and renal fibrosis in diabetic kidney disease (DKD). It has been verified that Astragaloside IV (AS-IV) is beneficial for ameliorating DKD. However, the underlying mechanisms of AS-IV on regulating EMT in DKD are yet to be established. Accumulated evidence has suggested that C-X3-C motif ligand 1 (CX3CL1) plays a significant role in the progression of EMT.Purpose: We aimed to investigate whether AS-IV could alleviate EMT by regulating CX3CL1 in DKD and reveal its underlying mechanisms.Methods: For the in vivo study, mice were divided into the following five groups (n=10): db/m+vehicle, db/db+vehicle, db/db+AS-IV-L (10mg/kg/d), db/db+AS-IV-M (20mg/kg/d), db/db+AS-IV-H (40mg/kg/d). After 12 weeks of treatment, the renal injuries were assessed based on the related parameters of urine, blood and histopathological examination. Immunohistochemistry and Western blotting were used to detect relative proteins levels. Then in HK-2 cells, the molecular mechanism of AS-IV attenuating the EMT in mice with DKD through the CX3CL1-RAF/MEK/ERK pathway was studied.Results: In the present study, we found that AS-IV reduced urinary protein levels and improved renal pathological damage in DKD mice. Moreover, AS-IV ameliorated the renal tubular EMT induced by hyperglycemia or high glucose (HG), and decreased the expression of CX3CL1 and inhibited the activation of the RAF/MEK/ERK pathway in vivo and in vitro. In HK-2 cells, downregulation of CX3CL1 suppressed the stimulation of the RAF/MEK/ERK pathway and EMT induced by HG. However, CX3CL1 overexpression eliminated the benefits of AS-IV on the RAF/MEK/ERK pathway and EMT.Conclusion: In summary, we indicated that AS-IV alleviates renal tubular EMT through the CX3CL1-RAF/MEK/ERK signaling pathway, indicating that CX3CL1 could be a potential therapeutic target of AS-IV in DKD.Keywords: Astragaloside IV, epithelial–mesenchymal transition, CX3CL1, diabetic kidney disease, renal fibrosis

The concept of injecting supercritical CO2 (sCO2) into a geothermal reservoir was computationally investigated to assess its performance in terms of the benefit of using CO2 captured from fossil power plants for geothermal heat mining. A coupled wellbore-reservoir system was simulated considering the flow of pure sCO2 in an injection well, the interaction of sCO2 and water in a permeable reservoir, and the flow of the two-phase mixture of sCO2 and water in a production well. Results of simulations indicate that this CO2 application is capable of providing a good source of renewable energy. It was found that for a reservoir with a 0.08 km3 volume, about 8-9 MWth could be extracted in a steady state fashion for a 30-year lifetime operation. This is approximately equivalent to 100 MWth/km3. A sensitivity analysis provided information on the impact of certain parameters on the performance of the integrated system. The injection flowrate, the distance between the production and injection wellbores and the penetrating depth of the production wellbore into the reservoir have a first order impact on the pressure management of the reservoir. Additionally, CO2 injection temperature has a large effect on the thermosiphon characteristics of the system.

We show that the surface plasmons of a two-dimensional Dirac metal such as graphene can be reflected by linelike perturbations hosting one-dimensional electron states. The reflection originates from a strong enhancement of the local optical conductivity caused by optical transitions involving these bound states. We propose that the bound states can be systematically created, controlled, and liquidated by an ultranarrow electrostatic gate. Using infrared nanoimaging, we obtain experimental evidence for the locally enhanced conductivity of graphene induced by a carbon nanotube gate, which supports this theoretical concept.

Recent EAST/DIII-D joint experiments on the high poloidal beta tokamak regime in DIII-D have demonstrated fully noninductive operation with an internal transport barrier (ITB) at large minor radius, at normalized fusion performance increased by 30% relative to earlier work (Politzer et al 2005 Nucl. Fusion 45 417). The advancement was enabled by improved understanding of the 'relaxation oscillations', previously attributed to repetitive ITB collapses, and of the fast ion behavior in this regime. It was found that the 'relaxation oscillations' are coupled core-edge modes amenable to wall-stabilization, and that fast ion losses which previously dictated a large plasma-wall separation to avoid wall over-heating, can be reduced to classical levels with sufficient plasma density. By using optimized waveforms of the plasma-wall separation and plasma density, fully noninductive plasmas have been sustained for long durations with excellent energy confinement quality, bootstrap fraction ≥80%, βN ≤ 4, βP ≥ 3, and βT ≥ 2%. These results bolster the applicability of the high poloidal beta tokamak regime toward the realization of a steady-state fusion reactor.

Microbial colonization of the human gastrointestinal tract plays an important role in establishing health and homeostasis. However, the time-dependent functional signatures of microbial and human proteins during early colonization of the gut have yet to be determined. To this end, we employed shotgun proteomics to simultaneously monitor microbial and human proteins in fecal samples from a preterm infant during the first month of life. Microbial community complexity increased over time, with compositional changes that were consistent with previous metagenomic and rRNA gene data. More specifically, the function of the microbial community initially involved biomass growth, protein production, and lipid metabolism, and then switched to more complex metabolic functions, such as carbohydrate metabolism, once the community stabilized and matured. Human proteins detected included those responsible for epithelial barrier function and antimicrobial activity. Some neutrophil-derived proteins increased in abundance early in the study period, suggesting activation of the innate immune system. Likewise, abundances of cytoskeletal and mucin proteins increased later in the time course, suggestive of subsequent adjustment to the increased microbial load. This study provides the first snapshot of coordinated human and microbial protein expression in a preterm infant's gut during early development.

Rasmussen encephalitis (RE) is a rare neuroinflammatory disease characterized by intractable seizures and progressive atrophy on one side of the cerebrum. Perivascular cuffing and clusters of T cells in the affected cortical hemisphere are indicative of an active cellular immune response. Methods: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and brain-infiltrating lymphocytes (BILs) were isolated from 20 RE surgery specimens by standard methods, and CD3+ T cell populations were analyzed by flow cytometry. Gamma delta T cell receptor spectratyping was carried out by nested PCR of reversed transcribed RNA extracted from RE brain tissue, followed by high resolution capillary electrophoresis. A MiSeq DNA sequencing platform was used to sequence the third complementarity determining region (CDR3) of δ1 chains. Results: CD3+ BILs from all of the RE brain specimens comprised both aαβ and γδ T cells. The median aαβ:γδ ratio was 1.9 (range 0.58-5.2) compared with a median ratio of 7.7 (range 2.7-40.8) in peripheral blood from the same patients. The aαβ T cells isolated from brain tissue were predominantly CD8+, and the majority of γδ T cells were CD4- CD8-. Staining for the early activation marker CD69 showed that a fraction of the aαβ and γδ T cells in the BILs were activated (median 42 %; range 13-91 %, and median 47 %; range 14-99 %, respectively). Spectratyping T cell receptor (TCR) Vδ1-3 chains from 14 of the RE brain tissue specimens indicated that the γδ T cell repertoire was relatively restricted. Sequencing δ1 chain PCR fragments revealed that the same prevalent CDR3 sequences were found in all of the brain specimens. These CDR3 sequences were also detected in brain tissue from 15 focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) cases. Conclusion: Neuroinflammation in RE involves both activated aαβ and γδ T cells. The presence of γδ T cells with identical TCR δ1 chain CDR3 sequences in all of the brain specimens examined suggests that a non-major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-restricted immune response to the same antigen(s) is involved in the etiology of RE. The presence of the same δ1 clones in CD brain implies the involvement of a common inflammatory pathway in both diseases.

BackgroundKetoconazole is a well-known CYP17-targeted systemic treatment for castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). However, most of the published data has been in the pre-chemotherapy setting; its efficacy in the post-chemotherapy setting has not been as widely described. Chemotherapy-naïve patients treated with attenuated doses of ketoconazole (200-300 mg three times daily) had PSA response rate (>50% decline) of 21-62%. We hypothesized that low-dose ketoconazole would likewise possess efficacy and tolerability in the CRPC post-chemotherapy state.MethodsMen with CRPC and performance status 0-3, adequate organ function and who had received prior docetaxel were treated with low-dose ketoconazole (200 mg orally three times daily) and hydrocortisone (20 mg PO qAM and 10 mg PO qPM) until disease progression. Primary endpoint was PSA response rate (>50% reduction from baseline) where a rate of 25% was to be considered promising for further study (versus a null rate of 30% from baseline, progression-free survival (PFS), duration of stable disease and evaluation of adverse events (AEs).ResultsThirty patients were accrued with median age of 72 years (range 55-86) and median pre-treatment PSA of 73 ng ml(-1) (range 7-11,420). Twenty-nine patients were evaluable for response and toxicity. PSA response (>50% reduction) was seen in 48% of patients; PSA response (>30% reduction) was seen in 59%. Median PFS was 138 days; median duration of stable disease was 123 days. Twelve patients experienced grade 3 or 4 AEs. Of the 17 grade 3 AEs, only 3 were attributed to treatment. None of the two grade 4 AEs were considered related to treatment.ConclusionsIn docetaxel pre-treated CRPC patients, low-dose ketoconazole and hydrocortisone is a well-tolerated, relatively inexpensive and clinically active treatment option. PSA response to low-dose ketoconazole appears historically comparable to that of abiraterone in this patient context. A prospective, randomized study of available post-chemotherapy options is warranted to assess comparative efficacy.

Microbial communities that underpin global biogeochemical cycles will likely be influenced by elevated temperature associated with environmental change. Here, we test an approach to measure how elevated temperature impacts the physiology of individual microbial groups in a community context, using a model microbial-based ecosystem. The study is the first application of tandem mass tag (TMT)-based proteomics to a microbial community. We accurately, precisely and reproducibly quantified thousands of proteins in biofilms growing at 40, 43 and 46 °C. Elevated temperature led to upregulation of proteins involved in amino-acid metabolism at the level of individual organisms and the entire community. Proteins from related organisms differed in their relative abundance and functional responses to temperature. Elevated temperature repressed carbon fixation proteins from two Leptospirillum genotypes, whereas carbon fixation proteins were significantly upregulated at higher temperature by a third member of this genus. Leptospirillum group III bacteria may have been subject to viral stress at elevated temperature, which could lead to greater carbon turnover in the microbial food web through the release of viral lysate. Overall, these findings highlight the utility of proteomics-enabled community-based physiology studies, and provide a methodological framework for possible extension to additional mixed culture and environmental sample analyses.

CaBi2Nb2O9 ceramics were fabricated via the solid-state reaction method by the addition of B2O3 as a sintering aid at lower sintering temperatures than that prepared without B2O3. Ferroelectricity, piezoelectricity, and resistivity can be still greatly enhanced when the sintering temperature is decreased from 1075 °C for CaBi2Nb2O9 to 975 °C for CaBi2Nb2O9–0.25 wt. % B2O3. The high resistivity and weak c-axis texture ensure that the ceramics can be fully polarized in a high enough electric field. The increased spontaneous ferroelectric and remanent polarization result in a significant enhancement in the piezoelectric properties of CaBi2Nb2O9–0.25 wt. % B2O3. The sample sintered at 975 °C possesses a high piezoelectric coefficient d33 of ∼15.0 pC/N and resistivity of 1.4 × 106 Ω cm (at 600 °C) along with a high ferroelectric Curie temperature TC of ∼954 °C. This work is beneficial for the preparation of high-temperature piezoelectric ceramics with excellent electrical properties at a low sintering temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CaBi2Nb2O9 ceramics were fabricated via the solid-state reaction method by the addition of B2O3 as a sintering aid at lower sintering temperatures than that prepared without B2O3. Ferroelectricity, piezoelectricity, and resistivity can be still greatly enhanced when the sintering temperature is decreased from 1075 °C for CaBi2Nb2O9 to 975 °C for CaBi2Nb2O9–0.25 wt. % B2O3. The high resistivity and weak c-axis texture ensure that the ceramics can be fully polarized in a high enough electric field. The increased spontaneous ferroelectric and remanent polarization result in a significant enhancement in the piezoelectric properties of CaBi2Nb2O9–0.25 wt. % B2O3. The sample sintered at 975 °C possesses a high piezoelectric coefficient d33 of ∼15.0 pC/N and resistivity of 1.4 × 106 Ω cm (at 600 °C) along with a high ferroelectric Curie temperature TC of ∼954 °C. This work is beneficial for the preparation of high-temperature piezoelectric ceramics with excellent electrical properties at a low sintering temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]