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MoP nanofiber-coupled Pd nanoparticles were demonstrated as efficient catalysts for formic acid-assisted water splitting in hydrogen generation. The theoretical calculations indicated that the OH on the surface of MoP through d–p bonding promoted the oxidation of CO at the Pd sites, and improved the ability to resist CO poisoning. As a result, enhanced catalytic performance was indicated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A facile method is proposed in this work to prepare a carbon paper (CP) with outstanding properties by doping boron to catalyze graphitization at lower temperature. Boron was introduced into CP by impregnating carbon fiber preform into a boron/phenolic resin/ethanol solution, and then CP was obtained after the consecutive procedures of hot pressing, carbonization, and graphitization. Morphology, microstructure, composition, and physical properties of the doped and undoped CPs were thoroughly investigated via various techniques to exam the effects of boron concentration and graphitization temperature. Furthermore, the boron doped CP was fabricated into fuel cell gas diffusion layer (GDL) and membrane electrode assembly (MEA) to evaluate its performance through the single cell performance. The findings indicated CP doping with 2 wt% boron could lower the graphitization temperature by at least 200 °C. The B-doped GDL had a higher power density in comparison with the undoped GDLs made in our lab or from the commercial brands. • The innovative preparation method for carbon paper with high conductivity. • The effect of boron concentration and graphitization temperature on carbon paper. • The single cell performance of B-doped gas diffusion layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper mainly studied the analytical solutions of three types of Van der Pol-Duffing equations. For a system with parametric excitation frequency, we knew that the ordinary homotopy analysis method would be unable to find the analytical solution. Thus, we primarily used the multi-frequency homotopy analysis method (MFHAM). First, the MFHAM was introduced, and the solution of the system was expressed by constructing auxiliary linear operators. Then, the method was applied to three specific systems. We compared the numerical solution obtained using the Runge–Kutta method with the analytical solution to verify the correctness of the latter. Periodic solutions, with and without time delay, were also compared under the same parameters. The results demonstrated that it was both effective and correct to use the MFHAM to find analytical solutions to Van der Pol-Duffing systems, which were classical systems. By comparison, the MFHAM proved to be effective for time delay systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease that affects wild and domestic animals. It is caused by members of the bacterial genus Brucella. Guanylate-binding protein 1 (GBP1) is associated with microbial infections. However, the role of GBP1 during Brucella infection remains unclear. This investigation aimed to identify the association of GBP1 with brucellosis. Results showed that Brucella infection induced GBP1 upregulation in RAW 264.7 murine macrophages. Small interfering GBP1 targeting RNAs were utilized to explore how GBP1 regulates the survival of Brucella intracellularly. Results revealed that GBP1 knockdown promoted Brucella 's survival ability, activated Nod-like receptor (NLR) containing a pyrin domain 3 (NLRP3) and absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2) inflammatory corpuscles, and induced pro-inflammatory cytokines IFN-γ and IL-1β. Furthermore, Brucella stimulated the expression of GBP1 in bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) and mice. During the inhibition of GBP1 in BMDMs, the intracellular growth of Brucella increased. In comparison, GBP1 downregulation enhanced the accumulation of Brucella -induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) in macrophages. Overall, the data indicate a significant role of GBP1 in regulating brucellosis and suggest the function underlying its suppressive effect on the survival and growth of Brucella intracellularly. • B. melitensis infection increased GBP1 expression in RAW 264.7 murine macrophages. • Knocking down the expression of GBP1 promotes Brucella infection RAW 264.7 murine macrophages. • Knocking down the expression of GBP1 induces the production of inflammatory cytokine in Brucella -infected macrophages. • Knocking down the expression of GBP1 promotes B. abortus persistence in bone marrow-derived macrophages. • Brucella infection increased GBP1 expression in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial analyses of traffic crashes have drawn much interest due to the nature of the spatial dependence and spatial heterogeneity in the crash data. This study makes the best of Geographically Weighted Random Forest (GW-RF) model to explore the local associations between crash frequency and various influencing factors in the US, including road network attributes, socio-economic characteristics, and land use factors collected from multiple data sources. Special emphasis is put on modeling the spatial heterogeneity in the effects of a factor on crash frequency in different geographical areas in a data-driven way. The GW-RF model outperforms global models (e.g. Random Forest) and conventional geographically weighted regression, demonstrating superior predictive accuracy and elucidating spatial variations. The GW-RF model reveals spatial distinctions in the effects of certain factors on crash frequency. For example, the importance of intersection density varies significantly across regions, with high significance in the southern and northeastern areas. Low-grade road density emerges as influential in specific cities. The findings highlight the significance of different factors in influencing crash frequency across zones. Road network factors, particularly intersection density, exhibit high importance universally, while socioeconomic variables demonstrate moderate effects. Interestingly, land use variables show relatively lower importance. The outcomes could help to allocate resources and implement tailored interventions to reduce the likelihood of crashes. • Geographically weighted modeling with local Random Forest models. • Local associations between crash frequency and various factors in the USA. • Modeling and analyzing nonlinear effects of factors. • Revealing spatially distinctive effects of factors on crash frequency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Protective efficiency of a combination of four recombinant Brucella abortus (B. abortus) proteins, namely, ribosomal protein L7/L12, outer membrane protein (OMP) 22, OMP25 and OMP31, was evaluated as a combined subunit vaccine (CSV) against B. abortus infection in RAW 264.7 cell line and murine model. Four proteins were cloned, expressed and purified, and their immunocompetence was analysed. BALB/c mice were immunized subcutaneously with single subunit vaccines (SSVs) or CSV. Cellular and humoral immune responses were determined by ELISA. Results of immunoreactivity showed that these four recombinant proteins reacted with Brucella‐positive serum individually but not with Brucella‐negative serum. A massive production of IFN‐γ and IL‐2 but low degree of IL‐10 was observed in mice immunized with SSVs or CSV. In addition, the titres of IgG2a were heightened compared with IgG1 in SSV‐ or CSV‐immunized mice, which indicated that SSVs and CSV induced a typical T‐helper‐1‐dominated immune response in vivo. Further investigation of the CSV showed a superior protective effect in mice against brucellosis. The protection level induced by CSV was significantly higher than that induced by SSVs, which was not significantly different compared with a group immunized with RB51. Collectively, these antigens of Brucella could be potential candidates to develop subunit vaccines, and the CSV used in this study could be a potential candidate therapy for the prevention of brucellosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is a common neurodegenerative disease. Its molecular mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. In the present study, we obtained differential mRNA expression in the cochlea of 2-month-old miR-29a +/+ mice and miR-29a −/− mice by RNA-seq. Gene ontology (GO) analysis was used to identify molecular functions associated with hearing in miR-29a −/− mice, including being actin binding (GO: 0003779) and immune processes. We focused on the intersection of differential genes, miR-29a target genes and the sensory perception of sound (GO:0007605) genes, with six mRNA at this intersection, and we selected Col1a1 as our target gene. We validated Col1a1 as the direct target of miR-29a by molecular and cellular experiments. Total 6 pathways involved in Col1a1 were identified by through Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis. We selected the focal adhesion pathway as our target pathway based. Their expression levels in miR-29a −/− mice were verified by qRT-PCR and Western blot. Compared with miR-29a +/+ mice, the expression levels of Col1a1 , Itga4 , Itga2 , Itgb3 , Itgb7 , Pik3r3 and Ptk2 were different in miR-29a −/− mice. Immunofluorescence was used to locate genes in the cochlea. Col1a1 , Itga4 and Itgb3 were differentially expressed in the basilar membranes and stria vascularis and spiral ganglion neurons compared to miR-29a +/+ mice. Pik3r3 and Ptk2 were differentially expressed in the basilar membranes and stria vascularis, but not at the s spiral ganglion neurons compared to miR-29a +/+ mice. Our results show that when miR-29a is knocked out, the Col1a1 mediates the focal adhesion pathway may affect the hearing of miR-29a −/− mice. These findings may provide a new direction for effective treatment of age-related hearing loss. • Age-related hearing loss miR-29a mouse model by RNA-seq analysis. • MiR-29a deletion leads to up-regulation of Col1a1 expression, which results in decreased hearing in mice. • Col1a1 is affecting hearing through the focal adhesion pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on how plant ecological strategies (competitive, stress‐tolerant, or ruderal) vary within species may improve our understanding of plant and community responses to climate warming and also successional changes. With increasing temperature, the importance of ruderal (R) and stress tolerance (S) components is hypothesized to decrease, while the strength of the competitive (C) component should increase. Offshoots and younger plants are predicted to have greater R and smaller S components.Leaf area, leaf dry matter content, and specific leaf area were measured for 1,344 forest plants belonging to 134 species in Liangshui and Fenglin Nature Reserves in Northeastern China, and C, R, and S scores calculated for each. Linear mixed effect models were used to assess how these indicators differed among study sites (n = 2), regeneration types, ontogenetic stages, and plant life forms. The two study sites have an average annual temperature difference of 0.675°C, simulating a temperature increase of 0.630°C due to climate warming.Higher temperatures reduce low‐temperature stress and frost damage, which may explain the observed decrease in R and S scores; at the same time, plant competitive ability increased, as manifested by higher C scores. This effect was most pronounced for herbaceous plants, but nearly negligible as compared to the effect of regeneration type for trees and of ontogeny for woody species. Resprouting trees and younger woody plants had higher R scores and lower S scores, a sign of adaptation to high disturbance.In this study, a small increase in mean annual temperature led to shifts in CSR strategy components for herbaceous species, without altering the vegetation type or community composition. Offshoots and younger plants had higher R and lower S scores, shedding light on similar changes in the ecological strategies of tree communities during secondary succession, such as the transition of Quercus mongolica coppices to forest and age‐related changes in Populus davidiana–Betula platyphylla forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rock burst has become one of the most serious world's problems in coal resources mining, and fracture and movement of thick and hard strata in high position is the main reason to induce strong mining earthquake and rock burst. Multicoal seam mining of 10302 working face in Baodian coal mine is selected as an engineering background, which has thick and hard strata in high position. Using SOS microseismic monitoring system to collect microseismic events and date during multicoal seam mining, characteristic and difference of microseismic in multicoal seam mining under thick and hard rock in high position is analyzed systematically. The main research work is as follows: reveal temporal and spatial distribution and evolution law of microseismic and analyze difference and correlation of microseismic in multicoal mining under thick and hard strata in high position, especially the relationship between mining earthquake with high energy and fracture and movement of thick and hard strata in high position. With the characteristics of microseismic, rock burst mechanism and difference induced by thick and hard strata in high position are discussed. The research and achievement could make guidance to multicoal seam mining safety under thick and hard strata in high position. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Experimental study on inhibition of gas hydrate formation for CO 2 separation. • Develop a chemical affinity model to predict CO 2 hydrate formation. • Optimal inhibitory compound system is 15 mg/mL glucose + 1.00 mg/ml attapulgite. • Induction time of hydrate formation is extended by approximately 122% • Gas consumption is reduced by 23.72% to improve the inhibitory effect. Natural gas and water can form complex cage crystals in oil and gas pipelines under certain conditions. The natural gas hydrate formed after crystal clustering can block the pipeline and affect the operation efficiency of the pipeline, and even cause equipment damage, bringing economic and security problems to enterprises. In the present study, we experimentally investigated the inhibition of CO 2 formation hydrate using attapulgite (ATP) and glucose (GLC). The kinetic influence on the formation of CO 2 hydrate by the complex pairing of kinetic inhibitor ATP is conducted under the working conditions of 277.15 K and 3.5 MPa. The effect of compound inhibitors on the temperature and pressure conditions, growth process and gas consumption of hydrate formation are revealed. The chemical affinity model of CO 2 hydrate formation under a compound inhibitor system is derived and established based on experimental studies. The results show that the combination of GLC and ATP can inhibit the formation of CO 2 hydrate to varying degrees, prolong the induction time of hydrate, and reduce the consumption of CO 2. The optimized experimental studies demonstrate that the best inhibitory compound system is 15 mg/mL GLC + 1.00 mg/mL ATP. Compared with the pure water system and single 15 mg/mL GLC system, the induction time is extended by 122.61% and 122.23%, while the gas consumption is reduced by 23.72% and 3.41%. The results provide new ideas and methods for the prediction of hydrate formation in the compound inhibitor system for the safe operation of oil and gas pipelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The low hydraulic efficiency of the pump as turbine (PAT) poses a major challenge to the runner design. This paper introduces a new strategy for designing and optimizing the performance of PAT runner. The strategy process is mainly divided into four steps, namely blade parametric design, significance evaluation of parameters, construction of optimizing surrogate model and optimization of improved PSO algorithm. Compared with the current design methodologies, not only does this optimization strategy propose the system design and optimization process, but also it breaks down the process into well-defined steps and simplifies them. The hydraulic efficiency of PAT optimized by this optimization strategy reaches 84.76%, which improves 3.93%. A test bench has been built to test the optimizing strategy. The maximum difference of experimental data is 1.5%, which meets the requirements of practical engineering application, and verifies the reliability of the optimization strategy process. The optimizing strategy process can be extended to apply to pump, fan, conventional turbine and other blade fluid models, and it can be further extended to apply to the optimization design of 3D blades with a high specific speed. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the regularity of a class of differential operators generated by Szász–Mirakjan operators. With the aid of the regularity, the relation between the uniform saturated approximation order of linear combinations of Szász–Mirakjan operators and the smoothness of the approximated functions is studied. The saturation class for linear combinations of Szász–Mirakjan operators is characterized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The 2308Δ gntR ghost is non-toxic in mice. • The 2308Δ gntR ghost can elicit an anti- Brucella -specific IgG response. • 2308Δ gntR ghost immunizations induce a cellular response. • 2308Δ gntR ghost induces protection against B. abortus challenge. • 2308Δ gntR ghost can enhance splenic T lymphocyte activity. Brucellosis, which is caused by Brucella spp., is an important zoonotic infectious disease that can cause great hazard to public health and safety. However, the current vaccines have several drawbacks, including residual virulence for animals and humans. Bacterial ghost is the empty envelopes of bacteria, which emerge as a proper vaccine candidate. With the purpose of generating B. abortus ghosts and investigating the immunogenicity of bacterial ghosts as vaccine candidate, we used homologous recombination and bacterial ghost technologies to construct 2308Δ gntR ghost strain. Mice were injected with 2308Δ gntR ghost and the safety and immunogenicity of ghost were further evaluated. The mice inoculated with ghost showed no splenomegaly. The 2308Δ gntR ghost induced high protective immunity in BALB/c mice against challenge with S2308, and elicited an anti- Brucella -specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) response and induced the secretion of interferon gamma (IFN-γ) and interleukin-4 (IL-4). Additionally, 2308Δ gntR ghost demonstrated strong spleen CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses. These results suggest that 2308Δ gntR ghost is a potential vaccine candidate and may represent a promising new approach for vaccination against Brucella infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Tai Chi is effective in preventing heart disease (CHD) risk, but the molecular mechanism remains unclear. Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of CHD and can be activated by miR-126. Tai Chi may exert its protective function through the miR-126-modulated MAPK pathway. Methods. The CHD patients after PCI were randomized into the CG group (CG) (n = 19, normal care) and Tai Chi group (TG) (Tai Chi intervention, n = 17). Epicardial adipose tissue volume (EATV) (one main adverse cardiovascular event of CHD), HR (heart rate), QoL (quality of life) scores, and balance performance were measured in the two groups. The body fat content, abdominal subcutaneous fat, and visceral fat were measured to reflect the improvement of adipose tissue dysfunction. The levels of miR-126 and MAPK-associated molecules were measured in peripheral blood leukocytes. Meanwhile, the effects of miR-126 silence and mimic on MAPK-associated molecules were also explored in cardiac cell H9C2. Results. After the 3-month intervention, Tai Chi reduced EATV and HR and increased QoL scores and balance performance, respectively (P < 0.05). The fat percentage, body fat mass, and BMI were also significantly reduced after Tai Chi intervention (P < 0.05). The levels of miR-126, MAPK, JNK, and ERK in the TG group were lower than those in the CG group (P < 0.05). The miR-126 levels had a strong relationship with the values of EATV, HR, and QoL scores (P < 0.05). miR-126 silence or mimic inactivated or activated MAPK-associated molecules in the cardiac cell lines. Conclusions. Tai Chi improved CHD risk by inactivating the MAPK/ERK pathway via serum miR-126. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Spirobichroman‐based polymers have garnered considerable attention as promising gas separation membrane materials. Herein, two spirobichroman‐based diamines were synthesised using a pyridine heterocyclic ring with methyl substituents at different positions. The diamines were reacted with 4,4′‐(hexafluoroisopropylidene)diphthalic anhydride (6FDA) and bis‐(3‐phthalyl anhydride) ether (ODPA) to achieve four polyimides functionalised by pyridine. The polymers performances were characterised by experimentally and molecular dynamics simulations. They showed high molecular weights of Mn = 9.4 to 14.0 × 104, excellent thermal stability, good solubility in a series of common organic solvents, and easy processability to form membranes. The membrane showed high gas pair selectivities of αCO2/CH4>30 and αCO2/N2>24, which were attributed to turnstile‐like rotary motions of the methyl and basic group of pyridine. The gas permeability results suggested that the substituents position of the methyl has little effect on the rigid molecular chain, unlike the densely packed flexible molecules chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: A method named computed tomography angiography-derived fractional flow reserve (FFRCT) is an alternative method for detecting hemodynamically significant coronary stenosis. We carried out a meta-analysis to derive reliable assessment of the diagnostic performances of FFRCT and compare the diagnostic accuracy with CCTA using FFR as reference.Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library, and Web of science for relevant articles published from January 2008 until May 2019 using the following search terms: FFRCT, noninvasive FFR, non-invasive FFR, noninvasive fractional flow reserve, non-invasive fractional flow reserve, and CCTA. Pooled estimates of sensitivity and specificity with the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and the summary receiver operating characteristic curve (sROC) were determined.Results: Sixteen studies published between 2011 and 2019 were included with a total of 1852 patients and 2731 vessels. The pooled sensitivity and specificity for FFRCT at the per-patient level was 89% (95% CI, 85-92%) and 71% (95% CI, 61-80%), respectively, while on the per-vessel basis was 85% (95% CI, 82-88%) and 82% (95% CI, 75-87%), respectively. No apparent difference in the sensitivity at per-patient and per-vessel level between FFRCT and CCTA was observed (0.89 versus 0.93 at per-patient; 0.85 versus 0.88 at per-vessel). However, the specificity of FFRCT was higher than CCTA (0.71 versus 0.32 at per-patient analysis; 0.82 versus 0.46 at per-vessel analysis).Conclusions: FFRCT obtained a high diagnostic performance and is a viable alternative to FFR for detecting coronary ischemic lesions.Key Points: • Noninvasive FFRCThas higher specificity for anatomical and physiological assessment of coronary artery stenosis compared with CCTA. • Noninvasive FFRCTis a viable alternative to invasive FFR for the detection and exclusion of coronary lesions that cause ischemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Performability of dynamic multi-state k -out-of- n : G systems is studied. • A novel and fast analytical modeling method is proposed. • A smart home lighting control system is analyzed. • Correctness is verified using a case study of an oil supply system. • Efficiency is verified using comprehensive empirical and comparative studies. A dynamic multi-state k -out-of- n : G system, denoted by DMS(k, n , G) is a system where the system and its components exhibit multiple performance levels, and the system has different requirements on the number of working components in different states. DMS(k, n , G) abounds in both industrial and military applications. In this paper, a novel and efficient analytical method based on multi-valued decision diagrams (MDDs) is proposed for performability assessment of DMS(k, n , G) with non-identical components. Unlike existing approaches where multiple combination operations between models of lower performance levels are needed for constructing the model of a higher performance level, the proposed MDD generation algorithm constructs the system performability MDD in a top-down manner by considering multiple system state requirements simultaneously. A smart home lighting control system is analyzed to demonstrate the application of the proposed method. A detailed case study of an oil supply system is provided to verify the correctness of the proposed method and illustrate component sensitivity analysis. Complexity analysis and comprehensive empirical studies are performed to demonstrate that the efficiency of the proposed model construction is greatly improved as compared to the existing method, enabling fast model generation and efficient analysis of large-scale DMS(k, n , G). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

GntR10 is a transcriptional regulator in Brucella. Nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) is involved in many cellular activities, playing major roles in orchestrating the expression of inflammatory genes and regulating protein function that is essential for pathogenic bacteria during infection. GntR10 deletion was previously found to affect the growth and the virulence of Brucella and expression levels of target genes of GntR10 in mice. However, the mechanisms of affection of NF-κB regulated by Brucella GntR10 are still unclear. Here, GntR10 deletion could regulate the expression of LuxR-type transcriptional activators (VjbR and BlxR) of the quorum sensing system (QSS) and type IV secretion system (T4SS) effectors (BspE and BspF) of Brucella. It could further inhibit the activation of the regulator NF-κB and affect the virulence of Brucella. This research provides new insights into the designing of Brucella vaccines and the screening of drug targets. Transcriptional regulators are predominant bacterial signal transduction factors. The pathogenicity of Brucella is due to its ability to regulate the expression of virulence related genes including quorum sensing system (QSS) and type IV secretion system (T4SS). Transcriptional regulators are designed to regulate gene expression and enact an appropriate adaptive physiological response. Here, we show that Brucella transcriptional regulator GntR10 regulated the expression of QSS and T4SS effectors, which affected the activation of NF-κB. [Display omitted] • 1558 proteins with quantitative information were identified from S2308 and 2308Δ gntR10. • The expression of T4SS virB1 was reduced in 2308Δ gntR10. • Expressions of VjbR and BlxR of QSS were down-regulated. • The activation of regulator NF-κB was inhibited in 2308Δ gntR10. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Six polyimides, containing pyridine and spirocyclic units, were successfully synthesized by chemical imidization. Structure-dependent properties such as thermal decomposition temperatures and gas permeabilities of the high-performance polymers were explicitly investigated. Results showed that all polyimide films exhibited good solubility in common organic solvents and non-polar solvents such as chloroform and tetrahydrofuran. The polymers exhibited good thermal stability, all demonstrating thermal decomposition temperatures (T d10%) over 496 °C in nitrogen. Important from a commercial viewpoint, the permeability coefficients of these for the acidic gas CO 2 showed an increase over other tested gases by virtue of the basic group pyridine (C–N linkages) in their structures. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Polyimides exhibited good solubility, which is easily to cast into film and apply in practice. • Polymers exhibited good thermal stability which maintain their structural integrity below 450 °C. • The permeability coefficients of CO 2 increased significantly by introduction of the pyridine groups. • Demonstrated the importance of introducing the rigidity to the chains for improving gas separation performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Hydropower development involves managing a network of diverse stakeholders. Owners play a critical part in effectively cooperating and establishing inter-organizational linking with stakeholders to achieve multiple project objectives. According to the data which is from the construction industry of hydropower in China, the research aims to investigate the causal relationships between cooperation with stakeholders and inter-organizational linking systematically, together with their impacts on the owners' social capital by developing and testing a conceptual model. Path analysis confirms that cooperation with stakeholders cannot only directly improve owners' social capital but also exert its influence on social capital through enhancement of inter-organizational linking, thereby improving project performance and winning external supports for owners' long-term development. Social network analysis shows that, from the perspective of owners, project stakeholders are clearly grouped into four clusters related to project feasibility, implementation, procurement and resettlement of migrants. These clusters reflect stakeholder's different roles and connections with each other in hydropower development. Understanding the above in-depth underlying relationships is fundamental for improving multi-organizational dynamics research to a state of the art, and help project participants to appropriately adopt cooperative strategies for maximizing the effectiveness of each stakeholder's resources. Highlights • Hydropower development involves managing a network of diverse stakeholders, in which owners play a key role. • Cooperation with stakeholders can improve owners' social capital diectly and through inter-organizational linking. • Hydropower project stakeholders are grouped into four clusters: project feasibility, implementation, procurement and migrants. • Suppliers distribute separately from other stakeholders, requiring the owners to build supplier networks to buy stable products. • Local residents have the lowest centrality in the network, showing owners should take measures for migrants' sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grassland ecosystems are sensitive to invasions by plants from other functional groups which can alter soil greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes. However, the effects of plant invasion on net GHG exchanges between soils and the atmosphere, plant production, and global warming potential (GWP) of annual grasslands is poorly understood. To evaluate the impacts of perennial forb invasions on GHG budgets of an annual grassland in China, we measured soil carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), methane (CH 4 ), and nitrous oxide (N 2 O) fluxes over two years in replicated invaded (dominated by Alternanthera philoxeroides or Solidago canadensis ) and non-invaded (dominated by the annual grass Eragrostis pilosa or the annual forb Sesbania cannabina ) field sites. On average, soil CO 2 and N 2 O emissions from invaded sites were 30% and 76% higher, respectively, relative to sites dominated by native species. Emissions of N 2 O and CO 2 were especially high in Solidago and Alternanthera dominated sites, respectively. Soil CH 4 emissions did not vary with plant species. On average, total biomass C of invaded sites was higher than that of the native dominated sites but this reflected the high C in Solidago dominated sites. Global warming potential (GWP) was increased by Alternanthera invasions and decreased by Solidago invasions. Plant invasions affected GWP of these annual grasslands through higher emissions of some GHGs but also sometimes higher biomass C. Together, this suggests that perennial forb invasions could change the net source or sink role of annual grasslands for GHG budgets, but the effects on GWP vary among species depending on GHG responses and C storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Brucellosis is an infectious disease that brings enormous economic burdens for developing countries. The Brucella melitensis (B. melitensis) M5-90 vaccine strain (M5-90) has been used on a large scale in China, but may cause abortions if given to pregnant goats or sheep subcutaneously during the late stages of gestation. Moreover, the vaccine M5-90 cannot differentiate natural from vaccinated infection. Therefore, a safer and more potent M5-90 vaccine is required. In this study, a vjbR mutant of M5-90 (M5-90Δ vjbR) was constructed and overcame these drawbacks. M5-90Δ vjbR strain showed reduced survival capability in murine macrophages (RAW 264.7) and BALB/c mice and induced high protective immunity in mice. In addition, M5-90Δ vjbR induced an anti- Brucella -specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) response and stimulated the expression of gamma interferon (INF-γ) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) in vaccinated mice. Furthermore, M5-90Δ vjbR induced IgG response and stimulated the secretion of IFN-γ and IL-4 in immunized sheep. Moreover, the VjbR antigen allowed serological differentiation between infected and vaccinated animals. These results suggest that M5-90Δ vjbR is an ideal live attenuated and efficacious live vaccine candidate against B. melitensis 16 M infection. Highlights • The M5-90Δ vjbR has low virulence in macrophages and mice. • The M5-90Δ vjbR can elicit an anti- Brucella -specific IgG response. • M5-90Δ vjbR imunizations induce a cellular response. • M5-90Δ vjbR imunizations induces protection against B. melitensis challenge. • M5-90Δ vjbR could be a potential DIVA vaccine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Comparing to SPECT and MRI, with higher temporal and spatial resolution and development of radiation dose reduction, myocardial computed tomography perfusion has emerged as a potential method for evaluation of hemodynamic myocardial ischemia. This meta-analysis systematically analyzed the performance of dynamic CT myocardial perfusion (DCTMP) to diagnose myocardial ischemia (MI) with clinically established reference methods [MR/SPECT/PET perfusion and fractional flow reserve (FFR)] as the reference standard. Methods We searched PubMed, Embase and web of science databases for all published studies that evaluated the accuracy of DCTMP to diagnose MI met our inclusion criteria. An exact binomial rendition of the bivariate mixed-effects regression model with test type as a random-effects covariate was performed to synthesize the available data. Results The search revealed 13 eligible studies including 482 patients. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of myocardial blood flow (MBF) were 0.83 (95% CI: 0.80 to 0.86) and 0.90 (95% CI: 0.88 to 0.91) at the segment level, 0.85 (95% CI: 0.80 to 0.88) and 0.81 (95% CI: 0.78 to 0.84) at the artery level, and 0.93 (95% CI: 0.82 to 0.98) and 0.82 (95% CI: 0.70 to 0.91), at the patient level, respectively. The high area under the sROC curves of MBF were 0.944 at segment level, 0.911 at vessel level and 0.949 at patient level, respectively. Conclusions DCTMP has a high diagnostic accuracy in detecting myocardial ischemia and it may increase significantly at segment level in combined use of coronary CTA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article shows a new strategy for the fabrication of nanofluidics based on nanoscale gaps in nanopillar arrays. Silicon nanopillar arrays are prepared in a designed position by combining conventional photolithography with colloidal lithography. The nanogaps between the pillars are used as nanochannels for the connection of two polydimethylsiloxane-based microchannels in microfluidics. The gap between neighbouring nanopillars can be accurately controlled by changing the size of initial colloidal spheres and by an etching process, which further determines the dimensions of the nanochannels. At a low ionic strength, the surface charge-governed ion transportation shows that the nanochannels possess the same electrokinetic properties as typical nanofluidics. Benefiting from the advantage of photolithography, large-area nanochannel arrays can be prepared in a parallel manner. Due to the perm-selectivity of the nanochannels, the nanofluidic chips can be used to preconcentrate low concentration samples. The large-area ordered nanostructures preserve their high-throughput property and large surface-to-volume ratio, which shows their great potential in the development of nanofluidics and their applications, such as in the separation of small molecules, energy conversion, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Split-flow is a fundamental manipulation method for liquid transport, which is challenging in microfluidics by simple structures, owing to the distinct flow mechanism in microchannels. Herein, we present a new strategy for fabricating switch-alternative fluid-splitters by reasonably embedding obstacle microstructures in microchannels. Precise confinement of triple-phase (gas, fluid front, obstacle microstructure) contact line of fluid fronts on the microstructures provides the device with advantage in controlling the flow motion of fluid in microchannels. The microstructures could act as a burst microvalve, and duration of fluid front flowing through the microvalve is essentially controlled by the quantity of the obstacles. Based on appropriate arrangement of the obstacles, we demonstrate that fluid-splitters with four and eight flow states of water and blood in microchannels could be obtained. In particular, implementation of the fluid splitters mostly relies on the regulation of the triple-phase contact line, which simplifies the complex equipments and enhances the compatibility of the devices. It is believed that the fabrication strategy of the switch-alternative fluid-splitters can be extensively used for disposable manipulation of fluid in microfluidic networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An electric aircraft propulsion system utilizes a high efficiency motor to generate thrust for electric aircraft. However, it can be challenging to maintain high efficiency for the fixed pitch propeller, which is commonly used in electric aircraft, through all phases of the flight. This paper investigates the power demands of the electric aircraft during the climb and the cruise phases according to the flight profile, and presents a model to estimate the energy consumption per flight. Simulation results suggest that the efficiency in the climb and the cruise phases can affect the energy consumption of an electric aircraft. Efficiency during the climb phase can have a significant effect on the capacity of the electric aircraft propulsion system. Based on the aforementioned results, this paper proposes a novel approach to achieve high efficiency, in which the optimal efficiency points of the electric aircraft propulsion system in the climb and the cruise phases can be obtained by solving an optimization problem with minimizing the energy consumption per flight as the object function and under the constraints that the climb and cruise phases must be successful. For testing purposes, the proposed method is adopted to the design of the electric aircraft propulsion system on a specific two-seater electric aircraft. Experimental results obtained from real flights suggest that the proposed method can reduce the energy consumption of the electric aircraft by over 10%, while reducing the capacity demand for the electric aircraft propulsion system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new texture classification method based on wavelet transform is presented. The elements of the signature vector, FDBC, of an image are the fractal dimensions and barycentric coordinates of the bit planes of the wavelet coefficients in both the three‐level high‐frequency domains and the third low‐frequency domain. The pretreatment is done with SVD decomposition and reconstruction by dropping half singular values. The one‐nearest‐neighbour classifier (1NN) with L1 distance is used to make the classification. Furthermore, to improve classification result, the classifier 1NN is strengthened with weighted L1 distance. The proposed method is tested on five subsets from Brodatz database and UMD database and is experimentally proved more efficient and more promising. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To determine whether extracellular volume fraction (ECV) quantification by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) can demonstrate left ventricle (LV) abnormalities and relationship between ECV and LV remodeling in hypertension (HTN) patients METHODS: ECV quantification was prospectively performed in 134 consecutive HTN patients and 97 healthy subjects. Individual and regional ECV were compared to the regions on late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) images. Statistical analysis of the relationship between LV global functional parameters and ECV was carried out using Pearson's correlation, Student's t test and multiple regressions.Results: In the HTN group, 70.1% (94/134) were LGE negative and 29.9% (40/134) LGE positive. The mean ECV after adjusting for age, sex, BMI, diabetes, smoking and dyslipidaemia in healthy controls and LGE-negative patients were 26.9 ± 2.67% and 28.5 ± 2.9% (p < 0.001), respectively. The differences in ECV reached statistical significance among the regions of LGE, LGE-Peri, LGE remote and the normal area between the control and LGE-positive subgroup (all p < 0.05). Global ECV significantly correlated with LVEF (r = -0.466, p < 0 .001) and LV hypertrophy (r = 0.667, p < 0.001).Conclusions: ECV can identify LV abnormalities at an early stage in HTN patients without LGE. These abnormalities may reflect an increase in diffuse myocardial fibrosis and are associated with LV remodeling.Key Points: • Diffuse myocardial fibrosis may develop in hypertensive cardiomyopathy before conventional MRI detectable LGE. • ECV can identify myocardial fibrosis at an early stage in hypertensive patients. • Elevated ECV is associated with decreased LV global function and LV remodeling in hypertension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The existence of positive solutions for a class of nonlinear Schrödinger-Kirchhoff-Poisson systems. Methods: Variational method. Results: Some results on the existence of positive solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Partially premixed combustion using gasoline-like fuels on compression ignition engines shows great potentials to break the soot-nitrogen oxides trade off and reduce both emissions simultaneously. By simply adjusting the dilution strategies and injection events, the control of partially premixed combustion is relatively easier compared to other low-temperature combustion concepts. However despite these advantages, recent research shows this concept tends to emit ultra-fine particles. Most previous work on partially premixed combustion only focuses on the soot emissions while the particulate matter in terms of number concentration and size distribution are not well investigated. Ultra-fine particles are dangerous to human health and are getting increasing attentions. Thus the detailed particulate matter emission from partially premixed combustion needs to be further investigated. In this work four gasoline-like ternary fuel blends are designed and experimentally tested under partially premixed combustion. The test blends all share the same two base fuels and blended with different additives. The fuel composition is varied to have the same research octane number. Tests are conducted under different engine loads and dilution strategies since the temperature and oxygen concentration are the key factors in the formation and oxidation of soot. Standard diesel is also tested under the same conditions as a comparison. It is found that these blends are capable of running under partially premixed combustion at low and medium loads and they produce near zero soot emissions when using high exhaust gas recirculation rate. However, these blends do emit smaller particles than diesel under all test loads. Besides, blends with oxygen content yield less soot emissions and smaller particles compared to non-oxygen blends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is essential to improve animal vaccine for brucellosis since conventional vaccines are residual virulent and poor protective effect, limit their applications. To solve these problems, the recombinant DNA vaccines were appeared, which could improve protective immunity and were attenuated to animals. In current research, the recombinant DNA vaccine (pVGntR) based on transcriptional regulator GntR of Brucella abortus ( B. abortus ) was constructed. The results show that pVGntR is significantly more protective than the conventional RB51 vaccine. Immunization with pVGntR increases the production of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and elicits elevated numbers of gamma interferon (IFN-γ) and interleukin-4 (IL-4). These results suggest that pVGntR is a highly efficacious vaccine candidate that confers protection against wild-type B. abortus challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brucellosis is an important zoonotic disease of worldwide distribution, which causes animal and human disease. However, the current Brucella abortus ( B. abortus ) vaccines (S19 and RB51) have several drawbacks, including residual virulence for animals and humans. Moreover, S19 cannot allow serological differentiation between infected and vaccinated animals. We constructed double deletion (ΔNodVΔNodW) mutant from virulent B. abortus 2308 (S2308) by deleting the genes encoding two-component regulatory system (TCS) in chromosome II in S2308.2308ΔNodVΔNodW was significantly reduced survival in murine macrophages (RAW 264.7) and BALB/c mice. Moreover, the inoculated mice showed no splenomegaly. The mutant induced high protective immunity in BALB/c mice against challenge with S2308, and elicited an anti- Brucella -specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) response and induced the secretion of gamma interferon (IFN-γ) and interleukin-4 (IL-4). Moreover, NODV and NODW antigens would allow the serological differentiation between infected and vaccinated animals. These results suggest that 2308ΔNodVΔNodW mutant is a potential live attenuated vaccine candidate and can be used effectively against bovine brucellosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Catalytic activity improvement by Pd-based catalyst for methanol oxidation is significant to the development of alkaline direct methanol fuel cells. Herein, we demonstrate the performance of methanol oxidation on Pd catalyst could be greatly increased by Y 2 O 3 . The promotion effect is discussed with the help of physical and electrochemical characterization techniques by comparing with a home-made Pd/C catalyst in the identical condition. The presence of Y 2 O 3 in the system is well confirmed by the characteristic peaks indicated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS); and a strong electronic effect between the Pd and Y 2 O 3 is reflected by an evident shift of binding energy to the lower direction as shown in the XPS spectrum. The catalytic activity expressed by current density reveled by cyclic voltammetry is about 145 mA cm −2 , 1.5 times higher than that of the reference catalyst; current retaining ability of 5 times higher than that of the reference catalyst is revealed by Chronoamperometry. Higher catalytic activity and stability for methanol oxidation is discussed due to the relatively well dispersed Pd particle size, increased electroactive surface area and the synergistic interaction of Pd and Y 2 O 3 . The work demonstrates the hybrid Pd Y 2 O 3 /C as a newly effective catalyst for alkaline direct methanol fuel cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Carbon confined iron-nickel alloy/iron fluoride doped by oxygen derived from nano rod-like Fe 2 Ni MIL MOF. • Structural transformation demonstrated by spectroscopic analysis was correlated to electrochemical catalytic performance. • C/O-FeNi/FeF 2 exhibited high catalytic activity and stability for OER with faster charge transfer ability. • High activity comes from carbon confined active phase, increased polarity, strong electronic effect and efficient synergism. Carbon confined active phase plays a significant role in the novel catalyst materials development and fabrication. Herein, we demonstrate such a catalyst material in the form of carbon confined iron-nickel alloy/iron fluoride doped by oxygen (C/O-FeNi/FeF 2) derived from the Fe 2 Ni MIL MOF via facile carbonization and fluorination for efficient oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in the water-splitting reaction. The structural transformation from the Fe 2 Ni MIL MOF to the C/O-FeNi/FeF 2 is demonstrated by the spectroscopic analysis and correlated to their electrochemical catalytic performance. Because of some combined merits resulting from the carbon confined active phase, increased polarity, strong electronic effect and efficient synergism of metal and metal fluoride for the facile active phase reconstruction in this hybrid system, this catalyst exhibits many good characteristics for electrochemical measurements in terms of improved conductivity, high intrinsic activity and stability, fast catalytic kinetics, increase surface area and rapid charge transfer ability. Specifically, the C/O-FeNi/FeF 2 catalysts have a low overpotential of ca. 250 mV when loaded on a glass carbon electrode to offer the current density of 10 mA cm−2 in the alkaline electrolyte for OER; and no obvious performance decay is observed in the long-term stability test conducted at different potentials. The current results will be instructive for novel carbon confined catalyst and MOF derived catalyst design and fabrication in the energy catalysis reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of aromatic polyimides were synthesized from three Cardo-based diamines, BAF, DDA, BAP, with different building blocks (ether linkage, dioxane linkage and C–C linkage), and commercially available dianhydride 6FDA. All polyimides were readily soluble in conventional aprotic and protic solvents, which guaranted the fabrication of self-standing membranes for gas separation applications. The Cardo-based polyimides also exhibited excellent thermal stability, with weight loss temperatures (T 5 %) of over 538 °C, and good mechanical properties, with tensile strength in the range of 41–64 MPa. Compared to 6FDA-BAF, the substitution of dioxane linkage for ether linkage resulted in increased chain rigidity, looser polymer chain packing, and larger fractional free volume. Consequently, as displayed by single gas permeation tests, 6FDA-DDA showed higher permeability coefficients without significantly sacrificing selectivity. In addition, the CO 2 permeability of 6FDA-BAP was around 2 times as high as that of 6FDA-BAF, while the CO 2 /CH 4 selectivity increased by 11%. This can be explained by the lower rotational mobility and the relatively higher imide content caused by the absence of the flexible ether linkage and dioxane linkage in polymer backbone. In short, fundamental insights into structure-property relationships of the Cardo-based polyimides observed in this study provided guidance for the molecular structure design of the gas separation membranes. [Display omitted] • Three Cardo-based polyimides containing different building blocks were successfully synthesized. • The effect of rigidity and microstructure on gas separation performance of the Cardo-based polyimides was elucidate. • The substitution of dioxane for ether linkage led to the increased chain rigidity and the looser chain packing. • The polyimide containing C–C linkage showed better combination of permeability and gas-pair selectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ArsR-family transcriptional factors regulates diverse physiological functions necessary for Brucella adaptation to environmental changes. However, whether the ArsR-family transcriptional regulator are related to virulence, and the precise determination of ArsR direct targets in Brucella are still unknown. Therefore, we created a 2308ΔArsR6 mutant of B. abortus 2308 (S2308). Virulence assay was performed using a murine macrophage cell line (RAW 264.7). We performed chromatin immunoprecipitation of ArsR6 followed by next-generation sequencing (ChIP-seq). We also selected the target gene pobA (BAB2_0600), and created the mutant (2308Δ pobA). The survival capability of 2308Δ pobA strain in RAW 264.7 was detected and the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), interleukin-12 (IL-12) and interleukin-18 (IL-18) were also measured. The results showed that 2308ΔArsR6 reduced survival capability in RAW 264.7. We detected 40 intergenic ChIP-seq peaks of ArsR6 binding distributed across the Brucella genome. 2308Δ pobA was significantly reduced survival capability in RAW 264.7. After the macrophages were infected with 2308Δ pobA , the levels of TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-12 and IL-18 were decreased and were significantly lower than that for the S2308-infected group, indicating that the 2308Δ pobA could reduce the secretion of inflammatory cytokines. Taken together, the research provided new insights into the functionality of ArsR6 and great significance to clarify the function of ArsR6. • 2308ΔArsR6 mutant is attenuated in RAW 264.7 murine macrophages. • ArsR6 modulates expression of a subset of 40 genes. • 2308Δ pobA mutant is attenuated in RAW 264.7 murine macrophages. • 2308Δ pobA mutant affects expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article a 3D/1D round patched transient heat transfer model is proposed to further improve the 3D/1D model. In the 3D/1D model, when an angle is present in a geometric model, the effect of “dead corner” damages the accuracy of the calculation. In the 3D/1D round patched model, a round patch is used to fill the “dead corner” and overcome the effect of “dead corner.” The 3D/1D round patched model is integrated into the 3D CFD code PHYSICA. The simulation results show that the 3D/1D round patched model improves accuracy when calculating heat transfer through the mold–casting interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the development of a 3D/1D patched transient heat transfer model (called 3D/1D patched model). It is proposed for getting accurate thermal boundary conditions in investment castings. In the 3D/1D model, heat transfer in the mould is assumed to take place only in a direction perpendicular to the mould, called 1D heat transfer and is computed via the FD solution of a 1D heat transfer equation. To reduce computational cost and simplify the mesh generation, the coordinates of cell centre and the temperature in the mould can be calculated by the model instead of meshing mould. When 1D patched model is integrated into the 3D CFD code PHYSICA, An area is present where 3D/1D model cannot cover, called ‘dead corner’. To overcome the effect of ‘dead corner’, a patch is introduced to put on it. The simulation results show that the 3D/1D patched model improves the accuracy when calculating the heat transfer through the mould–casting interface. However, it does not function well in 3D geometrical model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the multiplicity of nontrivial solutions for asymptotically linear discrete problem by using critical point theory, Morse theory and minimax methods. We obtained that the problem has at least two nontrivial solutions under various conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By means of the regularity of the differential operators generated by the Szász-Mirakjan operators, this paper further investigates the relation between the approximation rate of the linear combinations of the Szász-Mirakjan operators and the smoothness of the approximated function. We precisely give both the upper and lower bounds, which are of the same order, of the approximation of the linear combinations of these operators. Our results under some conditions include the direct theorem, the inverse theorem and the saturation of the uniform approximation of the linear combinations of these operators, and hence the approximation order of the uniform approximation of the linear combinations of the Szász-Mirakjan operators are further characterized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing studies tend to agree that there are links between owners' capabilities and project performance. However, limited research has systematically addressed the relationships among the multiple facets of organizational capabilities and project performance. This paper quantitatively investigated the relationships among them by developing and testing a capability model. With support of data collected from the hydropower project industry in China, this study has revealed strong correlations between owners' capabilities and project performances, confirming owners' capabilities on obtaining scarce and valued resources, interorganizational linking, information management, and integrating and managing resources can have significant impacts on hydropower project performances. It is concluded that these owners' capabilities are not only important to improve project performances on quality, time, cost, and safety by maximizing the effectiveness of each participant's resources, but also critical to appropriately deal with hydropower projects' externalities for achieving the objectives on project migration, and ecological and environmental impacts. Future studies should be conducted to understand how owners can correctly perceive the properties of external environments for obtaining resources, and to successfully integrate and manage reciprocally interdependent project delivery processes at both intra- and interorganizational levels to achieve superior project performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oral route for delivery of pharmaceuticals is widely used and accepted. However, many biological therapeutics that have poor solubility, poor permeability, and/or poor stability in the gastrointestinal environment have poor oral bioavailability and are therefore rarely used for oral drug delivery. In recent years, nanocarriers are widely used, which can provide an alternative solution for oral administration of these drugs. In this article, several nanocarriers (nanoparticles, micelles, liposomes, nanocrystals, carbon nanotubes, nanoemulsions, dendrimers, and nanospheres) for drug delivery systems have been designed based on different nanomaterials for oral drug delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wide distribution of Cambrian salt-bearing basins is a prominent feature of older strata in Asia. The Cambrian salt-bearing sequences are mainly distributed in East Siberia of Russia, Iran, Oman, India, Pakistan, and China. The Cambrian was one of the most important epochs of potash deposition in the world. Potash salts are found in East Siberia, Iran, India, and Pakistan, and, among them, one of the largest potash deposits in the world-the Siberian Nepa Potash Basin-formed in the Early Cambrian. The Cambrian was also one of the most important epochs of rock gypsum and salt deposition in China. Gypsum deposits occur in all the three major continental blocks of China (Yangtze Block, North China Block, and Tarim Block), forming four large marine salt-bearing basins. Extensive, thick rock salt deposits have been found in the Yangtze Block and Tarim Block, where better potash-bearing hydrochemical manifestations and leaching coefficient anomalies have been found for the first time. In the North China Block, a number of gypsum deposits and occurrences have been observed and Cambrian high-salinity brine and halite crystals found in oil wells. This study for the first time relatively completely analyzes the distribution and tempo-spatial evolution of Cambrian gypsum and salt-bearing basins in China, which provide an important basis for the study of the history of Cambrian paleogeographic evolution over the globe and salt and potash exploration in Cambrian salt-bearing basins of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the existence of non-trivial solutions for a class of second-order difference equations with resonance at both infinity and zero by using the critical point theory, the minimax methods and the Morse theory. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The gas diffusion substrate (GDS) is essential in the proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Its fabrication techniques affect the performance significantly and are worthy of investigation. In this study, a manufacturing process of the GDS is proposed to understand the formation process of GDS and promote its structure and performance more pertinently. Different states during the preparation process, raw carbon paper, pre-curing, curing, carbonation, and graphitization, are characterized and measured. Experimental and numerical methods are employed to determine the relationships between microstructure, transport, and mechanical performance variation with the fabricating processes. The results show that its porosity, average pore size, and effective diffusivity decrease first and increase after curing. These parameters after graphitization are lower than that of the carbon paper (CP). The electrical resistivity increases dramatically while pre-curing and decreases gradually after curing, carbonation, and graphitization, and it is much reduced after graphitization. Moreover, mechanical measurement results show that both the picks of tensile strength and flexural modulus occur after curing. Its tensile strength shows little change after graphitization compared to the initial paper's. In contrast, the flexural modulus is improved significantly. • Microstructural characteristics of GDS during fabrication are investigated. • Transport properties and pore-scale simulations for GDS are performed. • Precuring, curing, carbonation, and graphitization on properties are studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, we study the existence of nontrivial solutions for a class of second-order difference equations with multiple resonance at both infinity and the origin by applying the critical point theory and Morse theory. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, we study the existence of nontrivial solutions for a second order difference systems with multiple resonance at both infinity and zero by applying Morse theory. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, we study the existence of solutions for a class of resonant difference systems by using the minimax methods and the Morse theory. We prove that there exists at least one nontrivial solution for the systems. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Both diabetes and obesity cause cardiac dysfunction. To separate consequences of geometric changes due to obesity from electrophysiological ones, we investigated how changes in cardiac and torso geometry affected body-surface ECGs. For this study, we modified the realistic heart and torso models of the simulation package ECGSIM. ECGs were calculated from action potentials on the heart surface using our bidomain forward-problem solution. These ECGs were studied using spectral- and principal-component analyses and isopotential and energy maps. We found relative errors over the body-surface during the QT interval of 12%, 14%, and 68% for hypertrophy of the heart, extension of the abdomen, and heart displacement with obesity, respectively. The major change to the standard 12-lead set also occurred with heart displacement. The mean relative error over the QT interval in the precordial leads was 78% with heart displacement. These results demonstrate the limitations of using standard lead sets to characterize electrocardiographic changes in obese subjects and point to the need for more inclusive measures, such as body-surface mapping and inverse electrocardiography, to describe electrical remodeling in the presence of habitus changes due to obesity [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]