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Background: Owing to poor organ function reserve, older adults have a high risk of postoperative complications. However, there is no well-established system for assessing the risk of complications after hepatectomy in older adults. Methods: This study aimed to design a risk assessment tool to predict the risk of complications after hepatectomy in adults older than 75 years. A total of 326 patients were identified. A logistic regression equation was used to create the Risk Assessment System of Hepatectomy in Adults (RASHA) for the prediction of complications (Clavien‒Dindo classification ≥ II). Results: Multivariate correlation analysis revealed that comorbidity (≥ 5 kinds of disease or < 5 kinds of disease, odds ratio [OR] = 5.552, P < 0.001), fatigue (yes or no, OR = 4.630, P = 0.009), Child‒Pugh (B or A, OR = 4.211, P = 0.004), number of liver segments to be removed (≥ 3 or ≤ 2, OR = 4.101, P = 0.001), and adjacent organ resection (yes or no, OR = 1.523, P = 0.010) were independent risk factors for postoperative complications after hepatectomy in older persons (aged ≥ 75 years). A binomial logistic regression model was established to evaluate the RASHA score (including the RASHA scale and RASHA formula). The area under the curve (AUC) for the RASHA scale was 0.916, and the cut-off value was 12.5. The AUC for the RASHA formula was 0.801, and the cut-off value was 0.2106. Conclusion: RASHA can be used to effectively predict the postoperative complications of hepatectomy through perioperative variables in adults older than 75 years. Trial registration: The Research Registry: researchregistry8531. https://www.researchregistry.com/browse-the-registry#home/registrationdetails/63901824ae49230021a5a0cf/. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent advancements in network and multimedia technologies have facilitated the distribution and sharing of digital videos over the Internet. These long videos contain very complex contents. Additionally, it is very challenging to use as few frames as possible to cover the video contents without missing too much information. There are at least two ways to describe these complex videos contents with minimal frames: the keyframes extracted from the video or the video summary. The former lays stress on covering the whole video contents as much as possible. The latter emphasizes covering the video contents of interest. As a consequence, keyframes are widely used in many areas such as video segmentation and object tracking. In this paper, we propose a keyframe extraction method based on multiple features via a novel combinatorial optimization algorithm. The key frame extraction is modeled as a combinatorial optimization problem. A fast dynamic programming algorithm based on a forward non-overlapping transfer matrix in polynomial time and a 0-1 integer linear programming algorithm based on an overlapping matrix is proposed to solve our maximization problem. In order to quantitatively evaluate our approach, a long video dataset named 'Animal world' is self-constructed, and the segmentation evaluation criterions are introduced. A good result is achieved on 'Animal world' dataset and a public available Keyframe-Sydney KFSYD dataset [1]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India, Parliamentary Constituencies (PCs) could serve as a regional unit of COVID-19 monitoring that facilitates evidence-based policy decisions. In this study, we presented the first estimates of COVID-19 cumulative cases and deaths per 100,000 population and the case fatality rate (CFR) between 7 January 2020 and 31 January 2021 across PCs and districts of India. We adopted a novel geographic information science-based methodology called crosswalk to estimate COVID-19 outcomes at the PC-level from district-level information. We found a substantial variation of COVID-19 burden within each state and across the country. Access to PC-level and district-level COVID-19 information can enhance both central and regional governmental accountability of safe reopening policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address the difficulty of early fault diagnosis of rolling bearings, this paper proposes a rolling bearing diagnosis method by combining the attention entropy and adaptive deep kernel extreme learning machine (ADKELM). Firstly, the wavelet threshold denoising method is employed to eliminate the noise in the vibration signal. Then, the empirical wavelet transform (EWT) is utilized to decompose the denoised signal, and extract the attention entropy of the intrinsic mode function (IMF) as the feature vector. Next, the hyperparameters of the deep kernel extreme learning machine (DKELM) are optimized using the marine predators algorithm (MPA), so as to achieve the adaptive changes in the DKELM parameters. By analyzing the fault diagnosis performances of the ADKELM model with different kernel functions and hidden layers, the optimal ADKELM model is determined. Compared with conventional machine learning models such as extreme learning machine (ELM), back propagation neural network (BPNN) and probabilistic neural network (PNN), the high efficiency of the method proposed in this paper is verified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiphase dc-excited Vernier reluctance machine (DC-VRM) exhibits the merits of robust structure, small torque ripple, and good fault-tolerant ability. Developing advanced sensorless drive methods can further promote its application in the safety-critical system. In this article, pulse injection sensorless drive methods are optimized in a six-phase DC-VRM parallel H-bridge drive system to strengthen their acceleration performance and fault-tolerant ability. The acceleration performance studied in this article corresponds to the acceleration speed during the startup stage. By the full-phase alternative pulse injection method (APIM), each phase can be excited independently to avoid mutual-inductance influence on position estimation, but this method suffers from a long communication delay and relatively poor acceleration performance. A reduced-phase APIM can reduce detection time, but the lack of detected phase may influence position estimation accuracy and fault-tolerant ability. To solve these problems, a novel vertical-axis synchronous pulse injection method is proposed and compared with previous methods in this article. The key is to inject detection pulses into vertical-axis phases simultaneously, thus reducing the detection time and improving the torque generation. It is proved that the influence of mutual inductance on position estimation can be ignored, and the detection accuracy and acceleration performance can be improved without deterioration of fault-tolerant ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A theoretical model for studying the temperature properties of singlemode-multimode-singlemode (SMS) fiber structure fabricated by absorptive multimode fiber (MMF) cladding is established. Moreover, an SMS-based temperature sensor is fabricated and experimentally demonstrated. Experimental results show that the dip wavelength of the transmission spectrum changes linearly with temperature, which is in good agreement with the simulated results obtained by using the model. Further, a comprehensive study of temperature characteristics affected by the thermo-optic effect, thermal expansion effect, and thermal effect of absorption characteristics is performed for SMS fiber optic structures with different refractive indexes, thermo-optic coefficients, and absorption properties of MMF cladding, MMF core diameters, and thermal expansion coefficients of packaging shell. According to the obtained rules, investigations are carried out into the thermal response of an SMS fiber structure resulting from combined thermal effects for temperature performance optimization. Excellent temperature stability with a temperature sensitivity of 0 pm/°C or good temperature sensitivity of −441.58 pm/°C is achieved accordingly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DC-Excited vernier reluctance machine (DC-VRM) using a 12-slot/10-pole-pair design, exhibits the advantages of small torque ripple and low cogging torque due to the inherent commentary characteristic. However, the inherent saliency is canceled out by a 12/10 pole combination of machine design driven by a traditional three-phase inverter. As a result, the sensorless operation in zero/low-speed regions becomes difficult because the position estimation methods using self-inductance detection cannot be applied. To tackle this problem, we first analyzed the saliency annihilation phenomenon through Fourier analysis that the odd-order harmonics in self-inductance are canceled. Moreover, reconstructing saliency method is proposed by splitting a phase winding into two sub-phase coils and using parallel H-bridge converters to supply sub-phase coils and achieve sensorless drive. Through this method, the saliency effect is recovered in self-inductance, thereby pulse injection sensorless drive can be applied. The constructed 12/10 DC-VRM sensorless drive shows good fault-tolerant ability and can be applied in safety-critical industry applications such as aerospace propulsion. Analysis and experiments are performed in the initial position detection, start-up and free-running stages to verify the feasibility of the proposed solution. A sector estimation accurate to 6° can be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zeolites are important inorganic crystalline microporous materials with a broad range of applications in the areas of catalysis, ion exchange, and adsorption/separations. Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has proven to be a powerful tool in the study of zeolites and relevant catalytic reactions because of its advantage in providing atomic-level insights into molecular structure and dynamic behavior. In this review, we provide a brief discussion on the recent progress in exploring framework structures, catalytically active sites and intermolecular interactions in zeolites and metal-containing ones by using various solid-state NMR methods. Advances in the mechanistic understanding of zeolite-catalysed reactions including methanol and ethanol conversions are presented as selected examples. Finally, we discuss the prospect of the solid-state NMR technique for its application in zeolites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A honeycomb-structured LaCoO 3 functional material with robust sulfur retention and catalytic performance was established as a highly efficient polysulfide converter on the separator to achieve practical Li-S batteries. [Display omitted] • Honeycomb-structured LaCoO 3 has been constructed as a highly efficient polysulfide converter on the separator. • The Li-S battery using LaCoO 3 -functioanlized separator gives a high capacity of 549 mAh/g after a long lifespan of 1000 cycles at 1C. • Under practical conditions of high sulfur content (64 %), lean electrolyte (7 μL mg−1), and high sulfur loading (7.96 mg cm−2), the Li-S battery maintains an areal capacity of 5.91 mAh cm−2 after 50 cycles. Owing to its remarkable energy density and specific capacity, lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery has emerged as one of the most promising energy storage devices. Nevertheless, the shuttle effect and the sluggish conversion of polysulfides significantly impede the practical application of Li-S batteries. Hence, a LaCoO 3 functional material with a unique honeycomb structure was designed as an efficient polysulfide converter. The honeycomb-structured LaCoO 3 not only exhibits strong bonding energy towards polysulfides but also possesses abundant adsorption sites on its surface. The LaCoO 3 material also shows excellent catalytic properties to quickly convert the adsorbed and aggregated polysulfides, effectively suppressing the shuttle effect. Moreover, the honeycomb structure of LaCoO 3 can facilitate the rapid wetting and infiltration of the electrolyte. Consequently, the Li-S cell with LaCoO 3 functionalized separator provides an areal specific capacity of 3.10 mAh cm−2 after 150 cycles under high sulfur loading of 6.52 mg cm−2. Moreover, under practical conditions where the electrolyte content is as low as 7 μL mg−1 and the sulfur loading is 7.96 mg cm−2, the Li-S battery equipped with LaCoO 3 -separator can still provide an areal specific capacity of 5.93 mAh cm−2 after 50 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lung cancer is the most common cancer in the world due to its high incidence and recurrence. Genetic instability is one of the main factors leading to its occurrence, development and poor prognosis. Decreased xeroderma pigmentosum group C (XPC) expression notably enhances the stem cell properties of lung cancer cells and increases their proliferation and migration. Additionally, patients with lung cancer and low XPC expression had a poor prognosis. The purpose of the present study was to analyze the effect of XPC and IFN-γ on the clinical prognosis of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Lung adenocarcinoma specimens were collected from a total of 140 patients with NSCLC. Additionally, from these 140 patients, 48 paracarcinoma tissue specimens were also collected, which were later used to construct tissue microarrays. The expression of XPC and IFN-γ in cancer tissues and in paraneoplastic tissues was detected using immunohistochemistry. The prognosis and overall survival of patients were determined through telephone follow-up. The results showed a positive correlation between expression of XPC and IFN-γ in NSCLC. Additionally, high expression of both markers was associated with a favorable prognosis in patients with NSCLC. The aforementioned findings suggest that the expression of XPC and IFN-γ has prognostic value in clinical practice and is expected to become a marker for clinical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clodinafop-propargyl (CP) is a widely used post-emergence aryloxyphenoxy propionate (AOPP) herbicide and causes serious environmental problems. The elimination of CP from the environment is urgently required, but there are few reports on microbial degradation of CP. In this study, a bacterial consortium WP was enriched from the activated sludge of CP containment, which could completely degrade 50 mg L−1 of CP within 7 days. UPLC-MS analysis showed that the main intermediate metabolites of CP degradation were clodinafop acid (CA), 4-(5-chloro-3-fluoro-2-pyridyloxy) phenol, and 5-chloro-3-fluoropyridin-2-ol. And the metabolic pathway of CP degradation by consortium WP has been proposed. High-throughput sequencing revealed that the consortium WP had rich bacterial diversity, including 4 phyla, 14 classes, and 148 genera. Ten bacteria capable of converting CP to CA were isolated from the consortium WP using LB medium containing CP, and the strain Pseudoxanthomonas sp. WP66 had the strongest conversion ability, which could utilize CP as the sole source for growth and degrade 91.20% of 100 mg L−1 CP within 15 h. This study presented the main degradation pathways of CP by microorganisms, and provided resource of bacterial strain for the removal of CP from the environment. • A consortium WP that completely degraded clodinafop-propargyl (CP) was obtained. • Metabolic pathway of CP was speculated by the identification of metabolites. • Baterial diversity of consortium WP was analyzed by high-throughput sequencing. • The degradation mechanism and characteristics of CP by strain WP66 were studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A seedless method has been developed to synthesize seaweed-like Au nanowires on a Au substrate. The amino silane coupling agent 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane was employed to form the active surfaces that facilitate the one dimensional growth. The growth mechanism and controlling parameters were investigated. Furthermore, the compatibility of this synthesis with a colloidal Au substrate was also demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To explore the value of miR-296 and miR-517c in evaluating the prognosis of patients with glioma after radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Methods. 732 patients with glioma were selected from January 2012 to January 2018. According to the effect of postoperative chemotherapy, the patients were divided into two groups: the effective group and the ineffective group. The serum miR-296, miR-517c, and clinicopathological parameters of the two groups before chemotherapy were compared. The factors affecting the sensitivity of radiotherapy and chemotherapy and the predictive efficacy of miR-296 and miR-517c on the prognosis of patients were analyzed. Results. The expression level of miR-296 in glioma tissue was significantly correlated with tumor pathological grade and depth of invasion (P < 0.05), and the expression level of miR-296 in glioma tissue was significantly correlated with tumor pathological grade (P < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that tumor size, WHO grade, and serum miR-296 and miR-517c levels were all factors affecting chemosensitivity (P < 0.05). The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and AUC of serum miR-296 prediction were 76.95%, 89.64%, 85.35%, and 0.891, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and AUC of serum miR-517c prediction were 72.81%, 86.50%, 82.19%, and 0.739, respectively. Conclusion. miR-296 and miR-517c are closely related to the chemosensitivity and prognosis of glioma patients. High levels of miR-296 and miR-517c can enhance chemosensitivity and serve as reliable indexes to predict the prognosis of patients with glioma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A distributed cooperative control (DCC) strategy based on the consensus protocol is proposed for providing frequency support through voltage source converter based multi-terminal direct current transmission (VSC-MTDC) systems. The DCC consists of a local P-V droop controller and a cooperative agent network for cooperation control. Each agent controller is composed of a frequency regulation subagent (FRA) for frequency support and a load ratio subagent (LRA) for balancing the power sharing amongst the stations connected to the same ac grid. Moreover, to reduce the impact of the communication link failure, a topology evaluating method is proposed to select the suitable topology of the communication network via graph theory. The small signal stability analysis and the steady-state analysis are performed to investigate the stability and the consensus performance of the VSC-MTDC systems with DCC. Compared with decentralized control, the DCC can simultaneously achieve better frequency support and power sharing without leading to a large dc voltage deviation. The effectiveness of the DCC is verified by simulations on a hybrid ac/dc grid with a 7-terminal VSC-MTDC in DIgSILENT/PowerFactory under the load step change event and communication failure event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: National averages obscure geographic variation in program performance. We determined Parliamentary Constituency (PC)‐wise estimates of TB notification to guide political engagement. Methods: We extracted district‐level TB notification data from the 2018 annual TB report. We derived PC‐level estimates by building a 'cross‐walk' between districts and PCs using boundary shapefiles. We described the spatial distribution of the PC‐wise estimates of Total Notification Rate and percentage of Private Sector Notification. Results: The median PC‐wise Total Notification Rate was 126.24/100 000 (IQR: 94.86/100 000, 162.22/100 000). The median PC‐wise Percentage Private Sector Notification was 18.03% (IQR: 9.56%, 26.84%). Only 16 (2.94%) PCs met the target of 50% private sector notification. Most of high notification rates in PCs were driven by high notification in public sector. There was geographic – both interstate and within state inter‐PC – variation in the estimates of these indicators. The study identified some geographic patterns of notification – high positive outlier PCs with adjoining PCs in lower deciles of notification rates, intra‐state differences in PC performance, and similarities in notification rates of adjoining PCs in different states. Conclusion: In addition to regional inequality, the study identified geospatial patterns that can aid in the formulation of suitable interventions. These include decongestion of overburdened facilities by strengthening poorly performing units. The PCs with a high percentage Private Sector Notification can act as role models for neighbouring PCs to improve private sector engagement. MPs can play a crucial role in mobilising additional resources, creating awareness, and establishing inter‐PC and inter‐state collaboration to improve TB program performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In hepatocellular carcinoma patients, due to the microenvironmental specificity of liver, the tumor microenvironment exhibits high immunosuppression and drug resistance, resulting in excessive or insufficient responses to immunotherapy. The dynamic interactions between tumor cells and immune modulators in the TME significantly impact the occurrence and development of tumors, efficacy, and drug resistance, which can create a much more positive response to immunotherapy. Moreover, with the wide application of single-cell sequencing technology in the TME, increasing evidence shows an interaction network among cells. Sequencing results suggest that specific tumor-associated macrophages are a hub node, connecting different cell populations in the cell interaction network, and can could regulate tumor generation and antitumor immunity. This review focused on therapeutic targets that could be targeted to remodel the tumor microenvironment and reprogram the tumor-associated macrophage phenotype in hepatocellular carcinoma patients, thereby improving immunotherapeutic efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The virtual synchronous generator (VSG) has been widely applied for mimicking the dynamic performance of a synchronous generator (SG) by power-electronic interfaced power sources. When the VSG is implemented in VSC-based multi-terminal direct current (VSC-MTDC) systems, the impact of VSG on both ac- and dc-grid dynamics, i.e., the low frequency oscillatory (LFO) modes and dc voltage stability should be taken into consideration. This paper investigates the participation of the VSG controller in low frequency oscillatory (LFO) modes and the impact on dc voltage stability. The influence of VSG parameters on the system dynamics is investigated by the Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) analysis and modal analysis. A parameter alternating VSG (AVSG) controller is proposed to improve the damping performance to LFO modes and mitigating the negative impact of VSG on dc voltage stability. The effectiveness of the proposed AVSG controller is validated according to the non-linear simulations on two test systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) have found use in a wide range of applications, such as adhesives, elastomers, coatings, fibers, and in additive manufacturing techniques such as 3D printing. Despite their omnipresence, the need for advanced TPEs with adaptive properties is continuously growing. Along with a brief historical introduction, this review presents an overview of typical structure-property relationships for various TPEs and discusses the design principles of TPEs from a synthetic chemistry perspective. Recent advances in TPEs with different macromolecular architectures, including linear ABA triblock copolymers, ABC triblock terpolymers, multiblock copolymers, star copolymers, graft copolymers, bottlebrush polymers, and hyperbranched polymers are reviewed. Service temperatures and mechanical properties of the different materials are compared in each section. Incorporating various supramolecular interactions into different macromolecular architectures as a means to further extend the range of TPE applications is also discussed. Future opportunities for TPE research in both academia and industry are addressed as perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continuous expansion of the scale of power generated by grid-connected renewable energy, the form and operation characteristics of power grids have undergone significant changes, and the power electronic characteristics of power systems are prominent, resulting in the frequent occurrence of wide-band oscillation problems when renewable energy power generation equipment is connected to a power grid. Oscillation has the characteristics of nonlinearity and has an oscillation frequency ranging from a few hertz to several thousand hertz or more, which seriously threatens the stable operation of power grids. This paper summarizes the wide-band oscillation events that occur worldwide under the background of renewable energy access to power grids, classifies the wide-band oscillation events according to the distribution of oscillation frequency bands, and sorts out the characteristics of various oscillations. From the perspectives of the source side and network side, the existing oscillation suppression measures are classified and prospected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial wastewater typically contains many organic and inorganic pollutants and is also contaminated by various microorganisms. Microbial species in industrial wastewater have not been extensively investigated. In this experiment, a Klebsiella pneumoniae strain was isolated for the first time from industrial wastewater containing a high concentration of sulfate and phosphate. Mass spectrometry, genetic analysis, and biochemical identification were conducted to understand the genetic and biochemical characteristics of this Klebsiella pneumoniae strain recovered from industrial wastewater. Growth experiments revealed that it exhibited an excellent growth rate in nutrient broth. Further analyses showed that the strain was sensitive to most antibiotics but resistant to chloramphenicol and nitrofurantoin. It also exhibited significant resistance to piperacillin/tazobactam and cefotaxime/clavulanic acid. Resistance gene experiments indicated the presence of gyrA, OqxB, and ParC genes associated with antibiotic resistance in the isolated Klebsiella pneumoniae strain. Proteomics uncovered the following three proteins related to drug resistance: the multi-drug resistant outer membrane protein MdtQ, the multi-drug resistant secretion protein, and the modulator of drug activity B, which are coexistent in Klebsiella pneumoniae. Proteomics and bioinformatics analyses further analyzed the protein composition and functional enrichment of Klebsiella pneumoniae. The isolation of Klebsiella pneumoniae from a high concentration in sulfate and phosphate industrial wastewater provides a new direction for further research on the characteristics and drug resistance traits of industrial wastewater microorganisms and the potential risks they may pose when released into the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The use of crop residues as mulching materials or organic fertilizer, instead of burning, can help improve the soil organic carbon (SOC) and crop grain yield. An experiment was conducted for three consecutive seasons from 2013 to 2016, to study the effect of no straw (S0), S1/2 (700 kg/ha soybean straw, and 3000 kg/ha wheat straw), and S1 (1400 kg ha−1 soybean straw, and 6000 kg/ha wheat straw) treatments in wheat-soybean multi-crop system. The randomized complete block design was used with three repeats. Compared with the S0 regime, a significant increase of 0.5%–8.7% and 1.4%–27.7% in soil CO 2 emission was observed in the S1 regime during all growth stages of summer soybean and winter wheat, respectively. Soil temperature of S1/2 and S1 was 0.1–1.1 °C and 0.3–1.4 °C higher than that of S0 during the seeding stage and greening stage for wheat, during 2013 to 2016. During wheat season, soil moisture was higher in the S1 than in the S0 treatment. Likewise, wheat, soybean crop resulted the same results. Soil CO 2 emissions increase with the increasing in soil temperature, and 73.4–73.9% of the variation could be explained by seasonal variation in soil temperature in wheat season. Similarly, 69.5–74.7% of the variation in soil CO 2 emissions is recorded by seasonal variation in soil temperature in summer soybean season. Meanwhile (S1) increased the SOC and grain yield of wheat and soybean when compared to S0. Straw input increasing soil CO 2 , grain yield and SOC content, considering the benefits of straw inputs to crops yield and SOC content, It is concluded that the addition of straw improve agriculture production. However, the types of straw inputs in order to promote the sequestration of soil organic carbon with the decrease in greenhouse gas emission is the future research direction for agriculture development in Guanzhong region of China. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • Soil temperature was the main driven for soil CO 2 emission • Cumulative soil CO 2 emission increased by straw input • Straw input increased soil organic carbon • Straw returning and mulching increased soil CO 2 emission and crop yield [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Undesirable pressure pulsations will be induced by flow instabilities in the draft tube when the Francis turbine operates at off-design conditions, which have multiple effects on the steady operation, and the effects vary with the operating condition. Therefore, the establishment of a comprehensive state evaluation index of the draft tube pressure pulsation (DTPP) is of great practical significance. In this study, a comprehensive evaluation method of DTPP has been proposed based on Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition (EEMD) and information entropy. First, the frequency components of DTPP are separated by the EEMD method which is more suitable for the analysis of non-stationary pressure pulsation signal. Second, to eliminate the effects of noise, a targeted EEMD noise reduction method which is combined with autocorrelation analysis and wavelet soft-threshold de-noising method is designed for the DTPP signal. Then, index energy values of all frequency components are calculated and normalized, and the values of the signals’ characteristic entropy are obtained by using the normalized index energy vector as the input vector. Finally, characteristic entropy values of all pressure pulsation signals measured from the draft tube are integrated into an index, which is named as the comprehensive characteristic entropy of DTPP (E_DTPP). The state of DTPP is comprehensively evaluated by E_DTPP. This method was evaluated by the actual measuring data of a 200 MW hydroelectric generating unit. The case study indicates that this single index can be utilized to evaluate the actual state of DTPP, and pressure pulsations will have distinct influence on the operation stability when E_DTPP increases obviously. The efforts of this study provide a novel and useful method for the comprehensive state evaluation of DTPP, and the E_DTPP could be used as an index for the stability of Francis turbine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Wheat straw mulch increases (7.4%) soil moisture and decreases (3%) soil temperature. • Increases in straw mulch and nitrogen significantly improved growth of soybean. • Straw mulch (6 tons ha−1) with 27 kg N ha−1 significantly increased yield of soybean. Abstract In North-west china, the soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) is grown in June, when the climate is dry, and soil has limited moisture contents. Moisture deficiency limits the soybean biomass. We studied the effects of wheat straw mulching and nitrogen on soybean growth, physiology and soil properties in three-year field experiments. The treatments included three straw mulching i.e. S1 (0 kg ha−1), S2 (3000 kg ha−1) and S3 (6000 kg ha−1), and three nitrogen rates i.e. N1 (0 kg N ha−1), N2 (21.6 kg N ha−1), and N3 (27 kg N ha−1). Full mulching (S3) significantly increased moisture retention (7.4%) and decrease soil temperature (3.0%) in 0–20 cm soil depth, increased photosynthesis, SPAD-value, leaf area, leaf area index, growth, and soybean grain yield (20.8%) over no-mulching (S1). The S3 improved the roots mass, nodules number and weight than S1. The application of 27 kg N ha−1 or 100% N fertilizer (N3) had significantly increased photosynthesis, SPAD-value, growth, and biomass and seed yield of soybean over no-N application (N1). It was concluded that using straw mulching (6 Mg ha−1) can change the soil hydrothermal regime for provision of favorable condition for soybean growth when 27 kg N ha−1 was used in semi-arid condition of North-west China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Addition of organic material, such as crop straw mulch in most soils is considered a strategy for sustainable agricultural production. We conducted a two-year experiment in 2015 and 2016 to determine changes in soil biochemical properties and maize yield in response to treatment with wheat-straw mulch. The treatments consisted of the addition of different levels of wheat-straw mulch (S1: 0, S2: 2500, S3: 5000 kg ha −1 ). Soil samples from four depths (0.1, 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 m) were collected and analyzed. Soil enzymes, such as invertase, phosphatase, urease, and catalase, were significantly higher in the S3 treatment than in the S1 treatment. Values were greater for the samples collected at 0.1 m soil depth than those collected from deeper soil layers. Regarding soil properties, soil organic carbon (SOC), available nitrogen (AN), available phosphorus (AP), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and soil water content (SWC) were significantly higher in S3 at 0–0.1 m soil depth than in other treatments. Compared with the (S1), an average increase in SOC, AN, AP, TN, TP, and SWC in 0–0.4 m soil depth with full straw mulch (S3), were 32.4, 31.9, 32.0, 11.8, 16.7, and 18.5%, higher, respectively. On average, urease, phosphatase, invertase, and catalase increased by 15.1, 11.0, 88.4, and 24.0%, respectively in the S3 treatment compared with that in the S1 treatment at 0–0.1 m depth, and decreased with increasing soil depth. The S3 treatment had increased grain yield (7%), biomass yield (28%), and water use efficiency (8%), compared with the S1 treatment. Overall, our results suggested that the S3 straw mulch treatment (5000 kg ha −1 ) could be used to sustain maize productivity and promote a better relationship between soil enzymes and soil properties in the semi-arid conditions of the Guanzhong area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A Si-based microchannel heatsink was used to improve the transient response characteristics of IR emitter. • A 3-D FEM was used to analyze the electrical-thermal and heat transfer behaviors of devices. • The devices performance can be improved when the flow velocity of coolant is larger than 0.5 m/s. Structure design and thermal simulation of MEMS-based thermal infrared (TIR) emitter integrated with Si-based microchannel heatsink (MCHS) were presented for gas sensing application. The MCHS attached on the bottom of TIR emitter was used to transfer heat to coolant for improving the transient response characteristics of TIR emitters. A three-dimensional finite element method was used to analyze the electrical heating and heat transfer behaviors of the TIR emitter with MCHS through COMSOL Multiphysics® platform. The surface temperature distribution and transient response were simulated when different flow velocities of coolant passed through the MCHS, and the influence of the flow velocity on the response characteristics was analyzed. The result shows that the temperature in the Si frame of TIR emitters will be significant reduced when the flow velocity of coolant is larger than 0.5 m/s, which will enable an effective improvement in the response characteristics of MEMS TIR emitters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microstructure and properties of Cu/Ti laser welded joints. The optical microscopy, SEM, EDS, XRD and TEM were applied to assess the microstructure and bonding mechanism of Cu/Ti joints. When the laser beam was used to irradiate the copper side with an offset value of 0.45 mm, the welded metal and fusion line of Cu side were mainly consisted of the Cu solid solution. The intermetallic layer was formed at the titanium-welded metal interface. The thickness of IMCs was about 25 μm and consisted of the Cu solid solution, intermetallic compounds such as TiCu, TiCu 2 , Ti 2 Cu and Ti 3 Cu 4 . The tensile strength of butt joints could reach 151 MPa, i.e. 61% of the tensile strength of the copper base metal. The quasi-cleavage fracture occurred at the IMCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public transport plays an important role in the environment. This study established a Spatial Computable General Equilibrium (SCGE) model to examine the economic and environmental effects of public transport subsidy policies. The model includes firms, consumers, and traffic modules in one framework. Statistical data from Beijing were used in calibration to obtain benchmark equilibrium. Based on the equilibrium, simulations compared citywide social welfare, jobs-housing spatial population distribution, and environmental outputs under four subsidy policies: fare subsidy, cash grants, road expansion, and public transport speedup. Based on the results regarding the effects of public transport policies, conclusions can be drawn about which policies will have greater overall social influence and should therefore be used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid increase of renewable energy sources and power electronic converters in the power system, the inertia of the power system is declined and the stability problem is more serious than ever before. In this paper, a virtual synchronous generator (VSG) control strategy is proposed to enable the voltage-source converter-based multiterminal high-voltage direct current (VSC-MTDC) system to damp the low-frequency oscillation modes. Both rotational inertia part and governor part are modeled in the VSG controller. The $V^2-P-\omega$ characteristic is developed based on the $V^2-P$ droop control to emulate the action of the speed governor when the frequency of ac grid deviates from the nominal value. The virtual inertia part is used to emulate the inertia response of the synchronous generator. The communication between VSC stations is unnecessary with the autonomous power allocation ability of the $V^2-P-\omega$ characteristic. Modal analysis is utilized to test the system stability and optimize the controller parameters. Two test systems which include offshore wind farms, VSC-MTDC systems, and onshore power grids are built in the DIgSIENT/PowerFactory. The simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed VSG strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Herein, we reported a general protocol for an ab initio modeling approach to deduce structure information of polyoxometalates (POMs) in solutions from scattering data collected by the small‐angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS) technique. To validate the protocol, the morphologies of a serious of known POMs in either aqueous or organic solvents were analyzed. The obtained particle morphologies were compared and confirmed with previous reported crystal structures. To extend the feasibility of the protocol to an unknown system of aqueous solutions of Na2MoO4 with the pH ranging from −1 to 8.35, the formation of {Mo36} clusters was probed, identified, and confirmed by SAXS. The approach was further optimized with a multi‐processing capability to achieve fast analysis of experimental data, thereby, facilitating in situ studies of formations of POMs in solutions. The advantage of this approach is to generate intuitive 3D models of POMs in solutions without confining information such as symmetries and possible sizes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an adaptive droop control (ADC) strategy for the voltage source converter (VSC) based multiterminal high voltage direct current (VSC-MTDC) system, which enables the VSC-station to provide frequency regulation for onshore ac grids. A V-I-f characteristic is derived to establish the relationship between the frequency deviation and dc voltage. A VSC-station working with the V-I-f characteristic is able to adjust its dc voltage reference autonomously according to the grid frequency deviation. Thus, the power flow of the VSC-MTDC system will be redistributed and more power is going to be injected into the adjacent grid of which the frequency deviation exceeds the threshold value. The ADC strategy inherits the advantage of the traditional droop control (TDC) that there is no need for communication system. An ac/dc hybrid system that includes VSC-MTDC system, onshore grids, and offshore wind farms is built in DIgSILENT/Powerfactory. Modal analysis and nonlinear simulations are performed to obtain the optimal control parameters and demonstrate the performance of the ADC strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pressure fluctuation has multiple influence on the steady operation of Francis turbine, and the impact degree varies with the operation condition. In this paper, for the analysis of pressure fluctuation in the Francis turbine, a novel feature extraction method of multidimensional frequency bands energy ratio is proposed based on Hilbert Huang Transform (HHT). Firstly, the pressure fluctuation signal is decomposed into intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) by EEMD. Secondly, the Hilbert marginal spectrum is utilized to analyze the frequency characteristics of IMFs. Then, according to the inner frequency of IMFs, each of them is divided into high, medium, or low frequency band which are constructed based on the frequency characteristic of the pressure fluctuations in the Francis turbine. Afterward, the energy ratio of each frequency band to the original signal is calculated, which is to realize the feature extraction of multidimensional frequency band energy ratio. Actual applications verify that this method not only can extract the time-frequency characteristics but also can analyze the condition feature of the pressure fluctuation. It is a novel method for extracting the feature of pressure fluctuation in the Francis turbine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Single-walled carbon nanotube aerogels with hierarchical lamellar structures and a super-wettability are prepared by freeze casting for suppressing the shuttling of polysulfides in lithium-sulfur batteries. • The lithium-sulfur batteries with aerogel interlayers show a high initial area capacity of 7.1 mAh cm−2 at a sulfur loading of 8.02 mg cm−2. • The lean-electrolyte lithium-sulfur batteries with aerogel interlayers can maintain a specific capacity of 559 mAh g−1 at a sulfur loading of 10.35 mg cm−2. Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery has been recognized as a new energy storage device with broad prospects because of its satisfactory specific capacity and theoretical energy density. Nevertheless, the shuttle effect of polysulfides seriously hinders the real applications of high-sulfur-loaded Li-S batteries. To remove the hurdle, hierarchical lamellar single-walled carbon nanotube aerogels (SWCNTAs) are herein fabricated and applied as multifunctional interlayers in Li-S batteries, which exhibit an initial area-specific capacity as high as 7.1 mAh cm−2 at a sulfur loading of 8.02 mg cm−2. The introduced SWCNTA interlayers can lower the internal resistance and suppress the shuttling of polysulfides by a layer-by-layer physical blocking mechanism. Moreover, owing to the super wettability of SWCNTAs, electrolytes with a dosage of 10 μL mg−1 could effectively wet and infiltrate the interlayers, rendering the lean-electrolyte Li-S batteries a high specific capacity of 559 mAh g−1 at a sulfur loading of 10.35 mg cm−2 after 60 cycles. This work presents an example for rationally designing the interlayers structures for high-sulfur loading batteries, which paves a stepping stone for the future commercialization of Li-S batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the unsatisfactory physicochemical properties of egg white proteins (EWPs), which limit their widespread application in wound dressings, we modified EWPs with graphene oxide (GO) due to excellent material properties. Egg white protein (EWP)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/graphene oxide (GO) fibrous wound dressings with different GO concentrations (0, 0.5, 1, and 2 mg/ml) were produced by electrospinning, and their application potential in skin tissue repair was studied. The fabricated fibrous wound dressing was cross-linked and characterised, and hydrophilicity, degradation, water vapour transmission rate (WVTR), mechanical properties, antibacterial activity, cell compatibility and wound healing effect in vivo were measured. As the GO content increased, the spinnability of the mixed solution was reduced. FTIR and XRD confirmed that the GO, EWPs and PVA fibres were successfully combined. The addition of GO improved the antibacterial activity of the wound dressings. The overall performance of the EWP/PVA/GO wound dressing containing 1 mg/ml GO was optimal, displaying good hydrophilicity, degradation, WVTR, thermal stability, tensile mechanical properties, cell survival, and enhancing the proliferation, adhesion and migration of human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). In vivo healing experiments showed that the wound dressing containing 1 mg/ml GO promoted skin wound healing and tissue regeneration (type I collagen, vascularisation and hair follicle) the best. EWP/PVA/GO electrospun fibres with 1 mg/ml GO have great potential in wound dressing applications. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The practical application of aqueous Zn‐ion batteries is still greatly hindered by the unstable Zn anode with severe Zn dendrites growth and side reactions. As it is accessible and economical, the exploitation of electrolyte additives is one of the most promising strategies to stabilize the Zn electrode/electrolyte interface. Herein, the penta‐potassium triphosphate (KTPP) as a novel trifunctional electrolyte additive is introduced to tune the electrode/electrolyte interface. First, the KTPP additive can induce an ion‐conducting and mechanically robust solid electrolyte interphase film to stabilize the Zn anode. Second, the KTPP can complex with Zn2+ ions to reconstitute the dissolution sheath structure of the Zn2+ ion. Finally, the K+ cations in KTPP adsorb on the tips of the Zn anode surface as a shielding film to regulate Zn2+ ion flux. As a result, Zn//Zn symmetric cells can achieve significantly prolonged cycling stability (e.g., from 1077 to 3800 h at 1 mA cm−2/1 mAh cm−2, from 256 to 2500 h at 2 mA cm−2/2 mAh cm−2), and ultrahigh cumulative capacity of 6400/7200 mAh cm−2 at high current density (40/20 mA cm−2). A four‐layer Zn–MnO2 pouch full cell with a high capacity of 9 mAh can be constructed, showing impressive practical application potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vibrio parahaemolyticus, a marine pathogen, is a causative agent of gastroenteritis in humans after consumption of contaminated seafood. In recent years, infections with V. parahaemolyticus have become an increasingly frequent factor in microbial food poisoning; therefore, it is urgent to figure out ways to control Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Endolysins, lytic enzymes encoded by bacteriophages, have been regarded as a therapeutic alternative to antibiotics in control of bacterial growth and have been successfully utilized in various areas. Here, we report the full genome sequence of the novel phage qdvp001, which lyses Vibrio parahaemolyticus 17802. The qdvp001 genome consists of a 134,742-bp DNA with a G+C content of 35.35 % and 227 putative open reading frames. Analysis revealed that the qdvp001 open reading frames encoded various putative functional proteins with a putative endolysin gene (ORF 60). No holin genes were identified in qdvp001. ORF 60 was cloned and expressed. The results showed that the purified endolysin Lysqdvp001 had a high hydrolytic activity toward Vibrio parahaemolyticus and a broader spectrum compared to that of the parental bacteriophage qdvp001. Thus, purified endolysin Lysqdvp001 has a potential to be used as an antibacterial agent in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wet particle fluidization is commonly applied in some industries such as catalytic cracking, pharmaceutical manufacturing, mineral processing, food drying, etc. Understanding the within fluidization characteristics is important for the scale-up, design and optimization of industrial process. This article reviews the recent studies on fluidization characteristics of wet particles in fluidized beds and spouted beds. Both physical experiment and numerical simulation results are included. For physical experiments, the focus is on the development of new measurement methods and the resulting findings. For numerical simulations, the focus is especially on the development of the discrete element method (DEM) which can lead to new insights for wet particle fluidization at particle scale. Finally, challenges and needs for future research on wet particle fluidization are discussed. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a tunable and wideband microwave photonic phase shifter based on polarization-dependence of the LiNbO 3 Mach–Zehender modulator (MZM). In the proposed device, an orthogonal single sideband modulation is implemented by using a MZM and an optical band-pass filter. With the polarizer to synthesize the polarization orthogonal optical carrier and sideband, the phase of the optical microwave signal output from the polarizer can be tuned from 0 to 360° by simply adjusting the polarization direction of the lights whereas the amplitude keeps constant. A full range tunable phase shifting in the frequency range of 10–35 GHz is achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the synthesis of poly(n-butyl acrylate)-g-poly(methyl methacrylate)(PnBA-g-PMMA) multigraft copolymersvia a grafting-through (macromonomer) approach. The synthesis wasperformed using two controlled polymerization techniques. The PMMAmacromonomer was obtained by high-vacuum anionic polymerization followedby the copolymerization of n-butyl acrylate and PMMAmacromonomer using reversible addition–fragmentation chaintransfer (RAFT) polymerization to yield the desired all-acrylic multigraftstructures. The PnBA-g-PMMA multigraftstructures exhibit randomly spaced branch points with various PMMAcontents, ranging from 15 to 40 vol %, allowing an investigation intohow physical properties vary with differences in the number of branchpoints and molecular weight of grafted side chains. The determinationof molecular weight and polydispersity indices of both the PMMA macromonomerand the graft copolymers was carried out using size exclusion chromatographywith triple detection, and the structural characteristics of boththe macromonomer and PnBA-g-PMMAgraft materials were characterized by 1H and 13C NMR. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flightmass spectrometry was employed for monitoring the macromonomer synthesis.Thermal characteristics of the materials were analyzed using differentialscanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis. The mechanicalperformance of the graft materials was characterized by rheology anddynamic mechanical analysis, revealing that samples with PMMA contentof 25–40 vol % exhibit superior elastomeric properties as comparedto materials containing short PMMA side chains or <25 vol % PMMA.Lastly, atomic force microscopy showed a varying degree of microphaseseparation between the glassy and rubbery components that is stronglydependent on PMMA side chain molecular weight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Controlling heat stress (HS) is a global challenge for the dairy industry. However, simple and reliable biomarkers that aid the diagnoses of HS-induced metabolic disorders have not yet been identified. In this work, an integrated metabolomic and lipidomic approach using 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance and ultra-fast LC–MS was employed to investigate the discrimination of plasma metabolic profiles between HS-free and HS lactating dairy cows. Targeted detection using LC–MS in multiple reaction monitoring mode was used to verify the reliability of the metabolites as biomarker candidates. Overall, 41 metabolites were identified as candidates for lactating dairy cows exposed to HS, among which 13 metabolites, including trimethylamine, glucose, lactate, betaine, creatine, pyruvate, acetoacetate, acetone, β-hydroxybutyrate, C16 sphinganine, lysophosphatidylcholine (18:0), phosphatidylcholine (16:0/14:0), and arachidonic acid, had high sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing HS status, and are likely to be the potential biomarkers of HS dairy cows. All of these potentially diagnostic biomarkers were involved in carbohydrate, amino acid, lipid, or gut microbiome-derived metabolism, indicating that HS affected the metabolic pathways in lactating dairy cows. Further research is warranted to evaluate these biomarkers in practical applications and to elucidate the physiological mechanisms of HS-induced metabolic disorders. Biological significance Heat stress (HS) annually causes huge losses to global dairy industry, including animal performance decrease, metabolic disorder and health problem. So far, physiological mechanisms underlying HS of dairy cows still remain elusive. To our best knowledge, this is the first attempt to elucidate the HS-induced metabolic disorders of dairy cows using integrated 1 H NMR and LC–MS-based metabolic study. The results not only provided potential diagnostic biomarkers for HS lactating dairy cows, but also significantly explored the related physiological mechanisms of metabolic pathway shifts induced by HS environment. This work offers comprehensive insights into the global metabolic alterations of dairy cows exposed to HS and provides a new perspective for further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comband centipede multigraft copolymers, poly(n-butylacrylate)-g-polystyrene (PnBA-g-PS) with PnBA backbones and PS side chains,were synthesized via high-vacuum anionic polymerization and miniemulsionpolymerization. Single-tailed and double-tailed PS macromonomers weresynthesized by anionic polymerization and Steglich esterification.Subsequently, the copolymerization of each macromonomer and nBA was carried out in miniemulsion, and multigraft copolymerswere obtained. The latex particles of multigraft copolymers were characterizedusing dynamic light scattering. The molecular weights of macromonomersand multigraft copolymers were analyzed by size exclusion chromatography.Moreover, the molecular weights and structures of macromonomers wereinvestigated by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flightmass spectrometry and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.The weight contents of PS in comb and centipede multigraft copolymerswere calculated by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.The thermal properties of multigraft copolymers were characterizedby thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry.The microphase separation of multigraft copolymers was observed byatomic force microscopy and transmission electronic microscopy. Rheologicalmeasurements showed that comb and centipede multigraft copolymershave elastic properties when the weight content of PS side chainsis 26–32 wt %. Centipede multigraft copolymers possess betterelastic properties than comb multigraft copolymers with the similarweight content of PS. These findings are similar to previous resultson poly(isoprene-g-polystyrene) comb and centipedecopolymers made by anionic polymerization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Pressurized fluidization behavior of Geldart-D particles was experimentally studied. • Geldart-D particles behaved like Geldart-B particles at elevated pressure. • Fluidization became more intense at the same U f as elevating operating pressure. • The bubble size decreased at the same U f / U mf with an increase in pressure. • The U mf of Geldart-D particles decreased when increasing operating pressure. The pressurized bubbling fluidized bed shows great advantage in retreating municipal solid waste because it could effectively capture CO 2 and enhance the reaction rate of the process of combustion and gasification. In the present work, fluidization characteristics of Geldart-D particles at elevated pressure were experimentally investigated, such as flow pattern, pressure drop, minimum fluidization gas velocity. At the same fluidization gas velocity, as elevating operating pressure, the fluidization of Geldart-D particles became more intense, the bubbles got larger, the standard deviation and the power density of dominant frequency of the pressure drop signal increased. While, under the same fluidization number, as increasing operating pressure, the fluidization of Geldart-D particles became smoother, the bubble size decreased, both the standard deviation and the power density of dominant frequency of the pressure drop signal decreased. It seems that, under elevated pressure, the fluidization behavior of Geldart-D particles would transition to that of Geldart-B particles. Finally, the minimum fluidization velocity of the Geldart-D particles was found decreased with the increase of the operating pressure. A new correlation for the prediction of the minimum fluidization velocity of Geldart-D particles at elevated pressure was also formulated based on the present experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liver-directed gene therapy has become a promising treatment for many liver diseases. In this study, we constructed a multi-functional targeting molecule, which maintains targeting, endosome-escaping, and DNA-binding abilities for gene delivery. Two single oligonucleotide chains of Melittin (M) were synthesized. The full-length cDNA encoding anti-hepatic asialoglycoprotein receptor scFv C1 (C1) was purified from C1/pIT2. The GAL4 (G) gene was amplified from pSW50-Gal4 by polymerase chain reaction. M, C1 and G were inserted into plasmid pGC4C26H to product the recombinant plasmid pGC-C1MG. The fused gene C1MG was subsequently subcloned into plasmid pET32c to product the recombinant plasmid C1MG/pET32c and expressed in Escherichia coli BL21. The scFv-Mel-Gal4 triple fusion protein (C1MG) was purified with a Ni2+ chelating HiTrap HP column. The fusion protein C1MG of roughly 64 kD was expressed in inclusion bodies; 4.5 mg/ml C1MG was prepared with Ni2+ column purification. Western blot and immunohistochemistry showed the antigen-binding ability of C1MG to the cell surface of the liver-derived cell line and liver tissue slices. Hemolysis testing showed that C1MG maintained membrane-disrupting activity. DNA-binding capacity was substantiated by luciferase assay, suggesting that C1MG could deliver the DNA into cells efficiently on the basis of C1MG. Successful expression of C1MG was achieved in E. coli, and C1MG recombinant protein confers targeting, endosome-escaping and DNA-binding capacity, which makes it probable to further study its liver-specific DNA delivery efficacy in vivo. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The equivalent model of VSC stations are obtained using the feedback linearization. • The high gain observer is utilized to estimate the lumped perturbations. • Accurate model and parameters are not required by the proposed controller. The voltage source converter based multi-terminal direct-current (VSC-MTDC) system is a promising technique to integrate multiple large offshore wind farms (OWF) and to share the power between multiple ac grids. The operation and control of VSC-MTDC systems could be affected by multiple uncertainties, e.g., the stochastic power generation of OWFs, nonlinearities of VSC-MTDC systems and unknown dynamics triggered by grid faults, which may result in poor dynamic performance and stability issues. In this paper, a perturbation observer-based nonlinear control (PONC) is proposed to improve the robustness of VSC-MTDC systems with OWFs. The perturbation observer is designed to estimate the lumped perturbation terms, which include all the system uncertainties, unknown dynamics and the external disturbances together with the state estimates. Based on the estimated perturbation and states, the output feedback linearization controllers are designed to compensate the impact of the lumped perturbation and to achieve robust tracking performance, without requiring the accurate system model. The effectiveness of PONC is verified by a 5-terminal VSC-MTDC system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reluctance machine is a potential candidate for electrical vehicle propulsion because of its reliable structure, low cost, flexible flux regulation ability, and wide speed range. However, the torque density is unsatisfactory because of the poor excitation ability and low stator core utilization factor. To solve this problem, in this paper, a novel hybrid reluctance machine (HRM) with the skewed permanent magnet (PM) and the zero-sequence current is proposed for electric vehicles. The skewed PM has two magnetomotive force (MMF) components with different functions. The radial MMF component provides extra torque by the flux modulation effect. The tangential MMF component can generate a constant biased field in the stator core to relieve the saturation caused by the zero-sequence current and thus improve the utilization factor of the stator core. Therefore, torque improvement and the relief of stator core saturation can be simultaneously achieved by the skewed PM. In this paper, the machine structure and principle of the proposed machine are introduced. And ultimately, the machine's electromagnetic performances are evaluated under different PM magnetization directions and zero-sequence current angles by using finite element analysis (FEA). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A novel capillary electrophoresis and amperometric detection method was achieved by adding an electroactive additive (3,4-dihydroxybenzylamine, 3,4-DHBA) to the running buffer, so that both electroactive and non-electroactive food preservatives were simultaneously determined. Under the selected optimum conditions, four electroactive preservatives (methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben and butylparaben) and two non-electroactive preservatives (potassium sorbate and sodium lactate) were well separated and sensitively detected with detection limits (S/N=3) ranging from 1.06×10−8 to 2.73×10−6 gmL−1. This method has been successfully employed for the determination of both electroactive and non-electroactive preservatives in several food commodities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The fast separation capability of a capillary electrophoresis with electrochemical detection (CE–ED) system was demonstrated by determining five β-agonists including clenbuterol, metoprolol, ractopamine, isoxsuprine and salbutamol in several real samples. Factors influencing the separation and detection were examined and optimized. Under the optimum conditions, the five β-agonists could be well separated within 15min at a separation voltage of 14kV in a 100mmoL H3BO3–Na2B4O7 running buffer (pH 9.0). This method was successfully used in the analysis of clenbuterol, metoprolol, ractopamine, isoxsuprine and salbutamol in pig feed, pig urine and pig liver, providing a useful method for monitoring the illegal use of β-agonists from growth promotion in food-producing animals. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

secondary amino group modified MCM-41 (mobile crystalline material number 41) was synthesized and used as a support for the immobilization of a salen oxovanadium complex via a multi-grafting method. The immobilized complex was characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), N adsorption and ICP analysis techniques. The immobilized complex was found to be an effective catalyst for oxidation of cyclohexane using HO as an oxidant under mild conditions. A conversion of 45.5% of cyclohexane was obtained with a selectivity of 100% of the cyclohexanone/cyclohexanol mixture when the reaction was run at 60 °C for 12 h in acetonitrile. Decomposition of the complex, which leads to the deactivation of the catalyst, is observed and a decomposition mechanism is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that can be caused by various factors. The present study aimed to determine whether prenatal hypoxia can lead to ASD and the role of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) in this process. We constructed a prenatal hypoxia model of pregnant rats by piping nitrogen and oxygen mixed gas, with an oxygen concentration of 10 ± 0.5 %, into the self-made hypoxia chamber. Rats were subjected to different extents of hypoxia treatments at different points during pregnancy. The results showed that hypoxia for 6 h on the 17th gestation day is most likely to lead to autistic behavior in offspring rats, including social deficits, repetitive behaviors, and impaired learning and memory. The mRNA expression level of TNF-α also increased in hypoxia-induced autism group and valproic acid (VPA) group. Western blotting analysis showed increased levels of hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1α) and decreased levels of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) in the hypoxic-induced autism group. Meanwhile, N -methyl d -aspartate receptor subtype 2 (NR2A) and glutamate ionotropic receptor AMPA type subunit 2 (GluR2) were upregulated in the hypoxic-induced autism group. HIF-1α might play a role in hypoxia-caused autism-like behavior and its regulatory effect is likely to be achieved by regulating synaptic plasticity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]