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Phase‐change‐materials (PCMs) integrated photonics have attracted extensive attention in the field of optical neural networks. However, present PCMs‐integrated photonics are still far from meeting the requirements in real‐world applications due to its unsatisfactory endurance (<3000 cycles) and extinction ratio (ER<20 dB). Here, ultrahigh endurance (>30 000 cycles) and large ER (≥50 dB) are achieved in the photonic device by introducing a trench structure to the indium tin oxide (ITO) heater and utilizing tin‐doped Ge2Sb2Te5 (Sn‐GST) as PCMs. This performance represents a landmark in the PCMs‐integrated photonics, since it solves the problem of poor endurance of ITO heaters and can be comparable to the state‐of the‐art devices in terms of endurance and ER. This excellent endurance and ER stem from the trench structure and high optical contrast PCM of Sn‐GST. Trench structure improves the heating efficiency of the ITO heater and effectively alleviates the thermal stress imposed on the ITO heater, resulting in ultrahigh endurance of the device. Sn‐doping is also beneficial to the endurance and ER improvement, because it can effectively reduce the crystallization temperature and increase the absorption coefficient of the PCM layer. This work provides a new technology for the development of programmable photonics with ultrahigh endurance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Previous observational studies have revealed a potential link between non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), but their causal relationship remains unclear. Thus, this study aimed to examine whether a causal link exists between genetically determined NAFLD and GDM. Methods: Utilizing publicly accessible genome-wide association studies (GWAS), a two-sample bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was conducted. The GWASs data pertaining to NAFLD and GDM were obtained from the UK Biobank Consortium and FinnGen database in primary analysis, respectively. The random-effects inverse variance weighted (IVW) method was utilized as primary analysis method. Several sensitivity analyses were utilized to verify the robustness of the results. Additionally, we also analyzed the causal effect of potential shared influencing factors on these two conditions. Results: The result of the IVW method showed that there was no significant causal relationship between genetically determined NAFLD and GDM (OR = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.90–1.07, P = 0.691). Similarly, our reverse MR analysis failed to detect a significant causal effect of GDM on NAFLD (OR = 1.14, 95% CI: 0.97–1.36, P = 0.118). Sensitivity analyses further confirmed the robustness of the results. Moreover, we found that genetically determined body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, triglycerides, and television viewing time may be positively correlated with NAFLD and GDM, while high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and apolipoprotein A-I may both be negatively correlated with NAFLD and GDM. Conclusions: The current bidirectional MR study failed to provide sufficient genetic evidence for the causal relationship between NAFLD and GDM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sensitive glucose colorimetric detection system (Au@QCM) based on quaternized cellulose membrane (QCM) and enzyme‐mimicking Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) was successfully developed via a simple molecular self‐assembly strategy. The positively charged QCM functioned as a template to guide the negatively charged citric acid‐reduced AuNPs uniformly distributed on the surfaces along the pore walls of its porous structure, and thus gave AuNPs an ordered interconnected three‐dimensional network. This electrostatic interaction could effectively prevent the aggregation of the AuNPs and greatly increase their exposed surface area, thus endow the Au@QCM with highly active catalytic properties towards glucose oxidation with glucose oxidase (GOx). The experimental studies showed that the color change of redox indicator 3,3′,5,5′‐tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) can be clearly observed with naked eyes and the absorbance of the oxidized TMB (at 653 nm) was directly proportional to the concentration of glucose. Au@QCM could achieve a sensitive glucose detection with a limit of detection of 0.55 μM and linear response in the range of 0.01–0.5 mM. Besides, it also had good applicability in real samples detection and excellent selectivity to glucose. This novel detection system significantly improved detection performance compared to previous work based on cellulose‐based strips loaded with GOx and horseradish peroxides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing size of wind turbines, the inflow conditions are also becoming more and more complex, and the rotor speed and blade-pitch angle are unknown under complex inflow conditions, so in order to avoid establishing an equivalent wind speed model, the control system was coupled to the blade element momentum theory (BEMT) to establish an aerodynamic model. In addition, due to the increasing flexibility of blades, a structural model of blades that can solve any section shape and any material properties was established based on the geometrically exact beam theory. Finally, the aerodynamic model and the structural model were coupled to establish the aeroelastic model and implemented by C++. The model was applied to engineering calculations, and the aerodynamic characteristics of wind rotors and the dynamic response of blades under different low-level jets (LLJ) were calculated and analyzed. The results show that when the control system is coupled to the BEMT, part of the power error is transferred to the rotor speed for below-rated wind speeds, and all the power error is transferred to blade-pitch angle for the above-rated wind speeds. The structural model can accurately calculate the static, dynamic displacement and natural frequency of the blades. When the LLJ height is different, the control system weakens the influence of strong shear wind on the average aerodynamic force on the sweeping surface of the wind rotor, but the amplitude of aerodynamic force is still greatly affected by the LLJ height. When the aerodynamic force on the blade is similar, the law of structure dynamic response is the same, which is mainly affected by the natural frequency of the blade. Our work has important reference significance for calculating the aerodynamic characteristics of wind rotors and the dynamic response of blades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate simulation of vortex-dominated flows has been an important issue for numerical methods in computational fluid dynamics. The recently proposed dual-solver framework provides an attracting direction for complex vortex structure resolving. In current research, we develop a dual-solver fluid solving system, in which the near-body region uses traditional finite volume method for complex geometries treatment, and apply high-order flux reconstruction (FR) method in off-body region to capture the evolution of vortex structures effectively. The parallel overset grid method is adopted in mesh assembly and data exchange process between solvers. The FR solver is developed under the framework of open-source adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) library p4est, which manages h-refinement efficiently. Cartesian cell with AMR is used in FR scheme to improve solving performance. The time marching method of coupled solvers is investigated. All modules in current system are verified, respectively. In the simulations where flow is dominated by vortex, we choose NACA0015 and S76 rotor wake resolving to verify the proposed system. The results reveal that the flow solver accurately resolves the vortex, the mesh distribution with AMR is reasonable. The results confirm the efficacy of proposed dual-solver framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The degradation of plastics has attracted much attention from the global community. Polyethylenes (PEs), as the most abundant synthetic plastics, are most frequently studied. PE is non-degradable and non-polar because of the sole presence of the pure hydrocarbon components. Concurrent incorporation of both in-chain cleavable and functional groups into the PE chain is an effective pathway to overcome the non-degradable and non-polar issue; however, the method for achieving this pathway remains elusive. Here, we report a strictly non-alternating (>99%) terpolymerization of ethylene with CO and fundamental polar monomers via a coordination–insertion mechanism using late transition metal catalysts, which effectively prevents the formation of undesired chelates originating from both co-monomers under a low CO concentration. High-molecular-weight linear PEs with both in-chain isolated keto (>99%) and main-chain functional groups are prepared. The incorporation of key low-content isolated keto groups makes PEs photodegradable while retaining their desirable bulk material properties, and the introduction of polar functional groups considerably improves their surface properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cell senescence is the growth arrest caused by the accumulation of irreparable cell damage, which is involved in physiological and pathological processes and regulated by the post-transcriptional level. This regulation is performed by transcriptional regulators and driven by aging-related small RNAs, long non-coding RNAs, and RNA-binding proteins. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most common chemical modification in eukaryotic mRNA, which can enhance or reduce the binding of transcriptional regulators. Increasing studies have confirmed the crucial role of m6A in controlling mRNA in various physiological processes. Remarkably, recent reports have indicated that abnormal methylation of m6A-related RNA may affect cell senescence. In this review, we clarified the association between m6A modification and cell senescence and analyzed the limitations of the current research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports that Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a kind of fatal stroke with the highest mortality and morbidity in the world. To date, there is no effective treatment strategy for ICH. Curcumin, a major active ingredient of Curcuma longa L., possesses a potential anti-inflammatory activity in many types of disease.

Accurate prediction of the aerodynamic characteristics of wind rotors subjected to various wind profiles is of considerable importance in the aerodynamics and structural design of wind turbines. As a very complex atmospheric phenomenon, the impact of a low-level jet (LLJ) on the aerodynamic characteristics of wind rotors is becoming more and more significant with the increase in wind turbine height. Additionally, during calculating the aerodynamic characteristics of the wind rotor, the known wind speed, rotor speed, and blade-pitch angle are generally required. However, when the wind profile is in the LLJ condition, it is difficult to determine the blade-pitch angle and rotor speed. Therefore, in this paper, the blade-element-momentum (BEM) method is exploited by considering the coupling with the generator-torque controller and blade-pitch controller. In order to solve the problem of the unknown rotor speed and blade-pitch angle under the LLJ condition, a C++ code is developed. Then, the influence of the LLJ on the aerodynamic characteristics of the wind rotor is exclusively examined. The research results show that the calculation method can precisely evaluate the rotor speed, blade-pitch angle, and aerodynamic characteristics of the wind rotor. The influence of the LLJ on the aerodynamic loads of the wind rotor is greater than that of the wind shear. When the LLJ is placed inside the rotor swept area, the aerodynamic loads of the blade exhibit two local maximums and local minimums with the variation of the azimuth angle in a rotation period. The closer the LLJ height is to the hub height, the greater the average aerodynamic loads of the wind rotor are, and the smaller the amplitude of aerodynamic loads of the blade is relative to the average value. When the LLJ height is positioned outside the rotor swept area, the change law of the aerodynamic loads of the blade would be similar to that of the wind subjected to a very strong wind shear inflow. This study provides a crucial reference for a more rational assessment of the aerodynamic characteristics of wind turbines under the action of complex wind profiles, as well as revealing the influence of the LLJ on the aerodynamic characteristics of wind turbines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How swimming fish extract energy from environmental vortices is still an open question. In this work, fish swimming in unsteady flow is numerically investigated by using the immersed boundary lattice Boltzmann method. The swimming fish is modeled as a forced Kármán gait hydrofoil, and the vortical flow is generated by a stationary circular cylinder. We calculate the Fourier spectra of hydrodynamic forces on the hydrofoil surface and found that there is a coupling between lateral force and drag, which results from a nonlinear wave interaction. The Kármán gait hydrofoil adjusts the lateral force by applying lateral excitation to the vortical flow and improves the drag/thrust through nonlinear wave interaction. We find that suppressing the harmonic energy of the viscous mode is the key ingredient to extract energy from the passing vortex. In turn, the downstream distance LN and foil-vortex phase φ determine whether the viscous harmonic energy can be suppressed. If the viscous mode harmonic is strong, the interaction between the vortex shedding mode and the viscous mode leads to a series of combined modes, which extract energy from the fundamental mode. These combined modes that appear in the fluid force spectra reduce the efficiency of energy extraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researches on the bidirectional communications between the gut microbiota and brain, termed the gut-brain axis, often bring about discoveries and drive the development of medicine and biology for stroke. Following stroke, the gut-brain axis is perturbed significantly on dysbiotic gut microbiome, intestinal dysfunction, enteric nervous system, increased gut permeability, and activated immune cells in the gut, which in turn results in infiltration of pro-inflammatory cells or bacterial toxins into brain tissue through impaired blood–brain barrier (BBB), finally exacerbated brain infarction. Herein, we illuminate the changes in the immune system and highlight the possible mechanisms of the gut microbiota to regulate inflammatory and immune processes in the context of stroke. We conducted a systematic literatures search in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and guideline-specific databases until May 2021 using the following key terms: gut microbiota, stroke, immune, and inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limited nonrenewable resources on earth motivate people to use natural polymer materials in the development of environment-friendly devices for flexible electronics. In this work, a biocompatible and biodegradable organic memristor based on regenerated cellulose is prepared by a facile and green route. Here, cellulose, the key functional layer material, is used as not only the resistive switching layer but also a substrate to construct a flexible self-supporting memristor. Both volatile and nonvolatile resistive switching can be achieved by controlling the compliance current in the SET process. Moreover, this cellulose-based memristor performs competitive environmental and temperature stability compared with other organic memristors. This research provides a facile strategy for constructing an environment-friendly memristor based on natural polymer-based materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metagratings have provided great flexibility for controlling wave propagation by suppressing or enhancing diffraction of periodic unit cells or supercells with high efficiency. On the other hand, to achieve complex wavefront, modulations usually require phase profiles of the metagratings to be arbitrary. However, due to lack of a general theoretical framework, such high‐efficiency aperiodic metagratings remain elusive in reality. Here, a class of aperiodic metagratings based on the extension of the Snell's law that involves both the diffraction of unit cells and the aperiodic phase modulation of metagratings in acoustics is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The proposed aperiodic acoustic metagratings can be used to not only efficiently manipulate sound refraction or reflection for arbitrary incidence angle without the restriction of critical angles, but also to design complex wavefront modulations that enable high‐performance multifunctional devices. As a proof of concept, two types of multifunctional acoustic lenses that function completely differently by adjusting the distance between two aperiodic metagratings are experimentally realized. This work provides a new pathway toward complex modulations of the wavefront and diffraction for classical waves with high efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A concerted double-layer steric strategy is firstly utilized in polymerization catalysis. • Nickel catalyst now enables an ultrahigh activity of 109 g mol−1 h−1. • Both ultrahigh activity and ultrahigh molecular weight in ethylene polymerization are accessible. • A new conceptual advance to address issues in olefin polymerization catalysis. Both catalytic activity and polymer molecular weight are two crucial parameters in olefin polymerization catalysis. Differed from the superior feature of early transition metal catalysts, late transition metal nickel catalysts are usually more challenging to approach both of them at an ultrahigh level. In this contribution, by use of a concerted double-layer steric strategy a new conceptual α-diimine nickel catalyst was prepared to address the issues. The nickel catalyst featured highly thermally robust (0–150 °C), was ultra-highly active (a new level of 1.03 × 109 g mol−1 h−1) toward ethylene polymerization, and simultaneously produced ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene product (UHMWPE, M w = 4.2 × 106 g mol−1). Additionally, these obtained polyethylenes featured linear (2/1000C) to lightly branched (32/1000C) and could also be incorporated with a small amount of methyl 10-undecenoate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional aerodynamic modeling methods have some difficulties in multiparameter unsteady state-space modeling and control law design, which raise significant challenges in flight control. The rapid development of machine learning provides a new idea for unsteady aerodynamic modeling and control law design, which has significant value for theoretical research and engineering application. In this paper, an unsteady aerodynamic model environment was established based on deep neural network (DNN), and a dynamic computational fluid dynamics (CFD) virtual environment was taken as an approximation of the real environment. A deep reinforcement learning (DRL) longitudinal-axis flight control method was studied on the basis of both environments. The deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG) algorithm was used to implement flight control, and the effects of different constraints in the reward function on the results of DRL were studied at the same time. The results show that the DDPG agent effectively achieves longitudinal-axis flight control in the model environment. The DDPG agent trained in the model environment was also used for longitudinal-axis flight control in the dynamic CFD virtual environment, and this method provides a reference for the coupling of dynamic CFD and DRL. The control results from the model environment and the dynamic CFD virtual environment are compared, and results show that the DDPG agent has good robustness in both environments. The results of this study suggest that machine learning and deep reinforcement learning can effectively solve complicated multiconstraint, uncertain, and sophisticated control tasks. In this paper, a DNN-based unsteady aerodynamic modeling method was established based on dynamic computational fluid dynamics calculation and machine learning, and the results show that the DNN-based unsteady aerodynamic model has advantages in dealing with highly nonlinear data under unsteady conditions. In addition, the deep deterministic policy gradient algorithm can be well applied in longitudinal-axis flight control, and the agent can be trained in DNN-based unsteady aerodynamic model environment. The agent was also used for longitudinal-axis flight control in the dynamic computational fluid dynamics virtual environment, and the results show that the agent has good robustness in both environments. This provides the possibility for the agent to achieve longitudinal-axis flight control in a real environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hydrodynamic force (HF) evaluation plays a critical role in the numerical simulation of fluid–structure interaction (FSI). By directly using the distribution functions of lattice Boltzmann equation (LBE) to evaluate the HF, the momentum exchange algorithm (MEA) has excellent features. Particularly, it is independent of boundary geometry and avoids integration on the complex boundary. In this work, the HF of lattice Boltzmann simulation (LBS) is evaluated by using the MEA. We conduct a comparative study to evaluate two lattice Boltzmann models for constructing the flow solvers, including the LBE with single-relaxation-time (SRT) and multiple-relaxation-time (MRT) collision operators. The second-order boundary condition schemes are used to address the curve boundary. The test case of flow past a cylinder asymmetrically placed in a channel is simulated. Comparing the numerical solutions of Lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) with those of Navier–Stokes equations in the literature, the influence of collision relaxation model, boundary conditions and lattice resolution is investigated. The results demonstrate that the MRT-LB improves the numerical stability of the LBM and the accuracy of HF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Coagulation mechanism and binding mode with Cr (VI) are deeply described. • Cellulose/metal nanohybrids were prepared through one-step coagulation. • Combination of natural polymer and metal nanoparticles with a simple technology for Cr (VI) removal. • 3D porous networks of nanohybrids provide multiple adsorption sites for Cr (VI). • Nanohybrids selectively interacted with Cr 2 O 7 2− through Fe O ... Cr interactions. In this work, the coagulation mechanism of the cellulose/metal nanohybrids and the binding mode with Cr (VI) are deeply described. Nanohybrids with 3D porous networks were prepared from cellulose/Fe 2 O 3 -SO 3 H solutions through a simple one-step coagulation process in NaCl aqueous solutions. The structure and properties of nanohybrids were characterized by SEM, EDS, XRD, FTIR, and XPS. The cellulose/metal nanohybrids have a langmuir maximum adsorption capacity of 11.46 mg/g. The dissolved metal nanoparticles could form strong hydrogen bonding with cellulose by breaking the intermolecular hydrogen bonds between the polymer molecules. The porous networks of cellulose/metal nanohybrids provided multiple adsorption sites for Cr 2 O 7 2− anion through Fe O ... Cr interactions. The cooperation between cellulose and Fe 2 O 3 -SO 3 H nanoparticles makes the hybrids exhibiting a satisfactory selectivity and affinity for Cr (VI). The cellulose/metal nanohybrids selectively interacted with Cr 2 O 7 2− via Fe atom from Fe 2 O 3 and oxygen atom from SO 3 − groups. The Cr (VI) adsorption occurred via a two-step process, the first of them was the initial adsorption of Cr 2 O 7 2− on cellulose/metal nanohybrids surface, followed by the rearrangement of Cr 2 O 7 2− molecules and the consecutive growth of Cr 2 O 7 2− aggregate layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ballistic spin transport in one-dimensional waveguides with the Rashba effect is studied. Due to the Rashba effect, there are two electron states with different wave vectors for the same energy. The wave functions of two Rashba electron states are derived, and it is found that their phase depend on the direction of the circuit and the spin directions of two states are perpendicular to the circuit, with the +π/2 and -π/2 angles, respectively. The boundary conditions of the wave functions and their derivatives at the intersection of circuits are given, which can be used to investigate the waveguide transport properties of Rashba spin electron in circuits of any shape and structure. The eigenstates of the closed circular and square loops are studied by using the transfer matrix method. The transfer matrix M(E) of a circular arc is obtained by dividing the circular arc into N segments and multiplying the transfer matrix of each straight segment. The energies of eigenstates in the closed loop are obtained by solving the equation det[M(E)-I]=0. For the circular ring, the eigenenergies obtained with this method are in agreement with those obtained by solving the Schrödinger equation. For the square loop, the analytic formula of the eigenenergies is obtained first. The transport properties of the AB ring and AB square loop and double square loop are studied using the boundary conditions and the transfer matrix method. In the case of no magnetic field, the zero points of the reflection coefficients are just the energies of eigenstates in closed loops. In the case of magnetic field, the transmission and reflection coefficients all oscillate with the magnetic field; the oscillating period is [uppercase_phi_synonym]m=hc/e, independent of the shape of the loop, and [uppercase_phi_synonym]m is the magnetic flux through the loop. For the double loop the oscillating period is [uppercase_phi_synonym]m=hc/2e, in agreement with the experimental result. At last, we compared our method with Koga’s experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We calculate the binding energy of a hydrogenic donor impurity in a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped quantum dot (QD) in the framework of effective-mass envelope-function theory using the plane wave basis. The variation of the binding energy with edge length, position of the impurity, and external electric field is studied in detail. A finite potential model is adopted in our calculations. Compared with the infinite potential model [C. I. Mendoza et al., Phys. Rev. B 71, 075330 (2005)], the following results are found: (1) if the impurity is located in the interior of the QD, our results give a smaller binding energy than the infinite potential model; (2) the binding energies are more sensitively dependent on the applied electric field in the finite potential model; (3) the infinite potential model cannot give correct results for a small QD edge length for any location of the impurity in the QD; (4) some degeneracy is lifted when the dot is no longer cubic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We calculate the electronic structures and binding energy of a hydrogenic impurity in a hierarchically self-assembled GaAs/AlxGa1-xAs quantum dot (QD) in the framework of effective-mass envelope-function theory. The variation of the electronic structures and binding energy with the QD structure parameters and the position of the impurity are studied in detail. We find that (1) acceptor impurity energy levels depend more sensitively on the size of the QD than those of a donor impurity; (2) all impurity energy levels strongly depend on the GaAs quantum well (QW) width; (3) a donor impurity in the QD has only one binding energy level except when the GaAs QW is large; (4) an acceptor impurity in the QD has two binding energy levels, which correspond to heavy- and light-hole quantum states; (5) the binding energy has a maximum value when the impurity is located below the symmetry axis along the growth direction; and (6) the binding energy has a minimum value when the impurity is located at the top corner of the QD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the framework of effective-mass envelope function theory, the valence energy subbands and optical transitions of the InAs/GaAs quantum ring are calculated by using a four-band valence band model. Our model can be used to calculate the hole states of quantum wells, quantum wires, and quantum dots. The effect of finite offset and valence band mixing are taken into account. The energy levels of the hole are calculated in the different shapes of rings. Our calculations show that the effect of the difference between effective masses of holes in different materials on the valence subband structures is significant. Our theoretical results are consistent with the conclusion of the recent experimental measurements and should be useful for researching and making low-dimensional semiconductor optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The time evolution of the quantum mechanical state of an electron is calculated in the framework of the effective-mass envelope function theory for an InAs/GaAs quantum dot. The results indicate that the superposition state electron density oscillates in the quantum dot, with a period on the order of femtoseconds. The interaction energy E[sub ij] between two electrons located in different quantum dots is calculated for one electron in the ith pure quantum state and another in the jth pure quantum state. We find that E[sub 11]>E[sub 12]>E[sub 22], and E[sub ij] decreases as the distance between the two quantum dots increases. We present a parameter-phase diagram which defines the parameter region for the use of an InAs/GaAs quantum dot as a two-level quantum system in quantum computation. A static electric field is found to efficiently prolong the decoherence time. Our results should be useful for designing the solid-state implementation of quantum computing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A theoretical model accounting for the macropolarization effects in wurtzite III–V nitrides quantum wells (QWs) is presented. Energy dispersions and exciton binding energies are calculated within the framework of effective-mass theory and variational approach, respectively. Exciton-associated transitions (EATs) are studied in detail. An energy redshift as high as 450 meV is obtained in Al[sub 0.25]GaN[sub 0.75]/GaN QWs. Also, the abrupt reduction of optical momentum matrix elements is derived as a consequence of quantum-confined Stark effects. EAT energies are compared with recent photoluminescence (PL) experiments and numerical coherence is achieved. We propose that it is the EAT energy, instead of the conduction-valence-interband transition energy that is comparable with the PL energy. To restore the reduced transition rate, we apply an external electric field. Theoretical calculations show that with the presence of the external electric field the optical matrix elements for EAT increase 20 times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the framework of effective mass envelope function theory, the electronic states of the InAs/GaAs quantum ring are studied. Our model can be used to calculate the electronic states of quantum wells, quantum wires, and quantum dots. In calculations, the effects due to the different effective masses of electrons in rings and out rings are included. The energy levels of the electron are calculated in the different shapes of rings. The results indicate that the inner radius of rings sensitively changes the electronic states. The energy levels of the electron are not sensitively dependent on the outer radius for large rings. If decreasing the inner and outer radii simultaneously, one may increase the energy spacing between energy levels and keep the ground state energy level unchanged. If changing one of two radii (inner or outer radius), the ground state energy level and the energy spacing will change simultaneously. These results are useful for designing and fabricating the double colors detector by intraband and interband translations. The single electron states are useful for studying the electron correlations and the effects of magnetic fields in quantum rings. Our calculated results are consistent with the recent experimental data of nanoscopic semiconductor rings. © 2001 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents an study which investigated the electronic structure and optical transition matrix elements of coupled quantum dots (QDs) arranged as different cubic lattices. Methodology used to conduct the study; Information on the transition energies; Examination that the QDs are cubic; Findings of the study.

Presents information on a study conducted which examined the effects of electric field on the electronic structure of a semiconductor quantum dot using the structure of the effective-mass envelope-function reasoning. What the variation of hole energy levels as a function of electric field strength demonstrates; Investigation of the degeneracy of the valence band; Effects on increased and decreased strengths of the electric field.

Abstract To investigate the effects of conbercept on inflammatory and oxidative response in macular edema secondary to retinal vein occlusion (RVO-ME). Retinal microvasculature were detected by optical coherence tomographic angiography (OCTA). The inflammation related factors including prostaglandin E1 (PGE1), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), prostaglandin F2a (PGF2a), intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and macrophage inflammatory protein-1 (MIP-1) were determined in human and mice with RVO-ME. OCTA images showed that capillary non-perfusion, enlargement of the foveal avascular zone, telangiectatic vessels and some forms of intraretinal edema in RVO-ME and all these were alleviated by conbercept treatment. PGE1, PGE2, PGF2a, ICAM-1 and MIP-1 in aqueous fluid extracted from RVO-ME patients was significantly increased compared with non-RVO subjects, intravitreal injection of conbercept partly reduced ICAM-1 and MIP-1 levels but not PGE1, PGE2 and PGF2a. The glutathione level was reduced in aqueous fluid extracted from RVO-ME patients but was restored after conbercept treatment. The inflammation, angiogenesis and ROS generation was increased in RVO-ME mice, conbercept partly inhibited these effects. Mechanistically, conbercept inhibited vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), ICAM-1, MIP-1, NOX-1 and NOX-4 protein expressions, but not PGE1, PGE2 and PGF2a expressions. Conbercept alleviates RVO-ME through inhibiting inflammation, angiogenesis and oxidative responses. These findings further reveals the molecular mechanism of conbercept for treatment of RVO-ME. Highlights • Inflammation and oxidative stress increased in aqueous fluid of human with RVO-ME. • Conbercept alleviated VEGF-downstream inflammation response. • Conbercept inhibited oxidative stress in retina of RVO mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resistant starch (RS), as a healthy dietary fiber, meets with great human favor along with the rapid development and improvement of global living standards. RS shows direct effects in reducing postprandial blood glucose levels, serum cholesterol levels and glycemic index. Therefore, RS plays an important role in preventing and improving non-communicable diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, colon cancer, cardiovascular diseases and chronic kidney disease. In addition, RS leads to its potential applied value in the development of high-quality foodstuffs, such as bread, noodles and dumplings. This paper reviews the recent advances in RS research, focusing mainly on RS classification and measurement, formation, quantitative trait locus mapping, genome-wide association studies, molecular marker development and genetic improvement through induced mutations, plant breeding combined with marker-assisted selection and genetic transformation. Challenges and perspectives on further RS research are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates the influence of the evanescent states in the electron transport in quantum waveguides with the use of transfer matrix methods. Effect of evanescent states on electron wave propagation when the electron energy is close to the subband minima; Critical effect of the connecting channel length on the electron transmission.

Presents information on a study which used a transfer matrix method to analyze electron conduction in a quantum waveguide. Methodology; Results and discussion; Conclusion.

The exporter of the auxin precursor indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), ABCG36/PDR8/PEN3, from the model plant Arabidopsis has recently been proposed to also function in the transport of the phytoalexin camalexin. Based on these bonafide substrates, it has been suggested that ABCG36 functions at the interface between growth and defense. Here, we provide evidence that ABCG36 catalyzes the direct, ATP-dependent export of camalexin across the plasma membrane. We identify the leucine-rich repeat receptor kinase, QIAN SHOU KINASE1 (QSK1), as a functional kinase that physically interacts with and phosphorylates ABCG36. Phosphorylation of ABCG36 by QSK1 unilaterally represses IBA export, allowing camalexin export by ABCG36 conferring pathogen resistance. As a consequence, phospho-dead mutants of ABCG36, as well as qsk1 and abcg36 alleles, are hypersensitive to infection with the root pathogen Fusarium oxysporum , caused by elevated fungal progression. Our findings indicate a direct regulatory circuit between a receptor kinase and an ABC transporter that functions to control transporter substrate preference during plant growth and defense balance decisions. [Display omitted] • ABCG36 catalyzes the ATP-dependent export of camalexin across the plasma membrane • The receptor kinase, QSK1, physically interacts with and phosphorylates ABCG36 • Phosphorylation of ABCG36 represses IBA export, allowing for camalexin export • The ABCG36-QSK1 circuit controls transporter substrate preferences Aryal and Xia et al. demonstrate in their work that growth and defense decisions are made on the molecular level by controlling the substrate preference of an ABC transporter exporting both growth and defense compounds. This switch of substrate preference is caused by the means of transporter phosphorylation provided by an interacting receptor kinase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a nanostructured material mainly produced by Gluconacetobacter. The excellent physicochemical and mechanical properties of BC have made it become regarded as a kind of highly functional biopolymer in the application fields of bio-medicine, cosmetics and food industry. Using low-cost carbon sources as raw materials could make BC production more cost-effective. In this study, the pullulan fermentation wastewater with high chemical oxygen demand (COD) value of 39040 mg/L was used as substrate for BC production. After 10 days of fermentation, a BC yield of 1.177 g/L in wastewater was obtained, lower than that (1.757 g/L) produced in Hestrin-Schramm (HS) media. During the fermentation process, 59.49% of monosaccharide coupling with 18.9% of COD in wastewater decreased. There were no differences in the functional groups and crystal patterns of the BC samples produced in wastewater and HS medium. However, more pores and loose three-dimensional networks were observed in the microstructure of BC samples produced in wastewater, resulting in lower crystallinity (56.23%) and Young's modulus (3984.29 MPa) compared to that obtained from HS media. It indicated the nutrients composition of fermentation wastewater showed obvious effects on BC microstructure and mechanical properties. Our work demonstrated the possibility of using polysaccharide fermentation wastewater as inexpensive carbon source for BC production. Further study should be done in the improvements of the physical and chemical properties of BC sheets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By using the transfer matrix method, we investigated spin transport in some straight structures in presence of the Rashba spin-orbit interaction. It is proved that the interference of two spin states is the same as that in one-dimensional Datta-Das spin field-effect transistor. The conductance of these structures has been calculated. Conductance quantization is common in these waveguides when we change the Fermi energy and the width of the waveguide. Using a periodic system of quadrate stubs and changing the Fermi energy, a nearly square-wave conductance can be obtained in some regions of the Fermi energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Topological acoustic interface states in one-dimensional (1D) acoustic topological insulators (ATIs) are zero-dimensional (0D) topological states localized at an interface. Unlike topological edge states that can propagate to deliver information in acoustic waveguides, the 0D topological interface states generally cannot serve as information carriers to deliver information from one location to another due to their intrinsic localization. Here, we design and demonstrate a 1D ATI with a movable interface, enabling the 0D topological acoustic interface states to deliver information from one location to another. The ATI design is based on two types of elemental building blocks—denoted as "1" and "0"—which are programmable. These elements of 1 and 0, when periodically arranged, can form topologically distinct crystals, whose interface hosts acoustic topological interface states in two bandgaps simultaneously. Since these two types of elements can switch from each other with external control, a programmable 1D dual-band ATI can be constructed. By programming coding sequences of 1 and 0 elements, we can observe dynamically movable 0D topological interface states riding on a moving interface along the 1D ATI in both bandgaps. Our work opens an avenue to develop topological acoustic devices with programmable and dynamic functions, which may have a variety of potential applications in the fields of energy trapping, topological pumping, information processing, and sound communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aerodynamic optimization based on continuous adjoint method for a flexible wing is developed using FORTRAN 90 in the present work. Aerostructural analysis is performed on the basis of high-fidelity models with Euler equations on the aerodynamic side and a linear quadrilateral shell element model on the structure side. This shell element can deal with both thin and thick shell problems with intersections, so this shell element is suitable for the wing structural model which consists of two spars, 20 ribs, and skin. The continuous adjoint formulations based on Euler equations and unstructured mesh are derived and used in the work. Sequential quadratic programming method is adopted to search for the optimal solution using the gradients from continuous adjoint method. The flow charts of rigid and flexible optimization are presented and compared. The objective is to minimize drag coefficient meanwhile maintaining lift coefficient for a rigid and flexible wing. A comparison between the results from aerostructural analysis of rigid optimization and flexible optimization is shown here to demonstrate that it is necessary to include the effect of aeroelasticity in the optimization design of a wing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effectiveness of electrolyte additives in fluorinated electrolytes containing 1 M LiPF 6 /fluoroethylene carbonate:bis (2,2,2-trifluoroethyl) carbonate (1:1 w:w) were studied in high voltage Li(Ni 0.4 Mn 0.4 Co 0.2 )O 2 /graphite pouch cells tested to 4.5 V. The results showed that fluorinated electrolytes containing prop-1-ene-1,3-sultone alone or in combination with other additives exhibited significant improvements in terms of coulombic efficiency and charge endpoint capacity slippage during UHPC cycling, voltage drop during storage, as well as capacity retention during long-term cycling compared with state-of-the-art ethylene carbonate-based (ethylene carbonate: ethylmethyl carbonate 3:7) or sulfolane-based electrolytes (sulfolane: ethylmethyl carbonate 3:7) with some promising additive blends. These results indicate that fluorinated electrolytes offer an interesting alternative for high voltage Li-ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects that various electrolyte solvents and electrolyte additives had on both LaPO 4 -coated LiNi 0.4 Mn 0.4 Co 0.2 O 2 and uncoated LiNi 0.4 Mn 0.4 Co 0.2 O 2 /graphite pouch cells were studied using automated storage, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, gas production and long-term cycling experiments. Storage experiments showed that the voltage drop during storage at 4.3 or 4.4 V for both coated and uncoated cells was very similar for the same electrolyte choice. At 4.5 V or above, the LaPO 4 -coated cells had a significantly smaller voltage drop than the uncoated cells except when fluorinated electrolytes were used. Automated charge discharge cycling/impedance spectroscopy testing of cells held at 4.5 V for 24 h every cycle showed that all cells containing ethylene carbonate:ethyl methyl carbonate electrolyte or sulfolane:ethyl methyl carbonate electrolyte exhibited severe capacity fade. By contrast, cells containing fluorinated electrolytes had the best capacity retention and smallest impedance growth during these aggressive cycling/hold tests. Long-term cycling experiments to 4.5 V confirmed that cells containing fluorinated electrolyte had the best cycling performance in the uncoated LiNi 0.4 Mn 0.4 Co 0.2 O 2 /graphite cells while cells containing sulfolane:ethyl methyl carbonate electrolyte had the best cycling performance in coated LiNi 0.4 Mn 0.4 Co 0.2 O 2 /graphite cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some of the problems of current electrolytes for high voltage Li-ion cells originate from ethylene carbonate (EC) which is thought to be an essential electrolyte component for Li-ion cells. Ethylene carbonate-free electrolytes containing 1 M LiPF 6 in ethylmethyl carbonate (EMC) with small loadings of vinylene carbonate, fluoroethylene carbonate, or (4R,5S)-4,5-Difluoro-1,3-dioxolan-2-one acting as “enablers” were developed. These electrolytes used in Li(Ni 0.4 Mn 0.4 Co 0.2 )O 2 /graphite pouch type Li-ion cells tested at 4.2 V and 4.5 V yielded excellent charge-discharge cycling and storage properties. The results for cells containing linear alkyl carbonate electrolytes with no EC were compared to those of cells with EC-containing electrolytes incorporating additives proven to enhance cyclability of cells. The combination of EMC with appropriate amounts of these enablers yields cells with better performance than cells with EC-containing electrolytes incorporating additives tested to 4.5 V. Further optimizing these linear alkyl carbonate electrolytes with appropriate co-additives may represent a viable path to the successful commercial utilization of NMC/graphite Li-ion cells operated to 4.5 V and above. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An electrolyte mixture containing 1 M LiPF 6 in sulfolane:ethylmethyl carbonate 3:7 with vinylene carbonate and other electrolyte additives exhibited promising cycling and storage performance in high voltage Li(Ni 0·4 Mn 0·4 Co 0.2 )O 2 /graphite pouch type Li-ion cells tested to 4.5 V. Voltage drop during storage, coulombic efficiency, charge endpoint capacity slippage during ultra high precision cycling, charge-transfer resistance after storage or cycling, gas evolution during storage and cycling as well as capacity retention during long-term cycling were examined. The results for cells with sulfolane-based electrolytes were compared with those for cells with ethylene carbonate-based electrolytes containing state-of-the-art electrolyte additives. This survey showed that the combination of vinylene carbonate and triallyl phosphate as electrolyte additives in sulfolane:ethylmethyl carbonate electrolyte yielded cells capable of better performance during tests to 4.5 V than cells with ethylene carbonate-based electrolytes. These results suggest that sulfolane-based electrolytes may be promising for high voltage Li-ion cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new benzofuran derivative, methyl 3-acetyl-7-hydroxy-6-methoxy-2-methylbenzofuran-4-carboxylate (1), and a known compound pyrrolezanthine (2), were isolated from leaves ofNicotiana tabacum. Compound1was elucidated by means of spectroscopic methods, as well as X-ray diffraction. Both compounds1and2exhibited moderate inhibitory activities on human cancer cell lines. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Although the reduced beam section (RBS) connection is an excellent seismic design for transferring plastic hinge, it is prone to fracture under the condition of large deformation. In addition to good seismic response, the performance of RBS connections needs to be improved to ensure good anti-progressive collapse response. In this study, a novel principle is proposed, in which the RBS connection is used to meet the plastic hinge transmission, and kinked reinforced bars are installed in the beam–column connection to realize a second path. Experimental and numerical investigations were conducted on a frame substructure with kinked reinforced bars, considering their diameter d , kinked height a and length l of the reinforced bars. The deformation capacity, vertical force vs. deformation response, failure mode, and contributions of the flexural and catenary actions on the reinforced bars were evaluated. The test results demonstrate that the kinked reinforced bars started to work when the reduced-beam-section connection with reinforced bars (RRBS) is in a plastic state. When the reinforced bars with a > 1.5 d were installed at the beam end, the bearing capacity of the RRBS specimens increased with an increase in the diameter d and decreased with an increase in the length l of the reinforced bars. In addition, When the cracking first occurred at the reduced section, the bearing capacity decreased with an increase in the kinked height a. It is suggested to select the kinked height of the reinforced bar according to the deformation capacity of the beam. • Tests on a novel principle with kinked reinforced bars are reported. • Specimens include bars with various diameters, kinked heights, and lengths. • Various fracture and failure modes occurred in the connection types. • The effect of the reinforced bars on catenary is proved to be considerable. • The kinked height should match the deformation capacity during beam cracking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effectiveness of methyl phenyl carbonate and diphenyl carbonate as electrolyte additives either singly or in combination with methylene methyl disulfonate and tris(-trimethyl-silyl)-phosphite has been systematically investigated in LiNi 0.8 Mn 0.1 Co 0.1 O 2 /graphite pouch cells. Experiments conducted included ultrahigh precision coulometry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, automated storage, gas evolution measurements as well as long-term cycling. The results showed that adding methyl phenyl or diphenyl carbonate increases the coulombic efficiency, reduces charge end-point capacity slippage rate, decreases the self-discharge rate during storage and improves the capacity retention during long-term cycling compared to cells with control electrolyte [1 M LiPF 6 ethylene carbonate:ethyl methyl carbonate 3:7] or control electrolyte with 2% vinylene carbonate. 1% diphenyl carbonate appears to be the best among the systems studied. Based on these experiments, diphenyl carbonate seems to be a very beneficial additive for improving the performance of high voltage LiNi 0.8 Mn 0.1 Co 0.1 O 2 /graphite pouch cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims:The aims of this study were to investigate the clinical effects and safety of botulinum toxin A (BTX-A) in treating trigeminal neuralgia and its influences on accompanied depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, and quality of life.Methods and Material:Eighty-seven patients with one-branch classical trigeminal neuralgia were injected with BTX-A in the pain area. The visual analogic scale score, sleep interference score, Hamilton Anxiety Scale score, Hamilton Depression Scale score, and side effects were assessed at 1 week prior to and 8 weeks after treatment, respectively.Results:The effective rates after 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks of treatment were 48.28%, 66.67%, 78.16%, and 80.46%, respectively. The effective rates of anxiety and depression were 90.32% and 96.77%, respectively. When compared to that before treatment, the quality of life was significantly better in terms of role-physical, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, role-emotional, and mental health (allP < 0.01), while physical function was not significantly improved (P = 0.317).Conclusion:BTX-A treatment can significantly relieve the pain in trigeminal neuralgia patients; improve anxiety, depression, and sleep; and increase the quality of life. BTX-A treatment is a safe and effective method to treat classical trigeminal neuralgia. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A fluorinated electrolyte mixture, containing 1 M LiPF 6 /fluoroethylene carbonate:bis (2,2,2-trifluoroethyl) carbonate (1:1 w:w) with prop-1-ene-1,3-sultone as an electrolyte additive exhibited promising cycling and storage performance in Li(Ni 0.4 Mn 0.4 Co 0.2 )O 2 /graphite pouch type Li-ion cells tested to 4.5 V. The prop-1-ene-1,3-sultone additive was added to help control gas evolution in the fluorinated electrolyte cells, which was improved but still problematic even with the additive. Cells with the fluorinated electrolyte demonstrated higher impedance in early cycles compared to cells with carbonate solvents and state of the art additives. Symmetric cells were used to show this high impedance originated at the negative electrode/electrolyte interface. Nevertheless, in charge–discharge cycling tests to 4.5 V, cells with the fluorinated electrolyte and 1, 2 or 3% prop-1-ene-1,3-sultone additive, outperformed all non-fluorinated electrolytes with all additives tested. With further work, these, or other fluorinated carbonates, coupled with appropriate additives, may represent a viable path to NMC/graphite cells that can operate to 4.5 V and above. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effectiveness of some selected electrolyte additive blends were systematically studied in Li[Ni 0.4 Mn 0.4 Co 0.2 ]O 2 /graphite and 3 wt% LaPO 4 -coated Li[Ni 0.4 Mn 0.4 Co 0.2 ]O 2 /graphite pouch cells using ex-situ gas measurements, ultra high precision coulometry, automated storage experiments, long-term cycling and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. For cells tested to an upper cutoff potential of 4.4 V the LaPO 4 -coating provided no benefit when state-of-the-art electrolyte additives were used. For cells tested to 4.5 V, the LaPO 4 coating appeared to limit electrolyte oxidation slightly and resulted in better capacity retention compared to uncoated cells for cells with state-of-the-art electrolyte additives. However, even for cells tested to 4.5 V, the benefits of the additives far outweighed the benefits of the coating. This suggests literature papers that compare the impact of coatings on positive electrode materials in cells that contain electrolytes without electrolyte additives have limited value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three different cycling protocols including “continuous-cycling”, “barn-charge” and “cycle-store” were applied with an ultra high precision charger to Li[Ni 0.42 Mn 0.42 Co 0.16 ]O 2 /graphite and/or Li[Ni 1/3 Mn 1/3 Co 1/3 ]O 2 /graphite pouch cells tested using different upper cutoff potentials. The barn-charge and cycle-store protocols were designed so that cells stay at high potential for a larger fraction of their testing time compared to continuous cycling. For cells tested to 4.2, 4.4 or 4.5 V, the greater the fraction of testing time spent at high potential, the lower the coulombic efficiency and the greater the charge endpoint capacity slippage rate, with the effects being more severe at higher potential. These results confirm that Li[Ni 0.42 Mn 0.42 Co 0.16 ]O 2 /graphite and Li[Ni 1/3 Mn 1/3 Co 1/3 ]O 2 /graphite Li-ion cells which are charged and then left at high potential (>4.4 V) for extended periods of time will have much shorter calendar and cycle life compared to those that are continuously cycled as has been recently reported in long-term test results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of vinylene carbonate-based and prop-1-ene-1,3-sultone-based electrolyte additives on the cycling behavior of Li[Ni 1/3 Mn 1/3 Co 1/3 ]O 2 /graphite pouch type cells at elevated temperature have been systematically studied. Capacity fade during cycling, charge-transfer resistance before and after cycling as well as gas evolution during formation and also during cycling were examined and compared. For vinylene carbonate-based additive blends, only 3% vinylene carbonate, 2% vinylene carbonate + 1% 1,3,2-dioxathiolane-2,2-dioxide + 1% tris(trimethylsilyl) phosphite or 2% vinylene carbonate + 1% methylene methyl disulfonate + 1% tris(trimethylsilyl) phosphite showed less capacity fade than 2% vinylene carbonate alone. Cells with all of these vinylene carbonate-based electrolyte additive blends lost more than 20% of their initial capacity after ∼1000 cycles at 55 °C and all the vinylene carbonate-based cells swelled more than 10% of their initial volume during this test. Cells containing all prop-1-ene-1,3-sultone-based additive blends generally produced much less gas than the vinylene carbonate-based blends. Many cells containing prop-1-ene-1,3-sultone-based additive blends lost less than 20% of their initial capacity after 1000 cycles. Moreover, the impedance of these prop-1-ene-1,3-sultone-based electrolytes decreased after long-term cycling. These results suggest that prop-1-ene-1,3-sultone-based electrolytes are more useful than vinylene carbonate-based electrolytes at high temperatures in Li[Ni 1/3 Mn 1/3 Co 1/3 ]O 2 /graphite cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the guiding and promoting role of efficiency evaluation results of valuable apparatus. It also points out to further standardize management, and improve the efficient use of valuable apparatus. From the connotation, function, evaluation index and evaluation present situation of valuable apparatus, the paper considers the application of efficiency evaluation conclusions in colleges and universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on unstructured grids, codes for 3D aerodynamic shape optimization are developed using Euler equations solution, continuous adjoint method, free-form deformation (FFD) strategy, and sequential quadratic programming (SQP) optimization method. Fortran 90 is used for the dynamic storage of arrays and pointers and for saving memory. Second-order Roe-type upwind scheme and LU-SGS scheme are used to solve the continuous adjoint equations, and a new approach to computing parametric coordinates is adopted so that FFD can be robuster. The gradients of the adjoint method are compared with those of the finite difference. The designed system is successfully applied to ONERA M6 wing transonic shape optimization with the purpose of reducing drag, and the result shows that the system is reliable and efficient for reducing drag design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]