bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Magnetic tri-bead microrobot assisted near-infrared triggered combined photothermal and chemotherapy of cancer cells
Authors: Song Xiaoxia , Chen Zhi , Zhang Xue , Xiong Junfeng , Jiang Teng , Wang Zihan , Geng Xinran , Cheang U Kei
Published: April 2021

Magnetic micro/nanorobots attracted much attention in biomedical fields because of their precise movement, manipulation, and targeting abilities. However, there is a lack of research on intelligent micro/nanorobots with stimuli-responsive drug delivery mechanisms for cancer therapy. To address this issue, we developed a type of strong covalently bound tri-bead drug delivery microrobots with NIR photothermal response azobenzene molecules attached to their carboxylic surface groups. The tri-bead microrobots are magnetic and showed good cytocompatibility even when their concentration is up to 200 µg/mL. In vitro photothermal experiments demonstrated fast NIR-responsive photothermal property; the microrobots were heated to 50 °C in 4 min, which triggered a significant increase in drug release. Motion control of the microrobots inside a microchannel demonstrated the feasibility of targeted therapy on tumor cells. Finally, experiments with lung cancer cells demonstrated the effectiveness of targeted chemo-photothermal therapy and were validated by cell viability assays. These results indicated that tri-bead microrobots have excellent potential for targeted chemo-photothermal therapy for lung cancer cell treatment.
Regulation of plasma triglyceride partitioning by adipose-derived ANGPTL4 in mice
Authors: Spitler Kathryn M. , Shetty Shwetha K. , Cushing Emily M. , Sylvers-Davie Kelli L. , Davies Brandon S. J.
Published: April 2021

Elevated plasma triglyceride levels are associated with metabolic disease. Angiopoietin-like protein 4 (ANGPTL4) regulates plasma triglyceride levels by inhibiting lipoprotein lipase (LPL). Our aim was to investigate the role of adipocyte-specific deficiency of ANGPTL4 in mice during high fat diet feeding. Adipocyte-specific ANGPTL4 deficient mice were fed a high fat diet (60% kCal from fat) for either 12 weeks or 6 months. We performed plasma metabolic measurements, triglyceride clearance and uptake assays, LPL activity assays, and assessed glucose homeostasis. Mice lacking adipocyte ANGPTL4 recapitulated the triglyceride phenotypes of whole-body ANGPTL4 deficiency, including increased adipose LPL activity, lower plasma triglyceride levels, and increased uptake of triglycerides into adipose tissue. When fed a high fat diet (HFD), these mice continued to display enhanced adipose LPL activity and initially had improved glucose and insulin sensitivity. However, after 6 months on HFD, the improvements in glucose homeostasis were largely lost. Moreover, despite higher adipose LPL activity levels, mice lacking adipocyte ANGPTL4 no longer had increased triglyceride uptake into adipose compared to littermate controls after chronic high-fat feeding. These observations suggest that after chronic high-fat feeding LPL is no longer rate-limiting for triglyceride delivery to adipocytes. We conclude that while adipocyte-derived ANGPTL4 is an important regulator of plasma triglyceride levels and triglyceride partitioning under normal diet conditions, its role is diminished after chronic high-fat feeding.
Long term clinical result of implant induced injury on the adjacent tooth
Authors: Yi Yang-Jin , Park In-Woo , Ku Jeong-Kui , Jo Deuk-Won , Han Jung-Suk , Kim Young-Kyun
Published: April 2021

The purpose of the retrospective study was to investigate the long-term result of implant-induced injury on the adjacent tooth. The subjects of this retrospective study were patients who had received implants and had tooth injury; direct invasion of root (group I), root surface contact (group II), or < 1 mm distance of the implant from the root (group III). Clinical and pathological changes were periodically examined using radiographs and intra-oral examinations. Paired t-tests and chi-square tests were used to evaluate the implant stability quotient (ISQ) of implant and tooth complications, respectively (α = 0.05). A total of 32 implants and teeth in 28 patients were observed for average 122.7 (± 31.7, minimum 86) months. Seven teeth, three of which were subsequently extracted, needed root canal treatment. Finally, 90.6% of the injured teeth remained functional. Complications were significant and varied according to the group, with group I showing higher events than the others. The ISQs increased significantly. One implant in group I resulted in osseointegration failure. The implant survival rate was 96.9%. In conclusion, it was found even when a tooth is injured by an implant, immediate extraction is unnecessary, and the osseointegration of the invading implant is also predictable.
Aerosol components associated with hospital mortality in systemic sclerosis: an analysis from a nationwide Thailand healthcare database
Authors: Foocharoen Chingching , Peansukwech Udomlack , Pongkulkiat Patnarin , Mahakkanukrauh Ajanee , Suwannaroj Siraphop
Published: April 2021

Occupational and environmental associations with systemic sclerosis (SSc) have been confirmed; however, the association between aerosol components and mortality is uncertain. The study aimed to define the association between aerosol components and hospital mortality among Thai SSc patients. A study was conducted using a national database of patients covered by the National Health Security Office, hospitalised between 2014 and 2018. Data included all patients over 18 having a primary diagnosis of SSc (ICD-10: M34). Spatial resources used map information based on GPS coordinates of Thailand. Aerosol components—including organic carbon, black carbon, dust particulate matter diameter < 2.5 µm (PM2.5), and sulfate—were assessed using the NASA satellite MERRA-2 Model M2TMNXFLX v5.12.4. Spatial modelling with R Package Integrated Nested Laplace Approximation (R-INLA) was used to analyse the association between the incidence of mortality and the 5-year accumulation of each aerosol component adjusted by age, sex, and comorbid diseases. The study included 2,094 SSc patients with 3,684 admissions. Most (63.8%) were female. During admission, 1,276 cases died. R-INLA analysis indicated an increase of 1 µg/m3 of dust PM2.5 was associated with a respective increase in the risk of overall mortality and death due to pneumonia of 96% and 79%. An increase of 1 µg/m3 of dust PM2.5 resulted in 1.17, 1.18, 1.64, and 2.15 times greater risk of mortality due to pulmonary fibrosis, cardiac involvement, renal involvement, and cancer, respectively. Aerosol components—particularly dust PM2.5 exposures—increased the risk of overall, cardio-pulmonary-renal, and cancer mortality among SSc patients.
Brain electrical traits of logical validity
Authors: Salto Francisco , Requena Carmen , Álvarez-Merino Paula , Antón-Toro Luís F. , Maestú Fernando
Published: April 2021

Neuroscience has studied deductive reasoning over the last 20 years under the assumption that deductive inferences are not only de jure but also de facto distinct from other forms of inference. The objective of this research is to verify if logically valid deductions leave any cerebral electrical trait that is distinct from the trait left by non-valid deductions. 23 subjects with an average age of 20.35 years were registered with MEG and placed into a two conditions paradigm (100 trials for each condition) which each presented the exact same relational complexity (same variables and content) but had distinct logical complexity. Both conditions show the same electromagnetic components (P3, N4) in the early temporal window (250–525 ms) and P6 in the late temporal window (500–775 ms). The significant activity in both valid and invalid conditions is found in sensors from medial prefrontal regions, probably corresponding to the ACC or to the medial prefrontal cortex. The amplitude and intensity of valid deductions is significantly lower in both temporal windows (p = 0.0003). The reaction time was 54.37% slower in the valid condition. Validity leaves a minimal but measurable hypoactive electrical trait in brain processing. The minor electrical demand is attributable to the recursive and automatable character of valid deductions, suggesting a physical indicator of computational deductive properties. It is hypothesized that all valid deductions are recursive and hypoactive.
Comparing intra-observer variation and external variations of a fully automated cephalometric analysis with a cascade convolutional neural net
Authors: Kim In-Hwan , Kim Young-Gon , Kim Sungchul , Park Jae-Woo , Kim Namkug
Published: April 2021

The quality of cephalometric analysis depends on the accuracy of the delineating landmarks in orthodontic and maxillofacial surgery. Due to the extensive number of landmarks, each analysis costs orthodontists considerable time per patient, leading to fatigue and inter- and intra-observer variabilities. Therefore, we proposed a fully automated cephalometry analysis with a cascade convolutional neural net (CNN). One thousand cephalometric x-ray images (2 k × 3 k) pixel were used. The dataset was split into training, validation, and test sets as 8:1:1. The 43 landmarks from each image were identified by an expert orthodontist. To evaluate intra-observer variabilities, 28 images from the dataset were randomly selected and measured again by the same orthodontist. To improve accuracy, a cascade CNN consisting of two steps was used for transfer learning. In the first step, the regions of interest (ROIs) were predicted by RetinaNet. In the second step, U-Net detected the precise landmarks in the ROIs. The average error of ROI detection alone was 1.55 ± 2.17 mm. The model with the cascade CNN showed an average error of 0.79 ± 0.91 mm (paired t-test, p = 0.0015). The orthodontist’s average error of reproducibility was 0.80 ± 0.79 mm. An accurate and fully automated cephalometric analysis was successfully developed and evaluated.
Triage of human papillomavirus infected women by methylation analysis in first-void urine
Authors: Van Keer Severien , van Splunter Annina P. , Pattyn Jade , De Smet Annemie , Herzog Sereina A. , Van Ostade Xaveer , Tjalma Wiebren A. A. , Ieven Margareta , Van Damme Pierre , Steenbergen Renske D. M. , Vorsters Alex
Published: April 2021

Host cell DNA methylation analysis in urine provides promising triage markers for women diagnosed with a high-risk (HR) human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. In this study, we have investigated a panel of six host cell methylation markers (GHSR, SST, ZIC1, ASCL1, LHX8, ST6GALNAC5) in cervicovaginal secretions collected within the first part of the urine void (FVU) from a referral population. Cytology, histology, and HPV DNA genotyping results on paired FVU and cervical samples were available. Urinary median methylation levels from HR-HPV (n = 93) positive women were found to increase for all markers with severity of underlying disease. Significantly elevated levels were observed for GHSR and LHX8 in relation to high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN2 +; n = 33), with area under de curve values of 0.80 (95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.59–0.92) and 0.76 (95% CI 0.58–0.89), respectively. These findings are the first to support the assertion that methylation analysis of host cell genes is feasible in FVU and holds promise as molecular, triage strategy to discern low- from high-grade cervical disease in HR-HPV positive women. Molecular testing on FVU may serve to increase cervical cancer screening attendance in hard-to-reach populations whilst reducing loss to follow-up and await further optimization and validation studies.
Identification and functional characterization of two bamboo FD gene homologs having contrasting effects on shoot growth and flowering
Authors: Dutta Smritikana , Deb Anwesha , Biswas Prasun , Chakraborty Sukanya , Guha Suman , Mitra Devrani , Geist Birgit , Schäffner Anton R. , Das Malay
Published: April 2021

Bamboos, member of the family Poaceae, represent many interesting features with respect to their fast and extended vegetative growth, unusual, yet divergent flowering time across species, and impact of sudden, large scale flowering on forest ecology. However, not many studies have been conducted at the molecular level to characterize important genes that regulate vegetative and flowering habit in bamboo. In this study, two bamboo FD genes, BtFD1 and BtFD2, which are members of the florigen activation complex (FAC) have been identified by sequence and phylogenetic analyses. Sequence comparisons identified one important amino acid, which was located in the DNA-binding basic region and was altered between BtFD1 and BtFD2 (Ala146 of BtFD1 vs. Leu100 of BtFD2). Electrophoretic mobility shift assay revealed that this alteration had resulted into ten times higher binding efficiency of BtFD1 than BtFD2 to its target ACGT motif present at the promoter of the APETALA1 gene. Expression analyses in different tissues and seasons indicated the involvement of BtFD1 in flower and vegetative development, while BtFD2 was very lowly expressed throughout all the tissues and conditions studied. Finally, a tenfold increase of the AtAP1 transcript level by p35S::BtFD1 Arabidopsis plants compared to wild type confirms a positively regulatory role of BtFD1 towards flowering. However, constitutive expression of BtFD1 had led to dwarfisms and apparent reduction in the length of flowering stalk and numbers of flowers/plant, whereas no visible phenotype was observed for BtFD2 overexpression. This signifies that timely expression of BtFD1 may be critical to perform its programmed developmental role in planta.
A reporting and analysis framework for structured evaluation of COVID-19 clinical and imaging data
Authors: Salg Gabriel Alexander , Ganten Maria-Katharina , Bucher Andreas Michael , Kenngott Hannes Goetz , Fink Matthias Alexander , Seibold Constantin , Fischbach Ricarda Elisabeth , Schlamp Kai , Velandia Carlos Alberto , Fervers Philipp , Doellinger Felix , Luger Anna , Afat Saif , Merle Uta , Diener Markus K. , Pereira Philippe L. , Penzkofer Tobias , Persigehl Thorsten , Othman Ahmed , Heußel Claus Peter , Baumhauer Matthias , Widmann Gerlig , Stathopoulos Konstantinos , Hamm Bernd , Vogl Thomas J. , Nikolaou Konstantin , Kauczor Hans-Ulrich , Kleesiek Jens
Published: April 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has worldwide individual and socioeconomic consequences. Chest computed tomography has been found to support diagnostics and disease monitoring. A standardized approach to generate, collect, analyze, and share clinical and imaging information in the highest quality possible is urgently needed. We developed systematic, computer-assisted and context-guided electronic data capture on the FDA-approved mint LesionTM software platform to enable cloud-based data collection and real-time analysis. The acquisition and annotation include radiological findings and radiomics performed directly on primary imaging data together with information from the patient history and clinical data. As proof of concept, anonymized data of 283 patients with either suspected or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection from eight European medical centers were aggregated in data analysis dashboards. Aggregated data were compared to key findings of landmark research literature. This concept has been chosen for use in the national COVID-19 response of the radiological departments of all university hospitals in Germany.
The impact of locomotion on the brain evolution of squirrels and close relatives
Authors: Bertrand Ornella C. , Püschel Hans P. , Schwab Julia A. , Silcox Mary T. , Brusatte Stephen L.
Published: April 2021

How do brain size and proportions relate to ecology and evolutionary history? Here, we use virtual endocasts from 38 extinct and extant rodent species spanning 50+ million years of evolution to assess the impact of locomotion, body mass, and phylogeny on the size of the brain, olfactory bulbs, petrosal lobules, and neocortex. We find that body mass and phylogeny are highly correlated with relative brain and brain component size, and that locomotion strongly influences brain, petrosal lobule, and neocortical sizes. Notably, species living in trees have greater relative overall brain, petrosal lobule, and neocortical sizes compared to other locomotor categories, especially fossorial taxa. Across millions of years of Eocene-Recent environmental change, arboreality played a major role in the early evolution of squirrels and closely related aplodontiids, promoting the expansion of the neocortex and petrosal lobules. Fossoriality in aplodontiids had an opposing effect by reducing the need for large brains.
Human ACE2 receptor polymorphisms and altered susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2
Authors: Suryamohan Kushal , Diwanji Devan , Stawiski Eric W. , Gupta Ravi , Miersch Shane , Liu Jiang , Chen Chao , Jiang Ying-Ping , Fellouse Frederic A. , Sathirapongsasuti J. Fah , Albers Patrick K. , Deepak Tanneeru , Saberianfar Reza , Ratan Aakrosh , Washburn Gavin , Mis Monika , Santhosh Devi , Somasekar Sneha , Hiranjith G. H. , Vargas Derek , Mohan Sangeetha , Phalke Sameer , Kuriakose Boney , Antony Aju , Ustav Jr Mart , Schuster Stephan C. , Sidhu Sachdev , Junutula Jagath R. , Jura Natalia , Seshagiri Somasekar
Published: April 2021

COVID-19 is a respiratory illness caused by a novel coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2. The viral spike (S) protein engages the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor to invade host cells with ~10–15-fold higher affinity compared to SARS-CoV S-protein, making it highly infectious. Here, we assessed if ACE2 polymorphisms can alter host susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 by affecting this interaction. We analyzed over 290,000 samples representing >400 population groups from public genomic datasets and identified multiple ACE2 protein-altering variants. Using reported structural data, we identified natural ACE2 variants that could potentially affect virus–host interaction and thereby alter host susceptibility. These include variants S19P, I21V, E23K, K26R, T27A, N64K, T92I, Q102P and H378R that were predicted to increase susceptibility, while variants K31R, N33I, H34R, E35K, E37K, D38V, Y50F, N51S, M62V, K68E, F72V, Y83H, G326E, G352V, D355N, Q388L and D509Y were predicted to be protective variants that show decreased binding to S-protein. Using biochemical assays, we confirmed that K31R and E37K had decreased affinity, and K26R and T92I variants showed increased affinity for S-protein when compared to wildtype ACE2. Consistent with this, soluble ACE2 K26R and T92I were more effective in blocking entry of S-protein pseudotyped virus suggesting that ACE2 variants can modulate susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2.
The climate sensitivity of northern Greenland fjords is amplified through sea-ice damming
Authors: Stranne Christian , Nilsson Johan , Ulfsbo Adam , O’Regan Matt , Coxall Helen K. , Meire Lorenz , Muchowski Julia , Mayer Larry A. , Brüchert Volker , Fredriksson Jonas , Thornton Brett , Chawarski Julek , West Gabriel , Weidner Elizabeth , Jakobsson Martin
Published: April 2021

Record-high air temperatures were observed over Greenland in the summer of 2019 and melting of the northern Greenland Ice Sheet was particularly extensive. Here we show, through direct measurements, that near surface ocean temperatures in Sherard Osborn Fjord, northern Greenland, reached 4 °C in August 2019, while in the neighboring Petermann Fjord, they never exceeded 0 °C. We show that this disparity in temperature between the two fjords occurred because thick multi-year sea ice at the entrance of Sherard Osborn Fjord trapped the surface waters inside the fjord, which led to the formation of a warm and fresh surface layer. These results suggest that the presence of multi-year sea ice increases the sensitivity of Greenland fjords abutting the Arctic Ocean to climate warming, with potential consequences for the long-term stability of the northern sector of the Greenland Ice Sheet.
Defect tolerant device geometries for lead-halide perovskites
Authors: Das Basita , Liu Zhifa , Aguilera Irene , Rau Uwe , Kirchartz Thomas
Published: April 2021

Device geometries yielding asymmetric carrier concentration together with asymmetric defect capture coefficients limits defect mediated recombination.
Optical properties and stability of small hollow gold nanoparticles
Authors: Dung Ngo T. , Linh Nguyen T. N. , Chi Dinh L. , Hoa Nguyen T. H. , Hung Nguyen P. , Ha Ngo T. , Nam Pham H. , Phuc Nguyen X. , Tam Le T. , Lu Le T.
Published: April 2021

Hollow Au nanoparticles (d ≈ 16 nm) with excellent thermal stability and high photothermal conversion efficiency, which have great potential for use in photo-thermal cancer therapy, were prepared through galvanic replacement reaction between Ag nano-templates and gold salt.
A photo-induced spin crossover based molecular switch and spin filter operating at room temperature
Authors: Montenegro-Pohlhammer Nicolás , Sánchez-de-Armas Rocío , Calzado Carmen J. , Borges-Martínez Merlys , Cárdenas-Jirón Gloria
Published: April 2021

In this work, we performed a detailed study, by means of DFT and WFT methods, focused on the deposition of the NiTP–PAPy complex over an Au(111) surface, followed by DFT–NEGF calculations in order to probe the deposited complex transport properties.
Correction: A review of the recent progress on heterogeneous catalysts for Knoevenagel condensation
Authors: Appaturi Jimmy Nelson , Ratti Rajni , Phoon Bao Lee , Batagarawa Samaila Muazu , Ud Din Israf , Selvaraj Manickam , Jothi Ramalingam Rajabathar
Published: April 2021

Correction for ‘A review of the recent progress on heterogeneous catalysts for Knoevenagel condensation’ by Jimmy Nelson Appaturi et al., Dalton Trans., 2021, 50, 4445–4469, DOI: 10.1039/d1dt00456e.
Occurrence of pharmaceutical active compounds in sewage sludge from two urban wastewater treatment plants and their potential behaviour in agricultural soils
Authors: Silva Sofia , Rodrigues João A. , Coelho Maria Rosário , Martins António , Cardoso Eugénia , Cardoso Vitor Vale , Benoliel Maria João , Almeida Cristina M. M.
Published: April 2021

The profile of pharmaceutical active compounds (PhACs) in two UWWTP was evaluated. The potential behaviour of PhACs on agriculture soils was evaluated based on their physicochemical properties and soil pH.
Elucidating the role of non-covalent interactions in unexpectedly high and selective CO2 uptake and catalytic conversion of porphyrin-based ionic organic polymers
Authors: Kostakoğlu Sinem T. , Chumakov Yurii , Zorlu Yunus , Sadak Ali E. , Denizaltı Serpil , Gürek Ayşe G. , Ayhan Mehmet M.
Published: April 2021

Here, we present viologen-porphyrin based ionic covalent organic polymers (H2-ICOP and Zn-ICOP) with multiple CO2-philic sites.
Pillared Mo2TiC2 MXene for high-power and long-life lithium and sodium-ion batteries
Authors: Maughan Philip A. , Bouscarrat Luc , Seymour Valerie R. , Shao Shouqi , Haigh Sarah J. , Dawson Richard , Tapia-Ruiz Nuria , Bimbo Nuno
Published: April 2021

We apply a silica pillaring method to create a porous Mo2TiC2 MXene with nanoengineered interlayer distances, significantly improving performance in Li and Na-ion batteries. The charge storage mechanism is studied experimentally for the first time.
Regulating the catalytic activity of multi-Ru-bridged polyoxometalates based on differential active site environments with six-coordinate geometry and five-coordinate geometry transitions
Authors: Li Huafeng , Chen Wenjing , Zhao Yujie , Zou Yan , Zhao Xue , Song Junpeng , Ma Pengtao , Niu Jingyang , Wang Jingping
Published: April 2021

Robust multi-Ru-bridged POMs have demonstrated strong capabilities in achieving oxidation catalysis. Further investigations indicate that the catalytic efficiency could be further optimized by tuning the geometry of the catalytic sites.
An iodine-mediated new avenue to sulfonylation employing N-hydroxy aryl sulfonamide as a sulfonylating agent
Authors: Raghuvanshi Dushyant Singh , Verma Narsingh
Published: April 2021

A novel and highly efficient I2/K2CO3 mediated regioselective sulfonylation of thiophenols, aryl acetylenic acid and aromatic alkynes with N-hydroxy sulfonamide has been developed.
Stress-responsive properties of metallocenes in metallopolymers
Authors: Sha Ye , Zhang Hao , Zhou Zhou , Luo Zhenyang
Published: April 2021

This review article combines the field of metallopolymers and stress-responsiveness on a molecular level, namely, metallocenes, as emerging stress-responsive building blocks for materials.
Achieving molecular weight distribution shape control and broad dispersities using RAFT polymerizations
Authors: Rosenbloom Stephanie I. , Sifri Renee J. , Fors Brett P.
Published: April 2021

Metered additions of chain transfer agents are used to control molecular weight distribution (MWD) features in reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer polymerizations, giving polymers with tailored MWD shapes and dispersities as high as 6.2.
Simultaneously achieving high capacity storage and multilevel anti-counterfeiting using electrochromic and electrofluorochromic dual-functional AIE polymers
Authors: Lu Lin , Wang Kaojin , Wu Haozhong , Qin Anjun , Tang Ben Zhong
Published: April 2021

By using electrical stimuli-responsive AIE polymers, dual-mode display devices, multidimensional information storage and anti-counterfeiting devices were constructed.
Biomineralization-inspired: rapid preparation of a silicon-based composite as a high-performance lithium-ion battery anode
Authors: Gao Runsheng , Tang Jie , Tang Shuai , Zhang Kun , Ozawa Kiyoshi , Qin Lu-Chang
Published: April 2021

A high-performance silicon-carbon composite electrode has been prepared by a rapid biomineralization method to achieve enhanced lithium storage properties.
Tailoring the nonlinear absorption of fluorescent dyes by substitution at a boron center
Authors: Ośmiałowski Borys , Petrusevich Elizaveta F. , Nawrot Katarzyna C. , Paszkiewicz Bartłomiej K. , Nyk Marcin , Zielak Judyta , Jȩdrzejewska Beata , Luis Josep M. , Jacquemin Denis , Zaleśny Robert
Published: April 2021

The tuning of the spectroscopic signatures of boron-carrying fluorescent dyes by subtle chemical modifications is achieved.
High efficiency Cu2ZnSnS4 solar cells over FTO substrates and their CZTS/CdS interface passivation via thermal evaporation of Al2O3
Authors: Ojeda-Durán Esteban , Monfil-Leyva Karim , Andrade-Arvizu Jacob , Becerril-Romero Ignacio , Sánchez Yudania , Fonoll-Rubio Robert , Guc Maxim , Li-Kao Zacharie Jehl , Luna-López José A. , Saucedo Edgardo
Published: April 2021

Sulfur kesterite (CZTS) solar cells on transparent substrate (FTO) showing η = 7.3% and Voc = 700 mV (structure: SLG/FTO/Mo (20 nm)/CZTS/Al2O3/CdS/i-ZnO/ITO) and η = 7.7% and Voc = 677 mV (structure: SLG/FTO/Mo (20 nm)/CZTS/CdS/i-ZnO/ITO).
Phagocytic clearance of apoptotic, necrotic, necroptotic and pyroptotic cells
Authors: Atkin-Smith Georgia K.
Published: April 2021

Although millions of cells in the human body will undergo programmed cell death each day, dying cells are rarely detected under homeostatic settings in vivo. The swift removal of dying cells is due to the rapid recruitment of phagocytes to the site of cell death which then recognise and engulf the dying cell. Apoptotic cell clearance — the engulfment of apoptotic cells by phagocytes — is a well-defined process governed by a series of molecular factors including ‘find-me’, ‘eat-me’, ‘don't eat-me’ and ‘good-bye’ signals. However, in recent years with the rapid expansion of the cell death field, the removal of other necrotic-like cell types has drawn much attention. Depending on the type of death, dying cells employ different mechanisms to facilitate engulfment and elicit varying functional impacts on the phagocyte, from wound healing responses to inflammatory cytokine secretion. Nevertheless, despite the mechanism of death, the clearance of dying cells is a fundamental process required to prevent the uncontrolled release of pro-inflammatory mediators and inflammatory disease. This mini-review summarises the current understandings of: (i) apoptotic, necrotic, necroptotic and pyroptotic cell clearance; (ii) the functional consequences of dying cell engulfment and; (iii) the outstanding questions in the field.
Research on Identification of Flow Units Based on FZI
Authors: Yi Ding , Xiaobo Guo , Shuyun Chang
Published: April 2021

The FZI expression is obtained by derivation, and the geological significance of FZI is proposed for the first time - it is a parameter reflecting the micro-pore structure of the rock, determined by the microstructure of the rock. Further analysis of FZI indicates that there are misconceptions in it, and it is feasible to identify flow units based on FZI. It points out the advantages and disadvantages of FZI. With the introduction of limited condition, better division of flow units can be realized based on FZI.
Study on slagging characteristics and prevention of biomass briquette
Authors: Xiaoping Ren , Fang Liu , Xintong Tang , jing Yang , song Yang , Xiaoting Sun
Published: April 2021

It is a high efficiency，energy-saving and emission reduction measure to replace coal with biomass briquette fuel in a layer combustion furnace, but in the combustion process, the serious slagging problem has been restricted the promotion of biomass fuel. By analyzing the combustion characteristics of biomass briquette, the ash fusion characteristics and slagging mechanism, combined with the combustion characteristics of a layer combustion furnace, the important influence of key combustion parameters (furnace temperature, excess air, fuel layer thickness) on the slagging in the furnace is obtained, which provides a scientific basis for taking measures to prevent and control the slagging in the design and operation of the biomass briquette layer combustion furnace.
Study on Fine Particle Flow Characteristics with Different Air Supply Parameters
Authors: Dong Min , Wang Cheng-zhi , Zhang Lu
Published: April 2021

With the help of FLUENT software, the flow characteristics of fine particles in the upper air supply room with different air supply parameters were studied. The particle trajectory model was established to calculate the concentration distribution characteristics of fine particles in the upper air supply room, and the optimal air supply parameters in the working area of the personnel were researched to reduce the impact of the particles on the human health. By calculating the distribution of air flow field and particle concentration under four different air supply parameters, the optimal operating conditions were obtained by comparative analysis, that is, the air supply temperature was 20°C and the air supply speed was 3m/s, which provided a theoretical basis for the setting of the air supply parameters of the upper air supply room in the future.
Research on the Influence of Steam Turbine Seal Leakage
Authors: Ping-guo Zou , Zhen-tao Zhang , Gang Li
Published: April 2021

CFD was employed to simulate the steam flow in 1.5-stage cascades with three different seal clearances. When the seal clearance is 0, there is no steam seal leakage, no obvious secondary flow in the cascade, and the stage efficiency reaches 88.27%. When the clearance of diaphragm seal and rotor tip seal is 1mm, the leakage of diaphragm seal strongly interferes with the flow in the cascade, which promotes the formation and development of the end-wall secondary flow near rotor hub, and the rotor tip leakage flow has little effect on next stage, and the stage efficiency drops by about 2 percentage points. When the seal clearance is 4mm, the end-wall secondary flow near rotor hub and next stator casing is strengthened significantly, and the attack angle loss increases, so the stage efficiency decreases by about 13 percentage points.
Experimental on the protective performance of column bridge pier anti-scouring device
Authors: Chen Zhejiang , Liu Liang , Hu Yonglin , Ye Nan , Shen Xiaoli , Wang Yan
Published: April 2021

Because of the problem of local scour caused by the change of the flow structure caused by the water-resistance of the column bridge pier, the theoretical analysis, and indoor water tank test were used to study the effect of installing a new anti-scouring device in front of the bridge pier on the local scour reduction effect; the influence of the main design parameters such as the height of the protective device, the angle of the protective device and the distance from the protective device to the bridge pier on the local scour of the bridge pier was selected, and the optimal parameter design combination was selected. The test results show that: under the same water flow conditions, the maximum scour depth reduction rate of the measuring point under the protection of the protective device is 48.4% to 74.2% compared with the unprotected scour; the reduction rate of the bridge pier is relative to the relative height of the device and the device equivalent. The angle and the distance between the device and the bridge pier are related, and the shock reduction rate decreases with the increase of the flow intensity. In the test range, the ratio of the device height to the water depth is 2/3, the device angle is 60 °, and the distance from the bridge pier is 3. When the diameter of the pier is doubled, the effect of reducing the impact on the pier is the best.
A New Numerical Algorithm of Three Parameter Generalized Extreme Value Distribution of Wind Speed
Authors: Tao Ye
Published: April 2021

Maximum likelihood estimation method is used to solve the problem of parameter estimation of three-parameter generalized extreme value distribution. Based on the theory of order reducing，a new numerical algorithm is presented to resolve the problem of maximum likelihood estimation of three-parameter generalized extreme value distribution．Firstly，the shape parameter is assumed to be known and ternary likelihood equations can be transferred into binary ones that are solved with the dichotomy．And then，scale and location parameters are the functions of shape parameter. Further，the maximum likelihood function is described as a unitary function of shape parameter. The optimal estimation of shape parameters can be obtained by applying dichotomy again.
Analysis of factors affecting water stability of foam warm mix asphalt mixture
Authors: Yongjie Zhang
Published: April 2021

water stability of warm mix asphalt mixture based on foamed asphalt is the key evaluation index affecting its road performance. The moisture content in the production process of foamed asphalt is unfavorable to the water stability of warm mix asphalt mixture. In order to improve its water stability, through immersion Marshall test and freeze-thaw splitting test, taking foaming effect, asphalt temperature, foaming water consumption and polymer fiber content as influencing factors, the control variable method is used to study and analyze the influence of factors on the water stability of warm mix asphalt mixture. The test results show that the foaming effect of asphalt, asphalt temperature, foaming water consumption and fiber content are the direct factors affecting the water stability of warm mix asphalt mixture. According to the importance analysis of random forest variables, foaming water consumption, foaming effect and asphalt temperature are the most important variables, while fiber content is the least. Taking the asphalt used in this paper as an example, it is suggested to improve the water stability of warm mix asphalt mixture with the combination of the best foaming effect, asphalt temperature 155 °C, foaming water consumption 2% and fiber content 0.3%.
Mathematical Model for Effective Gas Diffusion Coefficient in Multi-scale Fractal Porous Media
Authors: Zhehua Du
Published: April 2021

Based on the capillary hypothesis and fractal theory, a mathematical model for calculating the effective gas diffusion coefficient in porous media is established. By using fractal geometry theory, pore area fractal dimension, tortuosity fractal dimension and pore connectivity are introduced to quantitatively characterize the real internal structure in the porous media. An effective gas diffusion coefficient model for the fractal porous media is derived, and the influence of multi-scale porous media microstructure parameters on the effective gas diffusion coefficient is discussed. The results show that effective gas diffusion coefficient approximates to linearly increase with the increase of porosity, the pore area fractal dimension and the effective gas diffusion coefficient is positive correlation, but the tortuosity fractal dimension is negatively related to it. In the case of different porosities, the gas effective diffusion coefficient varies with the change of the pore diameter ratio, the effective gas diffusion coefficient increases with the increase of pore connectivity.
An elastic-viscous-plastic structured UH model
Authors: Enyang Zhu , Yihe Wang
Published: April 2021

On the basis of the structured unified hardening model (structured UH model) considering soil structured collapse, the time effect is take into account, and an elastic-viscous-plastic structured UH model is extended. In the presented model, the moving normal compression line (MNCL) is extended to a moving instant normal compression line (MINCL) for simulating both soil structure effect and time effect. Then the instance plastic strains irrespective of time effect are calculated by referring the MINCL, and the plastic strains due to time effect are calculated by referring the traditional instant normal compression line. Comparisons between test data and model simulation indicate that the presented elastic-viscous-plastic structured UH model is qualified to simulate the combined actions of soil structure and time effects both in compression and in shearing.
Research on Urban Environmental Infrastructure Construction and Air Pollution Based on VAR Model
Authors: Li Yang
Published: April 2021

With the continuous improvement of the level of urbanization and industrialization in China, the economy has developed rapidly, but at the same time, environmental pollution and air quality decline have seriously affected people’s production, life and health. This article takes the relationship between Tianjin’s environmental infrastructure investment and air pollution from 2004 to 2019 as the research object, uses econometric tools, and believes that there is a long-term equilibrium relationship between them. We try to find out the urban environmental infrastructure construction through theoretical and practical analysis, and make policy recommendations accordingly.
Silting thickness analysis of regular desilting in rectangular and trapezoidal channel
Authors: Wei Yang , Zhenbo Zhao , Yannan Shi
Published: April 2021

Silting in river is a dynamic process, so it needs to regular desilting. At present, underwater siltation monitoring is still in its early days and based on experience. This paper puts forward the criterion of discrimination, in which the flood discharge section is decreased by 20%. It used the method of steady uniform flow in open rectangular and trapezoidal channel for calculation. The results show that reference values of dredging thickness in different section forms were determined. Siltation thicknesses of rectangular channel are linearly related to water depth. And the reduction rate of trapezoidal channel has a quadratic function relation with silting thicknesses. They were proportional to channel width and their rates trended to mitigation when the bottom width and flood depth were constant. In addition, the reference value of dredging thickness should be determined by combining with the bottom width, surface width, water depth and other actual situation.
Influence of Concentration Distribution on Cross Diffusion Level in Building Room
Authors: Zhehua Du
Published: April 2021

The relationship of contaminant gas concentration distribution influence on cross diffusion character and level among temperature, humidity and contaminant gas concentration was obtained according to the non-equilibrium thermodynamic theory. The cross diffusion character and level under different contaminant gas concentration distribution were discussed, combining real temperature and humidity in building room. The results show that temperature grads and vapor mass grads are less than zero when contaminant gas mass grads and additional diffusion coefficient are both positive or negative, otherwise the two grads are more than zero. And the higher the initial temperature and humidity levels, the greater the absolute values of temperature grads and vapor mass grads, with the same contaminant gas mass grads and additional diffusion coefficient. While the influence of initial temperature level is finite, and that of initial humidity level is remarkable.
Evaluation of Long-term Skid Resistance of Asphalt Mixture with Multi-content Basic Oxygen Furnace (BOF) Steel Slag Using the Circular Vehicle Simulator (CVS)
Authors: Hu Liqun , Wang Shouke , Zhang Qiang
Published: April 2021

Long-term anti-skid performance plays a vital role on the road life cycle and driving safety. Therefore, the CVS was proposed, which can perform full-size polishing on the rutting slabs. The CVS system was used to simulate the long-term anti-skid attenuation law of five kinds of asphalt mixture with different BOF steel slag contents, and the influence of different BOF steel slag contents on the road anti-skid performance was comprehensively analyzed by using pendulum friction value. With the increase of BOF steel slag volume, the long-term anti-skid performance of asphalt mixture increases first and then decreases. Especially, the asphalt mixture with 50% BOF steel slag content has the best long-term anti-skid performance.
Study on the enhancement of corn stover fermentation bybioactive water
Authors: He Jiaoyang , Yang Chongming , Li Guangchun
Published: April 2021

In order to explore the role of bioactive water in corn stover fermentation, the moisture content in corn stover fermentation was regulated by DW and bioactive water for this experiment, and the sensory comprehensive assessment, cellulose and hemicellulose degradation rates were analyzed. The results showed that the comprehensive score on the 5 d was higher than that on the 10 d from the sensory evaluation analysis, and the sterilized corn stover fermentation was superior to the unsterilized corn stover fermentation, with the total score of treat1 (sterilized stover + BW) and treat4 (sterilized stover + BW + MYB3) higher than the other treatment groups. For sterilized and unsterilized stover, the maximum cellulose and hemicellulose decomposition rates occurred in the four groups (sterilized / unsterilized stover + BW + MYB3) treated in 10 d, which were 39.38%, 45.25%, 32.25%, and 38.63%, respectively. It nearly doubled compared with the control (sterilized / unsterilized stover + DW). The results show that bioactive water could improve the decomposition rate of stover cellulose and hemicellulose, and it is of great significance to provide a new feasible method for the application of stover fermentation.
Simulation study of local thermal runaway of 18650 lithium battery module under multi-point thermal trigger
Authors: Zhang Yu , Liu Guixiong , Deng Daqiang
Published: April 2021

The thermal runaway of lithium power battery is the key problem of battery safety, according to the standard SAE J2464–2009 single point heating key position, the proposed multi-point trigger based thermal runaway of lithium power battery module simulation method and battery module thermal runaway battery monomer ratio PN, thermal runaway trigger time tn two indicators, the thermal runaway rule of 18650 lithium power battery module under different trigger position, trigger points. The results show that considering the external thermal insulation conditions of the power lithium battery module, the geometric angular position in the module is the most dangerous position, and the number of thermal trigger points is positively correlated with PN.
Study on Crack Mechanism of Gas-liquid Inclusions in Quartz Sand under Microwave Heating
Authors: Hou Qinglin , Chen Pingfei , Tian Liang , Xiao Jiakai
Published: April 2021

Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIS) and polarizing microscope are utilized to analyze the water molecule content in the gas-liquid inclusions in quartz sand and the micro-morphology change laws of gas-liquid inclusions before and after microwave heating. The experimental results show that when the quartz sand is heated to 600℃ under microwave, cracks or micro-cracks of gas-liquid inclusions appear at the interface, which causes the (OH)-water in the crystal lattice to transform into smaller liquid inclusions. Most gas-liquid inclusions can be removed by continuously increasing the microwave intensity so that the temperature of the quartz particles is as high as 900℃.Experiments show that the establishment of mathematical model can better reflect the heating behavior of quartz particles in the microwave field, and provide an effective theoretical basis for further study of the influence of these factors on the relationship between internal pressure and tangential tensile stress of inclusions, such as gas-liquid inclusion filling degree, fluid density, homogenization temperature, inclusion radius .
Deflections Estimation of Light Wood-framed Shear Walls Without Hold-Downs
Authors: Jianan LI , Wang Ling , Hu Xueying , Liu Tao
Published: April 2021

In the structural design of light wood structures in recent years, people have paid more and more attention to estimating the lateral deformation of buildings. In order to better estimate the lateral deformation of the balsa shear wall without hold-downs, this paper carried out the lateral loading test of the wood shear wall and the monotonic loading test of the nail joint. A formula for lateral load-deformation of nail nodes suitable for engineering entities is proposed. A method for calculating the lateral deformation of wood shear walls without hold-downs is provided. The method is based on the formula for lateral deformation of light-weight timber structure shear walls in China's Code for Design of Timber Structures (GB50005–2017) [1]. This method complements the domestic wood structure regulations very well.
Comparative Study on Energy Utilization Efficiency of High-tech Enterprises in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and Yangtze River Delta
Authors: Pengcheng Gao
Published: April 2021

Using panel data from the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and Yangtze River Delta regions from 2014 to 2018, combined with the DEA model and the Malmquist index method, the energy efficiency of high-tech enterprises and their decomposition items are compared from both static and dynamic aspects. The results show that the overall energy utilization efficiency of the two places is in a state of continuous improvement. From 2014 to 2016, the efficiency of high-tech enterprises in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region was better than that of the Yangtze River Delta region, but it was overtaken by the Yangtze River Delta region from 2017 to 2018. In contrast, the advantage of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region lies in pure technical efficiency, and the advantage of the Yangtze River Delta region lies in scale efficiency.
Measurement and analysis of green water resources efficiency in Jing-Jin-Ji
Authors: Heng Xie
Published: April 2021

Jing-Jin-Ji as one of the most serious water shortage areas in China, improving the green efficiency of water resources is the only way to solve the contradiction between supply and demand of water resources and realize the harmonious development of economy, society and ecology. Based on the Super-SBM model and geographical detector model, this paper measures the green water resources efficiency of Jing-Jin-Ji from 2008 to 2018, and analyzes the spatial and temporal differentiation. The result shows that:The efficiency of green water resources in Jing-Jin-Ji fluctuates in an unstable state, and does not reach the DEA effective state, and there is a big gap between the maximum and minimum efficiency of urban agglomeration.