In this paper, a wood-SiO2 composite material was prepared via in-situ polymerization using vacuum/pressure impregnation technology using commercial scale nano silica sol and Chinese Fir ...(Cunninghamia lanceolate (Lamb.) Hook.). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TG), and water contact angle were used to study the changes in the microstructure and physical and mechanical properties of this composite. The results showed that silica sol can penetrate and distribute into the wood cell cavities and surface of cell walls and hence combine with the substances of wood materials. FTIR results indicated that the –OH groups of wood can polycondense in-situ with silica sol to form Si–O–C covalent bonds, and amorphous SiO2 formed from Si–O–Si bonds between the –OH groups of silica sol did not change the crystalline structure of wood cell walls. This in-situ formulating composite significantly improved the compact microstructure, thermal and mechanical properties, and hydrophobicity of the composites.
Magnetic fluid is a new type of functional materials. The seal of reciprocating shaft is a typical application of the magnetic fluid. However, there is little research on the magnetic fluid ...reciprocating seals, thus improving the sealing life and seal capacity is the key problem of studying the reciprocating seals. This paper presents a structure of the seal to test the sealing life and other characteristics. The magnetic field of the seal is estimated using the finite-element method. The thickness of the magnetic fluid on the surface of reciprocating shaft and the flow rate of magnetic fluid are obtained theoretically. The experimental result shows that the static seal capacity is related to the fluid volume. The static seal capacity obtained by experiment is approximately equal to the value through the simulation with sufficient magnetic fluid. The relationship between sealing life and the motion of the reciprocating shaft is obtained experimentally. The sealing life decreases rapidly with the increase of the stroke and velocity.
To effectively treat the hydrophobic organic contaminant and utilize an industrial solid waste manganese residue (MR), a novel starch-derived carbon (SC)-decorated and Cu-doped (Fe,Cu)S/CuFe2O4 solid ...solution (CFS/CFO@SC) was prepared from MR via mechanical activation treatment of precursor materials followed by one-step pyrolysis and applied as a photo-Fenton catalyst to treat a hydrophobic organic compound, 17α-ethinylestradiol (EE2). Characterization results showed that the CFS/CFO@SC solid solution with unique crystal and electronic structures exhibited high adsorption capacity and catalytic activity, ascribed to that Cu doping and C decorating enhanced its hydrophobicity and BET surface area. The CFS/CFO@SC showed excellent degradation efficiency with nearly 100% of EE2 removal rate in 40 min (degradation rate constant of 0.112 min−1), and a high mineralization degree with 95.2% of TOC removal in 180 min. This could be ascribed to that C decorating and the formation of CFS/CFO solid solution promoted the charge transfer in a continuous band, resulting in effective separation of photogenerated holes–electrons (h+–e–). The strong interaction of Fe–Cu collaborating with the photoelectron could effectively accelerate the recycle of Fe3+/Fe2+ and Cu2+/Cu+, thus generating more active radicals. Moreover, CFS/CFO@SC showed promising stability and recyclability with the EE2 removal rates all >95% after five cycles. This work brings a valuable approach for the rational design of high-performance Fe-based photo-Fenton catalysts for environmental remediation and the valorization of MR.
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•A new Fe-based solid solution with high photo-Fenton catalytic activity was prepared.•C decorating greatly enhanced the hydrophobicity and BET surface area.•Formation of C-decorated and Cu-doped solid solution boosted charge transfer.•Effective degradation of hydrophobic contaminant catalyzed by the solid solution.•The mechanism based on adsorption and catalytic degradation was proposed.
Auricular acupressure (AA) is widely used in treatment of dysmenorrhea, but the safety and efficacy of auricular acupressure on dysmenorrhoea are still lack of evidence-based basis.
The purpose of ...meta-analysis was to evaluate the effects of auricular acupressure on dysmenorrhea.
A systematic search was conducted in six electronic databases, including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CINAHL), Weipu (CQVIP), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wanfang databases, to retrieve studies published from the inception dates to June 10, 2022.
Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that investigated the effectiveness of AA on dysmenorrhea were identified.
The data extraction and quality assessment of the included studies were performed by two reviewers independently. Outcomes were abstracted to determine the effect measure by using mean differences (MD), standardized mean differences (SMD), or odds ratio (OR) from a random effects model.
Cure rate, total effective rate, and visual analogue scale (VAS) were described as primary outcomes; Short-form Menstrual Distress Questionnaire (MDQs), symptom scores, serum nitric oxide (NO) level, and adverse events were recorded as secondary outcomes.
Thirty-five RCTs involving 3960 participants were included in this study. Our findings indicated that, overall, AA was associated with a significant benefit in cured rate (OR = 1.95, 95%CI: 1.34, 2.83, P=0.0004, I
= 75%), total effective rate (OR = 3.58, 95%CI: 2.92, 4.39, P<0.00001, I
= 67%), VAS score (MD = -1.45, 95%CI: -1.73, -1.17, P<0.00001, I
= 67%), and symptom scores compared to the control group (SMD = -0.85, 95%CI: -1.28, -0.43, P<0.0001, I
= 91%). However, no difference in serum NO (SMD = 0.77, 95%CI: -0.39, 1.92, P = 0.19, I
= 89%) and MDQs (SMD = -0.58, 95%CI: -1.26, 0.10, P = 0.10, I
= 79%) was found between the two groups. Furthermore, subgroup analysis results indicated that AA showed significant superiorities in increasing cured rate and total effective rate, and reducing VAS score and symptom scores when compared to analgesics and non-intervention. Moreover, AA presented the same superiorities when used as an adjunctive strategy to other therapy. However, these benefits were not detected in AA used alone when compared to the therapies, including Chinese herbs, acupuncture, external application of Chineseherbal medicine, moxibustion, auricular needle, and health education.
Overall, AA, as a potential safety therapy, is effective for the management of dysmenorrhea, such as increasing cured rate, total effective rate, VAS, and symptom scores. Nevertheless, AA showed no significant improvement in serum NO and MDQs. It is furtherly found that AA used alone is superior to analgesics and non-intervention regarding cured rate, total effective rate, VAS, and symptom scores. Furthermore, the same superiorities are observed when AA serves as an adjunctive strategy to other therapy. However, AA alone has little effect on them compared to other therapies, and there is no definite conclusion on the benefits of AA compared to placebo for patients with dysmenorrhea. Rigorous RCTs with blind method and placebo control are warranted to confirm these findings.
https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD42022338524.
This article is a review of models for predicting ultra-low cycle fatigue life. In the article, the life prediction models are divided into three types: (1) microscopic ductile fracture models based ...on cavity growth and cavity merger; (2) fracture models based on porous plasticity; and (3) ductile fracture models based on continuum damage mechanics. Furthermore, the article provides a critical assessment of the current state of research on ultra-low cycle fatigue life prediction models, highlighting the limitations and challenges faced by each model type. Ultimately, this review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the different models available for predicting ultra-low cycle fatigue life and to guide future research in this important area of materials science and engineering.
Magnetorheological dampers (MRDs) use the controlled rheological properties of MRF with the action of an applied magnetic field to achieve lower current regulation and control larger damping. MRD ...technology is applied to the defense industry, vehicle engineering, civil engineering, traffic engineering, aerospace, and other equipment. In this paper, the structural design and latest engineering applications of three types of MRDs including internal, bypass, and hybrid are investigated in terms of the number of coils, piston structure, damping channels, and operating modes to obtain the latest developments of MRDs and analyze potential applications. This study is essential for understanding and developing magnetorheological damping technology and applications.
Ferrofluid application in the oil-film bearing can improve the viscosity and the load-carrying capacity in a magnetic field. A solenoid was developed to provide magnetic field for ferrofluid, using ...which the distribution of magnetic induction intensity was calculated. The viscosity equation of ferrofluid was derived. The effects of oil-film temperature T, oil-film pressure P and magnetic intensity H on ferrofluid viscosity eta sub()fwas analyzed and tested by an unifactor experiment method. The control equations and transfer functions of each variable were given based on a large-scale oil-film bearing test rig. The variations of P, T, H and eta sub()fwere simulated and monitored by a reasonable control strategy. The results suggest that the viscosity increment by magnetic intensity could compensate the viscosity decrement by temperature rise.
It remains unclear that how tumor immune micro-environment will change following neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in locally advanced gastric cancer (LAGC). In this study, we aimed to characterize the ...changes in tumor-infiltrating immune cells and checkpoint molecules following NACT and investigate the prognostic value of these changes in LAGC. Paired tumor samples (pre-NACT and post-NACT) of 60 patients were retrospectively identified and analyzed by multiplex immunohistochemistry with a panel including CD4, CD8, FOXP3, PD-1, PD-L1, and TIM3. Following NACT, the overall median expression levels of CD4, CD8, PD1, PD-L1 and TIM3 were significantly increased (
= 0.008 for PD-L1 and
0.001 for all the other markers), while the median FOXP3 expression level remained stable (
0.120). Individually, the majority of patients presented increased expression of the markers, while 8.5%, 11.9%, 16.9%, 25.4%, 22.0% and 42.2% of patients had decreased expression of CD4, CD8, PD-1, PD-L1, TIM3 and FOXP3, respectively. Changes in expression between baseline and post-NACT of TIM3, PD-1, and PD-L1 showed strongly positive pairwise correlations with each other (
< 0.001). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that high upregulation levels of CD8 (HR = 0.73,
= 0.028), PD-1 (HR = 0.76,
= 0.027), and PD-L1 (HR = 0.67,
= 0.038) following NACT were beneficial prognostic factors of OS. NACT increase the expression of multiple checkpoint molecules and infiltration of CD4+, CD8+ immune cells in LAGC with the levels of changes in checkpoint molecules positively related with each other. This may raise the possibility of applying immunotherapy with chemotherapy or even dual checkpoint inhibitors in LAGC.
Steel slag powder (SSP) was selected as an inorganic micro powder filler instead of limestone powder (LSP) to prepare asphalt mastic in this paper. Firstly, the microscopic characteristics of SSP and ...LSP such as particle size distribution, surface morphology, phase composition and chemical composition were characterized by laser particle size analyzer, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyzer, and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer. Then, the composition and content of chemical functional groups of asphalt mastics were studied by fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR). Finally, the effect of SSP on the creep and fatigue properties of asphalt mastics was investigated via multiple stress creep recovery (MSCR) and time scanning experiments using a dynamic shear rheometer (DSR). The results showed that the addition of SSP as mineral filler instead of LSP to asphalt binder enhanced the deformation resistance and the fatigue life of the asphalt mastics.The complex shear modulus of asphalt mastics show an increase trend with an increase in the SSP content. Compared with LSP asphalt mastic, the complex shear modulus of SSP asphalt mastic ( SSP content 30 %, 50 %, 100 %) increased by 84.9 %, 118.0 % and 256.1 %, respectively. From the perspective of structural design and material selection, the fatigue life NDER corresponding to the cumulative dissipative energy rate(DER) is recommended to analyze the fatigue life of asphalt mastics.The results of the MSCR and time scanning experiments demonstrated that the use of a combination of SSP and LSP as filler could be an effective approach for comprehensive utilization of steel slag in asphalt mixture.
Background/Aims: Cardiac fibrosis is a pathological change leading to cardiac remodeling during the progression of myocardial ischemic diseases, and its therapeutic strategy remains to be explored. ...S100A4, a calcium-binding protein, participates in fibrotic diseases with an unclear mechanism. This study aimed to investigate the role of S100A4 in cardiac fibrosis. Methods: Cardiac fibroblasts from neonatal C57BL/6 mouse hearts were isolated and cultured. Myocardial infarction was induced by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD). The ligation was not performed in the sham group. A volume of 5×105pfu/g adenovirus or 5 µM/g ICG-001 was intramyocardially injected into five parts bordering the infarction zone or normal region. We used Western blotting, quantitative RT-PCR, immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry and Masson’s trichrome staining to explore the function of S100A4. Results: We found significant increases of S100A4 level and cardiac fibrosis markers, and β-catenin signaling activation in vitro and in vivo. In addition, knockdown of S100A4 significantly reduced cardiac fibrosis and β-catenin levels. Moreover, the expression of S100A4 decreased after ICG-001 inhibited β-catenin signal pathway. Conclusion: Downregulation of S100A4 alleviates cardiac fibrosis via Wnt/β -catenin pathway in mice. S100A4 may be a therapeutic target of cardiac fibrosis.
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