The study of the velocity and strain rate of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau can explain its crustal deformation characteristics. Previous investigations have relied on mathematical interpolation in ...GPS velocity to obtain a continuous strain field; these approaches can be applied well to regions where the deformation is relatively smooth and are not entirely suitable for the northeastern Tibetan Plateau that is cut by several large strike-slip faults. Thus, this study incorporates seismic constraints into the GNSS velocity and strain analysis to obtain a more realistic deformation field and compares it with the uplift rate and the stress results in depth, it will provide a comprehensive view of contemporary deformation on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. It shows that there are two prominent deforming zones localized on the middle segments of the Haiyuan and East Kunlun faults, which may result from the different strengths in fault segmentation. The velocity and strain rate in the four profiles show that the convergence strain obviously decay from ∼15.5 mm/yr and ∼ 15.48 nstrain/yr in the western Qilian Mountains to ∼5.73 mm/yr and ∼ 5.76 nstrain/yr in the eastern Long Zhong Basin, respectively. The comparison between the vertical uplift rate, SKS result, and strain rate field indicates that the northeastern Tibetan Plateau is not only dominated by crustal shortening corresponding to the topography and surface fault geometry, but also by the strain transfer of motion along these significant strike-slip faults accounting for the extrusion and growth of the Tibetan Plateau. Combined with recent seismological results, our results indicate that the deformation of the study region resembles that of the Tibetan Plateau and can be viewed as a combined process linking both NE- or NEE-directed crustal shortening, vertical uplift, lateral extrusion along strike-slip faults and partial melting or mantle upwelling at depth.
Resolving the velocity and strain rate of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau can explain its crustal deformation kinematics and seismogenic characteristics, which is crucial for understanding and constraining the kinematic patterns of the outward growth and uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. In this study, we apply a new method that incorporates seismic constraints into the GNSS velocity and strain analysis, to determine how the motion of the northeastern Tibetan Plateau are accommodated or partitioned by deformation on faults and blocks across the region, and gain improved insight based on the updated geodetic and seismological results associated with this region's tectonics. Our results indicate that the deformation of the study region resembles that of the Tibetan Plateau and can be viewed as a combined process linking both NE- or NEE-directed crustal shortening, vertical uplift, lateral expansion along strike-slip faults and partial melting or mantle upwelling at depth. Display omitted
•A new strain and velocity map of northeastern Tibetan Plateau was portrayed.•Two prominent deforming zones localized on the Haiyuan and East Kunlun faults.•The deformation of northeastern Tibetan Plateau resembles that of the Tibetan Plateau.•A combined process linking crustal shortening, vertical uplift, lateral expansion and partial melting at depth.
Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is an environment‐friendly and efficient oxidant with a wide range of applications in different industries. Recently, the production of hydrogen peroxide through direct ...electrosynthesis has attracted widespread research attention, and has emerged as the most promising method to replace the traditional energy‐intensive multi‐step anthraquinone process. In ongoing efforts to achieve highly efficient large‐scale electrosynthesis of H2O2, carbon‐based materials have been developed as 2e− oxygen reduction reaction catalysts, with the benefits of low cost, abundant availability, and optimal performance. This review comprehensively introduces the strategies for optimizing carbon‐based materials toward H2O2 production, and the latest advances in carbon‐based hybrid catalysts. The active sites of the carbon‐based materials and the influence of coordination heteroatom doping on the selectivity of H2O2 are extensively analyzed. In particular, the appropriate design of functional groups and understanding the effect of the electrolyte pH are expected to further improve the selective efficiency of producing H2O2 via the oxygen reduction reaction. Methods for improving catalytic activity by interface engineering and reaction kinetics are summarized. Finally, the challenges carbon‐based catalysts face before they can be employed for commercial‐scale H2O2 production are identified, and prospects for designing novel electrochemical reactors are proposed.
The latest advances in carbon‐based hybrid catalysts toward hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production are reviewed. In particular, the design of functional groups and the dependence of electrolyte pH play important roles to further improve the selectivity of H2O2 production via the oxygen reduction reaction.
Tyrosinase is an important enzyme in the metabolism of melanin and catecholamine, as well as an important antigen in autoimmunity of vitiligo. However, it is still a challenge to develop a selective ...and sensitive sensing approach for monitoring of tyrosinase in cell environment. In this work, a sensing strategy based on ion current rectification induced by nanochannels was established to electrochemically detect inactive tyrosinase. Functionalized alumina nanochannels were decorated by tyramine as an electrochemical platform to selectively determine tyrosinase via chemically specific reaction between phenolic hydroxyl groups of tyramine and tyrosinase. On the other hand, Fe2+ was further bonded with dihydroxyl groups generated by tyrosinase in nanochannels to amplify charge changes, resulting in the enhancement on the detection sensitivity for tyrosinase. Based on this principle, the developed electrochemical sensor showed a good linearity towards tyrosinase from 2 to 50 U/mL with a detection limit down to 0.83 U/mL, which can fulfil the requirement for detection of tyrosinase in cells. Eventually, the present electrochemical sensor was successfully employed in the selective and sensitive determination of tyrosinase in cell lysates. The results suggested that the activity of tyrosinase in B16 cells was 1.7‐fold higher than that of Hela cells.
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•A new strategy to optimize ecological sources and resistance surfaces was proposed to build ESP.•The optimal diffusion distance of ecological source was analyzed to meet future ...needs.•Boundary analysis and resistance radial effect were integrated to construct resistance surface.•More reasonable ecological corridor direction was obtained for the construction of ESP.
Rapid urbanization would lead to deterioration of the eco-environment and damage the functioning of ecosystem services. Ecological security pattern (ESP) is one of important national strategies in China for coordinating the ecosystem protection and economic development. Previous studies have mainly focused on how to identify ecological sources and extract ecological corridors, but optimization of the identified ecological sources and resistance surfaces are seldom explored. In this study, a new strategy to optimize ecological sources and resistance surfaces was proposed. The optimal diffusion distance of each existing ecological source with poor landscape connectivity was analyzed to meet future needs. The radial effect of resistance in areas with high resistance values were considered in combination with the characteristics of species migration. Hunan is an important province in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) and the Rise of Central China strategies. Taking a rapidly urbanizing region in Hunan Province as an example, the results showed that the total area of the optimized ecological sources was 9.60% higher than that of the existing area, which expanded the radial range of ecosystem services and enhanced ecosystem internal connectivity. According to the spatial distribution of important ecological landscape elements, the ecological framework of “two axes, four cores, and four belts” was proposed. This study offers a new insight for ESP construction, which can provide a new reference for ecological protection and development planning of rapidly urbanizing regions in central-south China.
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to assess the process of prefabricated construction (PC) and analyze the impacts of rework risk to identify the core tasks for which the rework risk has severe ...impacts.Design/methodology/approachThe methods consist of a literature review, expert interviews, a questionnaire survey and a rework risk function. The expert interviews and questionnaire survey were administered to experts in the entire process of PC from the dimensions of rework frequency, rework cost and rework time. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed to analyze the data. The rework risk function was based on the loss expectancy method.FindingsThere are 13 core tasks that have higher impacts than the average level. The core tasks in the design stage account for 100% of the tasks in the stage, those in the manufacturing stage account for 20% and those in the construction stage account for 23.1%. Compared with the other stages, the design stage is characterized by significantly more frequent rework, higher rework costs and longer rework time. The manufacturing stage is characterized by significantly higher rework costs than the construction stage. The manufacturing stage and construction stage are co-reliant, and both are impacted by the design stage.Practical implicationsThe findings provide stakeholders with a clear understanding of the core tasks of the PC process and represent a method for identifying core tasks. Stakeholders can learn from this to focus on the core tasks to reduce rework risk and manage the process with the priority of PC rework management based on the following order: design > manufacturing > construction. The approach is suitable for core task identification in other areas.Originality/valueThis research provides insight into rework risk management and provides a novel analysis method for rework risk and PC management from the perspective of the construction process. The findings are valuable for supporting stakeholders in making effective construction plans to reduce the impacts of rework risk in PC and provide a reference for future research on process optimization.
We previously demonstrated that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) ameliorated experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU) in rats. Recently, MSC-derived exosomes (MSC-Exo) were thought to carry functions ...of MSCs. In this study, we tested the effect of local administration of human MSC-Exo on established EAU in the same species. Rats with EAU induced by immunization with interphotoreceptor retinol-binding protein 1177-1191 peptide were treated by periocular injections of increasing doses of MSC-Exo starting at the disease onset for 7 consecutive days. The in vitro effects of MSC-Exo on immune cell migration and responder T cell proliferation were examined by chemotactic assays and lymphocyte proliferation assays, respectively. We found that MSC-Exo greatly reduced the intensity of ongoing EAU as their parent cells by reducing the infiltration of T cell subsets, and other inflammatory cells, in the eyes. Furthermore, the chemoattractive effects of CCL2 and CCL21 on inflammatory cells were inhibited by MSC-Exo. However, no inhibitory effect of MSC-Exo on IRBP-specific T cell proliferation was observed. These results suggest that MSC-Exo effectively ameliorate EAU by inhibiting the migration of inflammatory cells, indicating a potential novel therapy of MSC-Exo for uveitis.
To clarify the reasons for inaccurate fire detection in aircraft cargo holds, this article depicts research from the perspective of a single type of sensor detection. In terms of fire smoke, we ...select dual-wavelength photoelectric smoke sensors for fire-data collection and a genetic algorithm to optimize the classification and detection of random forest fires. From the perspective of fire CO concentration, we use PSO-LSTM to train a CO concentration compensation model to reduce sensor measurement errors. Research is then conducted from the perspective of various types of sensor detection, using the improved BP-AdaBoost algorithm to train a fire-detection model and achieve the high-precision identification of complex environments and fire situations.
The prevalence of early-stage lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) has increased alongside increased implementation of lung cancer screenings. Robust discrimination criteria are urgently needed to identify ...those patients who might benefit from additional systemic therapy. Here, to develop a reliable, individualized immune gene-set-based signature to predict recurrence in early-stage LUAD, a novel recurrence-associated immune signature was identified using a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator model, and a stepwise Cox proportional hazards regression model with a training set comprised of 338 early-stage LUAD samples form TCGA, which was subsequently validated in 226 cases from GSE31210 and an independent set of 68 frozen tumor samples with qRT-PCR data. This new classification system remained strongly predictive of prognoses across clinical subgroups and mutation status. Further analysis revealed that samples from high-risk cases were characterized by active interferon signal transduction, distinctive immune cell proportions and immune checkpoint profiles. Moreover, the signature was identified as an independent prognostic factor. In conclusion, the signature is highly predictive of recurrence in patients with early-stage LUAD, which may serve as a powerful prognostic tool to further optimize immunotherapies for cancer.
•Development of robust criteria to identify patients at high risk of recurrence will facilitate individualized therapy.•This gene signature’s predictive value was well validated in several independent cohorts and patient subgroups.•Patients categorized as high-risk by this gene signature had high expression of B7-H3, 4-1BB, OX40L, and IDO1.•This gene signature was an independent prognostic factor for patients with early-stage LUAD.
In this paper, the control performances of a modular power converter for a three-phase switched reluctance machine (SRM) are analyzed and improved. The converter is implemented by a dual and a ...six-pack IGBT module, and the phase windings of the SRM are Y-connected and bipolar excited. The performances of the existing control method for this converter are evaluated by simulation and compared with those for the traditional asymmetric half-bridge converter, and the drawbacks, such as big torque ripple and small average torque, are presented. With the new operating modes of phase branch, namely magnetization, freewheeling, and demagnetization, improved basic control methods are proposed, which can effectively enhance the performances, flexibility, and applicability of the converter. Furthermore, the direct instantaneous torque control, which can reduce the torque ripple, is realized with the converter as well. Several simulations and experiments under different working conditions are carried out to verify the performances of the improved control methods.
Glucose fluctuation promotes neuronal apoptosis, which plays a central role in diabetic encephalopathy (DE). Nerve growth factor (NGF), and its interaction with high-affinity (TrkA) and low-affinity ...(p75NTR) receptors, are involved in neuronal survival. NGF/TrkA contributes to the activation of the PI3K/AKT pathway, which is beneficial for neuronal survival, and α-Lipoic acid (ALA) exerts clinically favorable neuroprotective effects in the periphery. Whether NGF receptors and the PI3K/AKT pathway are involved in glucose fluctuation-induced neuronal damage, as well as the potential molecular mechanism of ALA in protecting glucose fluctuation-induced neuronal damage, remain unclear.
The results indicated that constant high glucose (CHG) and intermittent high glucose (IHG) significantly increased the expression of Bax and caspase-3, and decreased the expression of TrkA/p75NTR and p-AKT/AKT, while ALA stimulation reversed the above proteins in PC12 cells. IHG stimulates apoptosis more effectively than CHG in PC12 cells, which is related to the PI3K/AKT pathway but not to the TrkA/p75NTR. Furthermore, neuronal apoptosis induced by IHG was aggravated by the TrkA inhibitor K252a or the PI3K/AKT inhibitor LY294002, but this effect was alleviated by the p75NTR inhibitor TAT-pep5.
Glucose fluctuation induced cell apoptosis by regulating the TrkA/p75NTR and PI3K/AKT pathway, meanwhile ALA exhibited neuroprotective effects in response to IHG and CHG. These observations indicated that the PI3K/AKT pathway and the balance of TrkA/p75NTR are likely to serve as potential therapeutic targets for DE. In addition, ALA could be a possible therapeutic drug for DE.
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