With the shortage of lithium and growing demand for electrochemical energy storage, finding substitute high-abundance elements to replace lithium has become a vital issue. In our research, a ...structural search on the Na–Ni–B system has been conducted and two new metastable phases possess the same composition NaNiB2, as well as low-energy phases NaNiB and NiB2 have been found. Notably, C2221-NaNiB2 possesses the lowest formation energy (0.032 eV/atom) above the convex hull and maintains thermodynamic stability with the range of 6–16 GPa, indicating potential synthesis under high pressure. During the desodiation process, C2221-NaNiB2 exhibits a volume change of less than 6%, showing advantages for stability and rate performance. Combined with our previous research on the Li–Ni/Co–B system, the alkali metal-transition metal boride systems appear to offer a facile route toward obtaining stable layered structures. Therefore, C2221-NaNiB2 with high electrical conductivity demonstrates substantial potential for electrode material applications and provides a theoretical basis for experimental synthesis to some extent.
Hydrogen is an ideal energy source and plays an important role in increasingly global energy issues and environmental problems. Liquid hydrogen (LH2) has many advantages over other storage methods, ...especially in terms of energy density. However, it may cause enormous harm once it leaks accidently. LH2 leakage is a complex multiphase process involving evaporation, condensation, transfer of mass and heat, and dispersion. In order to study LH2 transportation and storage systems safety, a research project has been carried out to develop a 3D numerical model using an open-source CFD code, OpenFoam, for investigating LH2 accidental release scenarios. Since the release of LH2 is a very complex process, our strategy is to study it step by step. Therefore, in this paper we present our research work at the first stage, a dispersion process of room-temperature gaseous hydrogen without multiphase flow. A small-scale hydrogen release conducted by Sandia National Laboratories is simulated. In this experiment, room-temperature gaseous hydrogen is injected upwards into the air from a small hole with a 1.91 mm diameter. The situations of Froude (Fr) number = 99, 152, and 268 are studied, respectively. The behavior of hydrogen at different Fr numbers is discussed. When high-speed hydrogen enters the air, the speed and concentration of hydrogen decrease rapidly. In addition, the greater the speed, the faster it decays. The result shows a close range of hydrogen reach. Details about the numerical model are introduced. The simulation results are used to verify the validity of the developing numerical model for dispersion and mixing of multi-species. The simulated concentrations and velocity distribution are analyzed and compared with experimental data. The simulation shows a good agreement with the data of Sandia National Laboratories. The agreement between experiments and simulations is measured using the Pearson correlation coefficient (>0.98), which indicates excellent consistency. In the next step, we will integrate the multiphase flow and phase change into the current model. The phase change of liquid hydrogen and air will be simulated to study the release of liquid hydrogen.
•Using the open-source CFD code OpenFOAM for simulation of hydrogen jet.•A good agreement between the simulations results and experimental data has been found in this paper.•When high-speed hydrogen is injected into the air, both velocity and concentration drop rapidly.•Final concentration is not sensitive to different injection velocity.
An interpolated position control algorithm for permanent magnet synchronous machines (PMSMs) equipped with low-resolution encoders has been proposed in this paper, which could significantly improve ...the control performance at low speed. It is based on the hybrid of a sliding-mode observer (SMO) and a low-resolution incremental encoder, which can improve the accuracy of rotor position by the interpolation control algorithm, and consequently overcomes the low resolution issue of encoder in low speed operation. The experimental results on a PMSM show that this interpolated method could effectively improve both the dynamic and steady-state performance of speed control at ≤ 10rpm.
Ridesharing or ride-hailing services have received substantial attention from scholars and practitioners around the world, and it has become an urgent issue for the government to find solutions to ...mitigate their negative externalities and to provide room for their development. Since the Chinese central government legalized ridesharing in 2016, cities across provinces have adopted dissimilar strategies in governing ridesharing. In this contribution, we use a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis approach to explain the variations in regulatory strategies adopted by 25 Chinese capital cities to govern ridesharing. Our study has identified seven paths to explain both the stringent and loose regulation of municipalities on ridesharing. These findings enrich our understanding of the choices of government strategies in regulating ridesharing. We conclude that regulators should adopt a network governance approach to achieve a win–win outcome in governing ridesharing.
Bolbolaimus major sp. nov. is described from Rizhao coast along the Yellow Sea. The new species is characterized by relatively large body size, cuticle strongly annulated, six outer labial sensilla ...setiform, four cephalic setae long, buccal cavity wide with one large dorsal tooth and two small subventral teeth, amphidial fovea unispiral shaped oval in males and circular in females, spicules curved with swollen proximal end, gubernaculum with anterior-hooked dorso-caudal apophysis, and tail conical with short spinneret. A phylogenetic analysis of maximum-likelihood and Bayesin inference based on rDNA sequences confirms the taxonomic position of Bolbolaimus major sp. nov. within the family Microlaimidae. Tree topology in Microlaimidae shows genus Microlaimus as polyphyletic group and genera in Microlaimidae are closely related.
Gliomas are the most common malignant tumors of the brain. Immune checkpoints have been increasingly emphasized as targets for treating malignant tumors. B7‐H3 has been identified as an immune ...checkpoint that shows potential value for targeting therapies. We set out to characterize the expression pattern and biological function of B7‐H3 in brain gliomas using high‐throughput data obtained from the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) and the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) projects. B7‐H3 was upregulated more in higher‐grade gliomas than that in lower‐grade gliomas in both CGGA and TCGA datasets. Isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutation seemed to exert significant influence on B7‐H3 expression in gliomas but led to quite different results between grade II gliomas and higher‐grade gliomas. In addition to IDH, methylation of B7‐H3 promoter and microRNA‐29 family also showed a potential regulatory effect on B7‐H3 expression. Gene ontology analysis revealed that B7‐H3 was associated with mitotic cell cycle, cell proliferation and immune response. Further investigation suggested that B7‐H3 was mostly involved in the Toll‐like receptor signaling pathway. Survival analysis indicated that B7‐H3 was an independent unfavorable prognosticator for glioma patients in both CGGA and TCGA datasets. B7‐H3 expression is regulated by multiple mechanisms and is potentially involved in the T‐cell receptor signaling pathway. Higher B7‐H3 expression indicates a worse prognosis for glioma patients, which warrants further research into the development of inhibitors for targeting this immune checkpoint, but we still need to be cautious about immune checkpoint inhibition for central nervous system tumors.
B7‐H3 expression is regulated by multiple mechanisms and is mainly involved in the T‐cell receptor signaling pathway. Higher B7‐H3 expression indicates worse prognosis for glioma patients, which warrants further research into the development of inhibitors for targeting this immune checkpoint, but we still need to be cautious about immune checkpoint inhibition for central nervous system tumors.
Sepsis is an inflammatory disease characterized by dysregulation of inflammation. Macrophage-mediated inflammation has been implicated in the pathophysiology of sepsis. Itaconate is a metabolite ...produced in activated macrophages which has anti-inflammatory activities. In the present study, we investigated the potential effects of a cell-permeable itaconate derivative dimethyl itaconate on inflammation in sepsis. We established a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced septic mouse model and administered dimethyl itaconate to the septic mice. The survival rate, serum level of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and lung pathology were evaluated. We also administered dimethyl itaconate to LPS-treated bone marrow–derived macrophages (BMDMs), and measured the cytokine production and Nrf2 expression. We also evaluated the effects of dimethyl itaconate on Nrf2-deficient mice. Administration of dimethyl itaconate enhanced survival rate, decreased serum level of TNF-α and IL-6, and ameliorated lung injury in septic mice. Dimethyl itaconate also suppressed LPS-induced production of TNF-α, IL-6, and NOS2 in BMDMs. Dimethyl itaconate activated Nrf2 and promoted the expression of Nrf2 and its downstream factor HO-1 and NQO-1. The regulatory activities of dimethyl itaconate on inflammatory cytokine production, mouse survival rate were abolished in septic Nrf2
−/−
mice. Dimethyl itaconate suppressed the inflammatory responses of macrophages in sepsis.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide, especially in developed countries, and atherosclerosis (AS) is the common pathological basis of many cardiovascular diseases ...(CVDs) such as coronary heart disease (CHD). The role of the gut microbiota in AS has begun to be appreciated in recent years. Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), an important gut microbe-dependent metabolite, is generated from dietary choline, betaine, and L-carnitine. Multiple studies have suggested a correlation between plasma TMAO levels and the risk of AS. However, the mechanism underlying this relationship is still unclear. In this review, we discuss the TMAO-involved mechanisms of atherosclerotic CVD from the perspective of inflammation, inflammation-related immunity, cholesterol metabolism, and atherothrombosis. We also summarize available clinical studies on the role of TMAO in predicting prognostic outcomes, including major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), in patients presenting with AS. Finally, since TMAO may be a novel therapeutic target for AS, several therapeutic strategies including drugs, dietary, etc. to lower TMAO levels that are currently being explored are also discussed.
The powertrain of a fuel cell vehicle typically consists of two energy sources: a proton electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) stack and a battery package. In this paper, multi-dimensional dynamic ...programming (MDDP) is used to solve the energy management strategy (EMS) of fuel cell hybrid powertrain. This study built a fuel cell hybrid powertrain model, in which the battery model is built based on the Thevenin equivalent circuit. In order to improve the calculating efficiency and maintain the accuracy of the algorithm, the state variables in each stage are divided into primary and secondary. In the reverse solution process, the corresponding relationship between the multi state variables grid and the optimal cumulative function has been changed from three-dimensional to two-dimensional. The EMS based on MDDP is applied to component sizing of a commercial vehicle. Simulations were conducted using MATLAB under the C-WTVC working condition. By analyzing the fuel economy and system durability, the optimal component combination of comprehensive performance is obtained. Compared with the EMS based on dynamic programming (DP), the proposed method effectively improves the calculation accuracy: the hydrogen consumption can be reduced by 3.10%, and the durability of the fuel cell and battery can be improved by 1.08% and 0.13%, respectively.
Long non-coding RNA LINC00152 (cytoskeleton regulator, or LINC00152) is an 828-bp lncRNA located on chromosome 2p11.2. LINC00152 was originally discovered during research on hepatocarcinogenesis and ...has since been regarded as a crucial oncogene that regulates gene expression in many cancer types. LINC00152 is aberrantly expressed in various cancers, including gastric, breast, ovarian, colorectal, hepatocellular, and lung cancer, and glioma. Several studies have indicated that LINC00152 is correlated with cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, invasion, cell cycle, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), chemotherapy and radiotherapy resistance, and tumor growth and metastasis. High LINC00152 expression in most tumors is significantly associated with poor patient prognosis. Mechanistic analysis has demonstrated that LINC00152 can serve as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) by sponging miRNA, regulating the abundance of the protein encoded by a particular gene, or modulating gene expression at the epigenetic level. LINC00152 can serve as a diagnostic or prognostic biomarker, as well as a therapeutic target for most cancer types. In the present review, we discuss the roles and mechanisms of LINC00152 in human cancer, focusing on its functions in chemotherapy and radiotherapy resistance.
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