In this work, the electrochemical activation of graphite felt electrode for vanadium redox flow battery (VRB) was studied. Graphite felt (GF) electrode was oxidized at a range of electrochemical ...oxidation degrees in H2SO4 solution. The electrochemical performance of the treaded GF was discussed, and the law of the surface properties of GF which changed along with the electrochemical oxidation degree was proposed. The structure, composition, surface tension and electrochemical properties of the oxidized GF (OGF) were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), contact angle measurements, cyclic voltammetry (CV), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The GF oxidized at 560–840mAhg−1 exhibited the best activity toward VO2+/VO2+ redox reaction, according with the highest COH and COOH content (ca. 34%) on its surface. The mechanisms of VO2+/VO2+ redox reaction on OGF were also discussed. VRB single cell with pristine GF and OGF as the electrode were test at various charge–discharge current densities, respectively. The columbic efficiency (CE), voltage efficiency (VE) and energy efficiency (EE) of the cell using OGF electrode are much higher than the cell using pristine GF, suggested that the electro-oxidation method is a promising technology for the activation of GF electrode.
With the development of the pressure vessel industry, high-energy wire welding has a great future. However, this means higher demands on the weldability of pressure vessel steels. Controlling ...inclusions via oxidative metallurgy is a reliable method of improving the weldability of pressure vessel steels. Hence, in this paper, experimental steels with different Mg element mass fractions were prepared using vacuum metallurgy. Simulated welding for high-heat input welding was carried out using the Gleeble-2000 welding thermal simulation test machine. The inclusions in the welding heat-affected zone (HAZ) in the experimental steels were observed using an optical microscope (OM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The compositions of the inclusions were analyzed using an energy-dispersive spectrometer (EDS). The research results indicated that the addition of Mg could increase the number density of the inclusions in the welding HAZ. With the addition of Mg from 0 to 5 wt.%, the total number density of the inclusions increased from 133 to 687 pieces/mm
and the number density of the inclusions with a size of 0-5 μm
increased from 122 to 579 pieces/mm
. The inclusions in the experimental steel welding HAZ with Mg elements were mainly elliptical composite inclusions composed of (Mg-Zr-O) + MnS. Moreover, MnS precipitated on the surface of the Mg-containing inclusions in the welding HAZ. Intragranular acicular ferrite (IAF) nucleation was primarily induced via the minimum lattice mismatch mechanism, supplemented with stress-strain energy and inert interface energy mechanisms.
The problem of the distributed cooperative guidance law of multiple missiles attacking a stationary target with impact angle constraint is investigated. A distributed cooperative guidance law, which ...consists of a nonsingular terminal sliding mode component for ensuring finite time convergence to the desired LOS angle and a coordination component for realizing finite time consensus of time-to-go estimates, is proposed. Analysis shows that the guidance law designed in this study can ensure that missiles’ time-to-go estimates represent real times to go once all the missiles fly along the desired LOS. Therefore, simultaneous arrival can be guaranteed. Furthermore, it is modified to accommodate the communication failure cases. Compared with existing results, this guidance law owns faster convergence rate and can satisfy large impact angles. Numerical simulations are performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed guidance law.
Cashmere goat is famous for its high-quality fibers. The growth of cashmere in secondary hair follicles exhibits a seasonal pattern arising from circannual changes in the natural photoperiod. ...Although several studies have compared and analyzed the differences in gene expression between different hair follicle growth stages, the selection of samples in these studies relies on research experience or morphological evidence. Distinguishing hair follicle growth cycle according to gene expression patterns may help to explore the regulation mechanisms related to cashmere growth and the effect of melatonin from a molecular level more accurately.
In this study, we applied RNA-sequencing to the hair follicles of three normal and three melatonin-treated Inner Mongolian cashmere goats sampled every month during a whole hair follicle growth cycle. A total of 3559 and 988 genes were subjected as seasonal changing genes (SCGs) in the control and treated groups, respectively. The SCGs in the normal group were divided into three clusters, and their specific expression patterns help to group the hair follicle growth cycle into anagen, catagen and telogen stages. Some canonical pathways such as Wnt, TGF-beta and Hippo signaling pathways were detected as promoting the hair follicle growth, while Cell adhesion molecules (CAMs), Cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, Jak-STAT, Fc epsilon RI, NOD-like receptor, Rap1, PI3K-Akt, cAMP, NF-kappa B and many immune-related pathways were detected in the catagen and telogen stages. The PI3K-Akt signaling, ECM-receptor interaction and Focal adhesion were found in the transition stage between telogen to anagen, which may serve as candidate biomarkers for telogen-anagen regeneration. A total of 16 signaling pathways, 145 pathway mRNAs, and 93 lncRNAs were enrolled to construct the pathway-mRNA-lncRNA network, which indicated the function of lncRNAs through interacting with their co-expressed mRNAs. Pairwise comparisons between the control and melatonin-treated groups also indicated 941 monthly differentially expressed genes (monthly DEGs). These monthly DEGs were mainly distributed from April and September, which revealed a potential signal pathway map regulating the anagen stage triggered by melatonin. Enrichment analysis showed that Wnt, Hedgehog, ECM, Chemokines and NF-kappa B signaling pathways may be involved in the regulation of non-quiescence and secondary shedding under the influence of melatonin.
Our study decoded the key regulators of the whole hair follicle growth cycle, laying the foundation for the control of hair follicle growth and improvement of cashmere yield.
We report the ∼2.66-Gb genome sequence of a female Yunnan black goat. The sequence was obtained by combining short-read sequencing data and optical mapping data from a high-throughput whole-genome ...mapping instrument. The whole-genome mapping data facilitated the assembly of super-scaffolds >5× longer by the N50 metric than scaffolds augmented by fosmid end sequencing (scaffold N50 = 3.06 Mb, super-scaffold N50 = 16.3 Mb). Super-scaffolds are anchored on chromosomes based on conserved synteny with cattle, and the assembly is well supported by two radiation hybrid maps of chromosome 1. We annotate 22,175 protein-coding genes, most of which were recovered in the RNA-seq data of ten tissues. Comparative transcriptomic analysis of the primary and secondary follicles of a cashmere goat reveal 51 genes that are differentially expressed between the two types of hair follicles. This study, whose results will facilitate goat genomics, shows that whole-genome mapping technology can be used for the de novo assembly of large genomes.
Aim:
This study aimed to report the efficacy and safety of
trans
-arterial chemoembolization (TACE) plus lenvatinib and camrelizumab in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
Methods:
...This retrospective study enrolled 22 patients with advanced HCC from March 2018 to December 2019. All the patients received comprehensive treatment with TACE plus lenvatinib followed by camrelizumab. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were calculated and analysed using the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test. Treatment response and adverse events (AEs) were also evaluated.
Results:
The objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) for the whole cohort were 68.2 and 100% at the first month and 72.7 and 95.5% at the third month, respectively. The median OS was 24 months (95% CI, 20.323–27.677 months), and the median PFS was 11.4 months (95% CI, 8.846–13.954 months). The majority of treatment-related adverse reactions were mild or moderate, except for 4 that developed to grade 3–4 (3 reactions of grade 3, 1 reaction of grade 4). No deaths or other serious adverse reactions occurred.
Conclusion:
Trans
-arterial chemoembolization plus lenvatinib and camrelizumab shows good results incontrolling tumour progression and prolonging median OS in patients with advanced HCC.
Growing evidence has indicated that circular RNAs (circRNAs) play a pivotal role as functional RNAs in diverse cancers. However, most circRNAs involved in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) ...remain undefined, and the underlying molecular mechanisms mediated by circRNAs are largely unclear. Here, we screened human circRNA expression profiles in ESCC tissues and found significantly increased expression of hsa_circ_0000277 (termed circPDE3B) in ESCC tissues and cell lines compared to the normal controls. Moreover, higher circPDE3B expression in patients with ESCC was correlated with advanced tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage and dismal prognosis. Functional experiments demonstrated that circPDE3B promoted the tumorigenesis and metastasis of ESCC cells in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, bioinformatics analysis, a dual-luciferase reporter assay, and anti-AGO2 RNA immunoprecipitation showed that circPDE3B could act as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) by harboring miR-4766-5p to eliminate the inhibitory effect on the target gene laminin α1 (LAMA1). In addition, LAMA1 was significantly upregulated in ESCC tissues and was positively associated with the aggressive oncogenic phenotype. More importantly, rescue experiments revealed that the oncogenic role of circPDE3B in ESCC is partly dependent on the miR-4766-5p/LAMA1 axis. Furthermore, bioinformatics analysis combined with validation experiments showed that epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) activation was involved in the oncogenic functions of the circPDE3B-miR-4766-5p/LAMA1 axis in ESCC. Taken together, we demonstrate for the first time that the circPDE3B/miR-4766-5p/LAMA1 axis functions as an oncogenic factor in promoting ESCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion by inducing EMT, implying its potential prognostic and therapeutic significance in ESCC.
As more and more of the available genomic data have been published, several databases have been developed for deciphering early mammalian embryogenesis; however, less research has been conducted on ...the regulation of the expression of natural immunity genes during early embryonic development in dairy cows. To this end, we explored the regulatory mechanism of innate immunity genes at the whole-genome level. Based on comparative genomics, 1473 innate immunity genes in cattle were obtained by collecting the latest reports on human innate immunity genes and updated bovine genome data for comparison, and a preliminary database of bovine innate immunity genes was constructed. In order to determine the regulatory mechanism of innate immune genes in dairy cattle early embryos, we conducted weighted co-expression network analysis of the innate immune genes at different developmental stages of dairy cattle early embryos. The results showed that specific module-related genes were significantly enriched in the MAPK signaling pathway. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis showed gene interactions in each specific module, and 10 of the highest connectivity genes were chosen as potential hub genes. Finally, combined with the results for differential expressed genes (DEGs),
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
, and
were identified as the key genes of innate immunity in dairy cattle early embryos. In conclusion, the bovine innate immunity gene set was determined and the co-expression network of innate immunity genes in the early embryonic stage of dairy cattle was constructed by comparing and analyzing the whole genome of bovines and humans. The findings in this study provide the basis for exploring the involvement and regulation of innate immune genes in the early embryonic development of dairy cattle.
In this paper, a fuzzy observer-based tracking control scheme is proposed for a class of strict-feedback uncertain nonlinear system with input saturation. To facilitate the fuzzy logic system (FLS) ...design, the original uncertain nonlinear system is transformed into an output feedback system firstly. Then, an adaptive state observer is constructed. In order to efficiently tackle the input saturation, an auxiliary system (AS) is introduced. Using the estimated states and AS, the dynamic surface control (DSC) strategy is developed based on backstepping method. Under the DSC scheme, the tracking control problem is reduced to optimal regulation problem of an affine system. Subsequently, an adaptive dynamic programming (ADP) based optimal control scheme is proposed. The stability of the overall system is guaranteed by Lyapunov theory. Finally, guidance simulation is made to confirm the effectiveness of the developed control method.
The utilization of calcined coal gangue (CCG) and limestone for the preparation of blended cement is an efficient approach to address the issue of coal gangue disposal. However, the compressive ...strength development of blended cement is slow, particularly at high substitution levels of CCG. Therefore, this study aimed to promote the hydration and mechanical properties of the calcined coal gangue-limestone blended cements by increasing the curing temperature. In this study, the samples were cured at two different temperatures, namely 20 and 40 °C. The four groups of samples contained 15 wt.%, 30 wt.%, 45 wt.% and 60 wt.% cement substitutions using CCG and limestone (2:1 mass ratio). The compressive strength, hydration and microstructure were investigated at the ages of 1 to 28 d. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetry (TG) were used to study the hydration behavior of samples. Mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to determine the microstructure of the samples. The results indicate that an increase in curing temperature significantly promotes the compressive strength of the calcined coal gangue-limestone blended cements from 1 to 28 d. The microstructural analysis indicates that increasing the curing temperature not only promotes cement hydration but also facilitates the reaction of CCG, which precipitated more hydrates such as C-A-S-H gel, Hc and Mc. These hydrates are conducive to refining the pore structures and densifying the microstructure, which sufficiently explains the enhanced compressive strength of the calcined coal gangue-limestone blended cements.
PDF
