Highly Self-Healing Co3+/Ni3+ Dual-Active Species for the Electrocatalytic Oxidation of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural.

Electrocatalytic conversion of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) is significant for the sustainable production of value-added chemicals. Active sites of catalysts could enhance the activity and selectivity of the HMF oxidation reaction (HMFOR), but the self-healing ability of active sites has been commonly ignored. In this work, Co(OH)2/Ni-MOF was successfully fabricated for efficient oxidation of HMF to FDCA under mild conditions. Electrochemical and cyclic stability experiments demonstrated the high self-healing properties of the dual active sites (Co3+/Ni3+). So, the retention rate of FDCA yield can still reach 98.5%, even after 90 days. HMFOR was further coupled with 4-nitrophenol hydrogenation, which promotes the yield and Faradaic efficiency of FDCA to about 100%. Therefore, this study explores the self-healing properties of species and provides new insights for designing efficient catalysts.

Analysis of the Influence of Different Bionic Structures on the Noise Reduction Performance of the Centrifugal Pump.

The strong noise generated during the operation of the centrifugal pump harms the pump group and people. In order to decrease the noise of the centrifugal pump, a specific speed of 117.3 of the centrifugal pump is chosen as a research object. The bionic modification of centrifugal pump blades is carried out to explore the influence of different bionic structures on the noise reduction performance of centrifugal pumps. The internal flow field and internal sound field of bionic blades are studied by numerical calculation and test methods. The test is carried out on a closed pump test platform which includes external characteristics and a flow noise test system. The effects of two different bionic structures on the external characteristics, acoustic amplitude-frequency characteristics and flow field structure of a centrifugal pump, are analyzed. The results show that the pit structure has little influence on the external characteristic parameters, while the sawtooth structure has a relatively great influence. The noise reduction effect of the pit structure is aimed at the wide-band noise, while the sawtooth structure is aimed at the discrete noise of the blade-passing frequency (BPF) and its frequency doubling. The noise reduction ability of the sawtooth structure is not suitable for high-frequency bands.

An Intelligent Computing Method for Contact Plan Design in the Multi-Layer Spatial Node-Based Internet of Things.

Computational Intelligence (CI) has been addressed as a great challenge in recent years, particularly the aspects of routing, task scheduling, and other high-complexity issues. Especially for the Contact Plan Design (CPD) that schedules contacts in dynamic and resource-constrained networks, a suitable CI algorithm can be exchanged for a high-quality Contact Plan (CP) with the appropriate computational overhead. Previous works on CPD mainly focused on the optimization of satellite network connectivity, but most of them ignored network topology characteristics. In this paper, we study the CPD issue in the spatial node based Internet of Things (IoT), which enables the spatial nodes to deliver data cooperatively via intelligent networking. Specifically, we first introduce a Multi-Layer Space Communication Network (MLSCN) model consisting of satellites, High Altitude Platforms (HAPs), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), and ground stations, on which a Time-Evolving Graph (TEG) is used to illustrate the CPD process. Then, according to the characteristics of each layer in the MLSCN, we design the corresponding CPs for the inter-layer contacts and intra-layer contacts. After that, a CI algorithm named as Multidirectional Particle Swarm Optimization (MPSO) is proposed for inter-layer CPD, which utilizes a grid-based initialization strategy to expand the diversity of individuals, in which a quaternary search method and quaternary optimization are introduced to improve efficiency of particle swarms in iterations and to ensure the continuous search ability, respectively. Furthermore, an optimized scheme is implemented for the intra-layer CPD to reduce congestion and improve transmission efficiency. Simulation results show that the proposed CPD scheme can realize massive data transmission with high efficiency in the multi-layer spatial node-based IoT.

ResNet diagnosis of rotor faults in oil transfer pumps.

To address rotor imbalance and misalignment in oil transfer pumps, an innovative diagnostic framework using Residual Network (ResNet) is proposed. The model incorporates advanced signal processing algorithms and strategic sensor placement to enhance diagnostic efficacy. A fault simulation test rig captured vibration signals from eight key measurement points on the pump. One-dimensional and multi-dimensional signal processing techniques generated comprehensive datasets for training and validating the model. Sensor placement optimization, focusing on the bearing seat's axial direction, inlet flange's vertical direction, and outlet flange's axial direction, increased rotor fault sensitivity. Time-frequency data processed via Short-Time Fourier Transform (STFT) achieved the highest diagnostic accuracy, surpassing 98 %. This study highlights the importance of optimal signal processing and precise sensor placement in improving the accuracy of diagnosing rotor faults in oil transfer pumps, thus enhancing the operational reliability and efficiency of energy transportation systems.

Efficacy, Safety, and Immunogenicity of an Escherichia coli-Produced Bivalent Human Papillomavirus Vaccine: An Interim Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: The high cost and insufficient supply of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines have slowed the pace of controlling cervical cancer. A phase III clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity of a novel Escherichia coli-produced bivalent HPV-16/18 vaccine. METHODS: A multicenter, randomized, double-blind trial started on November 22, 2012 in China. In total, 7372 eligible women aged 18-45 years were age-stratified and randomly assigned to receive three doses of the test or control (hepatitis E) vaccine at months 0, 1, and 6. Co-primary endpoints included high-grade genital lesions and persistent infection (over 6 months) associated with HPV-16/18. The primary analysis was performed on a per-protocol susceptible population of individuals who were negative for relevant HPV type-specific neutralizing antibodies (at day 0) and DNA (at day 0 through month 7) and who received three doses of the vaccine. This report presents data from a prespecified interim analysis used for regulatory submission. RESULTS: In the per-protocol cohort, the efficacies against high-grade genital lesions and persistent infection were 100.0% (95% confidence interval = 55.6% to 100.0%, 0 of 3306 in the vaccine group vs 10 of 3296 in the control group) and 97.8% (95% confidence interval = 87.1% to 99.9%, 1 of 3240 vs 45 of 3246), respectively. The side effects were mild. No vaccine-related serious adverse events were noted. Robust antibody responses for both types were induced and persisted for at least 42 months. CONCLUSIONS: The E coli-produced HPV-16/18 vaccine is well tolerated and highly efficacious against HPV-16/18-associated high-grade genital lesions and persistent infection in women.

KATP channel openers facilitate glutamate uptake by GluTs in rat primary cultured astrocytes.

Increasing evidence, including from our laboratory, has revealed that opening of ATP sensitive potassium channels (KATP channels) plays the neuronal protective roles both in vivo and in vitro. Thus KATP channel openers (KCOs) have been proposed as potential neuroprotectants. Our previous studies demonstrated that KATP channels could regulate glutamate uptake activity in PC12 cells as well as in synaptosomes of rats. Since glutamate transporters (GluTs) of astrocytes play crucial roles in glutamate uptake and KATP channels are also expressed in astrocytes, the present study showed whether and how KATP channels regulated the function of GluTs in primary cultured astrocytes. The results showed that nonselective KCO pinacidil, selective mitochondrial KCO diazoxide, novel, and blood-brain barrier permeable KCO iptakalim could enhance glutamate uptake, except for the sarcolemmal KCO P1075. Moreover pinacidil, diazoxide, and iptakalim reversed the inhibition of glutamate uptake induced by 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+). These potentiated effects were completely abolished by mitochondrial KATP blocker 5-hydroxydecanoate. Furthermore, either diazoxide or iptakalim could inhibit MPP+-induced elevation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and phosphorylation of protein kinases C (PKC). These findings are the first to demonstrate that activation of KATP channel, especially mitochondrial KATP channel, improves the function of GluTs in astrocytes due to reducing ROS production and downregulating PKC phosphorylation. Therefore, the present study not only reveals a novel pharmacological profile of KCOs as regulators of GluTs, but also provides a new strategy for neuroprotection.

Generation and analysis of expressed sequence tags from NaCl-treated Glycine soja.

BACKGROUND: Salinization causes negative effects on plant productivity and poses an increasingly serious threat to the sustainability of agriculture. Wild soybean (Glycine soja) can survive in highly saline conditions, therefore provides an ideal candidate plant system for salt tolerance gene mining. RESULTS: As a first step towards the characterization of genes that contribute to combating salinity stress, we constructed a full-length cDNA library of Glycine soja (50109) leaf treated with 150 mM NaCl, using the SMART technology. Random expressed sequence tag (EST) sequencing of 2,219 clones produced 2,003 cleaned ESTs for gene expression analysis. The average read length of cleaned ESTs was 454 bp, with an average GC content of 40%. These ESTs were assembled using the PHRAP program to generate 375 contigs and 696 singlets. The resulting unigenes were categorized according to the Gene Ontology (GO) hierarchy. The potential roles of gene products associated with stress related ESTs were discussed. We compared the EST sequences of Glycine soja to that of Glycine max by using the blastn algorithm. Most expressed sequences from wild soybean exhibited similarity with soybean. All our EST data are available on the Internet (GenBank_Accn: DT082443-DT084445). CONCLUSION: The Glycine soja ESTs will be used to mine salt tolerance gene, whose full-length cDNAs will be obtained easily from the full-length cDNA library. Comparison of Glycine soja ESTs with those of Glycine max revealed the potential to investigate the wild soybean's expression profile using the soybean's gene chip. This will provide opportunities to understand the genetic mechanisms underlying stress response of plants.