Investigation of the effects of platform motion on the aerodynamics of a floating offshore wind turbine

Along with the flourishing of the wind energy industry, floating offshore wind turbines have aroused much interest among the academia as well as enterprises. In this paper, the effects of the supporting platform motion on the aerodynamics of a floating wind turbine are studied using the open source CFD framework OpenFOAM. The platform motion responses, including surge, heave and pitch, are superimposed onto the rotation of the wind turbine. Thrust and torque on the wind turbine are compared and analysed for the cases of different platform motion patterns together with the flow field. It is shown that the movement of the supporting platform can have large influences on a floating offshore wind turbine and thus needs to be considered carefully during the design process

Determination of incommensurate modulated structure in Bi2Sr1.6La0.4CuO6+{\delta} by aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy

Incommensurate modulated structure (IMS) in Bi2Sr1.6La0.4CuO6+{\delta} (BSLCO) has been studied by aberration corrected transmission electron microscopy in combination with high-dimensional (HD) space description. Two images in the negative Cs imaging (NCSI) and passive Cs imaging (PCSI) modes were deconvoluted, respectively. Similar results as to IMS have been obtained from two corresponding projected potential maps (PPMs), but meanwhile the size of dots representing atoms in the NCSI PPM is found to be smaller than that in PCSI one. Considering that size is one of influencing factors of precision, modulation functions for all unoverlapped atoms in BSLCO were determined based on the PPM obtained from the NCSI image in combination with HD space description

Targeting Inhibition of Accumulation and Function of Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells by Artemisinin via PI3K/AKT, mTOR, and MAPK Pathways Enhances Anti-PD-L1 Immunotherapy in Melanoma and Liver Tumors

Despite the remarkable success and efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy such as anti-PD-L1 antibody in treating cancers, myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) that lead to the formation of the protumor immunosuppressive microenvironment are one of the major contributors to ICB resistance. Therefore, inhibition of MDSC accumulation and function is critical for further enhancing the therapeutic efficacy of anti-PD-L1 antibody in a majority of cancer patients. Artemisinin (ART), the most effective antimalarial drug with tumoricidal and immunoregulatory activities, is a potential option for cancer treatment. Although ART is reported to reduce MDSC levels in 4T1 breast tumor model and improve the therapeutic efficacy of anti-PD-L1 antibody in T cell lymphoma-bearing mice, how ART influences MDSC accumulation, function, and molecular pathways as well as MDSC-mediated anti-PD-L1 resistance in melanoma or liver tumors remains unknown. Here, we reported that ART blocks the accumulation and function of MDSCs by polarizing M2-like tumor-promoting phenotype towards M1-like antitumor one. This switch is regulated via PI3K/AKT, mTOR, and MAPK signaling pathways. Targeting MDSCs by ART could significantly reduce tumor growth in various mouse models. More importantly, the ART therapy remarkably enhanced the efficacy of anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy in tumor-bearing mice through promoting antitumor T cell infiltration and proliferation. These findings indicate that ART controls the functional polarization of MDSCs and targeting MDSCs by ART provides a novel therapeutic strategy to enhance anti-PD-L1 cancer immunotherapy

Ds0(2317)D_{s0}(2317) as a tetraquark state with QCD sum rules in heavy quark limit

In this article, we take the point of view that the charmed scalar meson $D_{s0}(2317)$ be a tetraquark state and devote to calculate its mass within the framework of the QCD sum rules approach in the heavy quark limit. The numerical values for the mass of the $D_{s0}(2317)$ are consistent with the experimental data, there must be some tetraquark component in the scalar meson $D_{s0}(2317)$. Detailed discussions about the threshold parameter and Borel parameter for the multiquark states are also presented.Comment: 9 pages, 1 figure, third versio

One-way trip: Influenza virus' adaptation to gallinaceous poultry may limit its pandemic potential

We hypothesise that some influenza virus adaptations to poultry may explain why the barrier for human-to-human transmission is not easily overcome once the virus has crossed from wild birds to chickens. Since the cluster of human infections with H5N1 influenza in Hong Kong in 1997, chickens have been recognized as the major source of avian influenza virus infection in humans. Although often severe, these infections have been limited in their subsequent human-to-human transmission, and the feared H5N1 pandemic has not yet occurred. Here we examine virus adaptations selected for during replication in chickens and other gallinaceous poultry. These include altered receptor binding and increased pH of fusion of the haemagglutinin as well as stalk deletions of the neuraminidase protein. This knowledge could aid the delivery of vaccines and increase our ability to prioritize research efforts on those viruses from the diverse array of avian influenza viruses that have greatest human pandemic potential

Nucleozin Targets Cytoplasmic Trafficking of Viral Ribonucleoprotein-Rab11 Complexes in Influenza A Virus Infection

Novel antivirals are needed to supplement existing control strategies for influenza A virus (IAV). A promising new class of drug, exemplified by the compound nucleozin, has recently been identified that targets the viral nucleoprotein (NP). These inhibitors are thought to act as "molecular staples" that stabilize interactions between NP monomers, promoting the formation of nonfunctional aggregates. Here we detail the inhibitory mechanism of nucleozin, finding that the drug has both early- and late-acting effects on the IAV life cycle. When present at the start of infection, it inhibited viral RNA and protein synthesis. However, when added at later time points, it still potently blocked the production of infectious progeny but without affecting viral macromolecular synthesis. Instead, nucleozin blocked the cytoplasmic trafficking of ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) that had undergone nuclear export, promoting the formation of large perinuclear aggregates of RNPs along with cellular Rab11. This effect led to the production of much reduced amounts of often markedly smaller virus particles. We conclude that the primary target of nucleozin is the viral RNP, not NP, and this work also provides proof of the principle that IAV replication can be effectively inhibited by blocking cytoplasmic trafficking of the viral genome.MRC grant: (G0700815), University of Cambridge/Trinity College grant: (Newton Trust), RGC Hong Kong grant: (GRF 768010 M)

Loss of MeCP2 disrupts cell autonomous and autocrine BDNF signaling in mouse glutamatergic neurons

Mutations in the MECP2 gene cause the neurodevelopmental disorder Rett syndrome (RTT). Previous studies have shown that altered MeCP2 levels result in aberrant neurite outgrowth and glutamatergic synapse formation. However, causal molecular mechanisms are not well understood since MeCP2 is known to regulate transcription of a wide range of target genes. Here, we describe a key role for a constitutive BDNF feed forward signaling pathway in regulating synaptic response, general growth and differentiation of glutamatergic neurons. Chronic block of TrkB receptors mimics the MeCP2 deficiency in wildtype glutamatergic neurons, while re-expression of BDNF quantitatively rescues MeCP2 deficiency. We show that BDNF acts cell autonomous and autocrine, as wildtype neurons are not capable of rescuing growth deficits in neighboring MeCP2 deficient neurons in vitro and in vivo. These findings are relevant for understanding RTT pathophysiology, wherein wildtype and mutant neurons are intermixed throughout the nervous system

Preparation and characterization of hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide modified nanocrystalline cellulose / graphene oxide composite thin film and its potential in sensing copper ion using surface plasmon resonance technique

In this study, the preparation of hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide modified nanocrystalline cellulose/graphene oxide composite (CTA-NCC/GO) solution under mild condition has been described. The CTA-NCC/GO thin film then was prepared by spin coating technique. Moreover, the CTA-NCC/GO thin film was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) for the structural properties while the optical properties were characterized by ultraviolet-visible (UV–vis). FTIR confirmed the functional group that is contained in CTA-NCC/GO thin film and the surface morphology obtained from AFM results showed that the thin film is homogenous. The UV–vis analysis also showed that CTA-NCC/GO thin film has high absorption with optical band gap of 4.00 eV. Furthermore, the CTA-NCC/GO thin film has been studied to be incorporated with surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy (SPR) to detect copper ion. The SPR results showed that copper ion can be detected as low as 0.01 ppm using this thin film