Poly[[diaqua­bis(μ2-isonicotinato-κ2 N:O)bis­(μ3-isonicotinato-κ3 N:O:O′)neodymium(III)disilver(I)] nitrate monohydrate]

In the title complex, {[Ag2Nd(C6H4NO2)4(H2O)2]NO3·H2O}n, the NdIII ion is coordinated by eight O atoms from six isonicotinate ligands and two water mol­ecules in a distorted square anti­prismatic geometry. Each AgI ion is coordinated by two N atoms from two different isonicotinate ligands. The crystal structure exhibits a two-dimensional heterometallic polymeric layer. O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds involving the coordinated and uncoordinated water mol­ecules and intra­layer π–π inter­actions between the pyridine rings [centroid–centroid distances = 3.571 (2) and 3.569 (2) Å] are observed. Each layer inter­acts with two neighboring ones via Ag⋯O(H2O) contacts and inter­layer π–π inter­actions [centroid–centroid distances = 3.479 (3) to 3.530 (3) Å], leading to a three-dimensional supra­molecular network

Axial Force Analysis and Roll Contour Configuration of Four-High CVC Mill

In order to analyze the influence of technical parameters on work roll axial force of four-high continuous variable crown (CVC) mill, the deformation analyzing model with top roll system and strip was established based on influence function method. Then a CVC work roll curve designing scheme was proposed and it was carried out on some cold rolling mill considering the requirement of comprehensive work roll axial force minimization. The status of comprehensive work roll axial force is improved considering the rolling schedule that is beneficial to the roller bearing. Corresponding to the newly designed work roll contour, the backup roll end chamfer was designed considering comprehensive performance of interroll stress concentration, comprehensive work roll axial force, and strip shape control ability. The distribution of roll wear with newly designed backup roll contour is more even according to the field application data. The newly established roll configuration scheme is beneficial to four-high CVC mill

Expression of hypoxia inducible factor-1α and vascular endothelial growth factor-C in human chronic periodontitis

AbstractBackground/purposeEvidence shows that there is a relationship between hypoxia and inflammatory response in periodontitis. Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α is a major regulator of energy homeostasis and cellular adaptation to low oxygen stress. Although experimental results demonstrate an association between HIF-1α and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-C in tumor angiogenesis, the role of HIF-1α and VEGF-C in the pathogenesis of periodontitis is still ambiguous. So far, limited attention has been given to the role of hypoxia and VEGF-C in periodontitis. The present study aimed to investigate the expression and distribution of HIF-1α and VEGF-C in gingival tissue samples from patients with different stages of chronic periodontitis and healthy individuals.Materials and methodsA total of 56 samples were involved in this study, including moderate chronic periodontitis (n = 20), advanced chronic periodontitis (n = 20), and healthy control tissues (n = 16). The gingival specimens were stained with hematoxylin and eosin for histopathology. The expression of HIF-1α and VEGF-C in gingival tissues was detected by immunohistochemical staining.ResultsHIF-1α and VEGF-C were found in gingival tissues from patients with different stages of chronic periodontitis as well as healthy control tissues. HIF-1α protein was expressed mainly in the epithelial layer of gingival tissues, and VEGF-C protein was mostly located in the connective tissue papilla of gingival tissues. Compared with healthy controls, the expression of HIF-1α and VEGF-C in chronic periodontitis groups was significantly higher (P < 0.01), and the density of HIF-1α and VEGF-C in advanced chronic periodontitis group was even significantly higher than that in the moderate chronic periodontitis group (P < 0.01).ConclusionOur results suggest that the expression of HIF-1α and VEGF-C increased with severity of periodontitis. So, we conclude that HIF-1α may play an important role in the pathophysiology of human periodontitis and may be related to the function of VEGF-C during periodontitis

Gravitational Anomaly and Hawking Radiation of Brane World Black Holes

We apply Wilczek and his collaborators' anomaly cancellation approach to the 3-dimensional Schwarzschild- and BTZ-like brane world black holes induced by the generalized C metrics in the Randall-Sundrum scenario. Based on the fact that the horizon of brane world black hole will extend into the bulk spacetime, we do the calculation from the bulk generalized C metrics side and show that this approach also reproduces the correct Hawking radiation for these brane world black holes. Besides, since this approach does not involve the dynamical equation, it also shows that the Hawking radiation is only a kinematic effect.Comment: 11 pages. v2: minor changes and references adde

Sliding-Mode-Observer-Based Position Estimation for Sensorless Control of the Planar Switched Reluctance Motor

This paper proposes a position estimation method for a planar switched reluctance motor (PSRM). In the method, a second-order sliding mode observer (SMO) is used to achieve sensorless control of a PSRM for the first time. A sensorless closed-loop control strategy based on the SMO without a position sensor for the PSRM is constructed. The SMO mainly consists of a flux linkage estimation, an adaptive current estimation, an observing error calculation, and a position estimation section. An adaptive current observer is applied in the current estimation section to minimize the error between the measured and estimated currents and to increase the accuracy of the position estimation. The flux linkage is estimated by the voltage equation of the PSRM, and the estimated flux linkage is then used to estimate the phase current in the adaptive current observer. To calculate the observing error of the SMO using the measured and estimated phase currents, the observing error of the thrust force is introduced to replace the immeasurable state error of the position and speed of the mover. The sliding surface is designed based on the error of the thrust force, and stability analysis is given. Once the sliding surface is reached, the mover position is then estimated accurately. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method for the PSRM is verified experimentally

HutZ is required for biofilm formation and contributes to the pathogenicity of Edwardsiella piscicida

International audienceAbstractEdwardsiella piscicida is a severe fish pathogen. Haem utilization systems play an important role in bacterial adversity adaptation and pathogenicity. In this study, a speculative haem utilization protein, HutZEp, was characterized in E. piscicida. hutZEp is encoded with two other genes, hutW and hutX, in an operon that is similar to the haem utilization operon hutWXZ identified in V. cholerae. However, protein activity analysis showed that HutZEp is probably not related to hemin utilization. To explore the biological role of HutZEp, a markerless hutZEp in-frame mutant strain, TX01ΔhutZ, was constructed. Deletion of hutZEp did not significantly affect bacterial growth in normal medium, in iron-deficient conditions, or in the presence of haem but significantly retarded bacterial biofilm growth. The expression of known genes related to biofilm growth was not affected by hutZEp deletion, which indicated that HutZEp was probably a novel factor promoting biofilm formation in E. piscicida. Compared to the wild-type TX01, TX01ΔhutZ exhibited markedly compromised tolerance to acid stress and host serum stress. Pathogenicity analysis showed that inactivation of hutZEp significantly impaired the ability of E. piscicida to invade and reproduce in host cells and to infect host tissue. In contrast to TX01, TX01ΔhutZ was defective in blocking host macrophage activation. The expression of hutZEp was directly regulated by the ferric uptake regulator Fur. This study is the first functional characterization of HutZ in a fish pathogen, and these findings suggested that HutZEp is essential for E. piscicida biofilm formation and contributes to host infection

The key role of muscle spindles in the pathogenesis of myofascial trigger points according to ramp-and-hold stretch and drug intervention in a rat model

This study investigated whether abnormal peak inversion spontaneous potentials (PISPs) recorded at resting myofascial trigger points (MTrPs) stem from the discharge of muscle spindles. Forty-eight male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into six groups. Five groups underwent MTrP modeling intervention, whereas one group did not receive intervention and was duly designated as the blank control. After model construction, five rat models were randomly subjected to ramp-and-hold stretch tests, succinylcholine injection, eperisone hydrochloride injection, saline injection, and blank drug intervention. By contrast, the rats in the blank control group were subjected to ramp-and-hold stretch tests as a control. Frequencies and amplitudes of PISPs were recorded pre- and post-interventions and compared with those of the blank group. Stretch tests showed that the depolarization time and amplitude of PISPs ranged from 0.4 ms to 0.9 ms and from 80 uV to 140 μV, respectively. However, no PISPs were observed in the control rats. The frequency of PISPs in the ramp and hold phases and the first second after the hold phase was higher than that before stretching (p &lt; 0.01). Succinylcholine and eperisone exerted excitatory and inhibitory effects on PISPs, respectively. In the group injected with 0.9% saline, no considerable differences of the PISPs were observed during the entire observation period. In conclusion, PISPs recorded at resting MTrPs are closely related to muscle spindles. The formation of MTrPs may be an important factor that regulate dysfunctional muscle spindles