Unravelling the ageing effects of PDMS‐based triboelectric nanogenerators

Ageing of elastomeric materials in triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) often leads to compromised electrical performance and can greatly affect their real-world application as next-generation energy harvesters and self-powered sensors. Herein, the ageing behavior of PDMS-based TENGs is investigated by probing the dielectric and mechanical properties of the membrane materials. Over time, ageing of PDMS after 17 months is evinced by a decline by 71%, 68% and 52% in open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current and charge transfer, respectively, and an increase by 6.8 times in surface charge decay rate. The reduced electrical performance can be attributed to a decrease in work function, dielectric constant, surface adhesion and heterogeneity in stiffness, as well as an increase in loss tangent. The effect of chemical chain scission on the PDMS surface is confirmed through nearfield infrared nanospectroscopy. This study gives insights into the underlying mechanism behind the ageing of PDMS-based TENGs, paving the way to future work for ameliorating these ageing-related issues with the aim to ensure long-term stability of practical triboelectric devices

Associated production of a neutral top-Higgs with a heavy-quark pair in the \gamma\gamma collisions at ILC

We have studied the associated production processes of a neutral top-Higgs in the topcolor assisted technicolor model with a pair of heavy quarks in \gamma\gamma collisions at the International Linear Collider (ILC). We find that the cross section for t\bar{t}h_t in \gamma\gamma collisions is at the level of a few fb with the c.m. energy \sqrt{s}=1000 GeV, which is consistent with the results of the cross section of t\bar{t}H in the standard model and the cross section of t\bar{t}h in the minimal supersymmetric standard modeland the little Higgs models. It should be distinct that hundreds of to thousands of h_t per year can be produced at the ILC, this process of \gamma\gamma \to t\bar{t}h_t is really interesting in testing the standard model and searching the signs of technicolor.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, some references are adde

快速康复外科理念在妇科经腹手术围手术期护理中的应用分析

Objective: In order to speed up the rehabilitation of patients, reduce the incidence of complications, shorten the hospitalization time, and improve the satisfaction of patients, explore the application value of fast track surgery in perioperative nursing intervention. Methods: Retrospectived analysis the 120 cases patients with ovarian cysts, uterine fibroids and other gynecological diseases, in the hospital, from January to December in 2014. And randomly divided them into control group and experimental group, each group of 60 cases. Patients in control group were treated with traditional nursing intervention, and the experimental group was treated with the concept of rapid rehabilitation surgery nursing interventions. Compared of the two groups of patients in hospital time, the first defecation time, hospitalization expenses, satisfaction with care and postoperative complications. Results: The experimental group’s hospitalization time, defecation time, incidence of complications were significantly lower than the control group’s, but the nursing satisfaction was significantly higher than that of the control group’s (р<0.05). Conclusion: The application of the concept of rapid rehabilitation surgery in perioperative nursing intervention can effectively accelerate the rehabilitation of patients, shorten hospitalization time, reduce the costs of hospitalization, and reduce the incidence of complications. And the clinical application effect is good. It is worth to be further promoted.目的 分析探讨快速康复外科理念对妇科围手术期进行护理干预的应用价值，以便加快患者的康复，减少并发症的发生，缩短住院时间，提高患者满意度。方法 回顾性分析本院2014年1月—12月收治的120例患卵巢囊肿、子宫肌瘤等疾病的妇科患者，将其随机分为对照组和试验组，每组各60例。对照组患者采用传统的护理干预措施，试验组患者采用快速康复外科理念进行护理干预。比较两组患者的住院时间、首次排便时间、住院费用、对护理的满意度以及术后并发症的发生情况。结果 试验组患者的住院时间、排便时间、并发症的发生率均显著低于对照组，护理满意度明显高于对照组（р<0.05）。结论 应用快速康复外科理念对妇科围手术期患者进行护理干预能够有效加快患者的康复，缩短住院时间，减少住院费用，降低并发症的发生率，具有良好的临床应用效果，值得进一步推广使用

Application of CCG Sensors to a High-Temperature Structure Subjected to Thermo-Mechanical Load

This paper presents a simple methodology to perform a high temperature coupled thermo-mechanical test using ultra-high temperature ceramic material specimens (UHTCs), which are equipped with chemical composition gratings sensors (CCGs). The methodology also considers the presence of coupled loading within the response provided by the CCG sensors. The theoretical strain of the UHTCs specimens calculated with this technique shows a maximum relative error of 2.15% between the analytical and experimental data. To further verify the validity of the results from the tests, a Finite Element (FE) model has been developed to simulate the temperature, stress and strain fields within the UHTC structure equipped with the CCG. The results show that the compressive stress exceeds the material strength at the bonding area, and this originates a failure by fracture of the supporting structure in the hot environment. The results related to the strain fields show that the relative error with the experimental data decrease with an increase of temperature. The relative error is less than 15% when the temperature is higher than 200 °C, and only 6.71% at 695 °C

Non-coding RNAs participate in the regulatory network of CLDN4 via ceRNA mediated miRNA evasion

AbstractThousands of genes have been well demonstrated to play important roles in cancer progression. As genes do not function in isolation, they can be grouped into “networks” based on their interactions. In this study, we discover a network regulating Claudin-4 in gastric cancer. We observe that Claudin-4 is up-regulated in gastric cancer and is associated with poor prognosis. Claudin-4 reinforce proliferation, invasion, and EMT in AGS, HGC-27, and SGC-7901 cells, which could be reversed by miR-596 and miR-3620-3p. In addition, lncRNA-KRTAP5-AS1 and lncRNA-TUBB2A could act as competing endogenous RNAs to affect the function of Claudin-4. Our results suggest that non-coding RNAs play important roles in the regulatory network of Claudin-4. As such, non-coding RNAs should be considered as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets against gastric cancer.</jats:p

Demonstration of Adiabatic Variational Quantum Computing with a Superconducting Quantum Coprocessor

Adiabatic quantum computing enables the preparation of many-body ground states. This is key for applications in chemistry, materials science, and beyond. Realisation poses major experimental challenges: Direct analog implementation requires complex Hamiltonian engineering, while the digitised version needs deep quantum gate circuits. To bypass these obstacles, we suggest an adiabatic variational hybrid algorithm, which employs short quantum circuits and provides a systematic quantum adiabatic optimisation of the circuit parameters. The quantum adiabatic theorem promises not only the ground state but also that the excited eigenstates can be found. We report the first experimental demonstration that many-body eigenstates can be efficiently prepared by an adiabatic variational algorithm assisted with a multi-qubit superconducting coprocessor. We track the real-time evolution of the ground and exited states of transverse-field Ising spins with a fidelity up that can reach about 99%.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure

On the Linkage between the Extreme Drought and Pluvial Patterns in China and the Large-Scale Atmospheric Circulation

China is a nation that is affected by a multitude of natural disasters, including droughts and floods. In this paper, the variations of extreme drought and pluvial patterns and their relations to the large-scale atmospheric circulation have been analyzed based on monthly precipitation data from 483 stations during the period 1958–2010 in China. The results show the following: (1) the extreme drought and pluvial events in China increase significantly during that period. During 1959–1966 timeframe, more droughts occur in South China and more pluvial events are found in North China (DSC-PNC pattern); as for the period 1997–2003 (PSC-DNC pattern), the situation is the opposite. (2) There are good relationships among the extreme drought and pluvial events and the Western Pacific Subtropical High, meridional atmospheric moisture flux, atmospheric moisture content, and summer precipitation. (3) A cyclone atmospheric circulation anomaly occurs in North China, followed by an obvious negative height anomaly and a southern wind anomaly at 850 hPa and 500 hPa for the DSC-PNC pattern during the summer, and a massive ascending airflow from South China extends to North China at ~50∘N. As for the PSC-DNC pattern, the situation contrasts sharply with the DSC-PNC pattern

TBK1 regulates regeneration of pancreatic β-cells

Small-molecule inhibitors of non-canonical IκB kinases TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1) and IκB kinase ε (IKKε) have shown to stimulate β-cell regeneration in multiple species. Here we demonstrate that TBK1 is predominantly expressed in β-cells in mammalian islets. Proteomic and transcriptome analyses revealed that genetic silencing of TBK1 increased expression of proteins and genes essential for cell proliferation in INS-1 832/13 rat β-cells. Conversely, TBK1 overexpression decreased sensitivity of β-cells to the elevation of cyclic AMP (cAMP) levels and reduced proliferation of β-cells in a manner dependent on the activity of cAMP-hydrolyzing phosphodiesterase 3 (PDE3). While the mitogenic effect of (E)3-(3-phenylbenzo[c]isoxazol-5-yl)acrylic acid (PIAA) is derived from inhibition of TBK1, PIAA augmented glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) and expression of β-cell differentiation and proliferation markers in human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived β-cells and human islets. TBK1 expression was increased in β-cells upon diabetogenic insults, including in human type 2 diabetic islets. PIAA enhanced expression of cell cycle control molecules and β-cell differentiation markers upon diabetogenic challenges, and accelerated restoration of functional β-cells in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice. Altogether, these data suggest the critical function of TBK1 as a β-cell autonomous replication barrier and present PIAA as a valid therapeutic strategy augmenting functional β-cells

Population genetic structure of the deep‐sea mussel Bathymodiolus platifrons (Bivalvia: Mytilidae) in the Northwest Pacific

© The Author(s), 2018. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Evolutionary Applications 11 (2018): 1915-1930, doi:10.1111/eva.12696.Studying population genetics of deep‐sea animals helps us understand their history of habitat colonization and population divergence. Here, we report a population genetic study of the deep‐sea mussel Bathymodiolus platifrons (Bivalvia: Mytilidae) widely distributed in chemosynthesis‐based ecosystems in the Northwest Pacific. Three mitochondrial genes (i.e., atp6, cox1, and nad4) and 6,398 genomewide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were obtained from 110 individuals from four hydrothermal vents and two methane seeps. When using the three mitochondrial genes, nearly no genetic differentiation was detected for B. platifrons in the Northwest Pacific. Nevertheless, when using SNP datasets, all individuals in the South China Sea (SCS) and three individuals in Sagami Bay (SB) together formed one genetic cluster that was distinct from the remaining individuals. Such genetic divergence indicated a genetic barrier to gene flow between the SCS and the open Northwest Pacific, resulting in the co‐occurrence of two cryptic semi‐isolated lineages. When using 125 outlier SNPs identified focusing on individuals in the Okinawa Trough (OT) and SB, a minor genetic subdivision was detected between individuals in the southern OT (S‐OT) and those in the middle OT (M‐OT) and SB. This result indicated that, although under the influence of the Kuroshio Current and the North Pacific Intermediate Water, subtle geographic barriers may exist between the S‐OT and the M‐OT. Introgression analyses based on these outlier SNPs revealed that Hatoma Knoll in the S‐OT represents a possible contact zone for individuals in the OT‐SB region. Furthermore, migration dynamic analyses uncovered stronger gene flow from Dai‐yon Yonaguni Knoll in the S‐OT to the other local populations, compared to the reverse directions. Taken together, the present study offered novel perspectives on the genetic connectivity of B. platifrons mussels, revealing the potential interaction of ocean currents and geographic barriers with adaption and reproductive isolation in shaping their migration patterns and genetic differentiation in the Northwest Pacific.General Research Fund Grant Number: HKBU12302917; Hong Kong Baptist University Grant Number: 15‐1012‐P0