New ICE concept for hybrid application

Due to increasingly strict regulations on automobile CO2 emission around the world, this thesis focuses on the development of the control strategies of a plug-in series hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) with the goal of minimizing CO2 emission. The thesis consists of three parts. The first target is to set up an electric vehicle (EV) model, which is the base of a plug-in series hybrid electric vehicle. The electric machine and battery are sized, and range capability and energy consumption are evaluated for a vehicle running in EV mode. The second objective is the assessment of the reference performance of the Range Extender (R-EX) architecture through the dynamic programming (DP) function in MATLAB, in terms of minimizing CO2 emissions in the charge-sustaining condition. The third one is the development of the rule based control strategy through the analysis of the DP results by rules extraction. In this thesis, a B-segment hatchback passenger car is modelled. The simulations were carried out along seven standard driving cycles that were developed to model different road conditions. This thesis also evaluates the effect of different values of auxiliary power on the electric range, energy consumption and thresholds of the rule-based control strategy. A sensitivity analysis of the carbon intensity of electricity is performed from a worldwide perspective. Finally, the minimum values of CO2 emission and the optimal engine operating points over different driving cycles are obtained from the dynamic programming; two flow charts of the proposed rule-based control strategies are derived, which are implementable for an electrical control unit to determine the power split between different energy sources

Cash dividends, return on equity and earnings persistence

With reference to Ohlson’ model, we optimise earnings persistence model and express earnings persistence measure as a function of return on equity (R.O.E.), dividends payout ratio and other factors. Our theoretical model reveals that dividends payout ratio has little effect on the earnings persistence, while R.O.E. has a decisive effect on earnings persistence. Using quarterly earnings data of 872 listed firms in China over 2011–2020, we calculate the Revised Persistence value of earnings (RPer value) of our earnings persistence model, and find that the Rper value of our model have more explanatory power than that of Kormendi and Lipe’ model. Our study also suggest that quarterly earnings are useful and have information content. Both the theoretical model and empirical results of our research are of great significance to understand and support the implementation of semi-compulsory cash dividends rules in China

A novel prognostic classification integrating lipid metabolism and immune co-related genes in acute myeloid leukemia

BackgroundAs a severe hematological malignancy in adults, acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is characterized by high heterogeneity and complexity. Emerging evidence highlights the importance of the tumor immune microenvironment and lipid metabolism in cancer progression. In this study, we comprehensively evaluated the expression profiles of genes related to lipid metabolism and immune modifications to develop a prognostic risk signature for AML.MethodsFirst, we extracted the mRNA expression profiles of bone marrow samples from an AML cohort from The Cancer Genome Atlas database and employed Cox regression analysis to select prognostic hub genes associated with lipid metabolism and immunity. We then constructed a prognostic signature with hub genes significantly related to survival and validated the stability and robustness of the prognostic signature using three external datasets. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis was implemented to explore the underlying biological pathways related to the risk signature. Finally, the correlation between signature, immunity, and drug sensitivity was explored.ResultsEight genes were identified from the analysis and verified in the clinical samples, including APOBEC3C, MSMO1, ATP13A2, SMPDL3B, PLA2G4A, TNFSF15, IL2RA, and HGF, to develop a risk-scoring model that effectively stratified patients with AML into low- and high-risk groups, demonstrating significant differences in survival time. The risk signature was negatively related to immune cell infiltration. Samples with AML in the low-risk group, as defined by the risk signature, were more likely to be responsive to immunotherapy, whereas those at high risk responded better to specific targeted drugs.ConclusionsThis study reveals the significant role of lipid metabolism- and immune-related genes in prognosis and demonstrated the utility of these signature genes as reliable bioinformatic indicators for predicting survival in patients with AML. The risk-scoring model based on these prognostic signature genes holds promise as a valuable tool for individualized treatment decision-making, providing valuable insights for improving patient prognosis and treatment outcomes in AML

Identification of novel SHANK2 variants in two Chinese families via exome and RNA sequencing

BackgroundSHANK2 encodes a postsynaptic scaffolding protein involved in synapse formation, stabilization and homeostasis. Variations or microdeletions in the SHANK2 gene have been linked to a variety of neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and mild to moderate intellectual disability (ID) in human. However, the number of reported cases with SHANK2 defects remains limited, with only 14 unrelated patients documented worldwide.MethodsIn this study, we investigated four patients from three families with ID. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) was performed to explore the genetic causes, while Sanger sequencing was used to confirm the identified variants. Furthermore, RNA sequencing and functional enrichment analysis were performed on patients with likely pathogenic variants to gain further insights into the molecular landscape associated with these variants.ResultsTwo novel variants in the SHANK2 gene: a heterozygous splicing substitution (NM_012309.5:c.2198-1G>A p.Pro734Glyfs*22) in Family 1, and a heterozygous nonsense variant [NM_012309.5:c.2310dupT p.(Lys771*)] in Family 2 were identified by WES and confirmed by Sanger sequencing. RNA sequencing and cohort analysis identified a total of 1,196 genes exhibiting aberrant expression in three patients. Functional enrichment analysis revealed the involvement of these genes in protein binding and synaptic functions.ConclusionWe identified two novel loss of function variants that broadens the spectrum of SHANK2 variants. Furthermore, this study enhances our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying SHANK2-related disorders

Inclination Measurement Based on MEMS Accelerometer

MEMS accelerometer is very suitable for dip angle measurement with its small size, low power consumption and so on. The working principle of MEMS accelerometer was described in this study, and using the accelerometer to measure inclination was analyzed. Triaxial digital chip ADXL345 of acceleration was controlled via SPI mode driving using MSP430F149 microcontroller, and interface circuit and driver were designed, thus successfully achieving inclination measurement. Moreover, error is ±0.3o, and resolution may be up to 0.015o, while measuring system has the advantage of low power consumption

Effect of salinity on the biochemical characteristics and antioxidant activity of exopolysaccharide of Porphyridium purpureum FACHB 806

Porphyridium exopolysaccharide (EPS) is a kind of high-value biopolymer with various biological activities secreted by microalgae belonging to Porphyridium genus. Salinity is one of the important environmental factors affecting the growth of microalgae. In order to study the effect of salinity, the yield, biochemical characteristics and antioxidant activity of EPS in Porphyridium purpureum FACHB 806 cultured at four salinity levels (5‰, 20‰, 35‰ and 50‰) were investigated in this study. The results demonstrated that P. purpureum FACHB 806 could grow at all salinity levels. The highest cell density and EPS yield per cell were 6.6 × 107 cells·mL-1 and 29.1 pg·cell-1, which were obtained in the 20‰ and 50‰ salinity, respectively. With the increase of salinity, the percentage of xylose and galactose decreased while the percentage of glucose increased. Among all salinity levels, the 5‰ salinity group achieved the maximum contents of total carbohydrate and uronic acid of EPS, and the 50‰ salinity obtained the highest protein content of EPS. Compared to the 20‰ and 35‰ salinity groups, EPS of the 5‰ and 50‰ salinity showed stronger hydroxyl radical scavenging ability. These results indicated that salinity could influence the yield, biochemical composition and antioxidant activity of EPS, which will provide a new strategy to improve the yield and antioxidant activity of EPS