Optical studies of transparent ferroelectric strontium-barium niobate/silica nanocomposite

Author name used in this publication: C. L. MakAuthor name used in this publication: K. H. Wong2003-2004 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Photoluminescence of transparent strontium–barium–niobate-doped silica nanocomposites

Author name used in this publication: C. L. MakAuthor name used in this publication: K. H. Wong2001-2002 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Effects of postdeposition annealing on the dielectric properties of antiferroelectric lanthanum-doped lead zirconate stannate titanate thin films derived from pulsed laser deposition

Author name used in this publication: K. H. Wong2004-2005 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Flavonoid intake and the risk of age-related cataract in China’s Heilongjiang Province

Background/Objectives: Epidemiological evidence suggests that diets rich in flavonoids may reduce the risk of developing age-related cataract (ARC). Flavonoids are widely distributed in foods of plant origin and the objective of this study was to evaluate retrospectively the association between the intakes of the five flavonoid subclasses and the risk of ARC.  Subjects/Methods: A population-based case-control study (249 cases and 66 controls) was carried out in Heilongjiang province, which is located in the Northeast of China, and where intakes and availability of fresh vegetables and fruits can be limited. Dietary data gathered by food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) were used to calculate flavonoid intake. Adjusted odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were estimated by logistic regression.  Results: No linear associations between risk of developing ARC and intakes of total dietary flavonoids, anthocyanidins, flavon-3-ol, flavanone, total flavones or total flavonols were found, but quercetin and isorhamnetin intake was inversely associated with ARC risk (OR 11.78, 95% CI: 1.62-85.84, P<0.05, and OR 6.99, 95% CI:1.12-43.44, P<0.05, quartile 4 vs quartile 1, respectively).  Conclusion: As quercetin is contained in many plant foods and isorhamnetin is only contained in very few foods, we concluded that higher quercetin intake may be an important dietary factor in the reduction of risk of age-related cataract

Investigation on the Dispersal Characteristics of Liquid Breakup in Vacuum

This work presents an experimental study on the dispersal characteristics of a liquid jet ejecting into vacuum. The liquid breaking experiments of several kinds of liquid under different pressure and temperature conditions are carried out in a flash chamber. The stability of the jet and the sizes of the droplets or the icing particles formed during liquid flashing dispersing are analyzed. The influences of the superheat degree, spray velocity, and the mass of the volatile liquid mixing in the nonvolatile liquid on these characteristics are discussed. Moreover, the applicability of the two definitions of superheat degree is discussed. The results show that the superheat degree is an important parameter influencing the pattern of the breaking liquid, and the jet velocity has a large influence on the distribution of particle sizes. In addition, mixing some volatile liquid with nonvolatile liquid can enhance the dispersion of the latter

IL-17A Promotes Pulmonary B-1a Cell Differentiation via Induction of Blimp-1 Expression during Influenza Virus Infection

B-1 cells play a critical role in early protection during influenza infections by producing natural IgM antibodies. However, the underlying mechanisms involved in regulating this process are largely unknown. Here we found that during influenza infection pleural cavity B-1a cells rapidly infiltrated lungs, where they underwent plasmacytic differentiation with enhanced IgM production. This process was promoted by IL-17A signaling via induction of Blimp-1 expression and NF-kB activation in B-1a cells. Deficiency of IL-17A led to severely impaired B-1a-derived antibody production in the respiratory tract, resulting in a deficiency in viral clearance. Transfer of B-1a-derived natural antibodies rescued Il17a(-/-) mice from otherwise lethal infections. Together, we identify a critical function of IL-17A in promoting the plasmacytic differentiation of B-1a cells. Our findings provide new insights into the mechanisms underlying the regulation of pulmonary B-1a cell response against influenza infection.published_or_final_versio

High tunability in compositionally graded epitaxial barium strontium titanate thin films by pulsed-laser deposition

2002-2003 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

A compact skeletal mechanism for n-dodecane with optimized semi-global low-temperature chemistry for diesel engine simulations

A skeletal mechanism with 54 species and 269 reactions was developed to predict pyrolysis and oxidation of n-dodecane as a diesel fuel surrogate involving both high-temperature (high-T) and low-temperature (low-T) conditions. The skeletal mechanism was developed from a semi-detailed mechanism developed at the University of Southern California (USC). Species and reactions for high-T pyrolysis and oxidation of C5-C12 were reduced by using reaction flow analysis (RFA), isomer lumping, and then merged into a skeletal C0-C4 core to form a high-T sub-mechanism. Species and lumped semi-global reactions for low-T chemistry were then added to the high-T sub-mechanism and a 54-species skeletal mechanism is obtained. The rate parameters of the low-T reactions were tuned against a detailed mechanism by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), as well as the Spray A flame experimental data, to improve the prediction of ignition delay at low-T conditions, while the high-T chemistry remained unchanged. The skeletal mechanism was validated for auto-ignition, perfectly stirred reactors (PSR), flow reactors and laminar premixed flames over a wide range of flame conditions. The skeletal mechanism was then employed to simulate three-dimensional turbulent spray flames at compression ignition engine conditions and validated against experimental data from the Engine Combustion Network (ECN)

Combustion pattern, characteristics, and kinetics of biomass and chars from segmented heating carbonization

The combustion patterns, characteristics, and kinetics were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis for raw maize straw, cotton stalk, and chars obtained from segmented heating carbonization at 300–800 °C. With increasing carbonization temperature, combustion patterns of biomass chars transform from the sequential reaction steps corresponding to pyrolysis and heterogeneous oxidation of volatiles and char to the in situ heterogeneous oxidation of fixed carbon and volatiles, the ignition temperature of biomass chars gradually increases, the ignition index does not monotonically increase, and the burnout index and combustion characteristic index decrease to different degrees. Judging from the combustion characteristic index, chars obtained from 300 to 500 °C of carbonization show better combustibility. The kinetic parameters of raw and carbonized biomass were determined by Coats–Redfern method. Different reaction mechanisms exist in oxidation processes of different chars, which attribute to the synergistic effects of homogenous oxidation of volatiles and heterogeneous oxidation of char. The kinetic parameters obtained from the variation of species and model functions exhibit kinetic compensation effect

Dentin Regeneration

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66570/2/10.1177_08959374950090030501.pd