Numerical Simulation and Optimization of a Mid-Temperature Heat Pipe Exchanger

In this paper, we take the mid-temperature gravity heat pipe exchanger as the research object, simulate the fluid flow field, temperature field and the working state of heat pipe in the heat exchanger by Fluent software. The effects of different operating parameters and fin parameters on the heat transfer performance of heat exchangers are studied. The results show that the heat transfer performance of the mid-temperature gravity heat pipe exchanger is the best when the fin spacing is between 5 mm and 6 mm, the height of the heat pipe is between 12 mm and 13 mm, and the inlet velocity of the fluid is between 2.5 m/s to 3 m/s

Development of Insertion-Deletion Markers for Cabernet Sauvignon Grapes Based on Whole Genome Resequencing and Their Usefulness in Wine Authentication

This study used genomic resequencing to screen for insertion-deletion (InDel) markers that enable the identification of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and examined their application effectiveness in Cabernet Sauvignon wine authentication. The results showed that among 13 markers selected from the whole genome, 9 InDel markers (Del-1–6, In-1, and In-4–5) with polymorphism and good amplification effect were successfully developed and validated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Del-2–6, In-1, and In-5 were able to distinguish between Cabernet Sauvignon and Marceline grapes. It was found that Del-2, Del-4, Del-6 could be used to distinguish between Cabernet Sauvignon and Marceline wines. These results enrich the molecular markers of grapes, providing a theoretical basis for the application of InDel markers in genetic research such as grape resource genetic diversity, variety identification, and DNA fingerprinting

Comprehensive Analysis of lncRNA and miRNA Regulatory Network Reveals Potential Prognostic Non-coding RNA Involved in Breast Cancer Progression

Breast cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in women and is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women. The tumorigenesis and progression of breast cancer are not well understood. The existing researches have indicated that non-coding RNAs, which mainly include long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) and microRNA (miRNA), have gradually become important regulators of breast cancer. We aimed to screen the differential expression of miRNA and lncRNA in the different breast cancer stages and identify the key non-coding RNA using TCGA data. Based on series test of cluster (STC) analysis, bioinformatics analysis, and negatively correlated relationships, 122 lncRNAs, 67 miRNAs, and 119 mRNAs were selected to construct the regulatory network of lncRNA and miRNA. It was shown that the miR-93/20b/106a/106b family was at the center of the regulatory network. Furthermore, 6 miRNAs, 10 lncRNAs, and 15 mRNAs were significantly associated with the overall survival (OS, log-rank P < 0.05) of patients with breast cancer. Overexpressed miR-93 in MCF-7 breast cancer cells was associated with suppressed expression of multiple lncRNAs, and these downregulated lncRNAs (MESTIT1, LOC100128164, and DNMBP-AS1) were significantly associated with poor overall survival in breast cancer patients. Therefore, the miR-93/20b/106a/106b family at the core of the regulatory network discovered by our analysis above may be extremely important for the regulation of lncRNA expression and the progression of breast cancer. The identified key miRNA and lncRNA will enhance the understanding of molecular mechanisms of breast cancer progression. Targeting these key non-coding RNA may provide new therapeutic strategies for breast cancer treatment and may prevent the progression of breast cancer from an early stage to an advanced stage

MXene (Ti3C2Tx) and Carbon Nanotube Hybrid-Supported Platinum Catalysts for the High-Performance Oxygen Reduction Reaction in PEMFC

The metal–support interaction offers electronic, compositional, and geometric effects that could enhance catalytic activity and stability. Herein, a high corrosion resistance and an excellent electrical conductivity MXene (Ti3C2Tx) hybrid with a carbon nanotube (CNT) composite material is developed as a support for Pt. Such a composite catalyst enhances durability and improved oxygen reduction reaction activity compared to the commercial Pt/C catalyst. The mass activity of Pt/CNT-MXene demonstrates a 3.4-fold improvement over that of Pt/C. The electrochemical surface area of Pt/CNT–Ti3C2Tx (1:1) catalysts shows only 6% drop with respect to that in Pt/C of 27% after 2000 cycle potential sweeping. Furthermore, the Pt/CNT–Ti3C2Tx (1:1) is used as a cathode catalyst for single cell and stack, and the maximum power density of the stack reaches 138 W. The structure distortion of the Pt cluster induced by MXene is disadvantageous to the desorption of O atoms. This issue can be solved by adding CNT on MXene to stabilize the Pt cluster. These remarkable catalytic performances could be attributed to the synergistic effect between Pt and CNT–Ti3C2Tx

Study on factors affecting fruit development of seedless ponkan cultivar Huagan No.4

[Objective] Ponkan (Citrus reticulata Blanco.) is one of the main Mandarins cultivars in China. Huagan No.4 is a new seedless cultivar selected from a bud sport of Jing'an ponkan, with improved fruit quality. However, the cultivar has the problems of low fruiting rate and slow fruit development, limiting its industrial deployment. Therefore, it is important to clarify the key factors affecting the fruit size of seedless ponkan for high-quality production. [Methods] Huagan No.4 (HG4) and Huagan No.2 (HG2) were used as test materials. The paraffin section was used for observing the fruit development, sequencing transcriptome was performed to detect the difference of the gene expression between the two varieties. [Results] The observation of the equatorial surface of young fruits from 5 to 45 (DAF) revealed that the number of cell layers in the white pericarp of HG4 was more than HG2 on 5 DAF, but consistently less than HG2 from 15 to 45 DAF. The morphology of HG4 and HG2 was also observed during the cell division stage, and the white pericarp cell density of both continued to decrease from 5 to 45 DAF. The cell density of HG4 was consistently larger than HG2 from 15 to 45 DAF, and the significant difference was found on 35 DAF. The fruit transverse longitudinal diameters were measured at 30 day intervals starting on 80 DAF and it were found to be consistently and significantly smaller in HG4 than HG2. The plant endogenous hormone IAA, GA3 and Zeatin contents in young fruits of HG2 and HG4 showed an overall increase followed by a decrease from 15 days before flowering (DBF) to 45 DAF. The IAA contents of HG4 and HG2 were 117.08 ng·g-1 and 290.21 ng·g-1, respectively, on 45 DAF, the different was significant. The GA3 content of HG2 peaked at 2.27 ng·g-1 on 25 DAF, while the GA3 content of HG4 was only 0.90 ng·g-1, with significant differences. The GA3 and Zeatin contents of HG2 were higher than those of HG4 on 25 and 45 DAF. The differentially expressed genes were screened using the Citrus clementina genome with the criteria of p-value 1, and were functionally analyzed. Among the 173 differential genes identified, the transcription factors encoding the genes were screened. Three ERF transcription factors (Ciclev10005820m, Ciclev10005863m, Ciclev10021265m), two MADS (Ciclev10016394m, Ciclev10032489m), one GRF (Ciclev10025855m), and an ADAP (Ciclev10025985m) were screened by homologous sequence analysis with Arabidopsis transcription factors. These seven genes might be involved in the regulation of HG4 fruit development. Meanwhile, the homologous genes of YUC related to the auxin synthesis pathway of HG4 (CmYUC10, CmYUC11), genes of GA20ox related to the gibberellin (CmGA20ox1, CmGA20ox5), and genes of the cytokinin CmIPT2 were found to have an overall low level of expression in comparison with HG2, which was in accordance with the results of the plant endogenous hormone content measurement. The CmGA20ox5 was consistent with the relative expression levels of the GA20ox1 on 25 and 45 DAF. The expressions were significantly lower in HG4 than HG2, suggesting that gibberellin would have a greater possible influence on HG4 fruit development. In addition, the statistical analysis revealed that the average thickness of bearing base shoots with a diameter corresponding to HG4 fruit transverse diameters 70 mm were 2.15 mm, 2.59 mm, and 2.97 mm, respectively. It was found that the thickness was positively correlated with the size of the fruits. The proportion of large fruits with a transverse diameter >70 mm was as great as 40% for fruits siting on the upper part of the tree, whereas only 4% for lower part. [Conclusion] The low expression of hormone metabolic pathway genes affected hormone contents in HG4 fruits during early development period, which might lead to the inherent causes of smaller fruits. The thickness of HG4 bearing base shoots with a diameter and fruiting site would also be a important factor affecting its fruit dimensions