Preparation of Mesoporous SnO\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e-SiO\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e Composite as Electrodes for Lithium Batteries

Mesoporous SnO2–SiO2 composite stable up to 600 °C with a BET surface area of 350 m2 g-1 and an average pore size of 3.4 nm is successfully prepared, which exhibits promising cycling properties as anodes for lithium batterie

Enhancing solar chimney performance in urban tunnels: Investigating the impact factors through experimental and theoretical model analysis

Efficient and sustainable ventilation in urban tunnels is crucial for combating air pollution and safeguarding human health. This study investigates the design factors impacting solar chimney performance in urban tunnels to optimize ventilation efficiency. Experimental trials analyzed the effects of blockage ratio, chimney height, and solar radiation on temperature distribution and ventilation rate. The results demonstrate that increased chimney height and solar radiation positively influence airflow velocity at the chimney outlet, enhancing ventilation. The temperature rise near absorber is higher than that closed to glazing wall. Temperature distribution within the chimney follows a distinctive horizontal two-piecewise semi-parabolic decay pattern, enabling accurate prediction of temperature profiles along the cavity depth. Novel analytical models predict temperature distribution, airflow velocity, and ventilation rate within the solar chimney system, aiding precise design and optimization. Remarkably, the blockage ratio has limited impact on ventilation rate, allowing for disregarding vehicle blockage effects in solar chimney design for urban tunnels. Matching chimney width to tunnel width and ensuring a relatively high chimney height are emphasized for optimal functionality. The study holds substantial implications for ventilation system design in urban environments, promoting healthier and more sustainable cities

Nonstationary two-stage multisplitting methods for symmetric positive definite matrices

AbstractNonstationary synchronous two-stage multisplitting methods for the solution of the symmetric positive definite linear system of equations are considered. The convergence properties of these methods are studied. Relaxed variants are also discussed. The main tool for the construction of the two-stage multisplitting and related theoretical investigation is the diagonally compensated reduction (cf. [1])

Aqua­bis­(benzoato-κO)(1,10-phenanthroline-κ2 N,N′)zinc(II)

The Zn atom in the title compound, [Zn(C7H5O2)2(C12H8N2)(H2O)], is five-coordinate in a distorted trigonal–bipyramidal coordination environment involving two O atoms of two monodentate benzoates, two N atoms of a 1,10-phenanthroline mol­ecule and one O atom of a water mol­ecule. The axial positions are occupied by a carboxyl­ate O atom from the benzoate ligand and an N atom from the 1,10-phenanthroline ligand [N—Zn—O = 146.90 (7)°]. The water mol­ecule forms an intra­molecular O—H⋯O hydrogen bond; an inter­molecular O—H⋯O hydrogen bond gives rise to a dimer

Expression of ENaC, SGK1 and Nedd4 isoforms in the cochlea of guinea pig

It has been demonstrated that the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) may play critical roles in (re)absorbing Na+ from apical plasma membrane in various tissues and cells. Moreover, the serum glucocorticoid-inducible kinase 1 (SGK1) and the ubiquitin-protein ligase neural precursor cell-expressed, developmentally downregulated isoforms Nedd4 are involved in ENaC regulation in response to hormones such as aldosterone, vasopressin and insulin. The aim of the study was to investigate the cellular localizations of ENaC subunits, SGK1, and Nedd4 isoforms in the cochlea of guinea pig. Ten adult guinea pigs were sacrificed and their cochleas were collected. The expression patterns of ENaC subunits, SGK1 and Nedd4-2 isoforms in the guinea pig cochlea were studied by immunohistochemistry with the specific polyclonal rabbit antibodies against rat α-, β- and γ-ENaC, SGK1, Nedd4-1/2 and Nedd4-2. The results showed that all these proteins were extensively expressed in various regions of the cochlea. They were found in the spiral ligament, organ of Corti, spiral limbus, spiral ganglion and Reissner’s membrane with different staining patterns. The results indicated that a Na+ transport system may exist in the cochlea of guinea pig consisting of ENaC, SGK1 and Nedd4, which may work in concert to transport Na+ and to maintain homeostasis in inner ear as it does in other epithelia

An Efficient SDN load balancing scheme based on variance analysis for massive mobile users

In a traditional network, server load balancing is used to satisfy the demand for high data volumes. The technique requires large capital investment while offering poor scalability and flexibility, which difficultly supports highly dynamic workload demands from massive mobile users. To solve these problems, this paper analyses the principle of software-defined networking (SDN) and presents a new probabilistic method of load balancing based on variance analysis. The method can be used to dynamically manage traffic flows for supporting massive mobile users in SDN networks. The paper proposes a solution using the OpenFlow virtual switching technology instead of the traditional hardware switching technology. A SDN controller monitors data traffic of each port by means of variance analysis and provides a probability-based selection algorithm to redirect traffic dynamically with the OpenFlow technology. Compared with the existing load balancing methods which were designed to support traditional networks, this solution has lower cost, higher reliability, and greater scalability which satisfy the needs of mobile users.The work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (no. 61173188, no. 61572001, and no. 61502008), the Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education (no. 20133401110004), the Educational Commission of Anhui Province, China (no. KJ2013A017), the Natural Science Foundation of Anhui Province (no. 1508085QF132), the Tender Project of the Co-Innovation Center for Information Supply & Assurance Technology of Anhui University (no. ADXXBZ2014-7), and the Doctoral Research Startup Funds Project of Anhui University