Lyotropic Liquid Crystals Incorporated with Different Kinds of Carbon Nanomaterials or Biomolecules

Liquid crystals (LCs) are considered as the “fourth state of matter,” which can display properties between crystals and isotropic liquids. LCs can be classified into lyotropic liquid crystals (LLCs) and thermotropic liquid crystals (TLCs), among which LLCs are a kind of self-assemblies formed by amphiphile molecules in a given solvent within certain concentration ranges. The structures and properties of LLCs can be tuned by the incorporation of various kinds of additives, which represents an interesting and novel route for realizing functional composites. This review focuses on recent progress on LLCs-based materials assembled with diverse additives including carbon nanotubes, graphene, graphene oxide, and biomolecules. The thermal stability and mechanical strength of the host LLCs can be greatly improved after the guests are incorporated. In addition, new functions such as conductivity, photothermal effect, and bioactivity can be introduced by the incorporation of the guests, which significantly widens the applications of LLCs-based hybrids in nanotechnology, electrochemistry, drug delivery, and life science

Multi-Objective Topology Optimization for Curved Arm of Multifunctional Billet Tong Based on Characterization of Working Conditions

A windlass driven heavy duty multifunctional billet tong was designed for large-scale forging and casting to reduce the number of auxiliary material handling devices in manufacturing workshops. To improve its mechanical performance and safety, a novel multi-objective topology optimization method for its curved arm is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the influence of different open angles and working frequencies for the curved arm was simplified to a multi-objective optimization problem. A comprehensive evaluation function was constructed using the compromise programming method, and a mathematical model of multi-objective topology optimization was established. Meanwhile, a radar chart was employed to portray the comparative measures of working conditions, the weight coefficient for each working condition was determined based on the corresponding enclosed areas, combining the stress indices, the displacement indices and the frequency indices of all working conditions. The optimization results showed that the stiffness and strength of the curved arm can be improved while its weight can be reduced by 10.77%, which shows that it is feasible and promising to achieve a lightweight design of the curved arm of a billet tong. The proposed method can be extended to other equipment with complex working conditions

Multi-Objective Topology Optimization for Curved Arm of Multifunctional Billet Tong Based on Characterization of Working Conditions

A windlass driven heavy duty multifunctional billet tong was designed for large-scale forging and casting to reduce the number of auxiliary material handling devices in manufacturing workshops. To improve its mechanical performance and safety, a novel multi-objective topology optimization method for its curved arm is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the influence of different open angles and working frequencies for the curved arm was simplified to a multi-objective optimization problem. A comprehensive evaluation function was constructed using the compromise programming method, and a mathematical model of multi-objective topology optimization was established. Meanwhile, a radar chart was employed to portray the comparative measures of working conditions, the weight coefficient for each working condition was determined based on the corresponding enclosed areas, combining the stress indices, the displacement indices and the frequency indices of all working conditions. The optimization results showed that the stiffness and strength of the curved arm can be improved while its weight can be reduced by 10.77%, which shows that it is feasible and promising to achieve a lightweight design of the curved arm of a billet tong. The proposed method can be extended to other equipment with complex working conditions

Chlorpromazine Protects Against Apoptosis Induced by Exogenous Stimuli in the Developing Rat Brain

Background: Chlorpromazine (CPZ), a commonly used antipsychotic drug, was found to play a neuroprotective role in various models of toxicity. However, whether CPZ has the potential to affect brain apoptosis in vivo is still unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential effect of CPZ on the apoptosis induced by exogenous stimuli. Methodology: The ethanol treated infant rat was utilized as a valid apoptotic model, which is commonly used and could trigger robust apoptosis in brain tissue. Prior to the induction of apoptosis by subcutaneous injection of ethanol, 7-day-old rats were treated with CPZ at several doses (5 mg/kg, 10 mg/kg and 20 mg/kg) by intraperitoneal injection. Apoptotic cells in the brain were measured using TUNEL analysis, and the levels of cleaved caspase-3, cytochrome c, the pro-apoptotic factor Bax and the anti-apoptotic factor Bcl-2 were assessed by immunostaining or western blot. Findings: Compared to the group injected with ethanol only, the brains of the CPZ-pretreated rats had fewer apoptotic cells, lower expression of cleaved caspase-3, cytochrome c and Bax, and higher expression of Bcl-2. These results demonstrate that CPZ could prevent apoptosis in the brain by regulating the mitochondrial pathway. Conclusions: CPZ exerts an inhibitory effect on apoptosis induced by ethanol in the rat brain, intimating that it may offer

One-Step Synthesis of Air-Stable Sulfur-Doped Molybdenum Phosphide Catalyst

Transition-metal phosphides prepared from temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) are generally known to be unstable and prone to surface structure decomposition upon exposure to air. In this work, air-stable molybdenum phosphide (MoP) was prepared using TPR modified by sulfur. This catalyst was exposed to ambient atmosphere for up to 150 days and still maintained its surface and bulk structures as the fresh sample derived from in situ reduction. The metal phosphosulfide phase generated during TPR not only contributes to the solid structural properties but also exhibits superior catalytic activity in various hydrofining reactions compared to traditional MoP catalysts. Additionally, this preparation strategy was used to synthesize other sulfur-doped metal phosphides, such as CoP and Cu3P. Both of these catalysts exhibited excellent air-stability.</p

Stakeholders, Green Manufacturing, and Practice Performance: Empirical Evidence from Chinese Fashion Businesses

This study explores the relationship among stakeholders, green manufacturing, and practice performance in the fashion business in China and focuses on assisting companies to enhance environmental awareness and green manufacturing practices. We collect research data by developing questionnaires for various Chinese enterprises. A five-point Likert scale is adopted to enable respondents to indicate the extent to which they agree with the items. Through tests and analyses, the questionnaire is validated as reliable, the structural equation model has a good fitting degree, and hypotheses are proved true. Specifically, corporate stakeholders have a significant positive impact on green manufacturing and practice performance, and green manufacturing has a significant positive impact on practice performance in the context of Chinese fashion businesses. Moreover, corporate stakeholders can have a positive impact on practice performance through green manufacturing. We also propose some policy implications, including implementing compulsive policies and regulations and encouraging and establishing preferential policies, such as tax concessions. Moreover, enterprises should actively strive to improve green manufacturing technology and management level to ensure the smooth implementation of green manufacturing practices. To retain sustained earnings and development, green manufacturing should be the bottom line of involved firms. We also emphasize that the importance of corporate stakeholders should be promoted in consideration of enterprises’ practice performance and future development

Impacts of Grain-for-Green and Grain-for-Blue Policies on Valued Ecosystem Services in Shandong Province, China

China launched a series of ecological restoration policies to mitigate its severe environmental challenges in the late 1990s. From the beginning, the effects and influences of the ecological restoration policies have been hotly debated. In the present study, we assessed the effects of two vital ecological restoration policies (Grain-for-Green and Grain-for-Blue) on valued ecosystem services in Shandong province. A new method based on the net primary productivity and soil erosion was developed to assess the ecosystem service value. In the areas implementing the Grain-for-Green and Grain-for-Blue policies, the ecosystem service value increased by 24.01% and 43.10% during 2000–2008, respectively. However, comparing to the average increase of ecosystem service value (46.00%) in the whole of Shandong province in the same period, Grain-for-Green and Grain-for-Blue did not significantly improve overall ecosystem services. The ecological restoration policy led to significant tradeoffs in ecosystem services. Grain-for-Green improved the ecosystem service function of nutrient cycling, organic material provision, and regulation of gases but decreased that of water conservation. Grain-for-Blue increased the water conservation function but led to a reduction in the function of soil conservation and nutrient cycling