Nondeterminstic ultrafast ground state cooling of a mechanical resonator

We present an ultrafast feasible scheme for ground state cooling of a mechanical resonator via repeated random time-interval measurements on an auxiliary flux qubit. We find that the ground state cooling can be achieved with \emph{several} such measurements. The cooling efficiency hardly depends on the time-intervals between any two consecutive measurements. The scheme is also robust against environmental noises.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Separation and economic recovery of strontium from Nanyishan oil-field water, China

The mass ratio of Ca to Sr is greater than 10 in Nanyishan oil-field water, which causes significant problems during the economic extraction and recovery of selected trace elements in the oil-field water. The oilfield water was isothermally evaporated and various salts such as Li, K, Mg, Ca, Na, Sr, Rb, Cs, Br, and I were obtained from the solution. The Sr content of each phase was determined by ICP-AES, the Sr distribution rule in this process was obtained, and the best separation stage for Sr was identified, to optimize the separation of Sr from Nanyishan oil-field water

catena-Poly[[zinc-μ-[2-(2-{[2-(2-hy­droxy­benzo­yl)hydrazinyl­idene]meth­yl}phen­oxy)acetato­(2–)]] monohydrate]

In the title compound, {[Zn(C16H12N2O5)]·H2O}n, the unique ZnII ion is coordinated in a distorted square-pyramidal environment by three O atoms and one N atom from a symmetry-unique ligand. A symmetry-related ligand provides an O atom from a carboxyl­ate group to complete the coordination in the apical site and generate a one-dimensional polymer parallel to [010]. In addition to an intra­molecular O—H⋯N hydrogen bond, inter­molecular O—H⋯O and weak C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds are observed within the one-dimensional structure

A Study of the Merger History of the Galaxy Group HCG 62 Based on X-Ray Observations and SPH Simulations

We choose the bright compact group HCG 62, which was found to exhibit both excess X-ray emission and high Fe abundance to the southwest of its core, as an example to study the impact of mergers on chemical enrichment in the intragroup medium. We first reanalyze the high-quality Chandra and XMM-Newton archive data to search for the evidence for additional SN II yields, which is expected as a direct result of the possible merger-induced starburst. We reveal that, similar to the Fe abundance, the Mg abundance also shows a high value in both the innermost region and the southwest substructure, forming a high-abundance plateau, meanwhile all the SN Ia and SN II yields show rather flat distributions in $>0.1r_{200}$ in favor of an early enrichment. Then we carry out a series of idealized numerical simulations to model the collision of two initially isolated galaxy groups by using the TreePM-SPH GADGET-3 code. We find that the observed X-ray emission and metal distributions, as well as the relative positions of the two bright central galaxies with reference to the X-ray peak, can be well reproduced in a major merger with a mass ratio of 3 when the merger-induced starburst is assumed. The `best-match' snapshot is pinpointed after the third pericentric passage when the southwest substructure is formed due to gas sloshing. By following the evolution of the simulated merging system, we conclude that the effects of such a major merger on chemical enrichment are mostly restricted within the core region when the final relaxed state is reached.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

Design Optimization and Comparison of Direct-Drive Outer-Rotor SRMs Based on Fast Current Profile Estimation and Transient FEA

Outer-rotor switched reluctance machines (SRMs) have drawn much attention as promising candidates for in-wheel direct-drive motors of future electric vehicles. This article presents a systematic performance comparison of three outer-rotor SRM topologies for in-wheel traction applications in terms of the specific torque, electromagnetic efficiency, torque ripple, radial force, and mechanical aspects. A generalized design optimization framework for SRMs is proposed to enable the fast evaluation of large numbers of designs generated from the differential evolution by incorporating an analytical current profile estimation into the transient finite element analysis. The relationship between the saliency ratio and converter volt-ampere rating is also discussed. The calculations are then benchmarked with the experimental results from an existing prototype. The effectiveness of the performance prediction method and the proposed optimization approach is validated

Electrochemically primed functional redox mediator generator from the decomposition of solid state electrolyte.

Recent works into sulfide-type solid electrolyte materials have attracted much attention among the battery community. Specifically, the oxidative decomposition of phosphorus and sulfur based solid state electrolyte has been considered one of the main hurdles towards practical application. Here we demonstrate that this phenomenon can be leveraged when lithium thiophosphate is applied as an electrochemically "switched-on" functional redox mediator-generator for the activation of commercial bulk lithium sulfide at up to 70 wt.% lithium sulfide electrode content. X-ray adsorption near-edge spectroscopy coupled with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and Raman indicate a catalytic effect of generated redox mediators on the first charge of lithium sulfide. In contrast to pre-solvated redox mediator species, this design decouples the lithium sulfide activation process from the constraints of low electrolyte content cell operation stemming from pre-solvated redox mediators. Reasonable performance is demonstrated at strict testing conditions

Zhihuang Tongfeng decoction ameliorates gouty arthritis via inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome in rats

Purpose: To investigate the effect and mechanism of action of traditional Chinese medicine, Zhihuang Tongfeng decoction (ZTD), on gouty arthritis in rats. Methods: Monosodium urate (MSU) crystal was injected into the ankle joint of rats to establish an animal model of gouty arthritis. ZTD (4.8, 9.6 and 19.2 g/kg) was administered to the rats. The walking behavior of the rats was observed daily and the gait score computed. Histopathologic severity was scored using three parameters, viz, synovial inflammation, synovial hyperplasia and cartilage surface erosion. The levels of IL-1β and TNF-α in lavage fluid of articular cavities were measured by ELISA. The synovial tissues of the joint of all the rats were obtained and NLRP3 inflammasome analysed by Western blot. Results: The results revealed that compared with control rats, 19.2 g/kg dose of ZTD lowered the owestry disability index of the rats significantly from 2.3 ± 0.4 to 0.9 ± 0.3 (p < 0.05). Pathomorphology analysis showed that ZTD attenuated the swelling of toes and the infiltration of inflammatory cells in synovium significantly (p < 0.05). Further, ZTD decreased the IL-1β (p < 0.05) and TNF-α levels (p < 0.05) at all doses, and inhibited NLRP3 (p < 0.01), caspase-1 (p < 0.01), ASC (p < 0.01), IL-1β (p < 0.01) and IL-18 (p < 0.01) protein expressions in the lavage fluid of articular cavities in MSU crystaltreated rats. Conclusion: The results indicate that ZTD ameliorates gouty arthritis in rats by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome, and thus can potentially be developed into a new drug for the treatment of gouty arthritis

Quantitative Identification of Adulterated Sichuan Pepper Powder by Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Coupled with Chemometrics

Sichuan pepper is a traditional and important flavoring of Chinese cuisine. It has attracted increasing interest in recent years owning to its unique taste and aroma. However, some cheap adulterants have been illegally found in Sichuan pepper powder in the market due to merchants trying to cut costs and gain an extra profit. In order to determine the compositions of Sichuan pepper powder quickly and effectively, a direct detection method using near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy has been developed. 462 samples of adulterated Sichuan pepper powder mixed with different amounts of wheat bran, rice bran, corn flour, and rosin powder were studied. The NIR spectra data was studied using partial least squares (PLS) analysis. The method was found to be capable of predicting the compositions of adulterated Sichuan pepper powder. The determination coefficients of prediction set (Rp2) with the best pretreatments were 0.971 for Sichuan pepper powder, 0.948 for rice bran, 0.969 for wheat bran, 0.967 for corn flour, and 0.994 for rosin powder, respectively. The standard errors of prediction (SEP) were 2.81%, 2.38%, 3.19%, 2.46%, and 1.10%, respectively. The results showed that NIR spectroscopy with chemometrics is a rapid and nondestructive tool for the quantitative analysis of adulterated Sichuan pepper powder

Change of the peripheral blood immune pattern and its correlation with prognosis in patients with liver cancer treated by sorafenib

AbstractObjectiveTo study the change of the peripheral blood immune pattern and its correlation with prognosis in patients with liver cancer after treated by sorafenib.MethodsPatients with advanced liver cancer admitted in our hospital were enrolled and treated with sorafenib. After two months of the treatment, their peripheral blood was collected. The immune cell subset and cytokines level were determined by flow cytometry and luminex technology. According to the reaction expressed by patients towards sorafenib, patients were divided into the response group and the no response group. The changes of the peripheral blood immune pattern and its correlation with prognosis of patients in the two groups were compared.ResultsBefore and after treatment of sorafenib, there was no significant difference in the ratios of T cells, NK cells and their subtypes in peripheral blood of patients between the two groups; while after treatment the ratio of B cells and regulatory B cells (Breg) of patients in the response group was significant higher than that of the no response group (P < 0.05), and the prognosis conditions of patients with decreased ratio of Breg cells were better than other patients after undergoing chemotherapy. The levels of plasma cytokines IL-6, IL-10, IL-12, IL17, FIL-3L, IFN-γ, TNF-α, MCP-1 and VEGF showed no significant differences.ConclusionsAfter treatment of sorafenib, the prognosis conditions of patients of advanced liver cancer with a reduced Breg ratio are better than patients with an unaltered or increased Breg ratio. The ratio of Breg in peripheral blood may be considered as early biological indicator for the prediction of the curative effects of sorafenib