Study of the Dynamic Strain-Induced Transformation Process of a Low-Carbon Steel: Experiment and Finite Element Simulation

The microstructures and mechanical properties of a low-carbon steel, hot-rolled by a six-pass dynamic strain-induced transformation (DSIT) process, with different start rolling temperatures, are studied by combining experiments and finite element simulations. The start rolling temperatures of the last three passes are about 10°C higher and 20°C lower than the Ar3 temperature, for Processes 1 and 2, respectively. The results show that as the rolling process proceeds, rolling forces increase, while slab temperatures decrease. Before starting Pass 4, the temperature of the slab center is higher than that of the slab surface. During Pass 4 to Pass 6, however, the temperatures of the slab center and surface are nearly identical but fluctuate remarkably due to the large reduction rate. The simulated maximum rolling force and start rolling temperature of each pass agree reasonably with the experimental measurements. It is found that the simulated start temperatures of the slab center in the last three passes are about 5~25°C higher than the Ar3 temperature for Process 1, and the DSIT condition is better satisfied for Process 2. As a result, Process 2 produces finer grain sizes and higher yield strengths than Process 1

A New Liver Segmentation Based on Digital Liver Portal Vein Ramification Using Computer-Assisted Surgery System: Exploring Artificial Intelligence

A good understanding of liver anatomy is required for performing precise liver resection. However, the currently described methods of liver segmentation based on portal and hepatic veins are inconclusive. We proposed a system of liver segmentation based on previous reports and our data. Three-dimensional computed tomography software based on artificial intelligence was used to analyze the portal vein branching pattern in 759 patients. We analyzed four different types of liver segmentation and measured their respective segmental liver volumes. We classified four types of liver segmentation based on the right portal vein. Median segmental liver volumes were variable for the different types of segmentation. Our system of liver segmentation enables a better classification of individual patients into one of the different types, thus assisting in preoperative surgical planning. Segmental liver volume is useful for the preoperative evaluation of remnant liver volume

Study on mechanical and energy characteristics of coal samples under different unloading states

There are many types of coal seams in China, and the mining of protective layers will cause different rates of stress reduction in protected coal seams at different intervals. Therefore, experiments were conducted at different unloading rates to explore the strength, deformation, and energy characteristics of coal. Research findings: the AE (acoustic emission) signal of the coal body before unloading has a small range of changes and similar characteristics. After unloading begins, because of the different development rates of internal crack in the coal body under different unloading states, the AE signal of the coal body varies at different unloading rates. The maximum stress increases exponentially with the increase of unloading rate. It was found that the higher the unloading rate, the easier and earlier the coal sample is to be damaged. And it was discovered that the dissipated energy of the coal sample in the elastic stage is extremely low, and a large amount of total energy is converted into elastic energy and stored inside the coal sample. The dissipation energy increases during the plastic stage, while the trend of increasing elastic energy slows down. After the peak stage, the dissipated energy rapidly increases and the elastic energy decreases

A missense mutation in Pitx2 leads to early-onset glaucoma via NRF2-YAP1 axis.

Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness, affecting 70 million people worldwide. Owing to the similarity in anatomy and physiology between human and mouse eyes and the ability to genetically manipulate mice, mouse models are an invaluable resource for studying mechanisms underlying disease phenotypes and for developing therapeutic strategies. Here, we report the discovery of a new mouse model of early-onset glaucoma that bears a transversion substitution c. G344T, which results in a missense mutation, p. R115L in PITX2. The mutation causes an elevation in intraocular pressure (IOP) and progressive death of retinal ganglion cells (RGC). These ocular phenotypes recapitulate features of pathologies observed in human glaucoma. Increased oxidative stress was evident in the inner retina. We demonstrate that the mutant PITX2 protein was not capable of binding to Nuclear factor-like 2 (NRF2), which regulates Pitx2 expression and nuclear localization, and to YAP1, which is necessary for co-initiation of transcription of downstream targets. PITX2-mediated transcription of several antioxidant genes were also impaired. Treatment with N-Acetyl-L-cysteine exerted a profound neuroprotective effect on glaucoma-associated neuropathies, presumably through inhibition of oxidative stress. Our study demonstrates that a disruption of PITX2 leads to glaucoma optic pathogenesis and provides a novel early-onset glaucoma model that will enable elucidation of mechanisms underlying the disease as well as to serve as a resource to test new therapeutic strategies

The Fabrication and Properties Characterization of Wood-Based Flame Retardant Composites

Wood-based flame retardant composites were fabricated based on vacuum-pressure impregnating method after high intensive microwave pretreatment. The effects of ammonium polyphosphate (APP) and modified nano-zinc borate (nZB) addition on flame-retardation and smoke-suppression properties of wood were investigated by cone calorimeter method (CONE) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The results show that the heat release rate (HRR), peak heat release rate (pk-HRR), and total heat release (THR) of APP-treated woods decreased greatly with increasing concentration of APP. However, mean yield of CO (Mean COY) of APP-treated wood was much higher (3.5 times) than that of untreated wood. Compared with wood treated with APP at a concentration of 15%, the total smoke product (TSP), Mean COY, and pk-HRR decreased by 78.4%, 71.43%, and 31.23%, when wood was treated with APP and nZB (both concentrations were at 15%). APP and nZB have synergistic effects of flame-retardation and smoke-suppression. Nano-zinc borate combined with APP would be used in wood-based composites to efficiently retard flame, reduce fire intensity, and decrease noxious (CO)/smoke release

Mononuclear clusterfullerene single‐molecule magnet containing strained fused‐pentagons stabilized by a nearly linear metal cyanide cluster

Fused‐pentagons results in an increase of local steric strain according to the isolated pentagon rule (IPR), and for all reported non‐IPR clusterfullerenes multiple (two or three) metals are required to stabilize the strained fused‐pentagons, making it difficult to access the single‐atom properties. Herein, we report the syntheses and isolations of novel non‐IPR mononuclear clusterfullerenes MNC@C76 (M=Tb, Y), in which one pair of strained fused‐pentagon is stabilized by a mononuclear cluster. The molecular structures of MNC@C76 (M=Tb, Y) were determined unambiguously by single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction, featuring a non‐IPR C2v(19138)‐C76 cage entrapping a nearly linear MNC cluster, which is remarkably different from the triangular MNC cluster within the reported analogous clusterfullerenes based on IPR‐obeying C82 cages. The TbNC@C76 molecule is found to be a field‐induced single‐molecule magnet (SMM)

Effect of Extreme Acid Combined with Heat Induction on Structure and Properties of Soybean Protein Isolate Microgel

Soybean protein isolate microgel (SPIM) was prepare by extreme acid combined with heat induction. The structural changes and molecular interactions of the protein, and the microstructure and gel properties of the microgel were explored by fluorescence spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy, and the effects of different heat induction temperatures (25, 45, 55, 65, 75 and 85 ℃) on the structure and properties of the microgel were evaluated. The results showed that the relative content of β-sheet increased during the formation of SPIM, and electrostatic interaction, hydrophobic interaction and hydrogen bonding were involved in the self-assembly of microgels. In addition, with increasing temperature, the surface hydrophobicity index of SPIM increased first and then decreased, and that the thermal stability gradually increased. Compared with extreme acid, the specific surface area, emulsifying activity, emulsion stability and water-holding capacity of the microgel formed by extreme acid combined with heat induction at 75 ℃ were significantly increased (P < 0.05). Overall, extreme acid combined with heat induction is an effective method to regulate the structure and properties of protein microgels, and the quality of microgels can be improved by precise temperature control

覚せい剤精神病脆弱性に於けるドーパミンD2、セロトニンS2受容体のポジトロンCTによる測定

研究科: 千葉大学大学院医学研究科千大院医博乙第1281

Relationship Between Stressful Life Events and Sleep Quality: Rumination as a Mediator and Resilience as a Moderator

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between stressful life events and sleep quality and to probe the role of rumination and resilience in the relationship.Method: The Adolescent Self-Rating Life Events Checklist, Ruminative Responses Scale, Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were used among 1,065 college students. Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) 20.0 and the SPSS macro Process, which were specifically developed for assessing complex models including both mediators and moderators, were used to analyze the data.Results: High scores of stressful life events predicted worse sleep quality. Rumination partially mediated the relations between stressful life events and sleep quality. Resilience moderated the direct and indirect paths leading from stressful life events to sleep quality.Conclusions: The results demonstrate that stressful life events can directly affect the sleep quality of college students and indirectly through rumination. Additionally, increasing psychological resilience could decrease both the direct effect and the indirect effect of stressful life events affecting sleep quality. The results of this study may contribute to a better understanding of the effects, as well as the paths and conditions, of stressful life events on sleep quality in college students. Moreover, these findings can provide constructive suggestions for improving college students’ sleep quality