12 research outputs found
Oxygen Ion Escape at Venus Associated With Three-Dimensional Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability
How oxygens escape from Venus has long been a fundamental but controversial topic in the planetary research. Among various key mechanisms, the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI) has been suggested to play an important role in the oxygen ion escape from Venus. Limited by either scarce in-situ observations or simplified theoretical estimations, the mystery of oxygen ion escape process associated with KHI is still unsettled. Here we present the first three-dimensional configuration of KHI at Venus with a global multifluid magnetohydrodynamics model, showing a significantly fine structure and evolution of the KHI. KHI mainly occurred at the low latitude boundary layer if defining the interplanetary magnetic field-perpendicular plane as the equatorial plane, resulting in escaping oxygen ions through mixing with the solar wind at the Venusian boundary layer, with an escape rate around 4 Ă 1024 sâ1. The results provide new insights into the basic physical process of atmospheric loss at other unmagnetized planet
Soliton pulse pairs at multiple colors in normal dispersion microresonators
Soliton microcombs are helping to advance the miniaturization of a range of
comb systems. These combs mode lock through the formation of short temporal
pulses in anomalous dispersion resonators. Here, a new microcomb is
demonstrated that mode locks through the formation of pulse pairs in
normal-dispersion coupled-ring resonators. Unlike conventional microcombs,
pulses in this system cannot exist alone, and instead must phase lock in pairs
to form a bright soliton comb. Also, the pulses can form at recurring spectral
windows and the pulses in each pair feature different optical spectra. This
pairwise mode-locking modality extends to higher dimensions and we demonstrate
3-ring systems in which 3 pulses mode lock through alternating pairwise pulse
coupling. The results are demonstrated using the new CMOS-foundry platform that
has not previously produced bright solitons on account of its inherent normal
dispersion. The ability to generate multi-color pulse pairs over multiple rings
is an important new feature for microcombs. It can extend the concept of
all-optical soliton buffers and memories to multiple storage rings that
multiplex pulses with respect to soliton color and that are spatially
addressable. The results also suggest a new platform for the study of quantum
combs and topological photonics
Engineered zero-dispersion microcombs using CMOS-ready photonics
Normal group velocity dispersion (GVD) microcombs offer high comb line power
and high pumping efficiency compared to bright pulse microcombs. The recent
demonstration of normal GVD microcombs using CMOS-foundry-produced
microresonators is an important step towards scalable production. However, the
chromatic dispersion of CMOS devices is large and impairs generation of
broadband microcombs. Here, we report the development of a microresonator in
which GVD is reduced due to a couple-ring resonator configuration. Operating in
the turnkey self-injection-locking mode, the resonator is hybridly integrated
with a semiconductor laser pump to produce high-power-efficiency combs spanning
a bandwidth of 9.9 nm (1.22 THz) centered at 1560 nm, corresponding to 62 comb
lines. Fast, linear optical sampling of the comb waveform is used to observe
the rich set of near-zero GVD comb behaviors, including soliton molecules,
switching waves (platicons) and their hybrids. Tuning of the 20 GHz repetition
rate by electrical actuation enables servo locking to a microwave reference,
which simultaneously stabilizes the comb repetition rate, offset frequency and
temporal waveform. This hybridly integrated system could be used in coherent
communications or for ultra-stable microwave signal generation by two-point
optical frequency division.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure
Strain Rate-Dependent Hyperbolic Constitutive Model for Tensile Behavior of PE100 Pipe Material
It is not conservative to directly use the strength tested under the laboratory loading rates to evaluate the long-term creep strength of polymers. A suitable strain rate-dependent constitutive model is crucial for accurately predicting the long-term strength and mechanical behavior of polymer pressure pipes. In this study, the Kondner hyperbolic constitutive model is considered the base model in deriving the rate-dependent constitutive model for PE100 pipe material, and the yield stress and initial tangent modulus are the two rate-dependent parameters of the model. Uniaxial tension tests are carried out under five specified strain rates ranging from 10−5 s−1 to 5 × 10−2 s−1 to obtain these two parameters. It is demonstrated that the strain rate dependence of the yield stress and the initial tangent modulus can be described by either a power or a logarithm law. The predictions from the two models are in good agreement with the experiments. In contrast, the power-law rate-dependent Kondner model is more suitable for describing the rate-dependent tensile behavior of PE100 pipe material than the logarithm-law rate-dependent Kondner model, especially for the cases of very low strain rates which relate to the polymer pressure pipe applications
HMGB1-RAGE signaling pathway in pPROM
Objective: Increased inflammation of the placenta is considered as a risk factor and a promoter of preterm premature rupture of the membranes (pPROM). High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is a recently identified inflammatory cytokine, and HMGB1-RAGE signaling pathway has been associated with many pathophysiological processes. This study aims to reveal the mechanisms of HMGB1-RAGE signaling pathway in pPROM. Materials and methods: The mRNA levels of relative gene of HMGB1 pathway, HMGB1, RAGE, NF-ÎșBp65, MMP-9 and MMP-2, were analyzed by real-time PCR in placentas collected from 60 normal term women, 60 women with PROM and 60 women with pPROM. Additionally, levels of HMGB1, RAGE, NF-ÎșBp65, MMP-9 and MMP-2 protein were detected in frozen placental specimens by western blot, and the locations of HMGB1, RAGE and NF-ÎșBp65 were evaluated in the well-characterized tissue microarray (TMA) by immunohistochemistry. ELISA was further used to detect HMGB1, RAGE, NF-ÎșBp65, MMP-9 and MMP-2 level in maternal and cord serum. Results: Compared with normal term and PROM women, we found that (1) The mRNA expressions of HMGB1, RAGE, NF-ÎșBp65, MMP-9 and MMP-2 in HMGB1-RAGE pathway of pPROM placentas were higher. (2) The protein levels of HMGB1, RAGE, NF-ÎșBp65, MMP-9 and MMP-2 in pPROM placentas were higher. (3) HMGB1 and RAGE immunoreactivity in pPROM placenta TMA were increased in the cytoplasm of syncytiotrophoblast (STB), extravillous trophoblast (EVT) and mesenchymal cells, while NF-ÎșBp65 was enhanced in the nucleus of STB and EVT. (4) Maternal serum concentrations of HMGB1, RAGE, NF-ÎșBp65, MMP-9 and MMP-2 in pPROM group were greater. (5) Cord serum concentrations of HMGB1, RAGE, NF-ÎșBp65, MMP-9 and MMP-2 among the 3 groups had no significant differences. Conclusion: HMGB1 nuclear-cytoplasmic translocation in pPROM placenta may lead to the binding of HMGB1 to its receptor RAGE, resulting in provoking NF-ÎșBp65 activity, and then inducing the release of MMP-9 and MMP-2, which all above activities contributed to the process of pPROM. Consequently, HMGB1-RAGE signaling pathway may be involved in the pathogenesis of pPROM. Keywords: Preterm premature rupture of the membranes, HMGB1, RAGE, NF-ÎșBp6
Quantum Chemical Examination of the Sequential Halogen Incorporation Scheme for the Modeling of Speciation of I/Br/Cl-Containing Trihalomethanes
The
recently developed three-step ternary halogenation model interprets
the incorporation of chlorine, bromine, and iodine ions into natural
organic matter (NOM) and formation of iodine-, bromine-, and chlorine-containing
trihalomethanes (THMs) based on the competition of iodine, bromine,
and chlorine species at each node of the halogenation sequence. This
competition is accounted for using the dimensionless ratios (denoted
as Îł) of kinetic rates of reactions of the initial attack sites
or halogenated intermediates with chlorine, bromine, and iodine ions.
However, correlations between the model predictions made and mechanistic
aspects of the incorporation of halogen species need to be ascertained
in more detail. In this study, quantum chemistry calculations were
first used to probe the formation mechanism of 10 species of Cl-/Br-/I-
THMs. The HOMO energy (<i>E</i><sub>HOMO</sub>) of each
mono-, bi-, or trihalomethanes were calculated by B3LYP method in
Gaussian 09 software. Linear correlations were found to exist between
the logarithms of experimentally determined kinetic preference coefficients
Îł reported in prior research and, on the other hand, differences
of <i>E</i><sub>HOMO</sub> values between brominated/iodinated
and chlorinated halomethanes. One notable exception from this trend
was that observed for the incorporation of iodine into mono- and di-iodinated
intermediates. These observations confirm the three-step halogen incorporation
sequence and the factor Îł in the statistical model. The combined
use of quantum chemistry calculations and the ternary sequential halogenation
model provides a new insight into the microscopic nature of NOM-halogen
interactions and the trends seen in the behavior of Îł factors
incorporated in the THM speciation models
Impact of Illegal Application of Urea Regulator on Real-World Exhaust Nitrogen Oxygen and Particle Number Emissions
Urea regulators (UR) have generally been employed against diesel trucks to save urea usage and thus contribute to the reduction in excessive emissions, while their usage is generally difficult to supervise and enforce. By conducting real driving emission measurements on a China IV heavy-duty diesel truck, a âtrade-offâ effect caused by UR was found between nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particle number (PN) emissions. The usage of UR contributes to 1.04 times higher NOx but 0.28 times lower PN emissions for the whole trip. In particular, the increasing effects on NOx are most efficient on the highway and least effectual on the urban road, while the decreasing effects on PN exhibit an opposite trend under different road types. From low- and medium- to the high-speed bin, the peak average vehicle-specific power NOx emission rates exhibit markedly increasing but slightly decreasing trends for the truck with and without UR, respectively. Furthermore, the NOx emissions in units of CO2 and the linear correlational relationship between CO2 and NOx instantaneous mass emission rates, especially those on the highway, are significantly enhanced. This study directly clarifies the effects of UR on real-world emissions, providing a scientific basis for the real-time identification of the malfunction of the selective catalytic reduction system
A New Tool for Understanding the Solar WindâVenus Interaction: Three-dimensional Multifluid MHD Model
In this paper, we present a new tool to investigate the interaction of the solar wind with Venus with the approach of a global multifluid magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) model. The continuity, momentum, and energy equations for H ^+ , O ^+ , , and are solved self-consistently together with Faradayâs law. The photochemistry of ionospheric ions are considered as the source term in the density, momentum, and energy equations for each ion. We found that the simulated ionospheric density, temperature, and the bow shock location are consistent with previous observations and simulations for both the solar maximum and minimum. The simulated magnetic fields also agree well with the Venus Express observations. Meanwhile, the high-resolving power and low numerical diffusion makes the model capable of capturing the fine structures of the Venusian-induced magnetosphere, such as the KelvinâHelmholtz instability and the nightside wake. The escape rates have also been estimated and the results are similar to previous estimations. The high-resolution model could be an efficient tool for the exploration of the fine structures of the Venusian space environment system, and also for the application to other unmagnetized planets