Using mesoporous carbon to pack polyethylene glycol as a shape-stabilized phase change material with excellent energy storage capacity and thermal conductivity

A novel shape-stabilized phase change material was successfully prepared using polyethylene glycol (PEG) as PCM and mesoporous carbon FDU-15 as support via the melting impregnation method. The structural and thermal properties of materials were measured by TEM, SEM, XRD, FT-IR, nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms and DSC, respectively. The maximum loading of PEG/FDU-15 reaches up to 75 wt%, and the corresponding crystallization ratio is 71%, which is superior to other mesoporous-based composite phase change materials. Molecular dynamic (MD) analysis showed that some PEG adhered to the pore wall with an amorphous structure which failed to crystallize, ultimately resulting in a gap between the measured latent heat and the theoretical value. It was interesting that the filling of PEG could stimulate the frequency shift of atomic vibration in FDU-15, which then just fell in the dominant vibrational zone of PEG, despite the suppressed atomic vibration of PEG after compounding. Accordingly, the thermal conductivity of the composite is more than 60% higher compared to pure PEG, which relates to the reinforced matching of the atomic vibration between the skeleton and PCM material. FDU-15 was applied to pack PCM for the first time and delivered a better thermal performance compared with other mesopore-based composite PCMs

Thermal properties of PEG/MOF-5 regularized nanoporous composite phase change materials: A molecular dynamics simulation

In this paper, a metal-organic framework MOF-5 loaded polyethylene glycol (PEG) nanowire was used to form composite phase change material PEG/MOF-5. The molecular dynamics method was used to simulate the thermal conductivity, melting point and latent heat by G-K function and pseudo-supercritical path method, respectively. The results show that the pores of MOF-5 promote the increase of the angle of the PEG main chain and the extension of the helical segment. Therefore, the thermal conductivity of the composite (0.60 W/m·K) is 17.6% and 100% higher than that of the PEG nanowire (0.51 W/m∙K) and the skeleton (about 0.3 W/m∙K), respectively. At the same time, MOF-5 can improve the crystallinity of the PEG to a certain extent. The predicted latent heat of PEG/MOF-5 composite material is as high as 78.4 kJ/kg with a mass filling rate of 50%. This paper explores the mechanism from a microscopic perspective in order to provide models and data for the thermal design of such materials

Establishment and Application of a High Throughput Screening System Targeting the Interaction between HCV Internal Ribosome Entry Site and Human Eukaryotic Translation Initiation Factor 3

Viruses are intracellular obligate parasites and the host cellular machinery is usually recruited for their replication. Human eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 (eIF3) could be directly recruited by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) internal ribosome entry site (IRES) to promote the translation of viral proteins. In this study, we establish a fluorescence polarization (FP) based high throughput screening (HTS) system targeting the interaction between HCV IRES and eIF3. By screening a total of 894 compounds with this HTS system, two compounds (Mucl39526 and NP39) are found to disturb the interaction between HCV IRES and eIF3. And these two compounds are further demonstrated to inhibit the HCV IRES-dependent translation in vitro. Thus, this HTS system is functional to screen the potential HCV replication inhibitors targeting human eIF3, which is helpful to overcome the problem of viral resistance. Surprisingly, one compound HP-3, a kind of oxytocin antagonist, is discovered to significantly enhance the interaction between HCV IRES and eIF3 by this HTS system. HP-3 is demonstrated to directly interact with HCV IRES and promote the HCV IRES-dependent translation both in vitro and in vivo, which strongly suggests that HP-3 has potentials to promote HCV replication. Therefore, this HTS system is also useful to screen the potential HCV replication enhancers, which is meaningful for understanding the viral replication and screening novel antiviral drugs. To our knowledge, this is the first HTS system targeting the interaction between eIF3 and HCV IRES, which could be applied to screen both potential HCV replication inhibitors and enhancers

Accuracy of Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for screening to detect major depression: individual participant data meta-analysis

Objective: To determine the accuracy of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for screening to detect major depression. Design: Individual participant data meta-analysis. Data sources: Medline, Medline In-Process and Other Non-Indexed Citations, PsycINFO, and Web of Science (January 2000-February 2015). Inclusion criteria: Eligible studies compared PHQ-9 scores with major depression diagnoses from validated diagnostic interviews. Primary study data and study level data extracted from primary reports were synthesized. For PHQ-9 cut-off scores 5-15, bivariate random effects meta-analysis was used to estimate pooled sensitivity and specificity, separately, among studies that used semistructured diagnostic interviews, which are designed for administration by clinicians; fully structured interviews, which are designed for lay administration; and the Mini International Neuropsychiatric (MINI) diagnostic interviews, a brief fully structured interview. Sensitivity and specificity were examined among participant subgroups and, separately, using meta-regression, considering all subgroup variables in a single model. Results: Data were obtained for 58 of 72 eligible studies (total n=17 357; major depression cases n=2312). Combined sensitivity and specificity was maximized at a cut-off score of 10 or above among studies using a semistructured interview (29 studies, 6725 participants; sensitivity 0.88, 95% confidence interval 0.83 to 0.92; specificity 0.85, 0.82 to 0.88). Across cut-off scores 5-15, sensitivity with semistructured interviews was 5-22% higher than for fully structured interviews (MINI excluded; 14 studies, 7680 participants) and 2-15% higher than for the MINI (15 studies, 2952 participants). Specificity was similar across diagnostic interviews. The PHQ-9 seems to be similarly sensitive but may be less specific for younger patients than for older patients; a cut-off score of 10 or above can be used regardless of age.. Conclusions: PHQ-9 sensitivity compared with semistructured diagnostic interviews was greater than in previous conventional meta-analyses that combined reference standards. A cut-off score of 10 or above maximized combined sensitivity and specificity overall and for subgroups. Registration: PROSPERO CRD42014010673

Probability of major depression diagnostic classification using semi-structured vs. fully structured diagnostic interviews

Background: Different diagnostic interviews are used as reference standards for major depression classification in research. Semi-structured interviews involve clinical judgement, whereas fully structured interviews are completely scripted. The Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), a brief fully structured interview, is also sometimes used. It is not known whether interview method is associated with probability of major depression classification. Aims: To evaluate the association between interview method and odds of major depression classification, controlling for depressive symptom scores and participant characteristics. Method: Data collected for an individual participant data meta-analysis of Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) diagnostic accuracy were analyzed. Binomial Generalized Linear Mixed Models were fit. Results: 17,158 participants (2,287 major depression cases) from 57 primary studies were analyzed. Among fully structured interviews, odds of major depression were higher for the MINI compared to the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) [OR (95% CI) = 2.10 (1.15-3.87)]. Compared to semi-structured interviews, fully structured interviews (MINI excluded) were non-significantly more likely to classify participants with low-level depressive symptoms (PHQ-9 scores 6) as having major depression [OR (95% CI) = 3.13 (0.98-10.00)], similarly likely for moderate-level symptoms (PHQ-9 scores 7-15) [OR (95% CI) = 0.96 (0.56-1.66)], and significantly less likely for high-level symptoms (PHQ-9 scores 16) [OR (95% CI) = 0.50 (0.26-0.97)]. Conclusions: The MINI may identify more depressed cases than the CIDI, and semi- and fully structured interviews may not be interchangeable methods, but these results should be replicated

Efeito do destreinamento sobre variáveis cinemáticas relacionadas ao desempenho do nado crawl com diferentes estratégias de respiração

Sabe-se que o destreinamento acarreta em perda das adaptações do sistema cardiorrespiratório e neuromuscular adquiridas com o treinamento físico, inclusive na natação. Apesar de diversos estudos terem investigado o efeito do destreinamento do ponto de vista fisiológico, ainda não foi encontrado na literatura estudos que tenham investigado o efeito do destreinamento em variáveis cinemáticas durante o nado. Sabendo disso esse trabalho foi desenvolvido com objetivo de verificar se há efeito do destreinamento sobre variáveis cinemáticas no desempenho do nado crawl com diferentes estratégias de respiração. Para isso foi utilizada uma metodologia baseada em cinemetria para obter as variáveis cinemáticas (tempo do nado, velocidade média do nado, frequência de braçada, comprimento de braçada e velocidade de braçada) em diferentes estratégias de respiração (apneia voluntaria, respiração unilateral para o lado preferido, respiração unilateral para o lado não preferido e respiração bilateral) durante o nado crawl, antes e depois do período de destreinamento. Os dados mostraram que após cinco semanas de destreinamento o tempo do nado aumentou significativamente, a velocidade média do nado e a frequência de braçada diminuiram significativamente, exceto na estratégia de respiração bilateral. Ainda foi percebido que o tempo de braçada aumentou significativamente e a velocidade de braçada diminuiu significativamente na estratégia de apnéia voluntária e respiração para o lado preferido, por outro lado o comprimento de braçada aumentou significativamente apenas na estratégia de respiração para o lado preferido. Portanto esses achados indicam que há efeito prejudicial do destreinamento sobre variáveis cinemáticas relacionadas ao desempenho do nado crawl com diferentes estratégias de respiraçãoIt is known that detraining leads to the loss of cardiorespiratory and neuromuscular systems adaptations, once acquired with physical training, including swimming. Although several studies have been investigated the effect of detraining, through a physiological concept, it have not yet been found in the literature a study that have investigated the effect of detraining in kinematic variables during swimming. Knowing that, this work was developed in order to verify the detraining effect on kinematic variables in front crawl stroke performance with different breathing patterns. For this, we used a methodology based on video analysis for kinematic variables (swim time, stroke velocity, stroke rate, stroke length and hand velocity) in different breathing patterns (no breathing, breathing to the preferred side, breathing to the non-preferred side and bilateral breathing) during front crawl stroke, before and after the detraining period. The data showed that, after five weeks of detraining the swim time was increased, the swim velocity and stroke rate was lower, except for bilateral breathing. Although, the stroke time was increased and stroke velocity was lower in no breathing pattern and breathing to the preferred side, on the other hand, the stroke length was increased just in breathing to the preferred side. Therefore, these findings indicate that there are adverse effects of detraining on kinematic variables related to swimming front crawl stroke perfomance with various breathing patter

The complete chloroplast genome of Neolamarckia macrophylla (Rubiaceae)

Neolamarckia macrophylla (Rubiaceae) is a fast-growing tree with high economic value that is endemic to Sulawesi and Moluccas, Indonesia. Here, we presented the complete chloroplast (cp) genome sequence of N. macrophylla. The complete chloroplast genome is 155,406 bp in size and includes a large single-copy region (86,013 bp), a small single-copy region (18,063 bp), and a pair of IR regions (25,665 bp each). A total of 128 genes were predicted, including 8 rRNA, 36 tRNA, and 84 protein-coding genes. Phylogenetic analysis based on 11 plant species chloroplast genomes indicated that the genus Neolamarckia was monophyletic which clustered as a sister group to Antirhea chinensis. These complete chloroplast genomes can be subsequently used for valuable species research of Rubiaceae

Activation and degradation of open reading frame 45 by the replication and transcription activator of Kaposi\u27s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus

The open reading frame 45 (ORF45) of the Kaposi\u27s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is an immediate-early phosphorylated tegument protein critical for viral escape from host immune surveillance. Its expression is upregulated by the viral replication and transcription activator (RTA), a key protein that controls the switch from latency to lytic replication. We report here that ORF45 expression was not only upregulated by RTA, but ORF45 could also be degraded by RTA in a proteasome-dependent manner. The ORF45 was activated by RTA via activation of the ORF45 promoter, and the promoter region from nt 69 271 to nt 69 026 was involved. In chronic KSHV infected TRE-BCBL-1 RTA cells, the endogenous ORF45 protein increased dramatically after the induction of RTA expression, but then decreased rapidly after 8 h post-induction. Our study suggests that RTA might control the kinetics of viral replication through fine-tuning of the level of ORF45 and other viral/host proteins

Village characteristics and health of rural Chinese older adults: Examining the CHARLS Pilot Study of a rich and poor province

Community (or village) characteristics have received growing attention as researchers have sought factors affecting health. This study examines the association between a variety of environmental, economic, and social village characteristics and health of Chinese older rural adults with health measured in terms of physical limitations. The Chinese Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey (CHARLS) Pilot Study data were used. Older villagers from a low-income province (Gansu) and a relatively wealthy province (Zhejiang) were surveyed between July and September, 2008. The sample included 1267 respondents in 73 villages age 45 and older. The relationship between a variety of village characteristics and physical limitations of older adults was examined using negative binomial regression (NBR) with standard errors a djusted to account for non-independence of respondents in a village. A comparison of means/percentages shows that Gansu and Zhejiang were significantly different on the dependent and most independent variables. The NBR models show that at the personal-level, decreased risk of physical limitations was associated with being male, less than 60 years old, married, higher in education, and higher in household expenditures (proxy for income). At the village-level, decreased risk of limitations was associated with a continuous supply of electricity, not using coal in the household, the existence of a sewage system, low cost of electricity, and village wealth. Decreased risk of physical limitations was also associated with various characteristics of China's New Cooperative Medical Scheme (NCMS), an insurance program for rural older adults. Policy implications for improved health of rural older adults include: (1) continued use of China's NCMS, (2) establishment of village sewage systems, (3) ending the use of coal in the home, and (4) increased educational opportunities focused on health. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.Link_to_subscribed_fulltex