Description of the thermodynamic properties and fluid-phase behavior of aqueous solutions of linear,branched, and cyclic amines

The SAFT-γ Mie group-contribution equation of state is used to represent the fluid-phase behavior of aqueous solutions of a variety of linear, branched, and cyclic amines. New group interactions are developed in order to model the mixtures of interest, including the like and unlike interactions between alkyl primary, secondary, and tertiary amine groups (NH₂, NH, N), cyclic secondary and tertiary amine groups (cNH, cN), and cyclic methine-amine groups (cCHNH, cCHN) with water (H₂O). The group-interaction parameters are estimated from appropriate experimental thermodynamic data for pure amines and selected mixtures. By taking advantage of the group-contribution nature of the method, one can describe the fluid-phase behavior of mixtures of molecules comprising those groups over broad ranges of temperature, pressure, and composition. A number of aqueous solutions of amines are studied including linear, branched aliphatic, and cyclic amines. Liquid–liquid equilibria (LLE) bounded by lower critical solution temperatures (LCSTs) have been reported experimentally and are reproduced here with the SAFT-γ Mie approach. The main feature of the approach is the ability not only to represent accurately the experimental data employed in the parameter estimation, but also to predict the vapor–liquid, liquid–liquid, and vapor–liquid–liquid equilibria, and LCSTs with the same set of parameters. Pure compound and binary phase diagrams of diverse types of amines and their aqueous solutions are assessed in order to demonstrate the main features of the thermodynamic and fluid-phase behavior.     

In Vivo Simultaneous Analysis of Gene Expression by Dual-Color Luciferases in Caenorhabditis elegans

Both fluorescent and luminescent observation are widely used to examine real-time gene expression patterns in living organisms. Several fluuorescent and luminescent proteins with specific optical properties have been developed and applied for simultaneous, multi-color observation of more than two gene expression profiles. Compared to fluorescent proteins, however, the application of multi-color luminescent imaging in living organisms is still limited. In this study, we introduced two-color luciferases into the soil nematode C. elegans and performed simultaneous analysis of two gene expression profiles. Using a green-emitting luciferase Eluc (emerald luciferase) and red-emitting luciferase SLR (stable luciferase red), the expression patterns of two genes were simultaneously observed in single animals from embryonic to adult stages over its whole life span. In addition, dual gene activities were observed at the single embryo level, with the simultaneous observation of morphological changes. These are the first application of a two-color luciferase system into a whole animal and suggest that precise relationship of expression patterns of multiple genes of interest can be analyzed over the whole life of the animal, dependent on the changes in genetic and/or environmental conditions.     

Cyberbullying: Effect of emergency perception on the helping tendencies of bystanders

The effect of the emergency perception of bystanders of cyberbullying victims on helping behaviors is often neglected in research on cyberbullying. In this study, we explored the influence of this cognitive factor on cyber-bystanders’ helping tendencies as well as elucidated possible underlying processes. The results of two studies were reported. In Study 1, 150 undergraduates read a true case of a girl experiencing cyberbullying. The results indicated that when the participants perceived the victim’s situation to be more critical (i.e., higher emergency perception), their helping tendencies were stronger, partly through increased state empathy followed by feelings of responsibility to help. In Study 2, we randomly assigned 300 undergraduates to two groups. The low emergency group read the same cyberbullying case as Study 1, whereas the cyberbullying case read by the high emergency group contained additional emergency information of the victim. The results indicated that the high emergency group expressed stronger helping tendencies than did the low emergency group. This effect was caused by a stronger perception that the victim was in an emergency situation, which not only strengthened the participants’ helping tendencies directly but also indirectly through increasing their state empathy and feelings of responsibility to help.     

基于现代审美下的赣傩艺术元素分析与设计应用

目的 赣傩艺术元素内容丰富并保存完整,是研究我国古代赣傩地区文化与艺术的珍贵史料.研究赣傩艺术元素的提取及衍生图案的设计方法,在设计应用中表达赣傩傩面具、选取傩舞形和构筑傩庙魂,能给当代赣傩艺术元素的产品设计以指引.方法 通过直接引用、形意结合和局部强化的设计方法,增厚其丰富内涵、设计个性和主题意蕴.通过现代化审美中"绿色化、感性化、地域化"的要求,遵循"以退为进,化繁为简""多元并存,个性体现"的原则,强化赣傩艺术元素的独特风格.结论 用现代的手法,将特色的赣傩艺术元素植入到理性的产品设计中去,使赣傩艺术元素与现代设计思想有机结合.在继承传统文化与现代流行中找到契合点,深入挖掘赣傩艺术元素蕴含的文化精神、文化胸怀和文化自信,使中华传统文化在现代审美下进行创新再现.     

Weighted regularized extreme learning machine to model the discharge coefficient of side slots

In the current research, a modern learning machine algorithm named “Weighted Regularized Extreme Learning Machine (WRELM)" is implemented for the first time for the simulation of the coefficient of discharge of side slots. For this purpose, an effective variable on the coefficient of discharge of side slots is firstly introduced, then five distinctive WRELM models are produced by it for the estimation of the coefficient. In the next stage, a database is created for verification of WRELM results. it should be mentioned that 70% of the data are utilized for training the WRELM models, while the rest (i.e. 30%) for testing them. After that, the optimal number of hidden layer neurons as well as the best activation function of the WRELM algorithm are chosen. In addition, the best regularization parameter and also the weight function of the WRELM are achieved. By conducting a sensitivity analysis, the most effective variable for the simulation of the coefficient of discharge along with the WRELM superior model is introduced. The WRELM superior model estimates values of the coefficient of discharge with the maximum exactness and the highest correlation. For instance, the estimations of the correlation coefficient and scatter index for this model are computed to be 0.930 and 0.051, respectively. The sensitivity analysis shows that the ratio of the side slot crest height to its length and the Froude number should be considered as the most important input variables. A comparison between the WRELM with the ELM displays that the former works much better. Furthermore, an uncertainty analysis is executed for both models. Eventually, an equation is suggested for the estimation of the coefficient of discharge and a partial derivative sensitivity analysis is performed on it.     

Role of Polyinosinic:Polycytidylic Acid-Induced Maternal Immune Activation and Subsequent Immune Challenge in the Behaviour and Microglial Cell Trajectory in Adult Offspring: A Study of the Neurodevelopmental Model of Schizophrenia

Multiple lines of evidence support the pathogenic role of maternal immune activation (MIA) in the occurrence of the schizophrenia-like disturbances in offspring. While in the brain the homeostatic role of neuron-microglia protein systems is well documented, the participation of the CX3CL1-CX3CR1 and CD200-CD200R dyads in the adverse impact of MIA often goes under-recognized. Therefore, in the present study, we examined the effect of MIA induced by polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (Poly I:C) on the CX3CL1-CX3CR1 and CD200-CD200R axes, microglial trajectory (MhcII, Cd40, iNos, Il-1β, Tnf-α, Il-6, Arg1, Igf-1, Tgf-β and Il-4), and schizophrenia-like behaviour in adult male offspring of Sprague-Dawley rats. Additionally, according to the “two-hit” hypothesis of schizophrenia, we evaluated the influence of acute challenge with Poly I:C in adult prenatally MIA-exposed animals on the above parameters. In the present study, MIA evoked by Poly I:C injection in the late period of gestation led to the appearance of schizophrenia-like disturbances in adult offspring. Our results revealed the deficits manifested as a diminished number of aggressive interactions, presence of depressive-like episodes, and increase of exploratory activity, as well as a dichotomy in the sensorimotor gating in the prepulse inhibition (PPI) test expressed as two behavioural phenotypes (MIA_PPI-low and MIA_PPI-high). Furthermore, in the offspring rats subjected to a prenatal challenge (i.e., MIA) we noticed the lack of modulation of behavioural changes after the additional acute immune stimulus (Poly I:C) in adulthood. The important finding reported in this article is that MIA affects the expression and levels of the neuron-microglia proteins in the frontal cortex and hippocampus of adult offspring. We found that the changes in the CX3CL1-CX3CR1 axis could affect microglial trajectory, including decreased hippocampal mRNA level of MhcII and elevated cortical expression of Igf-1 in the MIA_PPI-high animals and/or could cause the up-regulation of an inflammatory response (Il-6, Tnf-α, iNos) after the “second hit” in both examined brain regions and, at least in part, might differentiate behavioural disturbances in adult offspring. Consequently, the future effort to identify the biological background of these interactions in the Poly I:C-induced MIA model in Sprague-Dawley rats is desirable to unequivocally clarify this issue.     

The Age-Sensitive Efficacy of Calorie Restriction on Mitochondrial Biogenesis and mtDNA Damage in Rat Liver

Calorie restriction (CR) is the most efficacious treatment to delay the onset of age-related changes such as mitochondrial dysfunction. However, the sensitivity of mitochondrial markers to CR and the age-related boundaries of CR efficacy are not fully elucidated. We used liver samples from ad libitum-fed (AL) rats divided in: 18-month-old (AL-18), 28-month-old (AL-28), and 32-month-old (AL-32) groups, and from CR-treated (CR) 28-month-old (CR-28) and 32-month-old (CR-32) counterparts to assay the effect of CR on several mitochondrial markers. The age-related decreases in citrate synthase activity, in TFAM, MFN2, and DRP1 protein amounts and in the mtDNA content in the AL-28 group were prevented in CR-28 counterparts. Accordingly, CR reduced oxidative mtDNA damage assessed through the incidence of oxidized purines at specific mtDNA regions in CR-28 animals. These findings support the anti-aging effect of CR up to 28 months. Conversely, the protein amounts of LonP1, Cyt c, OGG1, and APE1 and the 4.8 Kb mtDNA deletion content were not affected in CR-28 rats. The absence of significant differences between the AL-32 values and the CR-32 counterparts suggests an age-related boundary of CR efficacy at this age. However, this only partially curtails the CR benefits in counteracting the generalized aging decline and the related mitochondrial involvement.     

大管径供水管线的安装与腐蚀防护分析

在近些年的发展中,我国经济水平得到了一个显著的增长,经济的增长推动了城市化的发展进程,进入21世纪,城市绿化工程建设规模呈一个稳定上升的趋势,在这种大的社会环境形势下,如何做好绿化大管径供水管线的安装与腐蚀防护工作成为了行业关注的焦点。大管径供水管线的稳定性关系着城市发展的可持续性,要从多方面做好大管径供水管线的安装工作,采取有效的措施应对管线腐蚀问题。     

基于C#持久蠕变强度外推功能的实现

持久蠕变强度外推是预测材料在高温高压环境下工作寿命的有效方法。目前常用的外推方法有等温法和参数法。这两种方法都是通过在实验室中采用较短时间的试验，获取试验数据后，通过Excel或者MATLAB等数据处理软件进行数据的拟合处理和外推计算。这些数据归纳统计和数学建模的过程有时需要耗费试验人员的大量精力。介绍了持久蠕变强度外推的软件实现方法，该功能包含在持久蠕变试验设备配备的软件中，试验完成后，软件直接根据试验结果进行数据拟合和持久蠕变强度的外推计算，无需试验数据的统计和建模，大大提高了持久蠕变强度外推计算的效率。