Utility optimization of grouping-based uplink OFDMA random access for the next generation WLANs

Wireless Networks - In this paper, a grouping-based uplink orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) random access method is studied which can improve users’ satisfaction in the...     

Preparation of high-activity coal char-based catalysts from high metals containing coal gangue and lignite for catalytic decomposition of biomass tar

The potential of using high metals containing coal gangue and lignite to prepare high-activity coal char-based catalysts is investigated for effective biomass tar decomposition. Loose structure and rough surface are formed for these char-based catalysts with heterogeneous distribution of a large number of inorganic particles. In the biomass tar decomposition, the performance of the coal char-based catalysts is significantly influenced by the content of the metals in the raw materials and coal gangue char (GC) with the ash content as high as 50.80% exhibits the highest activity in this work. A high biomass tar conversion efficiency of 93.5% is achieved at 800 °C along with a significant increase in the fuel gas product. During the five-time consecutive tests, the catalytic performance of GC increases a little at the second or third times reuse and remains relatively stable, showing the remarkable stability of the catalyst in biomass tar decomposition applications.     

Colossal dielectric response and relaxation behavior in novel system of Zr4+ and Nb5+ co-substituted CaCu3Ti4O12 ceramics

In this work, we developed a novel system of isovalent Zr⁴⁺ and donor Nb⁵⁺ co-doped CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂ (CCTO) ceramics to enhance dielectric response. The influences of Zr⁴⁺ and Nb⁵⁺ co-substituting on the colossal dielectric response and relaxation behavior of the CCTO ceramics fabricated by a conventional solid-phase synthesis method were investigated methodically. Co-doping of Zr⁴⁺ and Nb⁵⁺ ions leads to a significant reduction in grain size for the CCTO ceramics sintered at 1060 °C for 10 h. XRD and Raman results of the CaCu₃Ti_3.8-xZr_xNb_0.2O₁₂ (CCTZNO) ceramics show a cubic perovskite structure with space group Im-3. The first principle calculation result exhibits a better thermodynamic stability of the CCTO structure co-doped with Zr⁴⁺ and Nb⁵⁺ ions than that of single-doped with Zr⁴⁺ or Nb⁵⁺ ion. Interestingly, the CCTZNO ceramics exhibit greatly improved dielectric constant (~10⁵) at a frequency range of 10²–10⁵ Hz and at a temperature range of 20–210 °C, indicating a giant dielectric response within broader frequency and temperature ranges. The dielectric properties of CCTZNO ceramics were analyzed from the viewpoints of defect-dipole effect and internal barrier layer capacitance (IBLC) model. Accordingly, the immensely enhanced dielectric response is primarily ascribed to the complex defect dipoles associated with oxygen vacancies by co-doping Zr⁴⁺ and Nb⁵⁺ ions into CCTO structure. In addition, the obvious dielectric relaxation behavior has been found in CCTZNO ceramics, and the relaxation process in middle frequency regions is attributed to the grain boundary response confirmed by complex impedance spectroscopy and electric modulus.     

Prevention of breast cancer by dietary polyphenols—role of cancer stem cells

Abstract

Breast cancer is a common malignancy with poor prognosis. Cancer cells are heterogeneous and cancer stem cells (CSCs) are primarily responsible for tumor relapse, treatment-resistance and metastasis, so for breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs). Diets are known to be associated with carcinogenesis. Food-derived polyphenols are able to attenuate the formation and virulence of BCSCs, implying that these compounds and their analogs might be promising agents for preventing breast cancer. In the present review, we summarized the origin and surface markers of BCSCs and possible mechanisms responsible for the inhibitory effects of polyphenols on BCSCs. The suppressive effects of common dietary polyphenols against BCSCs, such as curcumin, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and related polyphenolic compounds were further discussed.     

川北某黑色页岩型铼矿工艺矿物学研究

通过矿相显微镜、扫描电镜、电子探针、X射线能谱元素面分析等多种手段综合研究了川北某黑色页岩型铼矿中铼的赋存状态。样品为黑色页岩,有机碳含量较高。粘土矿物总量为14.6%,黄铁矿含量16.2%,石英含量37.7%。样品具典型的粘土结构,矿物粒度微细。铼有两种赋存状态,一种呈类质同象形式赋存于黄铁矿内,另一种则以分散形式存在。典型黄铁矿测点Re平均含量为0.024%。黄铁矿是Re的重要载体矿物。建议通过浮选分离黄铁矿,从而实现Re的富集。      

燃料电池空气电极的孔道结构调控

燃料电池是将化学能转化成电能的装置，其空气电极催化层的设计，既要包含丰富的、易于接近的反应活性位，也要具备高度连通的电子、质子以及反应物、产物传质通道，因此电极必须具有特定三维几何结构形貌和有序分布的各功能化孔道，确保催化活性位得以充分利用以及反应可以连续进行。针对催化剂孔道的几何结构调控，本文调研了最近报道的一系列研究工作，从模板法、高温相变法、模板/相变复合方法以及基于金属有机框架材料进行孔道设计等四种主要方法出发，综述了该领域的最新研究进展。     

Assembly of a DNA Origami Chinese Knot by Only 15% of the Staple Strands

As a giant leap in DNA self-assembly, DNA origami has exhibited an unprecedented ability to construct nanostructures with arbitrary shapes and sizes. In typical DNA origami, hundreds of short DNA staple strands fold a long, single-stranded (ss) DNA scaffold cooperatively into designed nanostructures. However, large numbers of DNA strands are expensive and would hinder applications such as pharmaceutical investigations because of the complicated components. Therefore, one challenge is how to reduce the number of staple strands needed to construct DNA origami. For a DNA origami structure, the scale-free folding pattern of the scaffold strand is determined by staple strands at the branching vertexes. Simple duplex regions help to define the size-related features of the origami geometry. In this study, we hypothesized that a scaffold strand can be correctly folded into a designed topology by using only staple strands involved in branching vertexes. After assembly, any remaining, flexible, single-stranded regions of the scaffold could be converted into rigid duplexes by DNA polymerase to achieve the designed geometric structures. To demonstrate the concept, we used only 18 staple strands (covering 15 % of the scaffold strand) to assemble a porous DNA nanostructure, which was visualized by atomic force microscopy (AFM). This study helps understanding of the role of cooperativity in origami folding, and provides a cost-effective approach for small-scale prototyping DNA origami.     

Safety study on HIC containing waste resin with respect to hydrogen release

To explore the behavior of radiolytically produced hydrogen release from the waste resin stored in a high integrated container(HIC), and the mechanism of hydrogen diffusion in a near-surface disposal facility, both experimental studies and numerical simulations were performed through an accelerated irradiation test and simulated disposal, respectively. Results indicated that,100 years after disposal, the highest hydrogen concentration appeared in the cell where the HICs were placed. The volume fraction for different scenarios postulated in the numerical simulation was 2.64% for Scenario 1, 2.28% for Scenario 2, and 3.965% for Scenario 3, all of which are lower than the hydrogen explosion limit of 4.1%. The results indicated that the simulated HIC disposal scheme is safe.     

TiO2/MXene-Assisted LDI-MS for Urine Metabolic Profiling in Urinary Disease

Cancer remains an intractable medical problem. Rapid diagnosis and identification of cancer are critical to differentiate it from nonmalignant diseases. High-throughput biofluid metabolic analysis has potential for cancer diagnosis. Nevertheless, the present metabolite analysis method does not meet the demand for high-throughput screening of diseases. Herein, a high-throughput, cost-effective, and noninvasive urine metabolic profiling method based on TiO₂/MXene-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (LDI-MS) is presented for the efficient screening of bladder cancer (BC) and nonmalignant urinary disease. Combined with machine learning, TiO₂/MXene-assisted LDI-MS enables high diagnostic accuracy (96.8%) for the classification of patient groups (including 47 BC and 46 ureteral calculus (UC) patients) from healthy controls (113 cases). In addition, BC patients can also be identified from noncancerous UC individuals with an accuracy of 88.3% in the independent test cohort. Furthermore, metabolite variations between BC and UC individuals are investigated based on relative quantification, and related pathways are also discussed. These results suggest that this method, based on urine metabolic patterns, provides a potential tool for rapidly distinguishing urinary diseases and it may pave the way for precision medicine.