Measuring the disparity among scientific disciplines using Library of Congress Subject Headings

Scientometrics - Examining the relationships among scientific disciplines is important today, but existing methods are limited by the contents and structure of their bibliographic databases. We...     

Surface treatment of titanium dioxide nanopowder using rotary electrode dielectric barrier discharge reactor

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanopowder (P-25;Degussa AG) was treated using dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) in a rotary electrode DBD (RE-DBD) reactor.Its electrical and optical characteristics were investigated during RE-DBD generation.The treated TiO2 nanopowder properties and structures were analyzed using x-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR).After RE-DBD treatment,XRD measurements indicated that the anatase peak theta positions shifted from 25.3° to 25.1°,which can be attributed to the substitution of new functional groups in the TiO2 lattice.The FTIR results show that hydroxyl groups (OH) at 3400 cm-1 increased considerably.The mechanism used to modify the TiO2 nanopowder surface by air DBD treatment was confirmed from optical emission spectrum measurements.Reactive species,such as OH radical,ozone and atomic oxygen can play key roles in hydroxyl formation on the TiO2 nanopowder surface.     

Reduced Claudin-12 Expression Predicts Poor Prognosis in Cervical Cancer

Background: Within the claudin (CLDN) family, CLDN12 mRNA expression is altered in various types of cancer, but its clinicopathological relevance has yet to be established due to the absence of specific antibodies (Abs) with broad applications. Methods: We generated a monoclonal Ab (mAb) against human/mouse CLDN12 and verified its specificity. By performing immunohistochemical staining and semiquantification, we evaluated the relationship between CLDN12 expression and clinicopathological parameters in tissues from 138 cases of cervical cancer. Results: Western blot and immunohistochemical analyses revealed that the established mAb selectively recognized the CLDN12 protein. Twenty six of the 138 cases (18.8%) showed low CLDN12 expression, and the disease-specific survival (DSS) and recurrence-free survival rates were significantly decreased compared with those in the high CLDN12 expression group. We also demonstrated, via univariable and multivariable analyses, that the low CLDN12 expression represents a significant prognostic factor for the DSS of cervical cancer patients (HR 3.412, p = 0.002 and HR 2.615, p = 0.029, respectively). Conclusions: It can be concluded that a reduced CLDN12 expression predicts a poor outcome for cervical cancer. The novel anti-CLDN12 mAb could be a valuable tool to evaluate the biological relevance of the CLDN12 expression in diverse cancer types and other diseases.     

Marine Phospholipids from Fishery By-Products Attenuate Atherosclerosis

In this study, the anti-atherosclerotic properties of three marine phospholipids (MPLs) extracts from fishery by-products including codfish roe, squid gonad, and shrimp head are verified. Their effects on key factors involved in atherosclerosis are examined and compared to explore whether the differences in their constitutions lead to the differences in the function. All three MPLs dampen oxidation of low- density lipoproteins (LDL) in vitro. Treating RAW264.7 macrophages and HUVECs endothelial cells with each MPLs ranging 10–100 µg mL⁻¹ does not decrease cell viability, yet ox-LDL caused cytotoxicity of both cells are alleviated by 50 or 100 µg mL⁻¹ MPLs treatment. In addition, the three MPLs reduce ox-LDL induced macrophage foam-like transition, mainly through inhibition of lipid uptake. Of the three MPLs, the one from squid gonad exhibits the best effect. On the other hand, all three MPLs modulate inflammatory responses, equally, by inhibiting the adhesion of monocytes to endothelial cells, and decreasing secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and MCP-1. Using a high-cholesterol diet induced zebrafish model, it is found that all three MPLs, especially the one from squid gonad, alleviates cholesterol accumulation in early plaques, and decreases total cholesterol as well as lipid peroxide in vivo. Practical Applications: As a way of making the best of the increasingly scarce marine resources, valuable lipid components can be recovered from by-products and wastes from the fishery industry. Here, we tested the anti-atherosclerotic effects and the mechanisms of three MPLs extracted from codfish roe, squid gonad, and shrimp head. Our study provides further evidence that marine phospholipids extracted from fishery by-products could protect against atherosclerosis, and helps to elucidate the structure-function relationship of MPLs.     

甲玛地区角岩矿微生物浸出的试验研究

介绍了西藏华泰龙矿业开发有限公司角岩的矿石性质,针对该低品位铜矿石进行了详细的微生物浸出试验研究,在原矿铜品位仅为0.12%、SiO_2含量高达69.12%的情况下,用接种量为10%的浸矿菌液,浸出1 d时,铜浸出率即为34.44%,浸出11 d时,浸出率达到70.02%,此时较无菌条件下的浸出率高出17.46个百分点。     

Technological and sensorial properties of liquid nitrogen ice cream enriched with protein from brewing waste (trub)

Debittered trub (brewing waste) is an important source of protein source (70.26%). Trub and whey protein were used for 5% protein enrichment of ice cream frozen by liquid nitrogen. Three formulations were elaborated: ice cream standard (ICS), ice cream with whey protein (ICW) and ice cream with trub (ICT). Chemical composition, rheological properties, texture, overrun, melting rate, scanning electron microscopy and a sensorial test were performed. Results showed that ICT presented a higher viscosity, obtained on the upward curve up to 6.76 Pa s⁻¹, consistency index (22.96 (Pa s⁻¹)ⁿ), hysteresis area (140.40 mPa s⁻¹) and hardness (31113.33 g) but a lower melting rate (0.38 g min⁻¹), overrun (13.92%) and sensorial acceptability than the other formulations. The addition of trub debittered for protein enrichment improved ice cream properties and demonstrated that it could be used as a food ingredient.     

In situ characterization of LiY(WO4)2 nanotubes for electrochemical energy storage

Here, LiY(WO₄)₂ nanotubes are prepared via a feasible electrospinning technique. This new anode material shows excellent electrochemical properties. The capacity loss of LiY(WO₄)₂ nanotubes is as low as 6.9% after 156 cycles, while bulk LiY(WO₄)₂ presents the capacity loss higher than 55.0%. Even after 600 long-life cycles, the capacity loss of the nanotubes is only 9%. It can be seen that the hollow structure with a rough surface and a porous morphology contributes to the improvement of electrochemical performance. Furthermore, online X-ray diffraction (XRD) method is firstly applied to understand the lithium ions insertion/extraction mechanism of LiY(WO₄)₂ nanotubes. It can be concluded that it is an asymmetrical two-phase reaction. A phase transformation from LiY(WO₄)₂ to Li₃Y(WO₄)₂ can be obviously seen from the in situ XRD during discharge process. While Li₂Y(WO₄)₂ appears as an intermediate phase with a reverse charge reaction. In addition, in situ XRD also demonstrates that LiY(WO₄)₂ nanotubes have surprised electrochemical reversibility. All the above results indicate that LiY(WO₄)₂ nanotubes can be expected to be anode candidate for rechargeable lithium ion batteries (LIBs).     

Adaptive backstepping repetitive learning control design for nonlinear discrete‐time systems with periodic uncertainties

This paper addresses a tracking problem for uncertain nonlinear discrete‐time systems in which the uncertainties, including parametric uncertainty and external disturbance, are periodic with known periodicity. Repetitive learning control (RLC) is an effective tool to deal with periodic unknown components. By using the backstepping procedures, an adaptive RLC law with periodic parameter estimation is designed. The overparameterization problem is overcome by postponing the parameter estimation to the last backstepping step, which could not be easily solved in robust adaptive control. It is shown that the proposed adaptive RLC law without overparameterization can guarantee the perfect tracking and boundedness of the states of the whole closed‐loop systems in presence of periodic uncertainties. In addition, the effectiveness of the developed controller is demonstrated by an implementation example on a single‐link flexible‐joint robot. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

餐饮废油生物柴油低温流动性的改进研究

使用气-质联用仪测定餐饮废油生物柴油(WCME)和-10号柴油(-10PD)的组成,使用冷滤点试验器和运动黏度试验器测定WCME的低温流动性,同时使用调合、添加低温流动性改进剂的方法改进WCME的低温流动性。实验结果表明,WCME主要由饱和脂肪酸甲酯和不饱和脂肪酸甲酯组成,质量分数分别为27.63%和71.81%;WCME冷滤点为0℃,运动黏度(40℃)为4.41mm2/s;WCME与-10PD调合后,冷滤点降低,其中B20的冷滤点最低,为-13℃,运动黏度随着WCME的体积分数的减少,逐渐接近-10PD的运动黏度。通过添加低温流动性改进剂,WCME,B10,B20的冷滤点分别从0,-8,-13℃降至-4,-26,-25℃。