Torsional statics of two-dimensionally functionally graded microtubes

A size-dependent governing equation is derived to investigate the torsional static behaviors of two-dimensionally functionally graded microtubes based on the modified couple stress theory. The shear modulus is assumed to vary along the tube’s length direction according to an exponential distribute function, and varies along the tube’s radius direction according to a power-law function. A generalized differential quadrature method is developed to determine the rotational angle and shear stresses. Some illustrative examples are given to investigate the effects of applied torques, the length scale parameter and various material compositions on the torsional angle and shear stresses.     

Neutrophils in Tuberculosis: Cell Biology,Cellular Networking and Multitasking in Host Defense

Neutrophils readily infiltrate infection foci, phagocytose and usually destroy microbes. In tuberculosis (TB), a chronic pulmonary infection caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), neutrophils harbor bacilli, are abundant in tissue lesions, and their abundances in blood correlate with poor disease outcomes in patients. The biology of these innate immune cells in TB is complex. Neutrophils have been assigned host-beneficial as well as deleterious roles. The short lifespan of neutrophils purified from blood poses challenges to cell biology studies, leaving intracellular biological processes and the precise consequences of Mtb–neutrophil interactions ill-defined. The phenotypic heterogeneity of neutrophils, and their propensity to engage in cellular cross-talk and to exert various functions during homeostasis and disease, have recently been reported, and such observations are newly emerging in TB. Here, we review the interactions of neutrophils with Mtb, including subcellular events and cell fate upon infection, and summarize the cross-talks between neutrophils and lung-residing and -recruited cells. We highlight the roles of neutrophils in TB pathophysiology, discussing recent findings from distinct models of pulmonary TB, and emphasize technical advances that could facilitate the discovery of novel neutrophil-related disease mechanisms and enrich our knowledge of TB pathogenesis.     

基于多尺度双线性卷积神经网络的多角度下车型精细识别

针对多角度下车辆出现一定的尺度变化和形变导致很难被准确识别的问题，提出基于多尺度双线性卷积神经网络（MS-B-CNN）的车型精细识别模型。首先，对双线性卷积神经网络（B-CNN）算法进行改进，提出MS-B-CNN算法对不同卷积层的特征进行了多尺度融合，以提高特征表达能力；此外，还采用基于中心损失函数与Softmax损失函数联合学习的策略，在Softmax损失函数基础上分别对训练集每个类别在特征空间维护一个类中心，在训练过程中新增加样本时，网络会约束样本的分类中心距离，以提高多角度情况下的车型识别的能力。实验结果显示，该车型识别模型在CompCars数据集上的正确率达到了93.63%，验证了模型在多角度情况下的准确性和鲁棒性。     

Backtesting portfolio value-at-risk with estimated portfolio weights

This article theoretically and empirically analyzes backtesting portfolio value-at-risk (VaR) with estimation risk in an intrinsically multi-variate framework. It particularly takes into account the estimation of portfolio weights in forecasting portfolio VaR and its impact on backtesting. It shows that the estimation risk from estimating portfolio weights and that from estimating the multi-variate dynamic model make the existing methods in a univariate framework inapplicable. It proposes a general theory to quantify estimation risk applicable to the present problem and suggests practitioners a simple but effective way to implement valid inference to overcome the effect of estimation risk in backtesting portfolio VaR. In particular, we apply our theory to the efficient mean-variance-skewness portfolio for a multi-variate generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity model with multi-variate general hyperbolic distributed innovations. Some Monte Carlo simulations and an empirical application demonstrate the merits of our method.     

Lead-free sodium niobate nanowires with strong piezo-catalysis for dye wastewater degradation

In this work, the hydrothermally-synthesized sodium niobate nanowires were used to decompose Rhodamine B dye solution through the piezo-catalytic effect. With the sodium niobate catalyst, a high piezo-catalytic degradation ratio of ～80% was achieved under the excitation of vibration for the Rhodamine B dye solution (～5?mg/l). These active species in the catalytic process, hydroxyl radicals and superoxide radicals with the strong oxidation ability, were also observed, which confirmed the key role of piezoelectric effect for piezo-catalysis. The piezo-catalysis of sodium niobate nanowires provides a high-efficiency and reusable tool in application in depredating the dye wastewater.     

Ab initio calculations of the NO2 fission for CL-20 conformers

NO₂ fission is regarded to be the most important initial decomposition process of 2,4,6,8,10,12-hexanitro-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexaazaisowurtzitane (CL-20). In this study, four CL-20 conformers based on the ε-CL-20 were obtained after the optimization at m062x/cc-pvtz level, and the bond length, bond order and bond dissociation energy of the N-N bonds were examined to investigate the stability of these bonds. In addition, the rate constants and activation energy of the NO₂ fission were evaluated using the microcanonical variational transition state theory (μVT). The calculation results have shown that N-N bonds in the case of pseudo-equatorial and axial of nitro groups are the most stable and the least stable, respectively, by evaluating the bond length, bond order and minimum energy path (MEP). The NO₂ fission rate constants are affected by not only the stability of N-N bonds but also the repulsion forces from the other nitro groups, and the fission process for pseudo-equatorial positioning of nitro groups is easier to be accelerated due to the increase of the repulsion forces. The decomposition of CL-20 conformer may mainly originate from the fission of the pseudo-equatorial positioning of nitro groups, especially for CL-20 III conformer because of the significant low activation energy.     

Study on Wettability and Corrosion Behavior of Al2O3 Doped Polyurea Coatings

Protection of Metals and Physical Chemistry of Surfaces - The Al2O3 powder was added as a filler to polyurea and the effect of doping amount on Shore hardness and wetting property were...     

Visual Detection of Adenosine Triphosphate by Taylor Rising: A Simple Point-of-Care Testing Method Based on Rolling Circle Amplification

Rapid and sensitive point-of-care testing (POCT) is an extremely critical mission in practical applications, especially for rigorous military medicine, home health care, and in the third world. Here, we report a visual POCT method for adenosine triphosphate (ATP) detection based on Taylor rising in the corner of quadratic geometries between two rod surfaces. We discuss the principle of Taylor rising, demonstrating that it is significantly influenced by contact angle, surface tension, and density of the sample, which are controlled by ATP-dependent rolling circle amplification (RCA). In the presence of ATP, RCA reaction effectively suppresses Taylor-rising behavior, due to the increased contact angle, density, and decreased surface tension. Without addition of ATP, untriggered RCA reaction is favorable for Taylor rising, resulting in a significant height. With this proposed method, visual sensitive detection of ATP without the aid of other instruments is realized with only a 5 μL droplet, which has good selectivity and a low detection limit (17 nM). Importantly, this visual method provides a promising POCT tool for user-friendly molecular diagnostics.