Synthesis of nonsharp distillation sequences via genetic programming

Xiao-Hong Wang†,,Yang-Dong Hu,Yu-Gang Li 한국화학공학회 2008 Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol.25 No.3

This paper addresses the application of Genetic Programming (GP) to the synthesis of multicomponent product nonsharp distillation sequences. Combined with the domain knowledge of chemical engineering, some evolutionary factors are improved, and a set of special encoding method and solving strategy is proposed to deal with this kind of problem. The system structural variable is optimized by GP and the continuous variable is optimized by the simulated annealing algorithm simultaneously. Because GP has an automatic searching function, the optimal solution can be found including distillation, splitting, blending and bypassing operations automatically without any superstructures of nonsharp distillation sequences. Three illustrative examples are presented to demonstrate the effective computational strategies.

Prediction of Equivalent Chloride Ion Diffusion Coefficient in Cracked Concrete of the in-Service RC Element

Xiao-Hui Wang,Dong-Gang Hu,Ahmad Kueh Beng Hong,Dan-Da Shi 대한토목학회 2022 KSCE JOURNAL OF CIVIL ENGINEERING Vol.26 No.5

Considering the influence of the visible load-induced transverse cracks on chloride ion diffusion in cracked concrete of the in-service reinforced concrete (RC) elements under marine environment, a typical concrete volume with one transverse crack was taken to establish the governing equation. Assuming the crack widths at the outer lateral and bottom surfaces were equal, a model to predict the equivalent chloride diffusion coefficient in cracked concrete was put forward to consider the influence of the average transverse crack width, crack spacing and crack extending lengths in beam height and width directions on chloride diffusion. Results show that the proposed model can better reflect the variation trend of the equivalent chloride diffusion coefficient with different crack widths in in-service RC elements under marine environment.

Inhibition of RIPK1-dependent regulated acinar cell necrosis provides protection against acute pancreatitis via the RIPK1/NF- κB/AQP8 pathway

Gang Wang,Peng-yu Duan,Yuan Ma,Xi-na Li,Feng-zhi Qu,Liang Ji,Xiao-yu Guo,Wang-jun Zhang,Fan Xiao,Le Li,Ji-sheng Hu,Bei Sun 생화학분자생물학회 2019 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.51 No.-

Currently, preliminary results have confirmed the existence of receptor-interacting protein kinase 3 (RIPK3) and mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL)-dependent necroptosis of pancreatic acinar cells during early acute pancreatitis (AP), which might be a potential target for the effective regulation of necroinflammatory injury. However, the exact effect of receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 (RIPK1)-dependent regulated acinar cell necrosis on AP is still uncertain. In our study, we first explored the changes in the degree of local and systemic inflammation in AP rats when the activation of acinar cell RIPK1 was inhibited. The RIPK1 inhibitor Nec-1 was used to treat rats, and the levels of related inflammatory markers, necrosis indicators and apoptotic indicators were measured. Changes in pancreatic nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) and aquaporin 8 (AQP8) expression were noted. Next, the expression of AQP8 in AR42J cells was inhibited, and the degree of cell necrosis and inflammatory damage was found to be significantly reduced. Most importantly, we demonstrated that the RIPK1/NF-ĸB/AQP8 axis might be a potential regulatory pathway mediating RIPK1-dependent regulated acinar cell necrosis in early AP. Finally, we used the NF-κB inhibitor PDTC and Nec-1 to treat rats in different groups and measured the degree of pathological pancreatic injury, the activation of RIPK1, and the expression of NF-κB and AQP8. In summary, we hypothesized that there might be a RIPK1/NF-ĸB/AQP8 pathway controlling RIPK1-dependent regulated necrosis of acinar cells in AP, which might be a promising therapeutic target against AP-related injury.

The Cryoprotective Effect on Frozen-thawed Boar Semen of Egg Yolk Low Density Lipoproteins

Hu, Jian-hong,Li, Qing-Wang,Li, Gang,Chen, Xiao-Yu,Hai-Yang, Hai-Yang,Zhang, Shu-Shan,Wang, Li-Qiang Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2006 Animal Bioscience Vol.19 No.4

In order to protect the spermatozoa against cold shock, hen egg yolk is widely used as a cryoprotective agent in semen freezing extenders for domestic animals. The protective action of yolk is largely presumed to be due to low density lipoproteins (LDL). The effects of LDL on sperm quality of bull and northern pike (Esox lucius) after freezing-thawing have been reported, but no study has been made to evaluate the effect of LDL on boar sperm motility and other characteristics. The experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of LDL on the freezing of boar sperm in 0.25 ml straws. The aim was to evaluate the quality of boar spermatozoa cryopreserved in the presence of LDL. Motility of semen cryopreserved in LDL was analyzed and compared to semen cryopreserved with Tris-citric acid-glucose (TCG) and Tris-citric acid-fructose (TCF), two basic freezing extenders containing egg yolk. Similarly, acrosome and plasma membrane integrity were also evaluated and compared to semen cryopreserved with TCG and TCF. Analysis of sperm quality after freeze-thaw showed that the motility, acrosome and plasma membrane integrity were improved with LDL in the extender, as compared to the TCG and TCF. The highest post-thaw integrity of acrosome and plasma membrane and motility were obtained with 9% LDL (w/v). Consequently, the optimum LDL concentration in the extender was 9%. It is also suggested that the concentration of LDL addition is important for the effect on boar sperm protection during freezing and thawing. The percentage of motile spermatozoa was significantly higher after freezing in 9% LDL than in TCG and TCF 54.4% versus 30.4% and 30.1% (p<0.05), respectively. The integrity of acrosome and plasma membrane were also significantly higher at 70.3% and 50.5% respectively with semen frozen in 9% LDL extender compared to TCG at 37.8% and 30.3% and TCF at 36.4% and 29.9%, respectively (p<0.05),. In conclusion, we propose that extender containing LDL extracted from hen egg yolk could be used as a cryoprotective media with a better efficiency than TCG and TCF. LDL improved boar semen quality, allowing better spermatozoa motility, acrosome and plasma membrane integrity after the freeze-thaw process. Furthermore, we found out that the extender with 9% LDL concentration significantly enhanced motility, acrosome and plasma membrane integrity of boar sperm after freezing and thawing.

Effect of Kai Xin San on Learning and Memory in a Rat Model of Paradoxical Sleep Deprivation

Yuan Hu,Ming Liu,Ping Liu,Juan-Juan Yan,Ming-Yue Liu,Gang-Qiang Zhang,Xiao-Jiang Zhou,Bing-Ying Yu 한국식품영양과학회 2013 Journal of medicinal food Vol.16 No.4

The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of kai xin san (KXS, at doses of 500, 250, and 125 mg/kg body weight per day), a well-known traditional Chinese medicine, on learning and memory in paradoxical sleep deprivation (PSD)-induced cognition deficit rats. Two behavior tests (the Open Field test and the Morris water maze task) were used for testing the effects of KXS on a PSD-induced learning and memory deficit model. Furthermore, its effect on the glutamic acid (GLU) and γ-amino-butyric acid (GABA) levels in the brain tissue, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB), and phosphorylated-CREB (p-CREB) expression in the hippocampus was also tested. KXS exerted the greatest cognition against the 48 h PSD-induced cognitive deficit and these effects may be mediated by decreasing the GLU and GABA levels and increasing the levels of BDNF, CREB, and p-CREB. This study indicates that the effect of KXS on learning and memory in a rat model of PSD could be associated with the modulation of neurotransmitter levels and the expression of some genes in the brain that contribute to memory functions.

Protection Against Helicobacter pylori Infection by a Trivalent Fusion Vaccine Based on a Fragment of Urease B-UreB414

Li Wang,Xiao-Fei Liu,Shi Yun,Xiao-Peng Yuan,Xu-Hu Mao,Chao Wu,Wei-Jun Zhang,Kai-Yun Liu,Gang Guo,Dong-Shui Lu,Wen-De Tong,Ai-Dong Wen,Quan-Ming Zou 한국미생물학회 2010 The journal of microbiology Vol.48 No.2

A multivalent fusion vaccine is a promising option for protection against Helicobacter pylori infection. In this study, UreB414 was identified as an antigenic fragment of urease B subunit (UreB) and it induced an antibody inhibiting urease activity. Immunization with UreB414 partially protected mice from H. pylori infection. Furthermore, a trivalent fusion vaccine was constructed by genetically linking heat shock protein A (HspA), H. pylori adhesin A (HpaA), and UreB414, resulting in recombinant HspA-HpaA-UreB414 (rHHU). Its protective effect against H. pylori infection was tested in BALB/c mice. Oral administration of rHHU significantly protected mice from H. pylori infection, which was associated with H. pylori-specific antibody production and Th1/Th2-type immune responses. The results show that a trivalent fusion vaccine efficiently combats H. pylori infection, and that an antigenic fragment of the protein can be used instead of the whole protein to construct a multivalent vaccine.

Influence of Microstructure and Mechanical Properties on Formability in High Strain Rate Rolled AZ31 Magnesium Alloy Sheets

Fubao Liu,Xiao Liu,Biwu Zhu,Hui Yang,Gang Xiao,Mingyue Hu 대한금속·재료학회 2022 METALS AND MATERIALS International Vol.28 No.6

High strain-rate rolling (≥ 10 s−1) has been successfully employed to produce AZ31 magnesium alloy sheets to a high reductionof 82% with a fine grain structure in a single pass. The rolled sheets inevitably undertake various forming processessuch as press and deep forming in the fabrication stage. To investigate the formability, the Erichsen tests were carried out onhigh strain rate rolled AZ31 magnesium alloy sheets at room temperature. The relationship among mechanical properties,microstructure and formability were investigated. The crack behavior during Erichsen tests was also studied. It was foundthat the formability was related to the lowest in-plane tensile strengthen and dislocation density of initial microstructure. The competitive relationship between micro-crack and twinning/shear bands would also influence the formability of highstrain rate rolled magnesium alloy sheets. Deformed shear band with substaintial twins prohibits the crack extension andenhances strengthen of materials in front of crack tip.

Influence of substrate bias on microstructure and morphology of ZrN thin films deposited by arc ion plating

ZHANG, Min,HU, Xiao-gang,YANG, Xiao-xu,XU, Fei-fei,KIM, Kwang-Ho,SHAO, Zhi-gang Elsevier 2012 Transactions of Nonferrous Metals Society of China Vol.22 No.suppl1

Hypoxia-inducible Factor 1 Alpha (HIF-1α) as a Prognostic Indicator in Patients with Gastric Tumors: A Meta-analysis

Zhang, Zhi-Gang,Zhang, Qiu-Ning,Wang, Xiao-Hu,Tian, Jin-Hui Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.7

Background and Objective: Though researched for years, the prognostic role of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-$1{\alpha}$) in gastric cancer is still controversial. We thus undertook a systematic review to assess the relationship. Method: A systematically literature search of Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science, China Biological Medicine Disc and Cochrane Library was undertaken in February 2013, and the reference lists of articles were retrieved. Results: 12 trials (1,555 participants) were included to assess the association between HIF-$1{\alpha}$ expression and survival. Summary hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated. HIF-$1{\alpha}$ expression was significantly correlated with poor overall survival of gastric cancer patients (HR=1.34, 95%CI: 1.13-1.58; P=0.0009), but not with poor disease free survival of gastric cancer patients (HR=1.67, 95%CI: 0.99-2.82; P=0.06). Conclusion: HIF-$1{\alpha}$ was associated with poor OS, but not DFS, especially for Asian patients. But studies evaluating relationships of HIF-$1{\alpha}$ with OS and DFS in non-Asian gastric cancer patients appear needed.

Catalytic enantioselective synthesis of α-chiral azides

Ding, Pei-Gang,Hu, Xiao-Si,Zhou, Feng,Zhou, Jian The Royal Society of Chemistry 2018 ORGANIC CHEMISTRY FRONTIERS Vol.5 No.9

<P>α-Chiral azides represent a special subclass of chiral amines, which not only widely exist in bioactive compounds but also play a significant role as a building block in a variety of value-added chiral products. The catalytic asymmetric synthesis of α-chiral azides is of current interest and three synthetic strategies have been developed. This review summarizes the recent progress in this research area, discusses the advantages and limitations of each strategy, and outlines synthetic opportunities for future research.</P>