Effect of humidity on mechanical properties of dissolving microneedles for transdermal drug delivery

Qi Lei Wang,Jia Wei Ren,Bo Zhi Chen,Xuan Jin,Can Yang Zhang,Xin Dong Guo 한국공업화학회 2018 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.59 No.-

Dissolving microneedles (DMNs) prepared from soluble polymers has been being widely investigated as a safe and effective transdermal delivery system for drug and vaccine. Limited by the materials, the air humidity would probably affect the mechanical property of DMNs, which is essential for the effective needle insertions and drug delivery. In this study, four kinds DMNs prepared by polyvinyl alcohol, sodium hyaluronate (HA), chitosan and gelatin are studied on the mechanical strength and insertion ability under varying humidity conditions. Based on these investigations, we hope to provide the effective time of DMNs to ensure a successful insertion and drug delivery.

B, N-codoped 3D micro-/mesoporous carbon nanofibers web as efficient metal-free catalysts for oxygen reduction

Qi Shi,Yongpeng Lei,Yingde Wang,Huaping Wang,Lehua Jiang,Hongliang Yuan,Dong Fang,Bing Wang,Nan Wu,Yanzi Gou 한국물리학회 2015 Current Applied Physics Vol.15 No.12

B, N-codoped carbon nanofibers were massively prepared by heat treatment of electrospun carbon nanofibers with the mixture of boric acid/urea in N2 (BNCf-N) and subsequently activated in NH3 (BNCf- NA). The directly electrospun self-standing 3D non woven structure with void spaces between each fiber facilitates the mass transport of reactant and resulted molecules. Further NH3 activation gives BNCf-NA a high surface area of 306.3 m2 g-1 with micro/mesoporous structure, providing abundant passageway for proton transfer. Simultaneously, NH3 activation also realizes the optimization of surface functionalities, such as more BeNeC and pyridinic-N. These intriguing features render BNCf-NA excellent catalytic behavior with nearly four-electron oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) process in alkaline media, especially much better stability and methanol tolerance than the commercial Pt/C catalyst. Our work provides a large-scale preparation method for efficient metal-free catalysts toward ORR, thus further intensifying the commercial application of fuel cells.

Research on Large‑scale Photovoltaic Planning Based on Risk Assessment in Distribution Network

Lei Wang,Minyu Yuan,Fan Zhang,Xuli Wang,Jing Ma,Lei Dai,Xianjun Qi,Rui Bi 대한전기학회 2020 Journal of Electrical Engineering & Technology Vol.15 No.3

Risks caused by large amounts of distributed photovoltaic (PV) feeding into distribution networks, have an impact on PV planning, which has become a critical consideration for distribution networks’ operation. In this paper, a large-scale PV planning method is proposed which based on risk assessment in distribution networks. Cluster division is used to group large-scale distributed PVs. A risk assessment is performed on the distribution network, considering the correlation between PVs and loads. The efects of load fuctuations, PV quantity, capacity and location on the operational risk of the distribution network are analyzed and discussed. A large-scale PV planning model is established with the goal of maximizing the comprehensive benefts, considering the penalty cost of node voltage over-limit and branch power fow over-limit risk. Finally, the genetic algorithm is used to solve the planning model. The simulation results demonstrate the efectiveness of the proposed method.

Source Current Control Strategy of Active Power Filters for Unbalanced Load Compensation in Three-Phase Four-Wire Distribution Networks

Wang, Lei,Han, Xiaoqing,Meng, Runquan,Ren, Chunguang,Wang, Qi,Zhang, Baifu The Korean Institute of Power Electronics 2018 JOURNAL OF POWER ELECTRONICS Vol.18 No.5

This paper proposes a modified control strategy to improve the performance of three-phase four-leg shunt active power filters (APFs) for the compensation of three phase unbalanced loads. Unbalanced current cannot be obtained accurately by a harmonic detector due to the lower frequency. The proposed control strategy eliminates conventional harmonic detectors by directly regulating the source current. Therefore, the computational complexity is greatly reduced and the performance of the APF is improved. A mathematic model has been developed based on the source currents. The corresponding controllers have been designed based on the sinusoidal internal model principle. The proposed control strategy can guarantee excellent compensation performance and stable operation after an extreme disturbance such as a short circuit fault. In addition, the proposed technique can selectively compensate specific harmonics. A 50kVA prototype APF is implemented in the laboratory to validate the feasibility and performance of the proposed control strategy.

Enhanced robustness with damping interval widening strategy of LCL-type converter under weak grid condition

Wang, Qi,Qin, Wenping,Wang, Lei,Han, Xiaoqing,Wang, Peng The Korean Institute of Power Electronics 2020 JOURNAL OF POWER ELECTRONICS Vol.20 No.2

Active damping methods are widely adopted to present a damping effect on the resonance phenomenon without the power loss of LCL-type converters connected to a grid. However, extra sensors are used to implement the damping strategy. In this paper, a sensorless damping strategy where only the grid current is sampled has been proposed. Furthermore, the inner relationship between the tradition capacitor current feedback strategy and the proposed strategy has been clarified. Considering the digital delay and a weak grid, a robust method that uses unit delay feedback to mitigate the phase lag and to widen the effective damping interval has been developed. With this simple measure, stability is enhanced during the Nyquist frequency and robustness is improved when the LCL parameters vary and grid impedance exists. Finally, simulation and experimental results are presented to verify the feasibility and engineering significance of the proposed strategy.

Source Current Control Strategy of Active Power Filters for Unbalanced Load Compensation in Three-Phase Four-Wire Distribution Networks

Lei Wang,Xiaoqing Han,Runquan Meng,Chunguang Ren,Qi Wang,Baifu Zhang 전력전자학회 2018 JOURNAL OF POWER ELECTRONICS Vol.18 No.5

This paper proposes a modified control strategy to improve the performance of three-phase four-leg shunt active power filters (APFs) for the compensation of three phase unbalanced loads. Unbalanced current cannot be obtained accurately by a harmonic detector due to the lower frequency. The proposed control strategy eliminates conventional harmonic detectors by directly regulating the source current. Therefore, the computational complexity is greatly reduced and the performance of the APF is improved. A mathematic model has been developed based on the source currents. The corresponding controllers have been designed based on the sinusoidal internal model principle. The proposed control strategy can guarantee excellent compensation performance and stable operation after an extreme disturbance such as a short circuit fault. In addition, the proposed technique can selectively compensate specific harmonics. A 50kVA prototype APF is implemented in the laboratory to validate the feasibility and performance of the proposed control strategy.

Development of a New Duplex Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay for Detection of Dicer in G. gallus

( Xiao Lin Ji ),( Qi Wang ),( Yu Long Gao ),( Yong Qiang Wang ),( Li Ting Qin ),( Xiao Le Qi ),( Hong Lei Gao ),( Xiao Mei Wang ) 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2013 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.23 No.5

Recently, there has been a growing body of evidence showing that cellular microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in virus-host interactions. Numerous studies have focused on analyses of the expression profiles of cellular miRNAs, but the expression patterns of Dicer, which is responsible for the generation of miRNAs, have only rarely been explored in Gallus gallus. We developed a duplex realtime reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RTPCR) assay for the relative quantification of the mRNAs of Dicer and β-actin in G. gallus. To apply this method, the expression of Dicer in avian cells after infection with avian leukosis virus subgroup J (ALV-J) was detected using our established duplex real-time RT-PCR. The duplex realtime RT-PCR assay is sufficiently sensitive, specific, accurate, reproducible, and cost-effective for the detection of Dicer in G. gallus. Furthermore, this study, for the first time, demonstrated that ALV-J can induce differential expression of Dicer mRNA in the ALV-J-infected cells.

Association of the XRCC1 c.1178G>A Genetic Polymorphism with Lung Cancer Risk in Chinese

Wang, Lei,Lin, Yong,Qi, Cong-Cong,Sheng, Bao-Wei,Fu, Tian Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.9

The X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 protein (XRCC1) plays important roles in the DNA base excision repair pathway which may influence the development of lung cancer. This study aimed to evaluate the potential association of the XRCC1 c.1178G>A genetic polymorphism with lung cancer risk. The created restriction site-polymerase chain reaction (CRS-PCR) and DNA sequencing methods were utilized to evaluate the XRCC1 c.1178G>A genetic polymorphism among 376 lung cancer patients and 379 controls. Associations between the genetic polymorphism and lung cancer risk were determined with an unconditional logistic regression model. Our data suggested that the distribution of allele and genotype in lung cancer patients was significantly different from that of controls. The XRCC1 c.1178G>A genetic polymorphism was associated with an increased risk of lung cancer (AA vs GG: OR=2.91, 95%CI 1.70-4.98, p<0.001; A vs G: OR=1.52, 95%CI 1.22-1.90, p<0.001). The allele A and genotype AA may contribute to risk of lung cancer. These preliminary results suggested that the XRCC1 c.1178G>A genetic polymorphism is statistically associated with lung cancer risk in the Chinese population.

Concurrent Hypermethylation of SFRP2 and DKK2 Activates the Wnt/β-Catenin Pathway and Is Associated with Poor Prognosis in Patients with Gastric Cancer

Wang, Hao,Duan, Xiang-Long,Qi, Xiao-Li,Meng, Lei,Xu, Yi-Song,Wu, Tong,Dai, Peng-Gao Korean Society for Molecular and Cellular Biology 2017 Molecules and cells Vol.40 No.1

Aberrant hypermethylation of Wnt antagonists has been observed in gastric cancer. A number of studies have focused on the hypermethylation of a single Wnt antagonist and its role in regulating the activation of signaling. However, how the Wnt antagonists interacted to regulate the signaling pathway has not been reported. In the present study, we systematically investigated the methylation of some Wnt antagonist genes (SFRP2, SFRP4, SFRP5, DKK1, DKK2, and APC) and their regulatory role in carcinogenesis. We found that aberrant promoter methylation of SFRP2, SFRP4, DKK1, and DKK2 was significantly increased in gastric cancer. Moreover, concurrent hypermethylation of SFRP2 and DKK2 was observed in gastric cancer and this was significantly associated with increased expression of ${\beta}-catenin$, indicating that the joint inactivation of these two genes promoted the activation of the Wnt signaling pathway. Further analysis using a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model showed that DKK2 methylation was an independent prognostic factor for poor overall survival, and the predictive value was markedly enhanced when the combined methylation status of SFRP2 and DKK2 was considered. In addition, the methylation level of SFRP4 and DKK2 was correlated with the patient's age and tumor differentiation, respectively. In conclusion, epigenetic silencing of Wnt antagonists was associated with gastric carcinogenesis, and concurrent hypermethylation of SFRP2 and DKK2 could be a potential marker for a prognosis of poor overall survival.

Transcriptome analysis of Δmig1Δmig2 mutant reveals their roles in methanol catabolism, peroxisome biogenesis and autophagy in methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris

Lei Shi,Xiaolong Wang,Jinjia Wang,Ping Zhang,Fei Qi,Menghao Cai,Yuanxing Zhang,Xiangshan Zhou 한국유전학회 2018 Genes & Genomics Vol.40 No.4

Two catabolite repressor genes (MIG1 and MIG2) were previously identified in Pichia pastoris, and the derepression of alcohol oxidase (AOX) expression was realized in Δmig1 or Δmig1Δmig2 mutants grown in glycerol, but not in glucose. In this study, genome-wide RNA-seq analysis of Δmig1Δmig2 and the wild-type strain grown in glycerol revealed that the expression of numerous genes was greatly altered. Nearly 7% (357 genes) of approximately 5276 genes annotated in P. pastoris were significantly upregulated, with at least a two-fold differential expression in Δmig1Δmig2; the genes were mainly related to cell metabolism. Approximately 23% (1197 genes) were significantly downregulated; these were mainly correlated with the physiological characteristics of the cell. The methanol catabolism and peroxisome biogenesis pathways were remarkably enhanced, and the genes AOX1 and AOX2 were upregulated higher than 30-fold, which was consistent with the experimental results of AOX expression. The Mig proteins had a slight effect on autophagy when cells were grown in glycerol. The expression analysis of transcription factors showed that deletion of MIG1 and MIG2 significantly upregulated the binding of an essential transcription activator, Mit1p, with the AOX1 promoter, which suggested that Mig proteins might regulate the AOX1 promoter through the regulation of Mit1p. This work provides a reference for the further exploration of the methanol induction and catabolite repression mechanisms of AOX expression in methylotrophic yeasts.