A review on the risk, prevention and control of cooling water intake blockage in coastal nuclear power plants

Heshan Lin,Shuyi Zhang,Ranran Cao,Shihao Yu,Wei Bai,Rongyong Zhang,Jia Yang,Li Dai,Jianxin Chen,Yu Zhang,Hongni Xu,Kun Liu,Xinke Zhang Korean Nuclear Society 2024 Nuclear Engineering and Technology Vol.56 No.2

In recent decades, numerous instances of blockages have been reported in coastal nuclear power plants globally, leading to serious safety accidents such as power reduction, manual or automatic power loss, or shutdown of nuclear power units. Loss or shortage of cooling water may compromise the reliability of the cooling water system, thus threatening the operational safety of power plants and resulting in revenue reduction. This study provides a comprehensive review of the current state of cooling water system safety in coastal nuclear power plants worldwide and the common challenges they face, as well as the relevant research on cooling water system safety issues. The research overview and progress in investigation methods, outbreak mechanisms, prevention and control measures, and practical cases of blockages were summarized. Despite existing research, there are still many shortcomings regarding the pertinence, comprehensiveness and prospects of related research, and many problems urgently need to be solved. The most fundamental concern involves understanding the list of potential risks of blockages and their spatially distributed effects in surrounding waters. Furthermore, knowledge of the biological cycles and ecological habits of key organisms is essential for implementing risk prevention and control and for building a scientific and effective monitoring system.

Expression of Pituitary Tumor Transforming Gene 1 is an Independent Factor of Poor Prognosis in Localized or Locally Advanced Prostate Cancer Cases Receiving Hormone Therapy

Cao, Xi-Liang,Gao, Jiang-Ping,Wang, Wei,Xu, Yong,Shi, Huai-Yin,Zhang, Xu Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.7

We investigated the prognostic value of pituitary tumor transforming gene 1 (PTTG1) expression according to clinicopathological features among localized or locally advanced prostate cancer cases receiving hormone therapy. A retrospective study involved 64 patients receiving combined androgen blockade treatment was performed. PTTG1 expression was determined by immunohistochemical staining using initial needle biopsy specimens for diagnosis. Associations of PTTG1 with various clinicopathological features and disease-free survival were examined via uni- and multivariate analyses. No association between PTTG1 expression and clinical T stage, Gleason score, pretreatment PSA levels, risk groups was found (p =0.682, 0.184, 0.487, 0.571, respectively). Univariate analysis revealed that increased PTTG1 expression, T3 stage and high risk group were associated with increased risk of disease progression (p =0.000, 0.042, and 0.001), and high PSA level had a tendency to predict disease progression (p =0.056). Cox hazard ratio analysis showed that PTTG1 low expression (p =0.002), PTTG1 high expression (p =0.000) and high risk group (p =0.0147) were significantly related to decreased disease-free survival. In conclusion, PTTG1 expression determined by immunohistochemical staining in needle biopsy specimens for diagnosis is a negative prognostic factor for progression in localized or locally advanced prostate cancer receiving hormone therapy.

Refolding Behavior of Urea-Induced Denaturation Collagen

Xu Wei,Yanqiu Zhao,Jingjing Zheng,Qin Cao,Sheng Li,Lang He,Benmei Wei,Juntao Zhang,Chengzhi Xu,Haibo Wang 한국고분자학회 2021 Macromolecular Research Vol.29 No.6

Exploration of the denaturation and refolding of natural collagen is important for the application of collagen and its denatured products. In this study, using urea as a denaturant, we prepared a denatured natural collagen product and analyzed its structural changes. The denaturation treatment severely destroyed the triple helix conformation of collagen, but had no significant effect on the primary structure of its α chains or the covalent cross-linking between α chains. Next, we observed the refolding behavior of the denatured collagen by removing urea through dialysis. We found that the denatured collagen products from different sources (grass carp skin, bovine tendon) all showed a reconstruction of the triple helix conformation up to 60-75% of the value of natural collagen during the refolding process. The telopeptide did not significantly promote triple helix reconstruction. In conclusion, the reconstruction of the α chains did not perfectly occur in a “head-to-head, tail-to-tail” manner in refolded collagen, as each α chain was participating in the reconstruction of multiple triple helix domains. The refolded collagen still had weak self-assembly ability and formed a unique network-like structure containing small interlaced and closely combined fibers, which shows favorable cell compatibility and potential applications.

The Expression Patterns of Cdc25A, Cdc25B, Sox2 and Mnb in Central Nervous System in Early Chicken Embryos

Zhang, Hui,Qin, Junhui,Cao, Jingjing,Hei, Nainan,Xu, Chunsheng,Yang, Ping,Liu, Haili,Chu, Xiaohong,Bao, Huijun,Chen, Qiusheng Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2009 Animal Bioscience Vol.22 No.6

The sense and antisense digoxigenin-labeled RNA probes of four genes, Cdc25A, Cdc25B, Sox2 and Mnb, were produced by using SP6 and T7 RNA polymerases, respectively, and in vitro transcription. Expression patterns of the four genes were detected by in situ hybridization in HH (Hamburger and Hamilton) stage 10 chick embryos. In general, expression patterns of the four genes were similar. mRNA of the four genes was mostly restricted to the entire CNS (central nervous system). All were confined to an identical region, neural tube, neural groove and caudal neural plate, corresponding to the notochord or spinal cord, but there was some distinction in specific region or in concentration, for example in somites. The overlap in expression at the same developmental stage in the CNS suggests that the four genes may be functional similar or related in CNS development. Expression patterns of the four genes support specific roles of these regulators in the developing CNS.

Expression profiles of circular RNAs in sheep skeletal muscle

Cao, Yang,You, Shuang,Yao, Yang,Liu, Zhi-Jin,Hazi, Wureli,Li, Cun-Yuan,Zhang, Xiang-Yu,Hou, Xiao-Xu,Wei, Jun-Chang,Li, Xiao-Yue,Wang, Da-Wei,Chen, Chuang-Fu,Zhang, Yun-Feng,Ni, Wei,Hu, Sheng-Wei Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2018 Animal Bioscience Vol.31 No.10

Objective: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a newfound class of non-coding RNA in animals and plants. Recent studies have revealed that circRNAs play important roles in cell proliferation, differentiation, autophagy and apoptosis during development. However, there are few reports about muscle development-related circRNAs in livestock. Methods: RNA sequencing analysis was employed to identify and annotate circRNAs from longissimus dorsi of sheep. Reverse transcription followed by real-time quantitative (q) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis verified the presence of these circRNAs. Targetscan7.0 and miRanda were used to analyse the interaction of circRNA-microRNA (miRNA). To investigate the function of circRNAs, an experiment was conducted to perform enrichment analysis hosting genes of circRNAs using gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathways. Results: About 75.5 million sequences were obtained from RNA libraries of sheep skeletal muscle. These sequences were mapped to 729 genes in the sheep reference genome. We identified 886 circRNAs, including numerous circular intronic RNAs and exonic circRNAs. Reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) and DNA sequencing analysis confirmed the presence of several circRNAs. Real-Time RT-PCR analysis exhibited resistance of sheep circRNAs to RNase R digestion. We found that many circRNAs interacted with muscle-specific miRNAs involved in growth and development of muscle, especially circ776. The GO and KEGG enrichment analysis showed that hosting genes of circRNAs was involved in muscle cell development and signaling pathway. Conclusion: The study provides comprehensive expression profiles of circRNAs in sheep skeletal muscle. Our study offers a large number of circRNAs to facilitate a better understanding of their roles in muscle growth. Meanwhile, we suggested that circ776 could be analyzed in future study.

Dark Structures in Sunspot Light Bridges

Zhang, Jingwen,Tian, Hui,Solanki, Sami K.,Wang, Haimin,Peter, Hardi,Ahn, Kwangsu,Xu, Yan,Zhu, Yingjie,Cao, Wenda,He, Jiansen,Wang, Linghua American Astronomical Society 2018 The Astrophysical journal Vol.865 No.1

Modeling, Preparation, and Elemental Doping of Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂ Garnet-Type Solid Electrolytes: A Review

Cao, Shiyu,Song, Shangbin,Xiang, Xing,Hu, Qing,Zhang, Chi,Xia, Ziwen,Xu, Yinghui,Zha, Wenping,Li, Junyang,Gonzale, Paulina Mercedes,Han, Young-Hwan,Chen, Fei The Korean Ceramic Society 2019 한국세라믹학회지 Vol.56 No.2

Recently, all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) have attracted increasing interest owing to their higher energy density and safety. As the core material of ASSBs, the characteristics of the solid electrolyte largely determine the performance of the battery. Thus far, a variety of inorganic solid electrolytes have been studied, including the NASICON-type, LISICON-type, perovskite-type, garnet-type, glassy solid electrolyte, and so on. The garnet Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂ (LLZO) solid electrolyte is one of the most promising candidates because of its excellent comprehensively electrochemical performance. Both, experiments and theoretical calculations, show that cubic LLZO has high room-temperature ionic conductivity and good chemical stability while contacting with the lithium anode and most of the cathode materials. In this paper, the crystal structure, Li-ion transport mechanism, preparation method, and element doping of LLZO are introduced in detail based on the research progress in recent years. Then, the development prospects and challenges of LLZO as applied to ASSBs are discussed.

LETM1 Promotes Gastric Cancer Cell Proliferation, Migration, and Invasion via the PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway

Zhang, Yunfeng,Chen, Lele,Cao, Yifan,Chen, Si,Xu, Chao,Xing, Jun,Zhang, Kaiguang The Korean Gastric Cancer Association 2020 Journal of gastric cancer Vol.20 No.2

Purpose: Globally, there is a high incidence of gastric cancer (GC). Leucine zipper-EF-hand containing transmembrane protein 1 (LETM1) is reported to play a vital role in several human malignancies. However, there is limited understanding of the role of LETM1 in GC. This study aims to investigate the effects of LETM1 on proliferation, migration, and invasion of GC cells. Materials and Methods: The expression levels of LETM1 in the normal gastric mucosal epithelial cells (GES-1) and GC cells were analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. CCK-8, wound healing, and Transwell invasion assays were performed to evaluate the effect of LETM1 knockdown or overexpression on the proliferation, migration, and invasion of the GC cells, respectively. Additionally, the effect of LETM1 knockdown or overexpression on GC cell apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry. Furthermore, the effect of LETM1 knockdown or overexpression on the expression levels of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway-related proteins was evaluated by western blotting. Results: The GC cells exhibited markedly higher mRNA and protein expression levels of LETM1 than the GES-1 cells. Additionally, the knockdown of LETM1 remarkably suppressed the GC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, and promoted the apoptosis of GC cells, which were reversed upon LETM1 overexpression. Furthermore, the western blotting analysis indicated that LETM1 facilitates GC progression via the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Conclusions: LETM1 acts as an oncogenic gene to promote GC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion via the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Therefore, LETM1 may be a potential target for GC diagnosis and treatment.

Characterization and quantification of electron donating capacity and its structure dependence in biochar derived from three waste biomasses

Zhang, Yue,Xu, Xiaoyun,Cao, Lingzhi,Ok, Yong Sik,Cao, Xinde Elsevier 2018 CHEMOSPHERE - Vol.211 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>Biochar has shown a unique electrochemical property being involved in various redox reactions in soil and water. In this study, the electron donating capacities (EDCs) of biochar pyrolyzed at 200–800 °C from pine wood, barley grass and wheat straw were investigated by using the mediated electrochemical oxidation method. The EDC values for all biochar were in the range of 0.18–1.83 mmol e<SUP>−</SUP> (g biochar)<SUP>−1</SUP>, showing the increase as the temperature increased from 200 °C to 400 °C, the decrease from 400 °C to 650 °C, and then increase from 650 °C until to 800 °C. At low and intermediate temperatures of 200–650 °C, the EDCs were mainly attributed to the phenolic hydroxyl groups, while the conjugated π-electron system associated with aromatic structure dominated the EDCs of biochar at the high temperatures of over 650 °C. The barley grass- and wheat straw-derived biochar had higher EDCs than the pine wood-derived biochar, resulting from the higher phenolic hydroxyl groups in the former samples than the latter one. In conclusion, the reductive property of biochar was mainly attributed to both phenolic hydroxy group and conjugated π-electron system associated with aromatic structure, depending on the pyrolytic temperature and feedstock source. The results will help us to obtain a complete view on the role of biochar in biogeochemical redox reactions and consider developing biochar with controlled redox properties for specific environmental applications such as electron shuttle and catalyst material.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> Quantification of the relationship between EDCs and phenolic groups and conjugate π-electron system were reported. </LI> <LI> At low and intermediate temperatures, the EDCs were mainly attributed to the phenolic groups. </LI> <LI> At high temperatures, the conjugated π-electron system associated with aromatic structure dominated the EDCs of biochar. </LI> <LI> Developing biochar with controlled redox properties was proposed for specific environmental applications. </LI> </UL> </P>

Design and performance research of a mixed-flow submersible deep well pump

Zhang, Qihua,Xu, Yuanhui,Cao, Li,Shi, Weidong,Lu, Weigang Korean Society for Fluid machinery 2016 International journal of fluid machinery and syste Vol.9 No.3

To meet the demand of higher handling capacity, a mixed-flow submersible deep well pump was designed and tested. The main hydraulic components are made of plastics, which is free of erosion, light-weight, and environment-friendly. To simplify plastic molding process, and to improve productivity, an axial-radial guide vane was proposed. To clarify its effect on the performance, a radial guide vane and a space guide vane are developed as well. By comparison, the efficiency of the pump equipped with the axial-radial guide vane is higher than the radial guide vane and is lower than the space guide vane, and its high efficiency range is wide. The static pressure recovery of the axial guide vane is a bit lower than the space guide vane, but it is much larger than the radial guide vane. Taking the cost and molding complexity into consideration, the axial-radial guide vane is much economic, promoting its popularity for the moderate and high specific speed submersible deep well pumps.