Continuous on-line adaptation of the rotor time constant in FOC induction machine system

Rotor time constant is an important parameter for the indirect lleld oraentateO control of mauc- tion motor. Incorrect rotor tittle constant value will cause the flux observer generating a wrong angu- lar orientation of the rotor field. A new approach serves for rotor time constant on-line adaptation by setting the stator current to be zero for a short period. A smooth eorrector is designed to prevent ab- normal detection result from making adaptation. Impact of zero current duration on detection error and rotor speed is analyzed by experiments.     

Optimization for entransy dissipation minimization in heat exchanger

A common of two-fluid flow heat exchanger, in which the heat transfer between high- and low-temperature sides obeys Newton＇s law [q∝△（T）], is studied in this paper. By taking entransy dissipation minimization as optimization objective, the optimum parameter distributions in the heat exchanger are derived by using optimal control theory under the condition of fixed heat load. The condition corresponding to the minimum entransy dissipation is that corresponding to a constant heat flux density. Three kinds of heat exchangers, including parallel flow, condensing flow and counter-flow, are considered, and the results show that only the counter-flow heat exchanger can realize the entransy dissipation minimization in the heat transfer process. The obtained results for entransy dissipation minimization are also compared with those obtained for entropy generation minimization by numerical examples.     

Suppression to the cross-channel interference based on the short time Fourier transform

A new cross-channel interference suppression method is proposed to decrease the cross-channel interference in beat signals based on the short time Fourier transform （STY3＂） and the inverse short time Fourier transform （ISTFT） when the dual-orthogonal polarimetric frequency-modulated continu- ous wave （FMCW） radar adopts the opposite-slope linear frequency modulation signal pair in the simultaneous measurement mode. The STFT is applied only on the signals in the cross-interference intervals in the four polarimetric channels to decrease the computation complexity. A mask matrix for suppressing the interference is constructed using the constant false alarm ratio （CFAR） detection on the spectrograms by the STFY. The simulative results show that the cross-channel interference is effi- ciently suppressed by the proposed method. The comparison between the proposed method and the rejection method verifies the improved performance of the proposed method.     

香蕉弄蝶幼虫的为害量模型研究

本文建立了香蕉弄蝶的叶苞长度、卷叶面积、取食蕉叶面积与幼虫龄期间的关系多个模型。各模型基本上符合指数方程和二次线性方程     

Effects of different types of palatal lateral excisions on growth and development of maxilla and dental arch

Objective： This study aimed to explore the effects of different types of palatal lateral excisions on the growth and development of the maxilla and dental arch, and to investigate the underlying mechanisms. Methods： A total of 112 3-week-old Sprague-Dawley （SD） male rats were randomly divided into a control and 3 experimental groups： the mucoperiosteal denudation group, the mucosal flap excision group, and the periosteum excision group. In the experimental groups, bilateral mucoperiosteal, mucosal flap and periosteum were excised respectively in the lateral one half of the palate. Four rats in each group were randomly chosen for sacrifice every two weeks. The maxilla was dissected following the excision. The widths of the maxilla and dental arch were measured and the histological phenomena were investigated at different phases. At the same time, 12 animals in each group were sequentially injected with calcein every two weeks. Three animals in each group, whose fluorescent labeling was used, were sacrificed for investigating bone formation at Week 8 following injection. Results： （1） Each experimental group presented the constriction of the maxilla and dental arch. The upper first molars in the experimental groups inclined medially. The mucoperiosteal denudation group showed the largest degree of effect followed by the periosteum excision group. The indices of the mucosal flap excision group, which retained the structures of the periosteum layer, had the most approximate values to the control group; （2） Different histological changes among the experimental groups were detected. The fibers penetrated into the palatal bone as Sharpey＇s fibers in the mucoperiosteal denudation group. The pattern of bone deposition was the bundle type. Sharpey＇s fibers were not found in the mucosal flap and periosteum excision groups and the depositions of palatal bone were the lamellar type as those in the control group; （3） The rates of bone deposition in the experimental groups decreased compared with the     

Optimization of acidic extraction of astaxanthin from Phaffia rhodozyma

Optimization of a process for extracting astaxanthin from Phaffia rhodozyma by acidic method was investigated, regarding several extraction factors such as acids, organic solvents, temperature and time. Fractional factorial design, central composite design and response surface methodology were used to derive a statistically optimal model, which corresponded to the following optimal condition： concentration of lactic acid at 5.55 mol/L, ratio of ethanol to yeast dry weight at 20.25 ml/g, temperature for cell-disruption at 30 ℃, and extraction time for 3 min. Under this condition, astaxanthin and the total carotenoids could be extracted in amounts of 1294.7 μg/g and 1516.0 μg/g, respectively. This acidic method has advantages such as high extraction efficiency, low chemical toxicity and no special requirement of instruments. Therefore, it might be a more feasible and practical method for industrial practice.     

Dehydration melting of UHP eclogite and paragneiss in the Dabie orogen: Evidence from laboratory experiment to natural observation

Dehydration melting of subducted continental crust is significant during exhumation, and its study from both experimental and petrological observations is of great importance to our understanding of continental geodynamics. Dehydration melting experi- ments were carried out on ultrahigh-pressure （UHP） eclogite from Bixiling in the Dabie orogen using a piston cylinder at 1.5-3.0 GPa and 800-950℃ to investigate partial melting of eclogite induced by phengite breakdown. The phengite-bearing eclogite started to melt at T≤800-850℃ and P=1.5-2.0 GPa and produced about 3% granitic melt. The products of dehydration melting vary with temperature and pressure. Such results provide valuable constraints on the micro-texture related to partial melting of UHP rocks in the Dabie-Sulu orogenic belt. Three types of polyphase inclusions were identified in garnet from the Shuanghe UHP eclogite. K-feldspar and quartz inclusions are interpreted to represent the products of segregation and crystallization of minor amounts of melt that formed during dehydration melting of phengite by the inferred reaction Phengite＋Omphacite＋Quartz Amphibole_＋Garnet＋Melt （K-feldspar＋Quartz＋Plagioclase）. Polyphase inclusions of phengite and K-feldspar＋Quartz inclusions were also found in zoisite/clinozoisite and garnet from the Shuanghe garnet-bearing paragneiss. These polyphase inclusions pro- vide evidence for a continuous process from sub-solidus dehydration to partial melting within the UHP gneissic rocks. The com- positional variation of garnets demonstrates that breakdown of epidote-group minerals may have played a crucial role during de- hydration melting reaction of phengite. The Ti-in-zircon thermometry and Si content of phengite in zircon suggest that partial melting would occur at 783-839℃ and 2.0-2.5 GPa. Therefore, both experimental results and petrological observations indicate that dehydration melting and fluid activity within the Dabie UHP rocks at micro-scale are controlled by the breakdown of phengite.     

Hypothetical mode of action of earthworm extract with hepatoprotective and antioxidant properties

The hepatoprotective potential of earthworm extract （EE） （Lampito mauritii, Kinberg） was evaluated against paracetamol-induced liver injury in Wistar albino rat, in comparison with silymarin, the standard hepatoprotective drug. We observed a reduction in liver antioxidants, such as glutathione （GSH）, superoxide dismutase （SOD）, glutathione peroxidase （GPx）, and catalase （CAT） and in serum total protein, and an increase in serum alkaline phosphatase （ALP）, serum aspertate ami- notranferase （AST）, serum alanine aminotranferase （ALT）, bilirubin and liver thiobarbituric acid reactive substances （TBARS） due to liver injury in the paracetamol-administered rats （2 g/kg）. On the contrary, increased activities of liver GSH, SOD, GPx, CAT and serum total protein level, and decrease in the contents of serum ALP, AST, ALT, bilirubin and liver TBARS were observed in rats administered with different doses of EE （100, 200 and 300 mg/kg）, which are similar to the activities of hepato- protective drug silymarin （150 mg/kg）. The mode of action of EE as evidenced by the above parameters may suggest that EE, on the one hand, prevents the formation of the reactive oxygen groups, or scavenges these groups, thereby preventing the damage on the hepatic cells, and, on the other hand, modulates the genes responsible for synthesis of antioxidant enzymes such as GPx, CAT and SOD in liver tissue and decreases the serum enzymatic activities such as ALP, AST and ALT.     

Mechanisms of inherited cancer susceptibility

A small proportion of many cancers are due to inherited mutations in genes, which result in a high risk to the individual of developing specific cancers. There are several classes of genes that may be involved： tumour suppressor genes, oncogenes, genes encoding proteins involved in DNA repair and cell cycle control, and genes involved in stimulating the angiogenic pathway. Alterations in susceptibility to cancer may also be due to variations in genes involved in carcinogen metabolism. This review discusses examples of some of these genes and the associated clinical conditions caused by the inheritance of mutations in such genes.     

Treatment of zinc deficiency without zinc fortification

Zinc （Zn） deficiency in animals became of interest until the 1950s. In this paper, progresses in researches on physiology of Zn deficiency in animals, phytate effect on bioavailability of Zn, and role of phytase in healing Zn deficiency of animals were reviewed. Several studies demonstrated that Zn is recycled via the pancreas; the problem of Zn deficiency was controlled by Zn homeostasis. The endogenous secretion of Zn is considered as an important factor influencing Zn deficiency, and the critical molar ratio is 10. Phytate （inositol hexaphosphate） constituted up to 90% of the organically bound phosphorus in seeds. Great improvement has been made in recent years on isolating and measuring phytate, and its structure is clear. Phytate is considered to reduce Zn bioavailability in animal. Phytase is the enzyme that hydrolyzes phytate and is present in yeast, rye bran, wheat bran, barley, triticale, and many bacteria and fungi. Zinc nutrition and bioavailability can be enhanced by addition of phytase to animal feeds. Therefore, using phytase as supplements, the most prevalent Zn deficiency in animals may be effectively corrected without the mining and smelting of several tons of zinc daily needed to correct this deficiency by fortification worldwide.     

A preliminary study on the teratogenesis of dexamethasone and the preventive effect of vitamin B12 on murine embryonic palatal shelf fusion in vitro

Excessive dexamethasone （Dex） administrated into pregnant mice during critical periods of palatal development can produce a high incidence of cleft palate. Its mechanisms remain unknown. Vitamin B12 has been shown to antagonize the teratogenic effects of Dex, which, however, remains controversial. In this study, we investigated the effects of Dex and vitamin B12 on murine embryonic palatal shelf fusion using organ culture of murine embryonic shelves. The explanted palatal shelves on embryonic day 14 （E14） were cultured for 24, 48, 72 or 96 h in different concentrations of Dex and/or vitamin B 12. The palatal shelves were examined histologically for the morphological alterations on the medial edge epithelium （MEE） and fusion rates among different groups. It was found that the palatal shelves were not fused at 72 h or less of culture in Dex group, while they were completely fused in the control and vitamin B 12-treated groups at 72 and 96 h, respectively. The MEE still existed and proliferated. In Dex＋vitamin B12 group the palatal shelves were fused at each time point in a similar rate to controls. These results may suggest that Dex causes teratogenesis of murine embryonic palatal shelves and vitamin B12 prevents the teratogenic effect of Dex on palatogenesis on murine embryos in vitro.     

Research and implementation ranging method based of continuous wave radar on tri-frequency

In the traditional dual-frequency radar ranging system, there is a contradiction between ranging precision and ranging distance. So a tri-frequency ranging method is proposed. The principle of the tri-frequency ranging is that the distance can be achieved by transmitting the three frequencies and then measuring the three phase difference and calculating the number of wavelength. What＇ s more, range ambiguity will not occur within a certain distance. The experimental results show that, if the waveband is 0.47 -0.57m, the measurement of unambiguous distance of 25 -500m can be realized. If the wavelength tolerance error is less than ± 10^-7 and the phase error is less than ± 10 ^-3, the precision of the distance ranging can reach 10^-6.     

Problems of drinking water treatment along Ismailia Canal Province, Egypt

The present drinking water purification system in Egypt uses surface water as a raw water supply without a preliminary filtration process. On the other hand, chlorine gas is added as a disinfectant agent in two steps, pre- and post-chlorination. Due to these reasons most of water treatment plants suffer low filtering effectiveness and produce the trihalomethane （THM） species as a chlorination by-product. The Ismailia Canal represents the most distal downstream of the main Nile River. Thus its water contains all the proceeded pollutants discharged into the Nile. In addition, the downstream reaches of the canal act as an agricultural drain during the closing period of the High Dam gates in January and February every year. Moreover, the wide in- dustrial zone along the upstream course of the canal enriches the canal water with high concentrations of heavy metals. The obtained results indicate that the canal gains up to 24.06 × 10^6 m^3 of water from the surrounding shallow aquifer during the closing period of the High Dam gates, while during the rest of the year, the canal acts as an influent stream losing about 99.6× 10^6 m^3 of its water budget. The reduction of total organic carbon （TOC） and suspended particulate matters （SPMs） should be one of the central goals of any treatment plan to avoid the disinfectants by-products. The combination of sedimentation basins, gravel pre-filtration and slow sand filtration, and underground passage with microbiological oxidation-reduction and adsorption criteria showed good removal of parasites and bacteria and complete elimination of TOC, SPM and heavy metals. Moreover, it reduces the use of disinfectants chemicals and lowers the treatment costs. However, this purification system under the arid climate prevailing in Egypt should be tested and modified prior to application.     

Keratinase production and keratin degradation by a mutant strain of Bacillus subtilis

A new feather-degrading bacterium was isolated from a local feather waste site and identified as Bacillus subtilis based on morphological, physiochemical, and phylogenetic characteristics. Screening for mutants with elevated keratinolytic activity using N-methyl-N＇-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine mutagenesis resulted in a mutant strain KD-N2 producing keratinolytic activity about 2.5 times that of the wild-type strain. The mutant strain produced inducible keratinase in different substrates of feathers, hair, wool and silk under submerged cultivation. Scanning electron microscopy studies showed the degradation of feathers, hair and silk by the keratinase. The optimal conditions for keratinase production include initial pH of 7.5, inoculum size of 2% （v/v）, age of inoculum of 16 h, and cultivation at 23 ℃. The maximum keratinolytic activity of KD-N2 was achieved after 30 h. Essential amino acids like threonine, valine, methionine as well as ammonia were produced when feathers were used as substrates. Strain KD-N2, therefore, shows great promise of finding potential applications in keratin hydrolysis and keratinase production.     

Postconditioning of sevoflurane and propofol is associated with mitochondrial permeability transition pore

Background： Sevoflurane and propofol are effective cardioprotective anaesthetic agents, though the cardioprotection of propofol has not been shown in humans. Their roles and underlying mechanisms in anesthetic postconditioning are unclear. Mitochondrial permeability transition pore （MPTP） opening is a major cause of ischemia-reperfusion injury. Here we investigated sevoflurane- and propofol-induced postconditioning and their relationship with MPTP. Methods： Isolated perfused rat hearts were exposed to 40 min of ischemia followed by 1 h of reperfusion. During the first 15 min of reperfusion, hearts were treated with either control buffer （CTRL group） or buffer containing 20 μmol/L atractyloside （ATR group）, 3% （v/v） sevoflurane （SPC group）, 50 μmol/L propofol （PPC group）, or the combination of atractyloside with respective anesthetics （SPC＋ATR and PPC＋ATR groups）. Infarct size was determined by dividing the total necrotic area of the left ventricle by the total left ventricular slice area （percent necrotic area）. Results： Hearts treated with sevoflurane or propofol showed significantly better recovery of coronary flow, end-diastolic pressures, left ventricular developed pressure and derivatives compared with controls. Sevoflurane resulted in more protective alteration of hemodynamics at most time point of reperfusion than propofol. These improvements were paralleled with the reduction of lactate dehydrogenase release and the decrease of infarct size （SPC vs CTRL： （17.48±2.70）% vs （48.47±6.03）%, P〈0.05; PPC vs CTRL： （35.60±2.10）% vs （48.47±6.03）%,P〈0.05）. SPC group had less infarct size than PPC group （SPC vs PPC： （ 17.48±2.70）% vs （35.60±2.10）%,P〈0.05）. Atractyloside coadministration attenuated or completely blocked the cardioprotective effect of postconditioning of sevoflurane and propofol. Conclusion： Postconditioning of sevoflurane and propofol has cardio-protective effect against ischemia-reperfusion injury of heart     

Sodium arsenite reduces severity of dextran sulfate sodium-induced ulcerative colitis in rats

The histopathological features and the associated clinical findings of ulcerative colitis （UC） are due to persistent inflammatory response in the colon mucosa. Interventions that suppress this response benefit UC patients. We tested whether sodium arsenite （SA） benefits rats with dextran sulfate sodium （DSS）-colitis. The DSS-colitis was induced by 5% DSS in drinking water. SA （10 mg/kg; intraperitoneally） was given 8 h before DSS treatment and then every 48 h for 3 cycles of 7, 14 or 21 d. At the end of each cycle rats were sacrificed and colon sections processed for histological examination. DSS induced diarrhea, loose stools, hemoccult positive stools, gross bleeding, loss of body weight, loss of epithelium, crypt damage, depletion of goblet cells and infiltration of inflammatory cells. The severity of these changes increased in the order of Cycles 1, 2 and 3. Treatment of rats with SA significantly reduced this severity and improved the weight gain.     

Mechanisms and assessment of water eutrophication

Water eutrophication has become a worldwide environmental problem in recent years, and understanding the mechanisms of water eutrophication will help for prevention and remediation of water eutrophication. In this paper, recent advances in current status and major mechanisms of water eutrophication, assessment and evaluation criteria, and the influencing factors were reviewed. Water eutrophication in lakes, reservoirs, estuaries and rivers is widespread all over the world and the severity is increasing, especially in the developing countries like China. The assessment of water eutrophication has been advanced from simple individual parameters like total phosphorus, total nitrogen, etc., to comprehensive indexes like total nutrient status index. The major influencing factors on water eutrophication include nutrient enrichment, hydrodynamics, environmental factors such as temperature, salinity, carbon dioxide, element balance, etc., and microbial and biodiversity. The occurrence of water eutrophication is actually a complex function of all the possible influencing factors. The mechanisms of algal blooming are not fully understood and need to be further investigated.     

Phytoremediation of heavy metal polluted soils and water: Progresses and perspectives

Environmental pollution affects the quality ofpedosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, lithosphere and biosphere. Great efforts have been made in the last two decades to reduce pollution sources and remedy the polluted soil and water resources. Phytoremediation, being more cost-effective and fewer side effects than physical and chemical approaches, has gained increasing popularity in both academic and practical circles. More than 400 plant species have been identified to have potential for soil and water remediation. Among them, Thlaspi, Brassica, Sedum alfredii H., and Arabidopsis species have been mostly studied. It is also expected that recent advances in biotechnology will play a promising role in the development of new hyperaccumulators by transferring metal hyperaccumulating genes from low biomass wild species to the higher biomass producing cultivated species in the times to come. This paper attempted to provide a brief review on recent progresses in research and practical applications of phytoremediation for soil and water resources.