ETFE双层气枕计算分析及比较

基于U.L.格式的非线性有限单元法,编制了ETFE双层气枕找形分析、受荷分析的计算程序,并选取圆形、正六边形、正三角形、菱形及正方形5种工程中常用的气枕作为计算模型进行对比分析.在找形分析时,将矢高、内压和初始张力作为控制参数进行计算并依次给出了三者之间的相互关系.在受荷分析时,考虑6种给定的荷载工况,计算了ETFE气枕体积、内压的变动以及膜面的主应力.数值计算结果表明,形状与圆形相差较大的双层气枕其力学性能变化明显.在气枕的体积和内压变化不大时,可直接根据气枕上层膜面的主应力判定气枕的工作状态.     

有机物分子量分布特点对BAF-O3-BAC净水工艺的评价

采用曝气生物滤池(BAF)、气浮和臭氧生物活性炭(BAC)联用技术对太湖原水进行试验.有机物分子量分布测定结果表明:曝气生物滤池单元对分子量小于0.5 kD(道尔顿)的有机物去除率最高,其次是分子量介于1～3 kD的有机物;气浮单元对分子量大于100 kD的有机物去除率最高;臭氧氧化单元对分子量大于3 kD的有机物去除率较高,而对于小于3 kD的有机物不但不能去除,反而有所增加;生物活性炭单元对分子量小于10 kD的有机物均能有效去除,分子量越小,去除率越高.综合评价认为:曝气生物滤池、气浮和臭氧生物活性炭联用技术处理微污染水源水的净水工艺是合理的.     

一种考虑杆件初始弯曲的非线性杆单元

在假定杆件初始弯曲为半波正弦曲线的基础上,提出考虑初始弯曲的非线性杆单元,推导了轴力与轴向变形的关系和轴向切线刚度的表达式,得到了初始弯曲对轴向刚度的影响系数.分析表明,初始弯曲影响与刚度比、初始弯曲幅值、轴力大小以及杆单元长度有关.结合某索拱结构工程实例,研究不同初始预应力取值下,杆件初始弯曲对结构非线性稳定性能的影响程度和影响规律,结果表明:杆件初始弯曲对结构屈曲前的整体刚度影响很小,但对结构的极限荷载与屈曲后性能影响较大;初始预应力取值的增加对结构的位移控制非常有效,但是对结构的刚度影响却很小;在不同初始预应力取值下,极限荷载随杆件初始弯曲变化的规律相似,并且都接近于线性.非线性杆单元能够广泛应用于桁架结构和网格结构的设计与分析,在考虑杆件初始弯曲后,将使结构的设计与分析更加合理、更加科学.     

放电电流对热阴极等离子体化学气相沉积金刚石膜影响

建立了快速沉积高品质金刚石膜的热阴极辉光放电等离子体化学气相沉积新方法. 相对于常规冷阴极辉光放电而言,热阴极辉光放电是一种新型放电形式,具有许多新的特性,其中重要一点是具有较高的放电电流(6.0～10.0 A). 较高的放电电流既是热阴极辉光放电本身的突出特点,同时对于化学气相沉积金刚石膜工艺也产生重要影响. 实验研究了放电电流于金刚石膜沉积速率、表面形貌和热导率的影响,发现由于放电电流影响辉光放电的等离子体区和阳极区,进而对金刚石膜的沉积速率和品质有很大影响. 特别是通过放电电流的提高,可以有效地提高金刚石膜的品质,这对于制备优质金刚石膜产品有重大意义.     

An Analysis of an SIRS Epidemic Model with General Direct Immunization in Networks北大核心CSCD

We consider an SIRS epidemic model with a general direct immunization rate on networks. By constructing suitable Lyapunov functions, we find that the dynamical behvaior of the model is completely determined by the epidemic threshold λc. When λ≤λc, the disease-free equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable; when λ>λc, the endemic equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable. In addition, we propose a uniform direct immunization and a targeted direct immunization. The results show that under the same average immunization rate s there exists a critical immunization-lost rate δc so that the epidemic threshold of the targeted direct immunization is smaller (larger) than that of the uniform direct immunization if δ<δc(δ>δc). © 2017, The Journal of Agency of Complex Systems and Complexity Science. All right reserved.     

有阻尼多跨连续梁在横向激励下的响应

为研究有阻尼多跨连续梁在横向激励下的位移响应,采用整体分析的方法,在BernoulliEuler梁理论的基础上建立求解连续梁的横向振动方程,求得了有阻尼多跨连续梁的位移响应函数,同时求得了有阻尼条件下的固有频率方程和振型函数。     

Old drugs with new skills: fenoprofen as an allosteric enhancer at melanocortin receptor 3

The efficiency of drug research and development has paradoxically declined over the last decades despite major scientific and technological advances, promoting new cost-effective strategies such as drug repositioning by systematic screening for new actions of known drugs. Here, we performed a screening for positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) at melanocortin (MC) receptors. The non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug fenoprofen, but not the similar compound ibuprofen, presented PAM activity at MC₃, MC₄, and MC₅ receptors. In a model of inflammatory arthritis, fenoprofen afforded potent inhibition while ibuprofen was nearly inactive. Fenoprofen presented anti-arthritic actions on cartilage integrity and synovitis, effects markedly attenuated in Mc3r?/? mice. Fenoprofen displayed pro-resolving properties promoting macrophage phagocytosis and efferocytosis, independently of cyclooxygenase inhibition. In conclusion, combining repositioning with advances in G-protein coupled receptor biology (allosterism) may lead to potential new therapeutics. In addition, MC₃ PAMs emerged as a viable approach to the development of innovative therapeutics for joint diseases.     

Cytochrome P450 2U1, a very peculiar member of the human P450s family

Cytochrome P450 2U1 (CYP2U1) exhibits several distinctive characteristics among the 57 human CYPs, such as its presence in almost all living organisms with a highly conserved sequence, its particular gene organization with only five exons, its major location in thymus and brain, and its protein sequence involving an unusually long N-terminal region containing 8 proline residues and an insert of about 20 amino acids containing 5 arginine residues after the transmembrane helix. Few substrates, including fatty acids, N-arachidonoylserotonin (AS), and some drugs, have been reported so far. However, its biological roles remain largely unknown, even though CYP2U1 mutations have been involved in some pathological situations, such as complicated forms of hereditary spastic paraplegia. These data together with its ability to hydroxylate some fatty acids and AS suggest its possible role in lipid metabolism.     

Toxin bioportides: exploring toxin biological activity and multifunctionality

Toxins have been shown to have many biological functions and to constitute a rich source of drugs and biotechnological tools. We focus on toxins that not only have a specific activity, but also contain residues responsible for transmembrane penetration, which can be considered bioportides—a class of cell-penetrating peptides that are also intrinsically bioactive. Bioportides are potential tools in pharmacology and biotechnology as they help deliver substances and nanoparticles to intracellular targets. Bioportides characterized so far are peptides derived from human proteins, such as cytochrome c (CYCS), calcitonin receptor (camptide), and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (nosangiotide). However, toxins are usually disregarded as potential bioportides. In this review, we discuss the inclusion of some toxins and molecules derived thereof as a new class of bioportides based on structure activity relationship, minimization, and biological activity studies. The comparative analysis of the amino acid residue composition of toxin-derived bioportides and their short molecular variants is an innovative analytical strategy which allows us to understand natural toxin multifunctionality in vivo and plan novel pharmacological and biotechnological products. Furthermore, we discuss how many bioportide toxins have a rigid structure with amphiphilic properties important for both cell penetration and bioactivity.     

Skeletal muscle secretome in Duchenne muscular dystrophy: a pivotal anti-inflammatory role of adiponectin

Background

Persistent inflammation exacerbates the progression of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The hormone, adiponectin (ApN), which is decreased in the metabolic syndrome, exhibits anti-inflammatory properties on skeletal muscle and alleviates the dystrophic phenotype of mdx mice. Here, we investigate whether ApN retains its anti-inflammatory action in myotubes obtained from DMD patients. We unravel the underlying mechanisms by studying the secretome and the early events of ApN.

Methods

Primary cultures of myotubes from DMD and control patients were treated or not by ApN after an inflammatory challenge. Myokines secreted in medium were identified by cytokine antibody-arrays and ELISAs. The early events of ApN signaling were assessed by abrogating selected genes.

Results

ApN retained its anti-inflammatory properties in both dystrophic and control myotubes. Profiling of secretory products revealed that ApN downregulated the secretion of two pro-inflammatory factors (TNFα and IL-17A), one soluble receptor (sTNFRII), and one chemokine (CCL28) in DMD myotubes, while upregulating IL-6 that exerts some anti-inflammatory effects. These changes were explained by pretranslational mechanisms. Earlier events of the ApN cascade involved AdipoR1, the main receptor for muscle, and the AMPK-SIRT1-PGC-1α axis leading, besides alteration of the myokine profile, to the upregulation of utrophin A (a dystrophin analog).

Conclusion

ApN retains its beneficial properties in dystrophic muscles by activating the AdipoR1-AMPK-SIRT1-PGC-1α pathway, thereby inducing a shift in the secretion of downstream myokines toward a less inflammatory profile while upregulating utrophin. ApN, the early events of the cascade and downstream myokines may be therapeutic targets for the management of DMD.