An electrochemical and microstructural characterization of steel-mortar admixed with corrosion inhibitors

The present research brings new insights on the role of admixed corrosion inhibitors in the processes of cement hydration and rebar corrosion.The admixing of NaCl and the corrosion inhibitors in fresh mortar was found to alter the morphology and microstructure of the hardened mortar at the steel-mortar interfacial region.The admixing of the inhibitors increased the risk of carbonation of cement hydrates at the steel-mortar interfacial region,but partially displaced chloride ions. Chloride and the admixed in...     

Novel Criteria for Exponential Stability of Linear Non-Autonomous Functional Differential Equations

General linear non-autonomous functional differential equations are considered. Explicit criteria for exponential stability are given. Furthermore, the authors present an explicit robust stability bound for systems subject to time-varying perturbations. Two examples are given to illustrate the obtained results.     

Rational Solutions of High-Order Algebraic Ordinary Differential Equations

This paper considers algebraic ordinary differential equations(AODEs) and study their polynomial and rational solutions. The authors first prove a sufficient condition for the existence of a bound on the degree of the possible polynomial solutions to an AODE. An AODE satisfying this condition is called noncritical. Then the authors prove that some common classes of low-order AODEs are noncritical. For rational solutions, the authors determine a class of AODEs, which are called maximally comparable, such that the possible poles of any rational solutions are recognizable from their coefficients. This generalizes the well-known fact that any pole of rational solutions to a linear ODE is contained in the set of zeros of its leading coefficient. Finally, the authors develop an algorithm to compute all rational solutions of certain maximally comparable AODEs, which is applicable to 78.54% of the AODEs in Kamke's collection of standard differential equations.     

Structural basis for gene regulation by a thiamine pyrophosphate-sensing riboswitch

Riboswitches are metabolite-sensing RNAs, typically located in the non-coding portions of messenger RNAs, that control the synthesis of metabolite-related proteins. Here we describe a 2.05 angstroms crystal structure of a riboswitch domain from the Escherichia coli thiM mRNA that responds to the coenzyme thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP). TPP is an active form of vitamin B1, an essential participant in many protein-catalysed reactions. Organisms from all three domains of life, including bacteria, plants and fungi, use TPP-sensing riboswitches to control genes responsible for importing or synthesizing thiamine and its phosphorylated derivatives, making this riboswitch class the most widely distributed member of the metabolite-sensing RNA regulatory system. The structure reveals a complex folded RNA in which one subdomain forms an intercalation pocket for the 4-amino-5-hydroxymethyl-2-methylpyrimidine moiety of TPP, whereas another subdomain forms a wider pocket that uses bivalent metal ions and water molecules to make bridging contacts to the pyrophosphate moiety of the ligand. The two pockets are positioned to function as a molecular measuring device that recognizes TPP in an extended conformation. The central thiazole moiety is not recognized by the RNA, which explains why the antimicrobial compound pyrithiamine pyrophosphate targets this riboswitch and downregulates the expression of thiamine metabolic genes. Both the natural ligand and its drug-like analogue stabilize secondary and tertiary structure elements that are harnessed by the riboswitch to modulate the synthesis of the proteins coded by the mRNA. In addition, this structure provides insight into how folded RNAs can form precision binding pockets that rival those formed by protein genetic factors.     

pH值对β-MnO2颗粒光催化去除银离子的影响

The presence of silver ions (Ag(I)) in wastewater has a detrimental effect on living organisms. Removal of soluble silver, especially at low concentrations, is challenging. This paper presents the use of β-MnO₂ particles as a photocatalyst to remove Ag(I) ions selectively from aqueous solution at various pH levels. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission electron microscope (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron microscopy (XPS) were employed to determine the removal efficiency and to characterize the deposition of silver onto the surface of β-MnO₂ particles. The optimum pH for the removal of Ag(I) ions was at pH 4 with 99% removal efficiency under 1 h of visible light irradiation. This phenomenon can be attributed to the electrostatic attraction between β-MnO₂ particles and Ag(I) ions as well as the suppression of electron–hole recombination in the presence of H+ ions.     

Improving solver performance through redundancy

It is well known that hierarchies of mathematical programming formulations with different numbers of variables and constraints have a considerable impact regarding the quality of solutions obtained once these formulations are fed to a commercial solver. In addition, even if dimensions are kept the same, changes in formulations may largely influence solvability and quality of results. This becomes evident especially if redundant constraints are used. We propose a related framework for information collection based on these constraints. We exemplify by means of a well-known combinatorial optimization problem from the knapsack problem family, i.e., the multidimensional multiple-choice knapsack problem (MMKP). This incorporates a relationship of the MMKP to some generalized set partitioning problems. Moreover, we investigate an application in maritime shipping and logistics by means of the dynamic berth allocation problem (DBAP), where optimal solutions are reached from the root node within the solver.     

基于用户反馈和增量学习的垃圾邮件识别方法

为了提高垃圾邮件识别的准确度,减少识别中的错判,提出了一种交互式垃圾邮件识别方法。该方法用一组具有特定权重的规则识别垃圾邮件,规则权重分布用改进遗传算法训练得到。增加用户与服务器间的交互,收集用户反馈的错判信息,根据反馈信息用增量学习动态调整规则权重。通过对SpamA ssass in扩展实现了该方法,并应用在邮件服务器上进行了测试。实验中在不影响垃圾邮件识别率的前提下,降低误判率约10%。实验结果表明:该方法不但能有效减少识别中的误判,而且避免了繁琐的重新训练,加快了规则权重的更新速度。     

Mesenchymal stem cells within tumour stroma promote breast cancer metastasis

Mesenchymal stem cells have been recently described to localize to breast carcinomas, where they integrate into the tumour-associated stroma. However, the involvement of mesenchymal stem cells (or their derivatives) in tumour pathophysiology has not been addressed. Here, we demonstrate that bone-marrow-derived human mesenchymal stem cells, when mixed with otherwise weakly metastatic human breast carcinoma cells, cause the cancer cells to increase their metastatic potency greatly when this cell mixture is introduced into a subcutaneous site and allowed to form a tumour xenograft. The breast cancer cells stimulate de novo secretion of the chemokine CCL5 (also called RANTES) from mesenchymal stem cells, which then acts in a paracrine fashion on the cancer cells to enhance their motility, invasion and metastasis. This enhanced metastatic ability is reversible and is dependent on CCL5 signalling through the chemokine receptor CCR5. Collectively, these data demonstrate that the tumour microenvironment facilitates metastatic spread by eliciting reversible changes in the phenotype of cancer cells.     

A second species of the genus Vietnamorpha Golovatch, 1984 (Polydesmida: Paradoxosomatidae) and notes on the generic relationship

A second Vietnamorpha species is described from Pu Mat National Park, north-central Vietnam. The new species is distinguished by the gonopod femorite being erect and cylindrically elongate; and the solenomere being completely sheathed by the solenophore, and being only exposed at the tip. The relationship between Vietnamorpha and several sulciferinine genera was analysed using a combination of a mitochondrial gene (16S rRNA) and two nuclear genes (18S and 28S rRNA). The genus Vietnamorpha is more closely related to the genus Anoplodesmus than to other sulciferinine genera.

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