Embedded finite element modeling of the mechanics of brain axonal fiber tracts under head impact conditions.

Investigating and understanding the biomechanical kinematics and kinetics of human brain axonal fibers during head impact process is crucial to study the mechanisms of Traumatic Axonal Injury (TAI). Such a study may require the explicit incorporation of brain fiber tracts into the host brain in order to distinguish the mechanical states of axonal fibers and brain tissue. Herein we extend our previously developed human head model by using an embedded element method to include fiber tracts reconstructed from diffusion tensor images in a host brain with the purpose of numerically tracking the deformation state of axonal fiber tracts during a head impact simulation.

Directly Suppressing MYC Function with Novel Alkynyl-Substituted Phenylpyrazole Derivatives that Induce Protein Degradation and Perturb MYC/MAX Interaction.

Despite being a highly sought-after therapeutic target for human malignancies, myelocytomatosis viral oncogene homologue (MYC) has been considered intractable due to its intrinsically disordered nature, making the discovery of in vivo effective inhibitors that directly block its function challenging. Herein, we report structurally novel alkynyl-substituted phenylpyrazole derivatives directly perturbing MYC function. Among them, compound exhibited superior antiproliferative activities to those of MYCi975 against multiple malignant cell lines.

Cellulose-based aerogel derived N, B-co-doped porous biochar for high-performance CO capture and supercapacitor.

The remarkable characteristics of porous biochar have generated significant interest in various fields, such as CO capture and supercapacitors. The modification of aerogel-derived porous biochar through activation and heteroatomic doping can effectively enhance CO adsorption and improve supercapacitor performance. In this study, a novel N, B-co-doped porous biochar (NBCPB) was synthesized by carbonating and activating the N, B dual-doped cellulose aerogel.

Prevalence and genomic-based antimicrobial resistance analysis of Avibacterium paragallinarum isolates in Guangdong Province, China.

Infectious coryza (IC) is an acute infectious respiratory disease in chickens that is caused by Avibacterium paragallinarum (A. paragallinarum). A.

Generation and characterization of a nanobody against the avian influenza virus H7 subtype.

Avian influenza virus (AIV) H7N9 diseases have been recently reported, raising concerns about a potential pandemic. Thus, there is an urgent need for effective therapeutics for AIV H7N9 infections. Herein, camelid immunization and yeast two-hybrid techniques were used to identify potent neutralizing nanobodies (Nbs) targeting the H7 subtype hemagglutinin.

On-column capillary suppressor for open tubular ion chromatography.

Background: Suppressors with different dead volumes are required to match different suppressed ion chromatography systems. Especially for suppressed open tubular ion chromatography (SOTIC), the dead volume is a critical parameter. Both connection tubes between open tubular (OT) columns and suppressors and the dead volumes of the suppressors should be as short/small as possible to minimize peak dispersion.

Anharmonic strong-coupling effects at the origin of the charge density wave in CsVSb.

The formation of charge density waves is a long-standing open problem, particularly in dimensions higher than one. Various observations in the vanadium antimonides discovered recently further underpin this notion. Here, we study the Kagome metal CsVSb using polarized inelastic light scattering and density functional theory calculations.

Computational fluid dynamics-based design and in vitro characterization of a novel pediatric pump-lung.

Background: Although extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been used to provide temporary support for pediatric patients suffering severe respiratory or cardiac failure since 1970, ECMO systems specifically designed for pediatric patients, particularly for long-term use, remain an unmet clinical need. We sought to develop a new pediatric ECMO system, that is, pediatric pump-lung (PPL), consisting of a unique cylinder oxygenator with an outside-in radial flow path and a centrifugal pump.

Methods: Computational fluid dynamics was used to analyze the blood fluid field for optimized biocompatible and gas exchange performances in terms of flow characteristics, hemolysis, and gas transfer efficiency.

Plasma-Promoted Ammonia Decomposition over Supported Ruthenium Catalysts for CO -Free H Production.

The efficient decomposition of ammonia to produce CO -free hydrogen at low temperatures has been extensively investigated as a potential method for supplying hydrogen to mobile devices based on fuel cells. In this study, we employed dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma, a non-thermal plasma, to enhance the catalytic ammonia decomposition over supported Ru catalysts (Ru/Y O , Ru/La O , Ru/CeO and Ru/SiO ). The plasma-catalytic reactivity of Ru/La O was found to be superior to that of the other three catalysts.

A transversely isotropic viscohyperelastic-damage model for the brain tissue with strain rate sensitivity.

Understanding the mechanical behaviors and properties of brain tissue are crucial to study the mechanisms of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Such injury may be associated with high rate loading conditions and the large deformation of brain tissue. Thus, constitutive models that consider the rate dependent large deformation of brain tissue and its possible damage initiation and evolution may help uncover the related mechanisms of TBI.

Modeling the damage-induced softening behavior of brain white matter using a coupled hyperelasticty-damage model.

White matter in the brain is structurally anisotropic consisting of large bundle of aligned axonal fibers. Hyperelastic, transversely isotropic constitutive models are typically used in the modeling and simulation of such tissues. However, most studies constrain the material models to describe the mechanical behavior of white matter in the limit of small deformation, without considering the experimentally observed damage initiation and damage-induced material softening in large strain regime.

Steric effects of CN vacancies for boosting CO electroreduction to CO with ultrahigh selectivity.

In the electrochemical reduction of CO to CO, controlling the binding of the *COOH intermediate is key to adjusting the selectivity and catalytic activity of the CO product. Herein, we report that CN vacancies were used to control the binding of the *COOH intermediate on a Co PBA-V catalyst treated by H cold plasma bombardment to improve the CORR into CO. The CN vacancies can tune the local electronic structure and coordination environment of Co-CN-Co (Co-PBA-V) with a high CO faradaic efficiency close to 100% with remarkable durability (>87 h), and a low onset overpotential of 0.

Identification of PI3K/HDAC Dual-targeted inhibitors with subtype selectivity as potential therapeutic agents against solid Tumors: Building HDAC6 potency in a Quinazolinone-based PI3Kδ-selective template.

Pharmacological inhibition of PI3Kδ for battling solid tumors is relatively unexplored. Given the potential synergism of concurrent PI3Kδ/HDAC6 inhibition, and the drawbacks of pioneering PI3K/HDAC dual inhibitors, we discovered a novel series of dual-targeted inhibitors via building HDAC6 potency in a PI3Kδ-selective template. SAR study culminated in the discovery of compound 59, which exhibited remarkable inhibitory activity against both PI3Kδ (IC = 2.

Computational fluid dynamics analysis and experimental hemolytic performance of three clinical centrifugal blood pumps: Revolution, Rotaflow and CentriMag.

Centrifugal blood pumps have become popular for adult extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) due to their superior blood handling and reduced thrombosis risk featured by their secondary flow paths that avoid stagnant areas. However, the high rotational speed within a centrifugal blood pump can introduce high shear stress, causing a significant shear-induced hemolysis rate. The Revolution pump, the Rotaflow pump, and the CentriMag pump are three of the leading centrifugal blood pumps on the market.

Discovery of selective HDAC6 inhibitors capped by flavonoid or flavonoid-analogous moieties as anti-cancer therapeutics simultaneously harboring anti-proliferative and immunomodulatory activities.

Specific HDAC6 inhibitors (HDAC6is) simultaneously harboring anti-proliferative and immunomodulatory properties may prohibit tumor progression via intrinsic and immune driven effects. Herein, built upon the structurally novel lead TFH-7, structure-activity relationship study culminated in the identification of azaflavone-capped compound 20, which exhibited comparable HDAC6 inhibitory activity (IC = 8.5 nM) to that of Tubastatin A, a highly selective HDAC6i, as well as favorable subtype specificity.

SAR study culminates in a series of HDAC6 selective inhibitors featuring Schisandrin C-analogous Cap as potential immunomodulatory agents for cancer therapy.

HDAC6 inhibitors (HDAC6is) represent an emerging therapeutic option for triggering anti-cancer immune response. In this work, a novel series of HDAC6is, derived from an in-house analog of the traditional Chinese medicine monomer Schisandrin C, were designed and synthesized for SAR study. Throughout the 29 target compounds, 24a, 24b and 24h exerted single-digit nanomolar enzymatic activity and remarkably elevated subtype selectivity compared to the clinically investigated HDAC6i Ricolinostat (Selectivity index = 3.

An online optimization strategy for a fluid catalytic cracking process using a case-based reasoning method based on big data technology.

Rigorous mechanistic models of refining processes are often too complex, which results in long modeling times, low model computational efficiencies, and poor convergence, limiting the application of mechanistic-model-based process optimization and advanced control in complex refining production processes. To address this problem and take advantage of big data technology, this study used case-based reasoning (CBR) for process optimization. The proposed method makes full use of previous process cases and reuses previous process cases to solve production optimization problems.

Scaling of the strange-metal scattering in unconventional superconductors.

Marked evolution of properties with minute changes in the doping level is a hallmark of the complex chemistry that governs copper oxide superconductivity as manifested in the celebrated superconducting domes and quantum criticality taking place at precise compositions. The strange-metal state, in which the resistivity varies linearly with temperature, has emerged as a central feature in the normal state of copper oxide superconductors. The ubiquity of this behaviour signals an intimate link between the scattering mechanism and superconductivity.

Ni@CNTs/AlO Ceramic Composites with Interfacial Solder Strengthen the Segregated Network for High Toughness and Excellent Electromagnetic Interference Shielding.

Ingenious microstructure design and appropriate multicomponent strategies are still challenging for advanced electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials with excellent shielding effectiveness (SE) and reliable mechanical properties in harsh environments and low filling levels. In this study, nickel@multiwalled carbon nanotubes/alumina (Ni@CNTs/AlO) ceramic composites with segregated structures and electric/magnetic-coupling networks anchored by CNTs and magnetic Ni nanofillers were prepared by hot-press sintering. CNTs/AlO ceramic composites exhibit a percolation threshold of only about 0.

Mesoscale Simulation-Based Parametric Study of Damage Potential in Brain Tissue Using Hyperelastic and Internal State Variable Models.

Two-dimensional mesoscale finite element analysis (FEA) of a multilayered brain tissue was performed to calculate the damage-related average stress triaxiality and local maximum von Mises strain in the brain. The FEA was integrated with rate-dependent hyperelastic and internal state variable (ISV) models, respectively, describing the behaviors of wet and dry brain tissues. Using the finite element results, a statistical method of design of experiments (DOE) was utilized to independently screen the relative influences of seven parameters related to brain morphology (sulcal width/depth, gray matter (GM) thickness, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) thickness and brain lobe) and loading/environment conditions (strain rate and humidity) with respect to the potential damage growth/coalescence in the brain tissue.

Numerical study of the effect of LVAD inflow cannula positioning on thrombosis risk.

Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) have been increasingly used as a therapy for patients with end-stage heart failure. However, a growing number of clinical observations have shown that LVADs are associated with thromboembolic events, which are potentially related to the changes in intraventricular flow. Particularly, the flow fields around the inflow cannula (IC) of the LVAD.

Flow characteristics and hemolytic performance of the new Breethe centrifugal blood pump in comparison with the CentriMag and Rotaflow pumps.

Blood pumps have been increasingly used in mechanically assisted circulation for ventricular assistance and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support or during cardiopulmonary bypass for cardiac surgery. However, there have always been common complications such as thrombosis, hemolysis, bleeding, and infection associated with current blood pumps in patients. The development of more biocompatible blood pumps still prevails during the past decades.

Dual performance of environmental regulation on economic and environmental development: evidence from China.

Based on the comparative perspective of environmental regulation performance, this paper uses the threshold effect model to analyze the nonlinear characteristics of the impact of environmental regulation on economic development and environmental pollution and explore the dual performance of environmental regulation on economic and environmental development. The results are fourfold: Firstly, the intensity of fiscal expenditure on energy conservation and environmental protection has a restraining effect on environmental pollution, but it has a crowding-out effect on economic growth. Therefore, it is impossible to achieve a win-win situation between ecological protection and economic development by increasing the intensity of financial expenditure on energy conservation and environmental protection.

Comprehensive Machine Learning-Based Model for Predicting Compressive Strength of Ready-Mix Concrete.

Considering that compressive strength (CS) is an important mechanical property parameter in many design codes, in order to ensure structural safety, concrete CS needs to be tested before application. However, conducting CS tests with multiple influencing variables is costly and time-consuming. To address this issue, a machine learning-based modeling framework is put forward in this work to evaluate the concrete CS under complex conditions.

Correction: Combined mechanistic and genetic programming approach to modeling pilot NBR production: influence of feed compositions on rubber Mooney viscosity.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/D0RA07257E.].