[en] The accumulated level of CO₂ in the atmosphere continues to increase globally in spite of societal outcry to address this problem in an urgent manner. This work modifies the Nordhaus Dynamic Integrated Climate Economy (DICE) model, using the Vensim dynamic systems modeling tool, in order to investigate the impact of replacing three identified CO₂ emitting systems, these being: 1) fossil-fueled power plant (FFPP) with nuclear plants, 2) fossil-fueled transport vehicles with electric vehicles, and 3) fossil-fueled domestic heat with electric heaters. Simulations were performed with the various national net-zero targets in mind in increments of 10 years, starting from year, 2019 to 2100. Representative simulations results indicate that replacing more than 70,000 FFPPs currently operating in the world, would reduce CO₂ emissions roughly 25% compared to the business as usual scenario. In terms of national target scenarios, if the goal is to reach net-zero CO₂ emission by 2060, a reduction in atmospheric CO₂ concentration by year 2100 is estimated to be 13%, or some 82 ppm. The DICE model further predicts a reduction in global warming of 0.3°C or 11% by the end of the century. These system-wide output metrics from DICE simulations, relative to replacement rate scenarios will be explained. (author)

[en] Highlights: • The solubility of Avermectin B_1a in three binary mixtures was determined. • The experimental solubility were correlated by three thermodynamic models. • Thermodynamic properties of mixing of Avermectin B_1a were calculated. - Abstract: The solubility of Avermectin B_1a (AVM B_1a) in the three binary solvent mixtures, (acetone + water), (acetone + n-hexane) and (isopropanol + n-hexane) was determined gravimetrically with the temperature ranging from 283.15 K to 313.15 K under atmospheric conditions. The experimental results indicate that the solubility of AVM B_1a increased with increasing temperature at certain solvent composition, and decreased with increasing mole fraction of water and n-hexane. Besides, the modified Apelblat equation, CNIBS/R-K model and Jouyban-Acree model were employed to correlate the solubility results obtained. All the selected models provide satisfactory results. Furthermore, the mixing thermodynamic properties were calculated based on the NRTL equation, a binary activity coefficient model. We also calculated the thermodynamic properties of the dissolution process of AVM B_1a. The calculated results indicate that the dissolution process of AVM B_1a in the tested solvents is endothermic and spontaneous.

[en] The study on deflagration-to-detonation transition (DDT) is very important because this mechanism has relevance to safety issues in industries, where combustible premixed gases are in general use. However, the quantitative prediction of DDT is one of the major unsolved problems in combustion and detonation theory to date. In this paper, the DDT process is studied theoretically and the critical condition is given by a concise theoretical expression. The results show that a deflagration wave propagating with about 60% Chapman–Jouguet (CJ) detonation velocity is a critical condition. This velocity is the maximum propagating velocity of a deflagration wave and almost equal to the sound speed of combustion products. When this critical condition is reached, a CJ detonation is triggered immediately. This is the quantitative criteria of the DDT process. (paper)

[en] Proton resonance frequency shift-based MR thermometry is a promising temperature monitoring approach for thermotherapy but its accuracy is vulnerable to inter-scan motion. Model-based referenceless thermometry has been proposed to address this problem but phase unwrapping is usually needed before the model fitting process. In this paper, a referenceless MR thermometry method using phase finite difference that avoids the time consuming phase unwrapping procedure is proposed. Unlike the previously proposed phase gradient technique, the use of finite difference in the new method reduces the fitting error resulting from the ringing artifacts associated with phase discontinuity in the calculation of the phase gradient image. The new method takes into account the values at the perimeter of the region of interest because of their direct relevance to the extrapolated baseline phase of the region of interest (where temperature increase takes place). In simulation study, in vivo and ex vivo experiments, the new method has a root-mean-square temperature error of 0.35 °C, 1.02 °C and 1.73 °C compared to 0.83 °C, 2.81 °C, and 3.76 °C from the phase gradient method, respectively. The method also demonstrated a slightly higher, albeit small, temperature accuracy than the original referenceless MR thermometry method. The proposed method is computationally efficient (∼0.1 s per image), making it very suitable for the real time temperature monitoring. (paper)

[en] Photoionization of chlorine and bromine atoms following photodissociation of CH₂BrCl was studied in the wavelength range of 231-238 nm by photoelectron imaging technique. Final state-specific speed and angular distributions of the photoelectron were recorded. Analysis of relative branching ratios to different levels of Cl⁺ and Br⁺ revealed that the final ion level distributions are generally dominated by the preservation of the ion-core configuration of the intermediate resonant state. Some J_c numbers of the intermediate states were newly assigned according to this regulation. The configuration interaction between resonant states and the autoionization in the continuum were also believed to play an important role in the ionization process since some ions that deviate from the regulation mentioned ahead were observed. The angular distributions of the electrons were found to be well characterized by β₂ and β₄, although the ionization process of chlorine and bromine atoms involves three photons.

[en] Concerns over the adverse reproductive outcomes in human have been raised, more evidence including the underlying mechanism are required. Since extravillous trophoblast (EVT) invasion is an important physiological step during early development, the effects of mono-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP), the bioactive metabolite of DEHP, on EVT invasion were investigated using Matrigel-coated transwell chambers and cell line HTR-8/SVneo. In the transwell-based invasive assay, MEHP exposure inhibited EVT invasion as judged by decreased invasion index. Further analysis showed that MEHP exposure significantly inhibited the activity of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), which is an important positive regulator of EVT invasion. Meanwhile, the protein levels of tissue inhibitor matrix metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1), one key negative regulator of EVT invasion, were upregulated by MEHP treatment. Finally, inactivation of PPARγ pathway by either PPARγ inhibitors or PPARγ shRNA knockdown rescued the MEHP-induced inhibited invasion of HTR-8/SVneo cells, which is accompanied by the recovery of inhibited MMP-9 expression. The present study provides the evidence that MEHP exposure inhibits trophoblast invasion via PPARγ at concentrations comparable to those found in humans, which provides an insight in understanding the mechanisms of DEHP-associated early pregnancy loss. - Highlights: • MEHP inhibits HTR-8/SVneo cell invasion. • MEHP exposure imbalanced the expression of MMP-9/TIMP-1 in HTR-8/SVneo cells. • This effect of MEHP is mediated via the PPARγ pathway.

[en] Highlights: • EndoA2 promotes the association between Bif-1 and beclin-1 to strengthen autophagy. Apoptosis plays a critical role in normal embryonic development and tissue homeostasis regulation. EndophilinA2 (EndoA2) is widely reported to regulate endocytosis. Additionally, EndoA2 has been demonstrated to be involved in tumor metastasis, neuroregulation and vascular function. In this study, we used siRNA and Ad-EndoA2 transfection strategy to investigate whether EndoA2 provides a protective effect against apoptosis induced by H₂O₂ in H9C2 cardiomyocytes and the underlying mechanisms. We found that EndoA2 siRNA knockdown promoted H₂O₂-induced apoptosis in H9C2 cardiomyocytes, evidenced by decreased cell number, increased apoptotic cells, and activation of caspase-3. In contrast, EndoA2 overexpression showed the opposite effects and inhibited H₂O₂-induced apoptosis in H9C2 cardiomyocytes. Further studies revealed that EndoA2 overexpression strengthened autophagy, evidenced by the increased LC3 II/I ratio and P62 degradation, whereas EndoA2 siRNA knockdown produced the opposite effects. Furthermore, we revealed that there was an interaction between Bif-1 and Beclin-1. Upon H₂O₂ treatment, the association of Bif-1 and Beclin-1 remarkably increased. EndoA2 overexpression further promoted the binding of Bif-1 with Beclin-1, whereas EndoA2 siRNA knockdown reduced this association. These data strongly suggested that EndoA2 inhibited H₂O₂-induced apoptosis in H9C2 cardiomyocytes, possibly by promoting Bif-1 to form a complex with Beclin-1 and strengthening autophagy. This study provides a novel target for heart diseases.

[en] Intense 2.9 µm emission corresponding to Dy³⁺:⁶H_13/2 → ⁶H_15/2 transition was achieved in Yb³⁺/Dy³⁺ codoped CaYAlO₄ crystal for the first time. The effects of Yb³⁺ on the spectroscopic properties and energy transfer mechanisms were investigated. In comparison with Dy³⁺ singly-doped CaYAlO₄ crystal, Yb³⁺/Dy³⁺ codoped crystal not only has intense 2.9 µm emission, but also has longer upper laser level lifetime, which facilitates particle number inversion and laser behavior in 2.9 µm. Furthermore, the energy transfer efficiency from Yb³⁺ to Dy³⁺ in Yb³⁺/Dy³⁺ codoped crystal was as high as 87.3%, indicating effective energy transfer of Yb³⁺. Besides, the energy transfer microscopic parameters between Yb³⁺ and Dy³⁺ were theoretically analyzed. The results indicate that the introduction of Yb³⁺ is very beneficial for achieving 2.9 µm laser in Dy³⁺: CaYAlO₄ crystal, which could act as a potential gain media for LD pumped mid-infrared laser.

[en] A series of Dy³⁺-activated CaYAl₃O₇ (Dy: CaYAl₃O₇) phosphors were synthesized by the solid-state reaction at high temperature. The prepared phosphors were characterized by X-ray diffraction, and the results showed that the main phase of the phosphor was CaYAl₃O₇. The structure of CaYAl₃O₇ was investigated and the first-principles calculations were carried out for the first time. The photoluminescence properties of them were investigated in detail through the measurements of their emission spectra and fluorescence decay curves. The fluorescence decay curves of the ⁴F_9/2 state with different Dy³⁺ ions concentrations exhibited multi-exponential decaying behavior, then the lifetimes were fitted and compared. Furthermore, the energy transfer processes within Dy: CaYAl₃O₇ phosphors were investigated. In the visible region, a strong emission band was observed with peak at 574 nm, corresponding to ⁴F_9/2 → ⁶H_13/2 transition, which indicates that Dy: CaYAl₃O₇ is good material for yellow light applications.