Three-dimensional thermal-hydraulics/neutronics coupling analysis on the full-scale module of helium-cooled tritium-breeding blanket

Lian Qiang,Tang Simiao,Zhu Longxiang,Zhang Luteng,Sun Wan,Bu Shanshan,Pan Liangming,Tian Wenxi,Qiu Suizheng,Su G.H.,Wu Xinghua,Wang Xiaoyu 한국원자력학회 2023 Nuclear Engineering and Technology Vol.55 No.11

Blanket is of vital importance for engineering application of the fusion reactor. Nuclear heat deposition in materials is the main heat source in blanket structure. In this paper, the three-dimensional method for thermalhydraulics/ neutronics coupling analysis is developed and applied for the full-scale module of the helium-cooled ceramic breeder tritium breeding blanket (HCCB TBB) designed for China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR). The explicit coupling scheme is used to support data transfer for coupling analysis based on cell-to-cell mapping method. The coupling algorithm is realized by the user-defined function compiled in Fluent. The threedimensional model is established, and then the coupling analysis is performed using the paralleled Coupling Analysis of Thermal-hydraulics and Neutronics Interface Code (CATNIC). The results reveal the relatively small influence of the coupling analysis compared to the traditional method using the radial fitting function of internal heat source. However, the coupling analysis method is quite important considering the nonuniform distribution of the neutron wall loading (NWL) along the poloidal direction. Finally, the structure optimization of the blanket is carried out using the coupling method to satisfy the thermal requirement of all materials. The nonlinear effect between thermal-hydraulics and neutronics is found during the blanket structure optimization, and the tritium production performance is slightly reduced after optimization. Such an adverse effect should be thoroughly evaluated in the future work.

Effect of Trichostatin A on Anti HepG2 Liver Carcinoma Cells: Inhibition of HDAC Activity and Activation of Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling

Shi, Qing-Qiang,Zuo, Guo-Wei,Feng, Zi-Qiang,Zhao, Lv-Cui,Luo, Lian,You, Zhi-Mei,Li, Dang-Yang,Xia, Jing,Li, Jing,Chen, Di-Long Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.18

Purpose: To investigate the effect of deacetylase inhibitory trichostatin A (TSA) on anti HepG2 liver carcinoma cells and explore the underlying mechanisms. Materials and Methods: HepG2 cells exposed to different concentrations of TSA for 24, 48, or 72h were examined for cell growth inhibition using CCK8, changes in cell cycle distribution with flow cytometry, cell apoptosis with annexin V-FTIC/PI double staining, and cell morphology changes under an inverted microscope. Expression of ${\beta}$-catenin, HDAC1, HDAC3, H3K9, CyclinD1 and Bax proteins was tested by Western blotting. Gene expression for ${\beta}$-catenin, HDAC1and HDAC3 was tested by q-PCR. ${\beta}$-catenin and H3K9 proteins were also tested by immunofluorescence. Activity of Renilla luciferase (pTCF/LEF-luc) was assessed using the Luciferase Reporter Assay system reagent. The activity of total HDACs was detected with a HDACs colorimetric kit. Results: Exposure to TSA caused significant dose-and time-dependent inhibition of HepG2 cell proliferation (p<0.05) and resulted in increased cell percentages in G0/G1 and G2/M phases and decrease in the S phase. The apoptotic index in the control group was $6.22{\pm}0.25%$, which increased to $7.17{\pm}0.20%$ and $18.1{\pm}0.42%$ in the treatment group. Exposure to 250 and 500nmol/L TSA also caused cell morphology changes with numerous floating cells. Expression of ${\beta}$-catenin, H3K9and Bax proteins was significantly increased, expression levels of CyclinD1, HDAC1, HDAC3 were decreased. Expression of ${\beta}$-catenin at the genetic level was significantly increased, with no significant difference in HDAC1and HDAC3 genes. In the cytoplasm, expression of ${\beta}$-catenin fluorescence protein was not obvious changed and in the nucleus, small amounts of green fluorescence were observed. H3K9 fluorescence protein were increased. Expression levels of the transcription factor TCF werealso increased in HepG2 cells following induction by TSA, whikle the activity of total HDACs was decreased. Conclusions: TSA inhibits HDAC activity, promotes histone acetylation, and activates Wnt/${\beta}$-catenin signaling to inhibit proliferation of HepG2 cell, arrest cell cycling and induce apoptosis.

Design and Test of the MEMS Coupled Piezoelectric- Electromagnetic Energy Harvester

Lian-min Cao,Zhi-xu Li,Cheng Guo,Peng-peng Li,Xiang-qiang Meng,Ting-ming Wang 한국정밀공학회 2019 International Journal of Precision Engineering and Vol.20 No.4

This paper researches on the design and test of the output performance of double-end clamped MEMS coupled piezoelectric–electromagnetic energy harvester. It establishes the theoretical output model of the double-end clamped rectangular beam and trapezoidal beam piezoelectric–electromagnetic energy harvester, and optimizes the structure parameters of piezoelectric and electromagnetic unit with simulation analysis. It also respectively realizes the processing of piezoelectric and electromagnetic unit by MEMS and flexible PCB technology, and completes the performance test of structure prototype through the experimental system. The result showed that the capacity of MEMS coupled piezoelectric–electromagnetic energy harvester, which taked four coil piezoelectric with integrated electromagnetic in series, was 12.23 times higher than that of piezoelectric energy harvester. Also the output voltage and power of coupled trapezoidal beam energy harvester were respectively increased 18.89% and 2.26%, compared with coupled rectangular beam energy harvester.

MicroRNA-122 Promotes Proliferation, Invasion and Migration of Renal Cell Carcinoma Cells Through the PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway

Lian, Ji-Hu,Wang, Wei-Hua,Wang, Jia-Qiang,Zhang, Yu-Hong,Li, Yi Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.9

Objective: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a small class of non-coding, single-stranded RNAs with a critical role in genesis and maintenance of renal cancer mainly through binding to 3'-untranslated regions (3'UTR) of target mRNAs, which causes a block of translation and/or mRNA degradation. The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential effects of miR-122 in human renal cell carcinomas. Methods: The expression level of miR-122 was quantified by qRT-PCR. MTT, colony formation, invasion and migration assays were used to explore the potential functions of miR-122 in human renal cell carcinoma cells. Results: Cellular growth, invasion and migration in two A498 and 786-O cells were significantly increased after miR-122 transfection. Further experiments demonstrated that overexpression of miR-122 resulted in the increase of phospho-Akt (Ser473) and phospho-mTOR (Ser2448), then activation of mTOR targets, p70S6K and 4E-BP1. Conclusions: The up-regulation of miR-122 may play an important role in the progress of renal cancer through activating PI3K/Akt signal pathway and could be a potential molecular target for anti-cancer therapeutics.

Long noncoding RNA NEAT1 suppresses hepatocyte proliferation in fulminant hepatic failure through increased recruitment of EZH2 to the LATS2 promoter region and promotion of H3K27me3 methylation

Qiang Wang,Lian Liu,Sheng Zhang,Yingzi Ming,Shu Liu,Ke Cheng,Yujun Zhao 생화학분자생물학회 2020 Experimental and molecular medicine Vol.52 No.-

Fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) refers to the rapid development of severe acute liver injury with impaired synthetic function and encephalopathy in people with normal liver or well-compensated liver disease. This study aimed to investigate the function of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) nuclear-enriched abundant transcript 1 (NEAT1) on the proliferation and apoptosis of hepatocytes in FHF. Our results revealed that lncRNA NEAT1 was upregulated in cell and animal models of FHF induced by D-galactosamine (D-GalN)/lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Overexpression of lncRNA NEAT1 resulted in elevated hepatocyte apoptosis and impaired large tumor-suppressor kinase 2 (LATS2) expression and proliferation. Functional analysis revealed that knockdown of lncRNA NEAT1 inhibited hepatocyte apoptosis and induced proliferation both in vitro and in vivo. RNA immunoprecipitation and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays demonstrated that lncRNA NEAT1 recruited enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) to the LATS2 promoter and repressed LATS2 expression. Furthermore, ectopic expression of LATS2 increased proliferation and inhibited hepatocyte apoptosis by regulating the Hippo/Yes-associated protein (YAP) signaling pathway. Taken together, our findings indicate that lncRNA NEAT1 might serve as a novel target for FHF therapy due to its regulation of H3K27me3 methylation-dependent promotion of LATS2.

The Internal Force Relationship of Rectangular and I-section for Bi-linear Hardening Material with Limit Strain

Liu-Lian Li,Guo-Qiang Li 한국강구조학회 2016 International Journal of Steel Structures Vol.16 No.1

Based on bilinear stress-strain constitutive law σ = f (ε), the elastic to fully plastic analysis of bending of rectangular-section and bi-symmetrical I-section beams with the influence of axial load is presented for hardening material with limit strain. The variation of the applied bending moment with the axial force for the fully elastic, elastic-plastic, and fully plastic conditions is given in analytical form. The Internal force relationship of the elastic limit is the same for both hardening and non-hardening material and independent of the geometry of the beam section. However, for the elastic-plastic and plastic limits, the relationships are dependent of the hardening parameter βq, limit strain ε lim and the geometry of the beam section for neutral axis (N.A) inside the cross section. When N.A outside the cross section, the relationships are dependent of hardening parameter βq and limit strain ε lim but independent of the geometry of the beam section. The results given by the analytical expressions reduce to the ones for non-hardening material are in good agreement with the existing results.

Optimization of Reference Genes for Normalization of the Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction in Tissue Samples of Gastric Cancer

Zhao, Lian-Mei,Zheng, Zhao-Xu,Zhao, Xiwa,Shi, Juan,Bi, Jian-Jun,Pei, Wei,Feng, Qiang Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.14

For an exact comparison of mRNA transcription in different samples or tissues with real time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), it is crucial to select a suitable internal reference gene. Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and beta-actin (ACTB) have been frequently considered as house-keeping genes to normalize for changes in specific gene expression. However, it has been reported that these genes are unsuitable references in some cases, because their transcription is significantly variable under particular experimental conditions and among tissues. The present study was aimed to investigate which reference genes are most suitable for the study of gastric cancer tissues using qRT-PCR. 50 pairs of gastric cancer and corresponding peritumoral tissues were obtained from patients with gastric cancer. Absolute qRT-PCR was employed to detect the expression of GAPDH, ACTB, RPII and 18sRNA in the gastric cancer samples. Comparing gastric cancer with corresponding peritumoral tissues, GAPDH, ACTB and RPII were obviously upregulated 6.49, 5.0 and 3.68 fold, respectively. Yet 18sRNA had no obvious expression change in gastric cancer tissues and the corresponding peritumoral tissues. The expression of GAPDH, ${\beta}$-actin, RPII and 18sRNA showed no obvious changes in normal gastric epithelial cells compared with gastric cancer cell lines. The carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), a widely used clinical tumor marker, was used as a validation gene. Only when 18sRNA was used as the normalizing gene was CEA obviously elevated in gastric cancer tissues compared with peritumoral tissues. Our data show that 18sRNA is stably expressed in gastric cancer samples and corresponding peritumoral tissues. These observations confirm that there is no universal reference gene and underline the importance of specific optimization of potential reference genes for any experimental condition.

Effect of hydraulic distribution on the stability of a plane slide rock slope under the nonlinear Barton-Bandis failure criterion

Zhao, Lian-Heng,Cao, Jingyuan,Zhang, Yingbin,Luo, Qiang Techno-Press 2015 Geomechanics & engineering Vol.8 No.3

In this paper, stabilities of a plane slide rock slope under different hydraulic distributions were studied based on the nonlinear Barton-Bandis (B-B) failure criterion. The influence of various parameters on the stability of rock slopes was analyzed. Parametric analysis indicated that studying the factor of safety (FS) of planar slide rock slopes using the B-B failure criterion is both simple and effective and that the effects of the basic friction angle of the joint (${\varphi}_b$), the joint roughness coefficient (JRC), and the joint compressive strength (JCS) on the FS of a planar slide rock slope are significant. Qualitatively, the influence of the JCS on the FS of a slope is small, whereas the influences of the ${\varphi}_b$ and the JRC are significant. The FS of the rock slope decreases as the water in a tension crack becomes deeper. This trend is more significant when the flow outlet is blocked, a situation that is particularly prevalent in regions with permafrost or seasonal frozen soil. Finally, the work is extended to study the reliability of the slope against plane failure according to the uncertainty from physical and mechanics parameters.

Ankrd7, a Novel Gene Specifically Expressed in Sertoli Cells and Its Potential Roles in Sertoli Cell Maturation

Yu-Qiang Shi,Lian-Cai Du,Qing-Zhong Wang,Chun-Fang Han 한국분자세포생물학회 2009 Molecules and cells Vol.27 No.2

The somatic Sertoli cells play an essential role in testis determination and spermatogenesis by providing nutrition and structural support. In the current study, we report on the novel Ankrd7 gene that contains five ankyrin repeat domains. This gene was specifically expressed in Sertoli cells and was regulated in a maturation-dependent manner. Its expression was restricted to testicular tissue, and its mRNA could be detected in testes at as early as 14 dpp (days post partum) using RT-PCR analysis. In both testicular tissue sections and in vitro cultured Sertoli cells, the Ankrd7 protein was localized to the nucleus of the Sertoli cell. Immunohistochemistry and immunocytochemistry investigations showed that the protein was detectable in testicular tissues at 20 dpp, at which time Sertoli cells were gradually differentiating into their mature cellular form. These results suggest that Ankrd7 is probably involved in the process of Sertoli cell maturation and in spermatogenesis.

Synergistic Effect of Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Platelet-Rich Plasma in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats

( Zhen Zhen Lian ),( Xiao Jing Yin ),( Hua Li ),( Li Li Jia ),( Xiu Zhen He ),( Yong Bo Yan ),( Nai Hua Liu ),( Ka Yiu Wan ),( Xiao Kun Li ),( Shao Qiang Lin ) 대한피부과학회 2014 Annals of Dermatology Vol.26 No.1

Background: Diabetic wounds are a major clinical challenge, because minor skin wounds can lead to chronic, unhealed ulcers and ultimately result in infection, gangrene, or even amputation. Studies on bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and a series of growth factors have revealed their many benefits for wound healing and regeneration. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) may improve the environment for BMSC development and differentiation. However, whether combined use of BMSCs and PRP may be more effective for accelerating diabetic ulcer healing remains unclear. Objective: We investigated the efficacy of BMSCs and PRP for the repair of refractory wound healing in a diabetic rat model. Methods: Forty-eight rats with diabetes mellitus induced by streptozotocin were divided into four groups: treatment with BMSCs plus PRP, BMSCs alone, PRP alone, phosphate buffered saline. The rate of wound closure was quantified. A histopathological study was conducted regarding wound depth and the skin edge at 7, 14, and 28 days after surgery. Results: Wound healing rates were significantly higher in the BMSC plus PRP group than in the other groups. The immunohistochemistry results showed that the expression of platelet/endothelial cell adhesion molecule 1, proliferating cell nuclear antigen, and transforming growth factor-β1 increased significantly in the BMSC plus PRP group compared to the other treatment groups. On day 7, CD68 expression increased significantly in the wounds of the BMSC plus PRP group, but decreased markedly at day 14 compared to the controls. Conclusion: The combination of BMSCs and PRP aids diabetic wound repair and regeneration. (Ann Dermatol 26(1) 1∼10, 2014)