Tissue-specific expression of the NOD-like receptor protein 3 in BALB/c mice

Zhiqiang Huang,Meng Yu,Shuang Tong,Kun Jia,Rongchang Liu,Heng Wang,Shou-Jun Li,Zhang-Yong Ning 대한수의학회 2014 Journal of Veterinary Science Vol.15 No.2

Activation of the innate immune system requires recognitionof pathogen-associated molecular patterns, such as NOD-likereceptors. The NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3)inflammasome is involved in induction of the proinflammatorycytokine, IL-1β, and subsequent inflammatoryresponses. NLRP3 inflammasome plays important roles in theinflammatory and innate immune responses associated withautoimmune/inflammatory syndrome. However, analysis of thetissue distribution and expression profiles in BALB/c mice is stillincomplete. In this study, we investigated the tissue distributionand expression pattern of NLRP3 in BALB/c mice to furtherelucidate its function in innate immunity in this commonly usedlaboratory animal model. NLRP3 mRNA expression levels andtissue distribution of the protein were investigated by real-timequantitative PCR and immunohistochemical analyses,respectively. NLRP3 mRNA expression was higher in thekidney and inguinal lymph nodes than in other tissues. Cytoplasmic expression of NLRP3 was detected in the epithelialreticular cells of the spleen and thymus, lymphocytes in theinguinal lymph nodes, cardiac muscle cells, cerebral cortexneurons, alveolar macrophages, renal tubule cells and liversinusoidal endothelial cells. The results of this study will assistinvestigators in interpreting site-specific functions and roles ofNLRP3 in inflammatory responses.

Nano-control synthesis the porous network of NiCoP and F doped NiCo2Al-LDHs@ZnFeAl-LDHs nanosheets as superior catalyst for efficient overall water splitting

Zhiqiang Hou,Yujiao Zhu,Wenjuan Du,Xiangkun Jia,Tiantian Huang,Ke-Jing Huang 한국공업화학회 2022 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.112 No.-

Design and development superior electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) to future construct a efficient overall water electrolyzer is imperative to relieve energy crisis. Herein, three-dimensional porous network of NiCoP nanosheets being covered by bimetallic phosphides nanoparticles with a ultra-small size of ∼ 7 nm anchored on nickel foam (NF) is synthesized via employing a low-cost hydrothermal and phosphorization reaction, which provides the numerous electrcatalytic active area and reactive sites, benefiting for HER behaviors. Additionally, a top-down structure of F-doped NiCo2Al-LDHs@ZnFeAl-LDHs (F-NC2AL@ZFAL) catalysts supported on NF is also fabricated by a two-step hydrothermal reaction, which could also provide promising OER performances. As expected, the as-prepared HER and OER catalysts manifest the lower overpotential of 58 and 177 mV at 10 mA cm−2 in 1 M KOH solution. Significantly, a overall water electrolyzer assembled by employing the as-prepared HER and OER catalysts displays the various cell voltages of 1.36, 1.55, 1.66, and 1.75 V at the corresponding current densities of 10, 20, 50, and 100 mA cm−2, with the excellent durability for 22 h at 100 mA cm−2. The favorable electrocatalytic behaviors imply the great potential of as-prepared electrocatalysts for overall water splitting.

Determining the Walker exponent and developing a modified Smith-Watson-Topper parameter model

Zhiqiang Lv,Hong-Zhong Huang,Hai-Kun Wang,Huiying Gao,Fang-Jun Zuo 대한기계학회 2016 JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Vol.30 No.3

Mean stress effects significantly influence the fatigue life of components. In general, tensile mean stresses are known to reduce the fatigue life of components, whereas compressive mean stresses are known to increase it. To date, various methods that account for mean stress effects have been studied. In this research, considering the high accuracy of mean stress correction and the difficulty in obtaining the material parameter of the Walker method, a practical method is proposed to describe the material parameter of this method. The test data of various materials are then used to verify the proposed practical method. Furthermore, by applying the Walker material parameter and the Smith-Watson-Topper (SWT) parameter, a modified strain-life model is developed to consider sensitivity to mean stress of materials. In addition, three sets of experimental fatigue data from super alloy GH4133, aluminum alloy 7075-T651, and carbon steel are used to estimate the accuracy of the proposed model. A comparison is also made between the SWT parameter method and the proposed strainlife model. The proposed strain-life model provides more accurate life prediction results than the SWT parameter method.

Lifetime prediction for turbine discs based on a modified Walker strain model

Zhiqiang Lv,Hong-Zhong Huang,Huiying Gao,Fang-Jun Zuo,Hai-Kun Wang 대한기계학회 2015 JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Vol.29 No.10

We created three-dimensional models of turbine disc and blades of a type of aero-engine according to their geometries. Extant studies show that low cycle fatigue is the main failure mechanism of turbine disc. By using a non-linear elastic-plasticfinite element method, the static stress and strain state of the critically high stress regions, which can lead to operational failures,are determined. On the basis of stress-strain relation, a modified Walker strain life prediction model is proposed with norequired knowledge on the mean stress correction. Then the predicted life data from the modified Walker strain model arecompared with the testing results. After the verification, the modified Walker strain life prediction model and Miner’s rule wereapplied to predict the lifetime of the turbine disc under various operating conditions.

A 45 GHz CMOS VCO Adopting Digitally Switchable Metal-Oxide-Metal Capacitors

Guochi Huang,Seong-Kyun Kim,Zhiqiang Gao,SoYoung Kim,Fusco, V,Byung-Sung Kim IEEE 2011 IEEE microwave and wireless components letters Vol.21 No.5

<P>A 45 GHz millimeter-wave (MMW) VCO adopting digitally switchable metal-oxide-metal (MOM) capacitors as the tuning element is described in this work. The MOM capacitor is designed to have discrete capacitance values in order to extend frequency tuning range. The MMW VCO with the switchable MOM capacitor demonstrates an operation frequency ranging from 43.5 to 45.5 GHz. The measured phase noise at 3 MHz offset is less than -97 dBc/Hz across the entire frequency band. The VCO core consumes 4 mW power under a 1 V supply. The measured FoM<SUB>T</SUB> is -173.</P>

Anti-diabetic effect of purple corn extract on C57BL/KsJ db/db mice

Bo Huang,Zhiqiang Wang,Jong Hyuk Park,Ok Hyun Ryu,Moon Ki Choi,Jae-Yong Lee,Young-Hee Kang,Soon Sung Lim 한국영양학회 2015 Nutrition Research and Practice Vol.9 No.1

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Recently, anthocyanins have been reported to have various biological activities. Furthermore, anthocyanin-rich purple corn extract (PCE) ameliorated insulin resistance and reduced diabetes-associated mesanginal fibrosis and inflammation, suggesting that it may have benefits for the prevention of diabetes and diabetes complications. In this study, we determined the anthocyanins and non-anthocyanin component of PCE by HPLC-ESI-MS and investigated its anti-diabetic activity and mechanisms using C57BL/KsJ db/db mice. MATERIALS/METHODS: The db/db mice were divided into four groups: diabetic control group (DC), 10 or 50 mg/kg PCE (PCE 10 or PCE 50), or 10 mg/kg pinitol (pinitol 10) and treated with drugs once per day for 8 weeks. During the experiment, body weight and blood glucose levels were measured every week. At the end of treatment, we measured several diabetic parameters. RESULTS: Compared to the DC group, Fasting blood glucose levels were 68% lower in PCE 50 group and 51% lower in the pinitol 10 group. Furthermore, the PCE 50 group showed 2- fold increased C-peptide and adiponectin levels and 20% decreased HbA1c levels, than in the DC group. In pancreatic islets morphology, the PCE- or pinitol- treated mice showed significant prevention of pancreatic β-cell damage and higher insulin content. Microarray analyses results indicating that gene and protein expressions associated with glycolysis and fatty acid metabolism in liver and fat tissues. In addition, purple corn extract increased the phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and decreased phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), glucose 6-phosphatase (G6pase) genes in liver, and also increased glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) expressions in skeletal muscle. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggested that PCE exerted anti-diabetic effects through protection of pancreatic β-cells, increase of insulin secretion and AMPK activation in the liver of C57BL/KsJ db/db mice.

Distributed Security Control for Complex Cyber-physical Systems Against Denial-of-service Attacks

Xiaojie Huang,Da-Wei Ding,Zhiqiang Li,Cuijuan An 제어·로봇·시스템학회 2022 International Journal of Control, Automation, and Vol.20 No.2

This paper investigates the problem of distributed security control for complex cyber-physical systems against denial-of-service (DoS) attacks. A distributed security controller with interconnected control nodes is proposed on the basis of piecewise Lyapunov functions. The bounds of attack frequency and attack duration are explicitly calculated to achieve security synchronization. Meanwhile, an event-based data update strategy is proposed to resist the negative influence of DoS attacks on data transmission. Finally, a simulation example is given to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Production of Mycelial Biomass and Exo-polymer by Hericium erinaceus CZ-2: Optimization of Nutrients Levels using Response Surface Methodology

Fengjie Cui,Zhiqiang Liu,Yin Li,Lifeng Ping,Liying Ping,Zhicai Zhang,Lin Lin,Ying Dong,Daming Huang 한국생물공학회 2010 Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering Vol.15 No.2

The Doehlert experimental design was used to optimize the production of mycelial biomass and exopolymer from Hericium erinaceus CZ-2 in this study. Statistical analysis showed that the linear and quadric terms of 3 variables: corn flour, yeast extract, and corn steep liquor had significant effects. The optimized combination of these 3 variables was confirmed through validation experiments. The optimal conditions for higher production of mycelial biomass (19.92 g/L) were estimated when the media composition concentrations were set as: 30.85 g/L,corn flour; 2.81 g/L, yeast extract; 16.9 mL/L, corn steep liquor; 10 g/L, glucose; 1 g/L, KH2PO4; and 0.5 g/L,MgSO4·7H2O; while a maximal exo-polymer yield (1.653g/L) could be achieved when setting concentrations of:32.71 g/L, corn flour; 2.35 g/L, Yeast extract; 14.42 mL/L,Corn steep liquor; 10 g/L, glucose; 1 g/L, KH2PO4; and 0.5g/L, MgSO4·7H2O. The upscale production was also investigated using a 15 L fermentor using the optimized medium.

MODEL PREDICTIVE TRAJECTORY OPTIMIZATION AND TRACKING IN HIGHLY CONSTRAINED ENVIRONMENTS

Lu Xiong,Zhiqiang Fu,Zixuan Qian,Bo Leng,Dequan Zeng,Yanjun Huang 한국자동차공학회 2022 International journal of automotive technology Vol.23 No.4

This paper presents a model predictive trajectory optimization and tracking framework to avoid collisions for autonomous vehicles in highly constrained environments. Firstly, a vehicle model is established in road coordinate system to describe the relationship between the vehicle and the reference road. Secondly, a numerical optimization method is applied to smoothen the reference path generated by waypoints. Then, a multilayer searched method is used to establish a safe driving corridor in highly constrained environments. In addition, an optimal path optimization and tracking framework based on model predictive control is formulated to improve the driving safety and comfort. The proposed framework considers the constraints of path boundaries and vehicle dynamics to provide the optimal control command. Furthermore, the speed profile is optimized based on the longitudinal motion model in space domain to ensure the constraints of speed limits and vehicle acceleration. Finally, the proposed algorithms are evaluated through experiments in various scenarios to demonstrate the effectiveness.

Study on Detection Methods of Residual Wall Thickness for Process Pipeline Corrosion in Oil and Gas Gathering and Transportation Station

Mingjiang Shi,Honghui Zhao,Zhiqiang Huang,Lu Jiang 한국자기학회 2018 Journal of Magnetics Vol.23 No.2

In this paper, it is proposed to adopt Pulsed Eddy Current (PEC) testing of coaxial double coil structure to implement the detection on residual wall thickness of pipeline corrosion in oil and gas gathering and transportation station, in the view of reduction of wall thickness caused by corrosion. The electromagnetic field theory is applied to conduct theoretical analysis on PEC detection. On such basis, a theoretical model of coaxial double coil structure for PEC detection is built, and the relation of voltage phase of the detected signal varying with the wall thickness of the pipeline is derived. Then a method for evaluating the residual wall thickness of pipelines based on the phase trough time of PEC signals is proposed. Moreover, the parameters of the PEC probe are optimized by finite element method, and the detection system is designed accordingly. As a result, the practicability of the detection system and the correctness of the theoretical model are verified by experiments, proved that the model can realize the detection of the residua wall thickness under the condition of different media transported by the pipeline.