Characterization of the effect of He⁺ irradiation on nanoporous-isotropic graphite for molten salt reactors

Zhang, Heyao,He, Zhao,Song, Jinliang,Liu, Zhanjun,Tang, Zhongfeng,Liu, Min,Wang, Yong,Liu, Xiangdong Korean Nuclear Society 2020 Nuclear Engineering and Technology Vol.52 No.6

Irradiation-induced damage of binderless nanoporous-isotropic graphite (NPIG) prepared by isostatic pressing of mesophase carbon microspheres for molten salt reactor was investigated by 3.0 MeV He⁺ irradiation at room temperature and high temperature of 600 ℃, and IG-110 was used as the comparation. SEM, TEM, X-ray diffraction and Raman spectrum are used to characterize the irradiation effect and the influence of temperature on graphite radiation damage. After irradiation at room temperature, the surface morphology is rougher, the increase of defect clusters makes atom flour bend, the layer spacing increases, and the catalytic graphitization phenomenon of NPIG is observed. However, the density of defects in high temperature environment decreases and other changes are not obvious. Mechanical properties also change due to changes in defects. In addition, SEM and Raman spectra of the cross section show that cracks appear in the depth range of the maximum irradiation dose, and the defect density increases with the increase of irradiation dose.

Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt creation for portal hypertension in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: A systematic review

He Zhao,Jiaywei Tsauo,Tao Gong,Jinggui Li,Xiao Li 소화기인터벤션의학회 2018 International journal of gastrointestinal interven Vol.7 No.3

Background: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) creation for the management of portal hypertension in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: A literature search of the MEDLINE/PubMed and Embase databases was conducted. All articles reporting the outcomes of TIPS creation for variceal bleeding and refractory ascites and hepatic hydrothorax in patients with HCC were included. Exclusion criteria were non-English language, sample size < 5, data not extractable, and data reported in another article. Results: A total of 280 patients (mean age, 48–58; male gender, 66%) from five articles were included. TIPS creation was performed for variceal bleeding in 79% and refractory ascites and/or hepatic hydrothorax in 26% of patients. Technical and clinical success was achieved in 99% and 64% of patients, respectively. Clinical failure occurred in 36% of patients due to rebleeding or recurrent bleeding (n = 77) or no resolution or improvement of refractory ascites and hepatic hydrothorax (n = 24). One percent of patient had major complications, including accelerated liver failure (n = 1) and multi-organ failure resulting from hemorrhagic shock (n = 1), all of which resulted in early (i.e., within 30 days) death. Hepatic encephalopathy occurred in 40% of patients after TIPS creation. Lung metastasis was found 1% of patient 5 months (n = 1) and 72 months (n = 1) after TIPS creation. Conclusion: TIPS creation seems to be safe and effective for the management of portal hypertension in patients with HCC.

Densifi cation of matrix graphite for spherical fuel elements used in molten salt reactor via addition of green pitch coke

Zhao He,Hongchao Zhao,Jinliang Song,Xiaohui Guo,Zhanjun Liu,Yajuan Zhong,T. James Marrow 한국원자력학회 2022 Nuclear Engineering and Technology Vol.54 No.4

Green pitch coke with an average particle size of 2 mm was adopted as densifier and added to the rawmaterials of conventional A3-3 matrix graphite (MG) to prepare modified A3-3 matrix graphite (MMG)by the quasi-isostatic molding method. The structure, mechanical and thermal properties were assessed. Compared with MG, MMG had a more compact structure, and exhibited improved properties of highermechanical strength, higher thermal conductivity and better molten salt barrier performance. Notably,under the same infiltration pressure of 5 atm, the fluoride salt occupation of MMG was only 0.26 wt%,whereas it was 15.82 wt% for MG. The densification effect of green pitch coke endowed MMG withimproved properties for potential use in the spherical fuel elements of molten salt reactor.

High Expression of Bcl-2 Protein Predicts Favorable Outcome in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer: Evidence from a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Zhao, Xian-Da,He, Yu-Yu,Gao, Jun,Zhao, Chen,Zhang, Ling-Lin,Tian, Jing-Yuan,Chen, Hong-Lei Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.20

Background: The prognostic value of Bcl-2 protein expression in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is under debate. We therefore systematically reviewed the evidence for Bcl-2 protein effects on NSCLC survival to elucidate this issue. Materials and Methods: An electronic search in Pubmed and Embase complemented by manual searches in article references were conducted to identify eligible studies to evaluate the association between Bcl-2 protein expression and overall survival (OS) as well as disease free survival (DFS) of NSCLC patients. Combined hazard ratios (HRs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) were pooled using the random-effects model. Results: A total of 50 trials (including 52 cohorts) encompassing 7,765 patients were pooled in the meta-analysis regarding Bcl-2 expression and OS of NSCLC patients. High expression of Bcl-2 protein had a favorable impact (HR=0.76, 95%CI=0.67-0.86). In the group of Bcl-2 expression and DFS, 11 studies including 2,634 patients were included. The synthesized result indicated high expression of Bcl-2 protein might predict good DFS (HR=0.85, 95%CI=0.75-0.95). Conclusions: Our present meta-analysis demonstrated favorable prognostic values of Bcl-2 expression in patients with NSCLC. Further prospective trails are welcomed to validate the utility of assessing Bcl-2 in NSCLC patient management.

Excluding molten fluoride salt from nuclear graphite by SiC/glassy carbon composite coating

Zhao He,Jinliang Song,Pengfei Lian,Dongqing Zhang,Zhanjun Liu 한국원자력학회 2019 Nuclear Engineering and Technology Vol.51 No.5

SiC coating and SiC/glassy carbon composite coating were prepared on IG-110 nuclear graphite (ToyoTanso Co., Ltd., Japan) to strengthen its inertness to molten fluoride salt used in molten salt reactor(MSR). Two kinds of modified graphite were obtained and correspondingly named as IG-110-1 and IG-110-2, which referred to modified IG-110 with a single SiC coating and a SiC/glassy carbon compositecoating, respectively. Both structure and property of modified graphite were carefully researched andcontrasted with virgin IG-110. Results indicated that modified graphite presented better comprehensiveproperties such as more compact structure and higher resistance to molten salt infiltration. With theprotection of coatings, the infiltration amounts of fluoride salt into modified graphite were much lessthan that into virgin IG-110 at the same circumstance. Especially, the infiltration amount of fluoride saltinto IG-110-2 under 5 atm was merely 0.26 wt%, which was much less than that into virgin IG-110 under1.5 atm (13.5 wt%) and the critical index proposed for nuclear graphite used in MSR (0.5 wt%). The SiC/glassy carbon composite coating gave rise to highest resistance to molten salt infiltration into IG-110-2,and thus demonstrated it could be a promising protective coating for nuclear graphite used in MSR.

The physics and chemistry of graphene-on-surfaces

Zhao, G.,Li, X.,Huang, M.,Zhen, Z.,Zhong, Y.,Chen, Q.,Zhao, X.,He, Y.,Hu, R.,Yang, T. Royal Society of Chemistry 2017 Chemical Society reviews Vol.46 No.15

Production of Transgenic Pigs with an Introduced Missense Mutation of the Bone Morphogenetic Protein Receptor Type IB Gene Related to Prolificacy

Zhao, Xueyan,Yang, Qiang,Zhao, Kewei,Jiang, Chao,Ren, Dongren,Xu, Pan,He, Xiaofang,Liao, Rongrong,Jiang, Kai,Ma, Junwu,Xiao, Shijun,Ren, Jun,Xing, Yuyun Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2016 Animal Bioscience Vol.29 No.7

In the last few decades, transgenic animal technology has witnessed an increasingly wide application in animal breeding. Reproductive traits are economically important to the pig industry. It has been shown that the bone morphogenetic protein receptor type IB (BMPR1B) A746G polymorphism is responsible for the fertility in sheep. However, this causal mutation exits exclusively in sheep and goat. In this study, we attempted to create transgenic pigs by introducing this mutation with the aim to improve reproductive traits in pigs. We successfully constructed a vector containing porcine BMPR1B coding sequence (CDS) with the mutant G allele of A746G mutation. In total, we obtained 24 cloned male piglets using handmade cloning (HMC) technique, and 12 individuals survived till maturation. A set of polymerase chain reactions indicated that 11 of 12 matured boars were transgene-positive individuals, and that the transgenic vector was most likely disrupted during cloning. Of 11 positive pigs, one (No. 11) lost a part of the terminator region but had the intact promoter and the CDS regions. cDNA sequencing showed that the introduced allele (746G) was expressed in multiple tissues of transgene-positive offspring of No.11. Western blot analysis revealed that BMPR1B protein expression in multiple tissues of transgene-positive $F_1$ piglets was 0.5 to 2-fold higher than that in the transgene-negative siblings. The No. 11 boar showed normal litter size performance as normal pigs from the same breed. Transgene-positive $F_1$ boars produced by No. 11 had higher semen volume, sperm concentration and total sperm per ejaculate than the negative siblings, although the differences did not reached statistical significance. Transgene-positive $F_1$ sows had similar litter size performance to the negative siblings, and more data are needed to adequately assess the litter size performance. In conclusion, we obtained 24 cloned transgenic pigs with the modified porcine BMPR1B CDS using HMC. cDNA sequencing and western blot indicated that the exogenous BMPR1B CDS was successfully expressed in host pigs. The transgenic pigs showed normal litter size performance. However, no significant differences in litter size were found between transgene-positive and negative sows. Our study provides new insight into producing cloned transgenic livestock related to reproductive traits.

The role of discoid domain receptor 1 on renal tubular epithelial pyroptosis in diabetic nephropathy

Zhao Weichen,He Chunyuan,Jiang Junjie,Zhao Zongbiao,Yuan Hongzhong,Wang Facai,Shen Bingxiang 대한약리학회 2022 The Korean Journal of Physiology & Pharmacology Vol.26 No.6

Pyroptosis, a form of cell death associated with inflammation, is known to be involved in diabetic nephropathy (DN), and discoid domain receptor 1 (DDR1), an inflammatory regulatory protein, is reported to be associated with diabetes. However, the mechanism underlying DDR1 regulation and pyroptosis in DN remains unknown. We aimed to investigate the effect of DDR1 on renal tubular epithelial cell pyroptosis and the mechanism underlying DN. In this study, we used high glucose (HG)-treated HK-2 cells and rats with a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin as DN models. Subsequently, the expression of pyroptosis-related proteins (cleaved caspase-1, GSDMD-N, Interleukin-1β [IL-1β], and interleukin-18 [IL-18]), DDR1, phosphorylated NF-κB (p-NF-κB), and NLR family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasomes were determined through Western blotting. IL-1β and IL-18 levels were determined using ELISA. The rate of pyroptosis was assessed by propidium iodide (PI) staining. The results revealed upregulated expression of pyroptosisrelated proteins and increased concentration of IL-1β and IL-18, accompanied by DDR1, p-NF-κB, and NLRP3 upregulation in DN rat kidney tissues and HG-treated HK-2 cells. Moreover, DDR1 knockdown in the background of HG treatment resulted in inhibited expression of pyroptosis-related proteins and attenuation of IL-1β and IL-18 production and PI-positive cell frequency via the NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway in HK-2 cells. However, NLRP3 overexpression reversed the effect of DDR1 knockdown on pyroptosis. In conclusion, we demonstrated that DDR1 may be associated with pyroptosis, and DDR1 knockdown inhibited HG-induced renal tubular epithelial cell pyroptosis. The NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway is probably involved in the underlying mechanism of these findings.

Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt creation for portal hypertension in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: A systematic review

He Zhao,Jiaywei Tsauo,Tao Gong,Jinggui Li,Xiao Li 소화기인터벤션의학회 2018 Gastrointestinal Intervention Vol.7 No.3

Background: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) creation for the management of portal hypertension in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: A literature search of the MEDLINE/PubMed and Embase databases was conducted. All articles reporting the outcomes of TIPS creation for variceal bleeding and refractory ascites and hepatic hydrothorax in patients with HCC were included. Exclusion criteria were non-English language, sample size < 5, data not extractable, and data reported in another article. Results: A total of 280 patients (mean age, 48–58; male gender, 66%) from five articles were included. TIPS creation was performed for variceal bleeding in 79% and refractory ascites and/or hepatic hydrothorax in 26% of patients. Technical and clinical success was achieved in 99% and 64% of patients, respectively. Clinical failure occurred in 36% of patients due to rebleeding or recurrent bleeding (n = 77) or no resolution or improvement of refractory ascites and hepatic hydrothorax (n = 24). One percent of patient had major complications, including accelerated liver failure (n = 1) and multi-organ failure resulting from hemorrhagic shock (n = 1), all of which resulted in early (i.e., within 30 days) death. Hepatic encephalopathy occurred in 40% of patients after TIPS creation. Lung metastasis was found 1% of patient 5 months (n = 1) and 72 months (n = 1) after TIPS creation. Conclusion: TIPS creation seems to be safe and effective for the management of portal hypertension in patients with HCC.

Effect of Circuit Parameters on Stability of Voltage-fed Buck-Boost Converter in Discontinuous Conduction Mode

Zhao-He Feng,Ren-Xi Gong,Qing-Yu Wang 대한전기학회 2014 Journal of Electrical Engineering & Technology Vol.9 No.4

The state transition matrix are obtained by solving state equations in terms of Laplace inverse transformation and Cayley-Hamilton theorem, and an establishment of a precise discreteiterative mapping of the voltage-fed buck-boost converter operating in discontinuous conduction mode is made. On the basis of the mapping, the converter bifurcation diagrams and Lyapunov exponent diagrams with the input voltage, the resistance, the inductance and the capacitance as the bifurcation parameters are obtained, and the effect of the parameters on the system stability is deeply studied. The results obtained show that they have a great influence on the stability of the system, and the general trend is that the increase of either the voltage-fed coefficient, input voltage or the load resistance, or the decrease of the filtering inductance, capacitance will make the system stability become poorer, and that all the parameters have a critical value, and when they are greater or less than the values, the system will go through stable 1T orbits, stable 2T orbits, 4T orbits, 8T orbits and eventually approaches chaos.